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Coffee & Content: Visual Language & Vertical Lanes

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Let’s kick things off with a huge shoutout to everyone who has already jumped into this month’s Introduce Yourself Weekend. Thousands of creatives from around the world are connecting, sharing their stories, and building relationships that can lead to collaborations, opportunities, and lifelong friendships. If you haven’t made your introduction yet, you still have time. Head over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge before the weekend wraps. B…

Cinematography Networking Tips

Hi, Stage 32 Community! My name is Gareth Taylor, and I’m a Stage 32 Thought Leader and filmmaker with over 15 years in the industry. My career thus far has mainly focused on cinematography, while my storytelling roots lie in screenwriting and directing. My work includes a vast number of films, documentaries, commercials, branded content, music videos, TV, and corporate videos. The entertainment business is a tough place to work and grow in. The competition is fierce, and it&rsq…

WIFTI Summit 2026: Global Stories and the Kind of Rooms that Change You

There’s a particular kind of room that changes you. You don’t always recognise it straight away. You arrive slightly jet-lagged, juggling coffee and conversations, scanning name badges and reacquainting yourself with your learnt extroversion. And then something shifts. A sentence lands. A story reframes your thinking. And a collective energy builds which feels less like networking and more like momentum. That was the 2026 WIFTI Summit in Limerick. From the moment we arri…

Your Stage 32 Success Story Starts Here: Join Our February Community Open House

Happy Thursday, Stage 32 Community! As we move deeper into 2026, there’s one question I keep hearing from creatives inside the Stage 32 community: “What should I be focusing on right now?” If you’ve been wondering how to build momentum, how to get more visible, or how to stop creating in isolation, I want to personally invite you to this month’s Stage 32 Community Open House. Wednesday, February 25th at 12:00 pm PT You can register for free by clic…

Insider Intel: WE HEARD YOU. Your Stage 32 Journey Just Got Easier!

We’ve been listening, and we’ve been building. Over the past few months, you’ve told us what would make Stage 32 work better for you. Smoother scheduling. Easier access to your orders and submissions. Less friction when life gets in the way of that consultation you’ve been waiting for.   So we got to work. And today, we’re rolling out updates that make navigating Stage 32 simpler, faster, and a whole lot less stressful.   Find Your Orders R…

Let’s Redefine Success, Shall We?

Ahhh, success. That slippery, deeply personal measure of human satisfaction that somehow manages to look different on everyone. I think sometimes success doesn’t arrive with fireworks or fanfare. Sometimes it shows up quietly, disguised as survival, resilience, or simply getting through another day. And if we can learn to spot it - especially when it doesn’t look the way we expected - it can fuel us to keep going. I’ve had success many times in my life, though it has…

Vertical Cinema: Why Filmmakers Should Pay Attention

The Old System: Write - Shoot - Festival - Pray We all know the traditional path: You write a script, shoot the film, submit to festivals, hope for laurels, and try to impress the right producer, rep, or executive. It’s a long game. And it still works if you win. But it’s also slow, expensive, and full of gatekeepers. Now, a new path is rising. One that bypasses the red tape and puts your work directly in front of an audience today. It’s called the micro-dra…

Coffee & Content: The Future of Film Is Still Human

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! I hope your weekend has been a creative one so far. Whether you have been writing, filming, editing, or sketching out the next spark of an idea, I have something today that will give you a boost. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. This week’s featured video comes from The Hollywood Reporter: Daniel Kwan on AI Reshaping Creative Workflows & Independent Filmmaking Kwan opens with a simple truth: passion comes from surrounding yourself wi…

The Evolution of the Romantic Comedy: What Today’s Rom-Coms Teach Us About Love, Storytelling, and Success

Happy Valentine’s Day, Stage 32 Community! Romantic comedies have always held a special place in cinema. From the golden era of When Harry Met Sally and Pretty Woman to modern hits like Crazy Rich Asians and Palm Springs, the rom-com genre has evolved to reflect the changing dynamics of love, relationships, and storytelling. But what makes a romantic comedy successful in today’s market? How have audience expectations shifted over the years? And most importantly, how can scr…

The Art of the Pitch: 35 Screenwriters Share What Actually Works

When it comes to pitching screenplays, there's no shortage of advice. But what separates generic tips from actionable wisdom? We asked 35 screenwriters who've consistently received script requests from their Stage 32 pitch sessions to share exactly what's working for them. The responses of these Stage 32 writers reveal patterns, debunk myths, and offer practical techniques you can implement immediately. Here's what they said: Before the Pitch: Preparation Matters Do Your Research S…

Stage 32 Now Certifying Curaçao: Massive Opportunity for Caribbean Film Talent!

As the film commissioner for Curaçao, I am proud to share that the Curaçao Film Office has entered into a strategic partnership with Stage 32 to open up Stage 32’s globally recognized certification program to filmmakers across our island. This collaboration represents a huge step forward for our local film and television industry, not only just for Curaçao’s creative community, but also for the wider Caribbean, as a hub of multi-lingual talent, training,…

Insider Intel: To Sell or Not to Sell, That Is the Question!

Two Paths, One Script: How Do You Choose? When it comes to producing features, there are generally two viable paths: go straight to studios (buyers) and get them to front the money, or make it independently and sell later. Some projects are obvious. If your budget is under $3M, it wouldn't make sense to approach studios who want big talent and big projects, whether for theatrical release or direct-to-streamer. But many projects fall somewhere in between, and it's becoming harder to fig…

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