How To Successfully Navigate The Stage 32 Platform!

Happy Friday, Stage 32 Community!

Joining a platform like Stage 32 can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. While we’re incredibly proud of all of the resources, events, and unique perks that we offer our members, we know that it can take time to get your footing and know where to look to find what you’re most in need of. That’s why the Stage 32 team works so hard to reach you with the information that you need and be a constant source of support.

Starting with this helpful guide so that you can navigate Stage 32 with more confidence. Whether you’re new to Stage 32 or a long-time member of the community, below are some of the best ways for you to utilize this platform to reach new levels of success!

Building Community & Connections

Networking and building community is your number 1 key to success and should be prioritized at every stage of your creative journey. It’s your community that will lift you up when you’re down, celebrate your victories, champion your skills and projects, mentor you, provide wisdom and advice, and support you at every step.

At the core of everything that we do here at Stage 32, is our remarkable community of artists and seasoned professionals from all over the world at every experience level. Some of our members are naturally extroverted, so it’s easy for them to put themselves out there. But most of our members are introverted creatives who need to practice and hone those networking skills in a safe space. That’s why we’re proud that Stage 32 is considered one of the friendliest online communities, where members can feel welcomed and supported as they learn and grow.

The Stage 32 Lounges!

It all starts in the Stage 32 Lounges! This is the hub of our community, an entirely free public space for our members to network, share resources, ask questions, provide wisdom, celebrate their successes, and geek out on shared interests.

You can always find the “Lounges” listed in the top toolbar on any Stage 32 page. Selecting that option will route you to a new page listing all of the lounges available to you. They’re broken up by creative discipline and interest, to help you find the information that you need quickly and connect with specific professionals.

While promotion is NOT allowed in the discipline lounges and is outlined in the terms of each lounge, Stage 32 has a lounge called “Your Stage”, which is entirely made for promotion. This allows the discipline lounges to be resource-rich spaces where questions won’t get buried or lost. Yet our members can still share their incredible projects with us all in a designated space where we can see the details and celebrate alongside you!

Getting Started & Building Routine In 5 Easy Steps

1. Introduce Yourself in the Stage 32 Introduce Yourself Lounge! It’s a great way to dip your toes into the water. Make a post and put yourself out there. Tell us about your creative goals, your experiences, the books, movies, and series that inspire you, and the projects that you’re working on or working toward! Every month Stage 32 hosts a weekend-long networking event in this lounge called, Introduce Yourself Weekend and you can join in on October’s RIGHT NOW!
2. Comment on at least 2 Lounge Posts every day! Share words of encouragement, answers to other member's questions, or links to resources when you have them. Support one another and contribute to conversations. Like the posts and comments that you enjoy and be seen by others in the community! 2 comments a day is such an easy way to engage.
3. Post in at least 2 Stage 32 Lounges every week! Ask questions when you have them. Share stories of your experiences, what you're learning, your victories, and your setbacks. Provide tips and tricks to your fellow creators. Post video tutorial links and trade articles. Start a conversation about something you want to geek out on.

It's even easier if you have the Free Stage 32 App, which you can download HERE.

4. Send at least 3 network requests every week! Continue meaningful conversations with people that you're meeting in the lounges. Offer other members help, feedback, and support through private DMs. Do 3 nice things for a new contact before you ask for help in return.
5. Join in on weekly Ask Me Anything events in the lounges! These are FREE virtual events that allow you to connect with working industry professionals directly! By commenting on an Ask Me Anything lounge post, you can ask questions and learn about various industry disciplines and processes, every Wednesday! If you don't join in and comment on the posts, you're missing out. These events are promoted weekly in the Stage 32 Lounges and @Stage32 on Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

All of these steps are easy, FREE, virtual ways to set yourself up for success toward your goals every single day. All you have to do is start.

Browsing For Members

You can utilize Stage 32’s Browse tool to search for members and network with specific industry professionals based on their location, occupation, name, etc. This can help you narrow down your search.

Leveling Up Your Skills With Education & Certification

When CEO Richard “RB” Boto launched Stage 32 back in 2011, it was incredibly important to him that the platform provides world-class training and education for members, regardless of skill level or experience. Today, Stage 32 boasts the world’s largest film, television, and digital content education library with over 3,000 hours of webinars, classes, and labs taught by industry leaders including Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, and BAFTA winners.

How Do I Find Stage 32 Education?

There are new educational offerings on Stage 32 every month and you can find them all by selecting “Education” in the top toolbar on every Stage 32 webpage.

From the Stage 32 Education page, you can search for particular keywords to find education in a discipline or process that interests you. As well as browse through popular categories and recommendations. Once a webinar or class is completed, they become available on-demand and remain in our catalog with all of the included class materials that you would need.

You can also access your personal Library of purchased/ registered education to review at any time, by selecting “My Library” from the top right corner of the education page.

Recently, Stage 32 updated the FREE app, so that you can easily access all of this from your mobile devices and have the freedom to watch your Stage 32 Educational content at any time. To learn more about the app feature, you can check out the blog post all about it- HERE.

What Is Stage 32 Certification?

Stage 32 Certification Courses offer workforce training in multiple above and below-the-line disciplines that will give people the universal skills to work on film or TV production around the world. Taught by World-Class Stage 32 Educators who have worked on top films & television shows, Stage 32 Certification is designed to teach the fundamentals that ensure creatives are prepared to step into a work opportunity immediately. Film commissions and Guilds from around the globe are working with Stage 32 Certification to cater training opportunities in their local areas, allowing people to be hired quickly and helping these commissions meet the demands for production projects in the pipeline.

All Stage 32 Certification holders are entered into a focused database accessible by film commissions, streamers, production companies, and other organizations. They will know who is qualified to work in every skill set so that they can hire through the Stage 32 certification portal.

Both Stage 32 Individual Certifications and Master Certifications are at a fraction of the cost of traditional film school. Stage 32 Certification is all-inclusive. There are no applications to apply and no one gets denied.

How Do I Find Stage 32 Certification?

To access these specialized courses, you can select “Certification” from the top toolbar on any Stage 32 webpage. This will route you to a new page that provides all of the current courses, upcoming courses, and up-to-date details about the program.

Master Certifications: These are a group of courses that make up a master's knowledge of a particular discipline. You will need to take all of the courses in a Master Certification track and pass a test in each course in order to be Master Certified.

Current Master Certifications Include:

• Production Accounting Master Certification
• TV Production Management Master Certification
• Feature Film Production Management Master Certification
• Line Producing Master Certification
• Producer Key Legal Agreements Master Certification
• Script Supervising Master Certification
• Location Management Master Certification
• Production Coordinator Master Certification
• Production Assistant Master Certification
• ·Assistant Director Master Certification

Individual Certifications: These are individual courses that focus on a particular skill set in which you will watch the course and then be tested at the end to receive your certificate.

Current Individual Certifications Include:

• Budget Creation
• Production Scheduling
• Call Sheets
• Production Accounting 101
• US Tax Incentive Management
• Script Supervision 101
• International Co-Production Agreements
• Crew Agreements
• Talent Agreements
• Fundamentals Of Location Management
• Production Coordinator: Logistics
• Fundamentals Of Production Assisting
• Production Assistant: On Set Protocols
• Fundamentals Of Assistant Directing

Setting Yourself Up For Success With Script Services

Through our Stage 32’s Script Services, we provide access for our members to connect with experienced industry professionals for career development consultation, mentorship, contests, project notes, and professional feedback to educate you on the inner workings of the industry and help you fine-tune your materials and pitching skills so that you’re prepared for future opportunities. These are educational resources to help you level up your craft with relevant up-to-date industry knowledge.

You can find all of these incredible resources by selecting “Script Services” in the top toolbar of any Stage 32 webpage.

Resources like:

• Pitch Sessions
• Career Development Call
• First 10 Pages Review
• Logline Polish
• Feature Script Proofreading
• Television Pilot Proofreading
• Script Coverage from an Industry Reader
• TV Pitch Bible or Feature Pitch Deck Review
• Adaptation Review
• Reel / Short Film Review
• Feature Script Read
• TV Pilot Read
• Contests

How Do I Get Curated Help?

Our Success team is ALWAYS available to help you find the best resources and executives to reach your goals! All you have to do is email them at success@stage32.com, tell them about your projects, your goals, the genres that you write or create in, and the kind of professional that you’re interested in connecting with. They can respond to you with a curated list of professionals and options best suited to your needs.

How Can I Keep Up With Success Stories In The Community?

If you'd like to keep up with the great success stories from Stage 32 members who have sold scripts, signed agreements, secured representation, hired crew, made invaluable relationships, and completed production on great projects that originated from Stage 32’s meeting/script requests, consultations, and connections made in the lounges, there are a number of ways to do so!

Here at Stage 32, we share these stories written by members and executives on our free Blog, which you can find by selecting “Blog” in the top toolbar of any Stage 32 webpage. There’s a new blog every day and you can find a long back catalog of Success Story blogs by searching with keywords on the blog page or clicking HERE.

We also have a public lounge- “Stage 32 Success Stories” where we encourage all of YOU to share your success stories with us and the rest of the community! It’s also a great place to celebrate each other’s accomplishments in the comments on each post.

Lastly, we try to post all of the success stories that are shared with us in one place on the platform where you can read about them and stay informed. When you place your cursor over “Script Services” in the top toolbar, a drop-down menu appears. Selecting “Success Stories/Testimonials” from that menu will route you to a new page that lists them all for your review!

The key is sharing with us and keeping us informed of your progress and good news so that we can celebrate your successes!

Honing Your Craft With Support & Perks in the Writer’s Room

The Stage 32 Writer’s Room combines all the assets you need to bring your screenwriting career to a truly professional dimension.

You can find the Stage 32 Writer’s Room by clicking on the red box in the top right corner of any Stage 32 webpage that says, “The Writer’s Room”!

Exclusive Perks of the Writer’s Room:

• Open Writing Assignments: Start submitting your scripts today for FREE to top companies that are seeking specific material!
• Get Direct Access to Industry Professionals: Meet every Wednesday on Zoom and ask questions about your craft or career!
• Live Pitch Practice Sessions Every Thursday: Join your community on Zoom to practice pitching your projects and receive feedback to fine-tune your pitching skills with support from your community!
• Break Down Each Other’s Scripts: Join your community on Zoom every Monday to break down scripts and provide notes to help refine and elevate each other’s material!
• Join a Like-Minded Community of Screenwriters: Get access to a private lounge where you can get the 24/7/365 support you need!
• Get Big Discounts: On script coverage, education, mentoring, and more!
• AND SO MUCH MORE!

Learn more about the Stage 32 Writer's Room in the below video or by clicking here!

It’s Just The Beginning…

In many ways, we’re still only scratching the surface of all that you can do here on Stage 32. There is no limit to how you can push yourself and use our resources and reach success. Just know that at every step, the Stage 32 team is in your corner, cheering you on and ready to help you reach your goals!

And if you’re a member who has utilized any of these resources and tools, I want to hear how they’ve helped you! Drop some stories and examples for us in the comments below!

If you ever have any questions or concerns, you can reach us at support@stage32.com.

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 Ashley at blog@stage32.com and let's get your post published!

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