Stage 32 Blog Contributor Books Speaking Gig At Writers' Summit

I still remember the email that came to my inbox inviting me to join Stage 32. I was intrigued and quickly clicked through to see what opportunities might lie ahead for me, being someone who’s all about making new connections and discovering new and helpful resources.

While we’ve all experienced a degree of online video conferencing burnout from doing far too much of it during the pandemic, the Stage 32 online community that we all know and love can be so impactful.

Between requests to “join your Stage 32 network,” blogs, lounges, and so much more the platform provides, there’s much to indulge in through the place you’re reading on now. Of course, like anything else, you get out exactly what you put into it.

Taking Opportunities Presented to You

Once I’d gotten myself setup on and immersed in Stage 32, I rolled up my sleeves to see what kind of offerings I could get involved with. Being someone who has published a blog on my own company website every Monday for practically eight years, doing the same here was attractive to me.

The back and forth was quite friendly and, like so much else that I experience here, I felt very welcomed.

Fast forward to the present day, and you are now reading, I’m pretty certain, my sixth guest blog here.

There’s a difference between being a registered user of Stage 32 and actually making yourself visible. It’s like having lots of options on a new car you purchase, yet simply driving the vehicle and not utilizing the extra features.

It’s a Two-Way Street

This is the part where I put on the brakes and stop to make sure I include the mandatory disclaimer that we all need to be reminded of from time to time. That is, you don’t go into things in the entertainment – or any other – industry with your hand out.

If I wrote to someone at Stage 32 upon first joining and said, “Hi, I just signed up. What can you folks do for me?” I don’t know that I would’ve deserved any kind of virtual red carpet to be rolled out for me.

Instead, as noted above, I made contact to introduce myself and inquire how I could contribute through a guest blog (or two) (or six).

It’s why those who DO write guest blogs for the platform stay engaged with the post after it gets published, keeping the dialogue going, staying interactive, responding to comments, and not sitting back and being a spectator.

Taking it Off the Platform

I had a meeting with a Hollywood-based client on my calendar and was working to build other sit-downs around that. I wanted to meet in-person with some of the Stage 32 personnel I was otherwise only dealing with via email. I was intrigued. I wanted to see what else might lie ahead.

Oops. One said, “Sorry, I actually live in Austin,” which, of course, simply told me to make a mental note of that for a future visit to the Lone Star State.

However, Stage 32 Community Manager Kay Ross was happy to get together with me, and give me a chance to learn more about everything in her world and if there was help I could provide.

We won’t make a hugely impactful connection with every person we connect with on here. Yet, if network requests are simply accepted for purposes of padding your stats and never even so much as looking at who the person is and what they do, what’s the real benefit to you OR that newest person you’ve added to your list? As you can see, my advice is to ‘meet’ them somehow.

Where a Connection Might Lead

Over time I have noticed that as my guest blogs have gotten published on Stage 32, and, as I’ve promoted them in my weekly e-newsletter and on my various social media channels, people start contacting me, although not always saying, “I just read your (insert title here) article.”

There is a Hollywood filmmaker in particular who I’m pretty sure, even though it was never stated, landed in one of my inboxes because of a guest blog of mine that was published on here.

I’m even more confident that I connected with Cali Gilbert on here, starting with a comment she’d posted on one of my guest blogs, which we eventually carried into private messages on Stage 32, and then ultimately to email.

As that conversation became quite hearty and we got to know more about one another and what we each do, she mentioned her involvement with the San Francisco Writers Conference and Writing for Hollywood Summit.

Despite all the speaking I do, that was one event that I wasn’t familiar with. So, I made the time to research it – and was glad that I did. It looked like an opportunity for me to add value to their program.

This is where I point out that the 2022 edition was the 18th annual, which means that maybe I should’ve heard of it by now but also that they likely have a well-established network of go-to speakers. However, Cali said she would put me in the mix!

And It’s All Because of Stage 32

So, there I was last month, stepping up onto a stage at the San Francisco Writers Conference and Writing for Hollywood Summit, all because of a connection I’d made on Stage 32.

It should go without saying that, of course, I’ve now also started relationships with more new contacts that I’ve made from having put myself out there, being a speaker at an event I had no previous connection to.

One week later, I was putting on a seminar at an event in Alabama. I told the attendees there how important it is to follow up with a “Thank You” after an opportunity such as that which I’ve just described. Needless to say, I certainly made sure to drop into Cali Gilbert’s inbox to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity I’d been given in San Francisco since it was meeting and getting to know her that made that happen.

In fact, as she caught me up on her latest projects (while responding to my Thank You), someone who was in her latest film came onto my radar. That has now led to me making plans to invite that person to be a guest on my weekly podcast, which in turn will do my heart good since obviously there will be talk of that film project of Cali’s. This, again, is something I wouldn’t have known about (and a potential podcast guest I would’ve never found) had it not been for Stage 32.

So, I ask you, have I connected with YOU yet on here?

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Got an idea for a post? Or have you collaborated with Stage 32 members to create a project? We'd love to hear about it. Email Emily at emily@stage32.com and let's get your post published!

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