We’re All in this Together!: Writers Explain How They’re Finding Success Through Stage 32

Good morning Stage 32 Crew! I hope you had a productive weekend and were able to tackle some of your creative goals. We are cruising through February and spring is just around the corner. I know for a lot of us (myself included) now is the time where distractions creep in and start to derail the resolutions we made for the new year. Are you still doing the work? Remember that success in this highly competitive business is a combination of talent and work ethic.

LA-based Stage 32 members, including Writers, Producers, Directors and Actors all met for the monthly meetup! 

In that spirit, I want to highlight some of our members who have been doing the work and seeing great results. I hear from members every day who tell me that connecting with an executive, producer, or lit manager through Stage 32 has changed the course of their project and in some cases their screenwriting career. I love hearing these stories of success through collaboration because it is further evidence that no matter where a writer or filmmaker is in the world, he or she can make tremendous leaps forward in their career.

Our first testimonial comes from William Gunn, a very talented writer who has reached out directly to me a number of times for thoughts and advice. I put William in touch with former Blumhouse and Starz executive Matthew Carpenter for a consultation call.

As William explained, “Matt Carpenter gave me some excellent advice regarding how to improve my screenplay “Mars General”. His comments and opinions were very insightful. Matt was a total professional in his role of consultant. He was polite and quite pleasant to talk to. The fact that he specializes in Science-Fiction is a major plus as well! He really knows his stuff. He gave me some ideas that I'd not thought of before in order to make the screenplay much better than it was before…”

William continued, “I'm really looking forward to working with Matt again in the near future, I highly recommend any Stage 32 Member who's serious about their craft to utilize the Consulting Services and other aspects of Screenwriting that Stage 32 has to offer. Considering I've only been a Member for slightly over one year, I've learned so much about the "Science" of Screenwriting. I also realize I still have a long way to go. Hopefully I'll be in the position one day to assist someone else. If I am I'll always try to be as respectful and professional as Matt Carpenter was to me.”

I love that not only did William have an excellent experience with Matt Carpenter, but he is also eager and excited to pay-it-forward and help fellow screenwriters in the future. That is what this community is all about, lifting each other up.

Our next story comes from another excellent writer and Stage 32 member, Ron Mondz, who was set up on a consultation with development executive Anna Henry, who has developed series including HBO's "The Deuce", "Big Love", and "Vinyl" and NBC's "This Is Us". Remember that Greg Mania, the winner of our 4th Annual TV Writing Contest said Anna was one of the “smartest people” he has ever met. So it is no wonder that Ron has glowing praise for their consultation call.

As Ron says, “Anna Henry is a fantastic script consultant. Not only does she have an uncanny ability to identify problems that others miss, but she provides the encouragement you need to find the solutions on your own. If you’re looking for real-world experience, honest opinions and true guidance, then Anna’s the one for you.”

Ron’s connection with Anna has allowed him to make significant progress in the development of his television script.

Speaking of script development, Bill Walker was thrilled to receive notes from Christian Sander, the Director of Development for Pense Productions. Christian formerly worked for Jerry Bruckheimer and Neal Moritz, as well as in several divisions across Sony. That experience helped Christian hone his development skills and Bill took away some excellent feedback.

“The notes I received from Christian Sander for my thriller "D-Notice" were nothing short of fabulous. They were clear, concise, and very useful,” Bill said. And now he has a roadmap for his next steps. “I'm already hard at work implementing his practical suggestions.”

Dennis Murphy is another writer who is ready to roll up his sleeves and do hard work. Dennis spoke with Development Executive Sissy Denkova of Gidden Media and realized something crucial about his script.

“My 30-minute consultation with Sissy Denkova...went extremely well. She was very pleasant and helpful,” Dennis explained. “Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how I look at it), I'm faced with a major rewrite, a fact I would not have recognized had it not been for her guidance. I'm excited because I think I know what needs to be done. Thank you, Stage 32, for enabling me to obtain her advice.”

William Gunn, Ron Mondz, Bill Walker, and Dennis Murphy all received project and potentially career  changing advice from Stage 32 executives  

Our goal at Stage 32 is to provide our writers and filmmakers with the advice, guidance, motivation, and inspiration from executives and industry pros who have gone through the fire. Like all of us, the executives we work with have a dream of creating meaningful works that resonate with audiences from all walks of life. That is what motivates the notes and the advice they give.

If you have a testimonial, make sure to tell us your story by clicking here! We love to hear from our members and hope to share your experience soon!

In the meantime, keep up the hard work! And of course reach out to me at any point - j.mirch@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 Taylor at taylor@stage32.com and let's get your post published!

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