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November Write Club Week 4: The Art of the Pitch- What Managers & Execs Actually Want to Hear
Coffee & Content: Why Your Next Step Matters More Than the Perfect Step
A Reader's Notes On Script Scoring
7 Life Hacks For Creatives
Making Our First No-Budget Feature: The Pure Vortex Production Chaos (Part 2)
Coffee & Content: Reinvent the Story, Reinvent the Industry
November Write Club Week #3: How To Make A Strong First Impression When Meeting Execs, Producers, & Reps
The Importance of Proper Script Formatting
Don't Let the Momentum of November Write Club Die: How to Stay Active Into 2026 & Beyond!
Happy Thanksgiving From Stage 32: We Are Thankful For YOU
The Making of After All Part 1: The Director's Journey
The Rollercoaster By the time I arrived in Austin a few weeks before filming After All, the experience had already been an exercise in patience and perseverance. Five years had passed since development on the project officially began. As this was my second feature film, I had hoped things might move a bit faster. My first feature, Fair Haven, took about ten long years from start to finish. Two of After All’s development years were lost to a global pandemic, but regardless, the cre…
Stage 32 Is Now Certifying The Writers Guild South Africa
On behalf of the Writers Guild South Africa (WGSA), it is my great pleasure to extend a heartfelt thank you to Stage 32, David Zannoni, and Sam Sokolow for the outstanding webinar recently hosted for our WGSA members, and for your decision to partner with the Guild to offer Stage 32 Certification courses to our writers. As someone deeply committed to the advancement of South African screenwriters and storytellers, I am genuinely excited about the opportunities this partnership brings to …
How To Craft A Post-Production Script For Festivals & Distribution
We can all agree that it’s nigh impossible for a finished film to be even 90% close to the original screenplay. Budget and logistic constraints can be very limiting for the filmmaker, and often the creative vision changes according to the ebbs and flows of the production. Locations are changed, dialogues are added, and sometimes even characters are edited out. As a result, when the filmmaker has finished post and is busy procuring deliverable material required by film festivals or…
Short Films, Big Plans: How to Build Powerful Indie Shorts That Launch Careers- Join Stage 32 + SAGindie's FREE Webcast!
Happy FriYAY, Stage 32 Community! One of my favorite things about being Head of Community here at Stage 32 is connecting you with opportunities that don’t just inspire you creatively, but give you the tools to level up your career. And next week, we’ve got one you absolutely don’t want to miss. We’re teaming up with SAGindie to bring you an incredible FREE webcast: Short Films, Big Plans: Building Powerful Indie Shorts That Launch Careers Join Us Live Tue…
Stage 32 is Headed to Austin! Here’s How to Make the Most of the 2025 Austin Film Festival!
Hey, Stage 32 Community! We’re just one week away from the start of the 2025 Austin Film Festival — one of my favorite times of the year! The Austin Film Festival 2025 kicks off on Thursday, October 23rd, and Stage 32 will be in attendance until Sunday, October 26th. For over 30 years, Austin Film Festival (AFF) has championed the art and craft of storytelling, celebrating writers and filmmakers across every medium: film, television, plays, podcasts, and digi…
How to Work the AFM (American Film Market) 2025 — Free Stage 32 Webcast!
Happy Thursday, Creative Army! Every year, the American Film Market (AFM) transforms Los Angeles into the beating heart of the global film industry, where thousands of producers, distributors, financiers, and creatives come together to make deals, launch projects, and build partnerships that define the year ahead. Whether you’re attending AFM for the first time or returning with new projects to pitch, understanding how to navigate this event strategically can make all the differe…
Insider Intel: The Resurgence of the Indie Market
I had lunch with a producer on Friday who's worked on major sci-fi franchises for studios like WB and Netflix. Their big takeaway? Whoever has the audience has the leverage. Theaters used to have it. Netflix has it now. But YouTube? YouTube has more leverage than anyone. Here's the shift: it's not enough to own content anymore. You have to own the distribution or the channel. More and more production companies are financing, producing, and distributing their own content to reach audien…
Scaring Up Funds: How to Acquire Investors For Your Horror Film
We’ve all heard the stories. Paranormal Activity, a film with a budget slightly less than a used Honda, made $193 million worldwide and launched a profitable franchise. That film’s progenitor, The Blair Witch Project, had a $60K budget and turned out a $250 million box office haul. The most profitable films from 2010 to 2015 were all horror films. 10. The Last Exorcism ($68M gross vs. $1.8M production budget) 9. Annabelle ($257M vs. $6.5M) 8. Chernobyl Diaries ($37M vs…
Audience First: A Manifesto for Independent Producers
There is a particular silence that every independent creator knows. It is the silence of a sent folder after a week of no replies. It is the quiet dread of a theatre with more empty seats than occupied ones. It is the crushing stillness of a streaming analytics page, where the view count flatlines after a brief flicker of interest from friends and family. This silence is not bad luck. It is the sound of a dream colliding with the brutal mathematics of a new creative economy. The Old Dre…
Coffee & Content: What Hollywood, Hackers & the Market Have in Common
Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? Whether you’ve been writing, filming, editing, or simply dreaming up your next big idea, I’ve got some inspiring content to fuel your passion and keep you moving forward. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. This week, I want to share a fascinating video essay from Frame Voyager: The 80s Film That Took Research Too Far. In 1983, WarGames hit theaters. On the surface, it was a teenage hacker thril…
How Music Can Transform Your Indie Film: Join Our Free Stage 32 + Film-Raderie Webcast
Happy FriYAY, Stage 32 Community! One of my favorite things about being Head of Community here at Stage 32 is to help bring opportunities directly to you that can spark connections, elevate your craft, and help you feel less alone in the sometimes overwhelming world of creativity. Today, I want to share one of those opportunities with you: an incredible free webcast event that Stage 32 is hosting next Wednesday, October 8th! We’re teaming up with Film-Raderie, a nonprofit d…
A Third Story About "Stories": A Real Time Blog About the Making of a Passion Project Short Film
Once again, let me start off by saying that I am NOT an expert at any of this. I've only been doing this acting/filmmaking thing for five years. I've retired twice and don't really have to work anymore, but I do drive Uber to get out of the house on occasion when I'm not making something. Having said that, I’m not opposed to learning from others. But please do not come at me with “I know the best way to do this” and then crap all over everything I’ve done, only…
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