Stage 32 Success Story: Three Filmmakers Walk Into A Speakeasy...

It may sound like the start to a cringy joke…

Jessica Calvello, Stephanie Harrison, and Stephanie Moore are filmmakers who walked into a Stage 32 meetup at Austin Speakeasy and by kismet found themselves connecting on a level that cemented their collaboration desires in a matter of a couple of appetizers and drinks. In the weeks following, this chance meeting has turned into a beautiful and hilarious collaboration of filmmakers who have a love for all things dark comedy with a twist of surrealism and fantasy added to the mix.

While this blog is co-written by all three of us, we're kicking off with Jessica, as she is the BRAIN and CREATOR of the story and her amazing journey to this point of collaboration is one that only she can tell:

Jessica Calvello's Story:

I've had an idea brewing for a TV series about my insane life since 2016, but I only really started taking it seriously this year. There have been many setbacks, but most can be attributed to fear and/or feeling overwhelmed to the point of not even knowing where to begin. When I met Stephanie and Stephanie at the Austin meet-up back in April, it was like I felt seen. Until now I had run my story by others and people seemed disinterested or confused (I said my life was insane, right?), but these two amazing people, were right there with me immediately. I'm beyond excited to be creating art with them and so appreciative of the opportunity that Stage 32 presented with the meet-up. I'm honestly trying to make it to every meet-up now! You never know who you'll cross paths with!

The Stephanies and I are currently in development and prepping to film a concept trailer for my series this year. We can't wait to see where it will lead!

Stephanie Harrison's Story:

Stephanie Harrison is a producer with a project management background that allows her to see the full picture and run with an idea. Most of all, she understands how to best leverage a network to do so...

I believe in order to build your network, you have to work your network. While this part is difficult for many creatives who just want to sit and write, I learned early on in my filmmaking career that this piece of advice not only helped me grow my career, but I've literally built multiple businesses from doing just this. Flashback to 2010, Stephanie Harrison walks into a bar in South Austin, to attend the Austin Film Meet industry mixer. Stephanie Harrison meets Stephanie Moore. They share some laughs, recap what they are currently working on, and go back into their creative worlds.

Skip a couple of years to 2012 and guess what, Stephanie Harrison walks into the Driskill Bar at the Austin Film Festival (if you know, you know), sits at a table with several other filmmakers, and who is buzzing around with some extremely excited filmmakers who have a screening at AFF? None other than Stephanie Moore! Stephanie Harrison and Stephanie Moore reconnect and both state out loud that "we need to work on something together." As strange as it sounds, this "bar" thing happened several more times over the years and the Stephanies continued to cross paths until it finally happened...we were both picked as key personnel for the Lake Travis Film Festival (LTFF)'s inaugural year.

Finally, after a decade of meeting in bars (I assure you, it was for professional reasons only), the Stephanies were working together on a multi-year-long project. From there, the rest you can say is in the books, and the Stephanies launched their companies Gemini Crown Tech and Gemini Crown Productions.

Fast forward to the present and you probably saw this in the foreshadowing, but Stephanie Harrison and Stephanie Moore walked into a bar... to attend the Austin area Stage 32 Meet-Up! That is where we met the amazing Jessica Calvello.

Stephanie Moore's Story:

Stephanie Moore is, as Stephanie Harrison likes to put it, a connector and a liaison between creatives and friends alike, with a special love for all things line producing. This goes hand in hand with her undeniable need to color code and organize things in the most efficient way possible. Their collaboration formed naturally because of this...

I am always looking for new people and ways to connect people whether it is for my own projects or others. There is something special to be said for seeing what someone needs and paying it forward in such a way that creates more art and beauty in the world. Jessica is one of those people, as is Stephanie Harrison. Fostering and nurturing long-running relationships and collaborations is vital to the creative process as well as business, and leveraging those contacts properly leads to incredible pieces of work.

When we say the three of us clicked, we clicked! So much so that when the official Stage 32 mixer wrapped for the evening, we decided to continue the discussion over late-night dinner and drinks and took the Stage 32 mixer down the street for further talks. We were joined by Stage 32's Austin Meet-up host and Head of Community, Ashley Smith, and the conversations were phenomenal! All of this happened because a filmmaker walked into a bar, and believed in the power of collaboration.

What's Next?

Not only have we each made new filmmaker pals, but we've also started a new business venture as the three of us are now in development on Jessica's project!  To many more nights of laughter, tears, cringeworthy stories, and the driest, darkest humor available. Three filmmakers not only walked into a speakeasy, they began a collaboration that will produce a series with heart, honesty, and love that will bring truth to the screen for years to come.

You can follow our journey by connecting with Jessica Calvello, Stephanie Harrison, and Stephanie Moore here on Stage 32 where we all try to be active contributors! We will be posting updates, wins, and the process on our profiles and in the lounges moving forward!

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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