Red Carpet Roll-Out: October 2024's New Executives at Stage 32!

Happy Friday, Stage 32 Community!

Our Stage 32 Team has been working diligently to bring in as many new resources and opportunities as possible to enrich your experience here in our community!

At Stage 32 you have direct access to award-winning industry executives and professionals who’ve written, produced, developed, and represented acclaimed projects such as PLAYING WITH FIRE, BODYCAM, SPELL, LOVE & MONSTERS, AM I OKAY?, BORDERLANDS, DRAFT DAY, FLIGHT, AIR, THE INSTIGATORS, JOHN WICK, SICARIO, THE TOWN, WIND RIVER, MONKEY MAN, PLAYERS, MILLER'S GIRL, THE HUNGER GAME: A BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES, THE DISASTER ARTIST, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, NEBRASKA, PEANUT BUTTER FALCON, CHRISTMAS WITH THE CAMPBELLS, PADDINGTON BEAR, DISENCHANTED, THE TICK, and many others.

So without much further ado, let's roll out the red carpet and welcome some of the fantastic new people joining our Stage 32 Community this October!

New Stage 32 Executives-

Royce Reeves-Darby, Producer

Royce Reeves-Darby is a Producer who has worked in development for Paramount Players on PLAYING WITH FIRE starring John Cena, BODYCAM starring Mary J. Blige, SPELL starring Omari Hardwick, and LOVE & MONSTERS starring Dylan O'Brien.

Prior to Paramount, he worked at Picturestart on AM I OKAY? (starring Dakota Johnson for MAX), BORDERLANDS (written and directed by Eli Roth starring Kate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Jamie Lee Curtis), and he also set up various television shows at HBO, Paramount+, and Freeform.

He began his career in the mailroom at WME and worked his way up to an assistant in the Motion Picture Lit department. There he built a solid foundation for how the entertainment industry works before moving on to assist a studio executive at 20th Century Fox. While at the studio he was privileged to see the production of major projects like KINGSMAN 2 and THE PREDATOR.

You can meet with Royce about your Comedy Feature, Pilot, Pitch Deck/Bible Review, or First 10 Pages.

Sophia Wolov, Talent/Literary Representation at Manage-Ment

Sophia Wolov works in talent/literary representation at Manage-Ment, which represents some of Hollywood’s most elite writers such as Oscar-winner Taika Waititi (JO JO RABBIT), Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (MOONLIGHT), and Emmy-nominated writer Mfoniso Udofia (LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY).

Sophia's role is to find undiscovered talent for the President of Manage-Ment and support writers through various stages of their creative processes. She has a unique understanding of the contrasts between Hollywood and international writing and development and resonates with stories that transcend borders.

She also worked for Temple Hill Entertainment, the production company behind TWILIGHT, DAVE, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, FATHERHOOD and FIRST MAN, as well as Composer Jon Batiste's production company, who worked on GARFIELD, SATURDAY NIGHT and THE COLOR PURPLE. She began her career reading scripts for Alexander Payne (THE HOLDOVERS, DOWNSIZING, THE DESCENDANTS)

You can meet with Sophia about your Pilot or First 10 Pages.

Marc Mayer, Development Executive & Producer

Marc Mayer is currently developing and producing feature films and television and is passionate about developing and producing scripts and finding undiscovered writers.

For over a decade, Marc has been a seasoned Development Executive with a robust track record in the film industry, he served as the Director of Development at Talking Pictures (Amazon's AIR, Apple's THE INSTIGATORS), Marc played a pivotal role in sourcing emerging talent and securing top-tier writers and directors for a diverse slate of projects.

At Talking Pictures, Marc was primarily tasked with sourcing emerging talent for the low and micro-budget genre slate, as well as securing A+ writers and directors for commercial and prestige streaming packages (Amazon's AIR, Apple's THE INSTIGATORS), including servicing immediate relationships: Steven Soderbergh (Company’s CCO), Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Cameron Crowe and Rob Savage (amongst others) for both micro-financing projects and high-budget streaming packages. Marc also supervised the development of projects, formulated, and executed plans of action toward production. Previously, he served as the Creative Executive at Village Roadshow (THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS, WONKA, JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX) where he contributed to the development of over 70 theatrical and streaming projects, including spearheading the Black Noir Cinema, a Tubi initiative that produces and develops genre movies to highlight Black creators.

Prior to working at Talking Pictures and Village Roadshow, Marc worked in the Film Production & Development at Endeavour Content (now Fifth Season).

You can receive premium notes from Marc about your Pilot here, Feature here, First 10 Pages, or meet with him about your Feature, Pilot, Pitch Deck/Bible Review, or Adaptation Review.

Danny DiMaso, Creative Executive at Thunder Road Films

Danny DiMaso is a Creative Executive at Thunder Road Films (JOHN WICK franchise, SICARIO, THE TOWN, WIND RIVER, and more) and is working on projects such as MONKEY MAN, SILENT MAN, KANDAHAR, and JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 along with the upcoming sequel to GREENLAND, the John Wick spinoff film BALLERINA, and RELAY among others.

Thunder Road is run by Basil Iwanyk and has grossed over $3.8 Billion at the box office worldwide. They have been nominated for the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Producers Guild Awards, Writers Guild Awards, Directors Guild Awards and the AFI Awards. They are known for supporting the directorial debuts of Taylor Sheridan, Halle Berry and Dev Patel.

Prior to this, he worked at YMH Studios developing film, TV, and podcast projects and held positions at Proxima Media and the short-form video company Triller where he developed and produced original content for the app and their PPV endeavors. He began his career in entertainment in the mailroom at A3 Artists Agency in Los Angeles.

You can receive premium notes from Danny about your Pilot here, Feature here, or meet with him about your Feature or Pilot.

Allison Kelly, Film and TV Development Executive

Allison Kelly is a Film and TV Development Executive who worked as a Creative Executive at Campfire Studios, a production company known for their scripted and Emmy-winning documentary slate, on film and TV projects like Netflix’s PLAYERS (starring Gina Rodriguez, Damon Wayans Jr., and Tom Ellis), Ryan O'Connell’s Emmy-nominated Netflix series SPECIAL, Zak Hilditch’s upcoming film WE BURY THE DEAD (starring Daisy Ridley), and Zach Strauss’s upcoming film PALETTE (starring Hunter Schafer). Prior to Campfire, she worked at WME, CMT, Cinetic Media (HIT MAN, LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL, GREENBOOK, IT FOLLOWS), Good Universe (MILLER'S GIRL, THE HUNGER GAME: A BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES, THE DISASTER ARTIST), Bona Fide Productions (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, NEBRASKA, and PEANUT BUTTER FALCON), and The Dan Jinks Company (MILK).

You can receive premium notes from Allison about your Pilot here, Feature here, or meet with her about your Feature, Pilot, Pitch Deck/Bible Review, or Adaptation Review.

Christian Bersani, Vice President of Film and TV at Josephson Entertainment

Christian Bersani is Vice President of Film and TV at Josephson Entertainment. He helps to identify, develop, and produce projects for Josephson’s scripted slates. His recent work includes setting up a four-quadrant feature with franchise potential at Skydance Sports based off of the popular video game IP, MUTANT FOOTBALL LEAGUE, and selling a sports doctors family drama series to a broadcast network. He joined Josephson Entertainment in 2018.

Additionally, Christian is responsible for setting up projects and overseeing partnerships including an original holiday comedy feature with Nickelodeon Studios, an action thriller feature and medical drama series with Allen Media Group, a medical procedural with Universal TV and showrunner Joe Wilson, romantic espionage series with Skydance TV, multiple projects with Scholastic Entertainment based on their book catalogue, and a half hour animated series with TBS/Warner Media starring Anthony Kiedis, lead singer and frontman for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Prior work includes aiding in the development and production of Disney+’s DISENCHANTED, and Season 2 of Amazon’s THE TICK. Previously, Bersani served as Manager of Scripted Programming at Thinkfactory Media (HATFIELDS & MCCOYS, TEXAS RISING, SUN RECORDS) where he furthered the development of cable network pilots STRIPPED by Liz Sczudlo for TBS, Jeb Stuart’s THE COMMANDERS: JEFFERSON for History Channel, and #FASHION VICTIM, directed by Mark Waters (Mean Girls) and written by brother Daniel Waters (Heathers), for E!/UCP. Additionally, Bersani handled development and production on multiple Lifetime and Hallmark cable network features, including TERROR IN THE WOODS and OSCAR PISTORIUS, both written by Amber Benson. Prior to that, Bersani worked at the Kaplan Stahler Agency as the Television Literary Department Coordinator. Bersani got his start in entertainment working for Spyros Skouras at Murtha Skouras Agency before that.

You can meet with Christian about your Feature, Pilot, Pitch Deck/Bible Review, Adaptation Review, or First 10 Pages.

Samuel Kochman, Producer

Samuel Kochman is an independent producer who has worked for nearly two decades in film and television. He is currently developing distinctive, cerebral, and high-concept film and TV with heart at its core, that not only entertains and inspires, and is looking to expand his film slate.

Samuel spent several years working in development at Paramount Pictures, where he discovered the spec script for DRAFT DAY— leading to its sale— and assisted in the development of the Oscar-nominated screenplay for FLIGHT.

Samuel got his start in the industry as an agent trainee at WME, where he managed the day-to-day business for the likes of Dylan O’Brien, Rooney Mara, Martin Short, Jean Smart, Mary-Louise Parker, Ben Schwartz, and Elijah Wood.

Samuel served as the Director of Development at Wattpad WEBTOON Studios, where he was vital to the creation of WEBTOON Studios prior to their merger with Wattpad who just wrapped a live-action feature film with TUBI. There, he managed their slate of Film/TV projects, secured over a dozen co-production deals with high-profile production companies, and was essential to the sale of WEBTOON’s writer-packaged IP to HBO Max, Disney+, and Sony Pictures Television. Samuel also worked on bringing three ABC comedy scripts to pilot while working under an overall deal with ABC Studios.

You can meet with Samuel about your Feature, Pilot, Pitch Deck/Bible Review, Adaptation Review, or First 10 Pages.

Lexi Lewis, Development Executive & Producer

Lexi Lewis is a producer and development executive. Her career spans almost a decade, with time spent developing and producing projects at Branded Pictures Entertainment, The Upright Citizen’s Brigade, Reel One Entertainment, and the Hallmark Channel, including such features as UNDER THE CHRISTMAS SKY, THE WEDDING FIX, MY BIRTHDAY ROMANCE, and CHRISTMAS WITH THE CAMPBELLS, with Brittany Snow and Justin Long.

Lexi most recently served as Executive Producer and Director of Development for Cartel Pictures Entertainment. She has developed and produced movies across all genres for networks and streamers including Hallmark, Lifetime, AMC, Tubi, and FoxNation, in addition to independent features and series. In particular, Lexi specializes in genre content, including thrillers, horrors, and most of all romcoms - during her career she has developed and produced 50+ Hallmark and Hallmark style features.

You can receive premium notes from Lexi about your Pilot here, Feature here, or meet with her about your Feature, Pilot, or Pitch Deck/Bible Review.

Ana Liza Muravina, Producer

Ana Liza Muravina is a Producer who has an eclectic international slate of film and TV projects with award-winning filmmakers including alumni of the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, the Tribeca Film Festival, Black List, and Roundabout Theatre.

She served as the Vice President of Development and Production at Bazelevs, an independent international studio focused on independent and genre films. There, she developed and produced films such as SEARCHING, starring John Cho and Debra Messing, which premiered at Sundance where it won the Audience Award and the Alfred P. Sloan prize, was acquired by Sony/Screen Gems, and has gone on to gross over $75 million at the international box office, as well as THE DRONE which premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival. Prior to her role at Bazelevs, she honed her skills in story development as Creative Executive at Heyday Films, producers of major multi-million-dollar studio pictures such as FANTASTIC BEASTS and PADDINGTON BEAR.

You can meet with Ana about your Feature here.

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