I was going through email and company paperwork for New Jersey, when I seen an invitation for this link we are all here on, and it suddenly occurred to me that so much time and resources is wasted on typing up stuff to say online for collaboration especially if most of the time nothing happens, when we as Filmmakers or Artists should be focusing our valuable efforts because time is precious, on actual practical results in this business or entertainment industry. Right? I mean, does anyone agree? Who here has actually made something, anything, happen with anyone else here? I am not trying to bring a negative wave to this website, just want TRUTH and RESULTS. Please comment...
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Hey, Tommy Luca. Most of my paid jobs and opportunities have come through networking on Stage 32 and during Introduce Yourself Weekend.
Here are some of my success stories:
www.stage32.com/blog/writer-and-pitch-deck-creator-hired-through-stage-3...
www.stage32.com/blog/writer-lands-shopping-agreement-after-networking-wi...
Here are success stories from others:
www.stage32.com/scriptservices/success-stories
www.stage32.com/blog/stage-32-community-brings-project-to-life-over-zoom...
www.stage32.com/blog/screenwriters-sign-option-agreement-with-executive-...
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I don't have every fact and figure but I have seen a ton of posts about projects getting made and deals happening from relationship made specifically on the site here. And the resources here have connected people with jobs and resources all around the world. There's a member named Kay Ross who was posting about a film she put together, got financing for and got it made with folks she met here - I remember commenting on that. I don't mean to come across as selling any more than I know you're not bringing a wave of negativity - it's just what I've read from people here. And things like the recent announcement in Venice about the Stage 32 deal with Catalyst to find a script in the community that will be optioned is pretty awesome for screenwriters looking for a real world deal. I'm a working producer and work with Stage 32 specifically because it does bring people together to make things happen - folks who may never meet otherwise. Networking here can be real-world valuable from what I've seen and experienced.
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Tommy Luca it always pays to network on this site. Sure, it may take time to find the right people because Stage32 doesn't offer an off-the-peg service.
I'm working on a project now that has people from Stage32 on it. It's early days and it will take time to pull everything together, but I'm okay with that.
Yeah, but it has not happened for our film intellectual properties yet? Explain that.
I have networked for over ten years but NOTHING happens!
I do know there are people paid here to champion Stage 32 so people pay into it...
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How do you approach networking, Tommy Luca? If your approach isn't working, maybe change it so you'll find success on Stage 32. Here are some great blogs about networking and finding success on here:
www.stage32.com/blog/how-to-network-successfully-on-stage-32-3356
www.stage32.com/blog/5-tips-to-make-networking-opportunities-valuable-3489 (today's blog)
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I can only speak for myself, I have one project on television (well, streaming) right now that took me over 10 years to make happen. My first film back in the 90's took 8 years. I have one movie that I've been trying to get made for literally 20 years and counting - and I'll work on it until my last breath if need be. Some projects and endeavors take time - often so much more time than any of us can imagine when we begin. None of that means that opportunities and meaningful; relationships didn't exist all around me the whole time. In fact, building those relationships is what made it all happen. It just took time and perseverance and utilizing every last resource I could find. I wish I had a place like this when I was starting out.
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When I cycled through Hollywood in the 1980s it was damn near impossible to connect with anyone else in the business. The business was that insular. Yea, I finally got a real connected agent but once an outsider, always an outsider. Stage 32 and other platforms provide you access to decision makers that was impossible in years past. I found my literary manager through Stage 32, after 6 months here. It's like everything else in life. Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.
You're right, Sam Sokolow ("Some projects and endeavors take time - often so much more time than any of us can imagine when we begin. None of that means that opportunities and meaningful"). Some of the jobs and opportunities I've had on here came from networking months and years ago. And even if I didn't get jobs or opportunities from networking, it was still nice to meet those people and build relationships with them.
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Tommy Luca Possibly, your post demonstrates your last point.
Tommy Luca: I think, perhaps like me, you have different expectations for a movie site. Stage 32 isn't really for beginners or for collaboration; rather it's a marketing venue for writing services, and for letting industry "lessers" advertise, brag, and make a few extra bucks giving advice, the value of which is iffy.
The real benefit is practicing "pitches" at $35.00 a pop, getting feedback about your story ideas, log line writing, and discussions of current trends/issues such as the writer's strike. It's also a place for bloggers to get exposure.
At some point, professional writers (if you get paid, you're a professional) start giving advice for free ... as when people ask for help: "I'm new to screen writing, how do I start?" Everybody who responds mostly offers encouragement and tips of the trade, etc. Is this worthy of a writer's time? Maybe.
Do responses help the readers or askers? Maybe. Beginners, need instruction and emotional support. But, if you don't need instruction or support, what will you get from networking? It's doubtful you'll collaborate from someone half-way around the globe. Will you be discovered here? Probably not.
The truth is, the film industry was never meant to be a democracy; it's a business. Talent is a necessary but not a sufficient component of success, which depends on your location, relatives, connections, looks, personality, sex, and (now) wokeness, and, quite frankly, your luck.
Only you know your expectations and desired results.
Right, it is I who first said the entertainment industry is a business more than Art and Craft. Why are people parroting what I say but making a point of their own? Get real people. You will never go anywhere until you be honest with yourself and others in this business. I tell it like it is. Many do not like to hear it but the TRUTH must be told and heard. They are using most of us, charging you and providing little to nothing in return. The ones who are getting ahead are either silent partners at Stage 32 or being invited onboard as employees to the growing enterprise of sucking the life out of desperate outsiders wanting inside the walls of the business.
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I'm a creative and will never stop being a creative. That much is certain. I'm OK with things taking a while to come to fruition. In the meantime, I've learned more in one year about the film business and producing than in my entire life before I joined up. The value of the education that Stage 32 offers cannot be measured. And I love the friends the have joined me in the journey. These are friends that I'll likely be connected with for years to come. I think that sometimes we forget that it is a journey and that's where our joy should be.
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I do not believe in luck, Michael.Elliott. And insular? No, Hollywood has many stories all true that had people working and meeting people with capital $. One such story is on the Behind-the-scenes Special Features of the picture JAWS (1975) when Steven was at a film party in town and was talking about a shot of the screenplay that caused Roy Scheider to come over and hear more and Steven decided to cast him as Chief Brody. That is how it works.
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Since when have you heard or seen or witnessed someone acquiring $10-$30 million in capital for their picture here? Not I...
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I have a thriller being packaged by a producer who first contacted me through S32. I don't see anything negative about people "meeting" on social media (including S32), sharing stories, insight, etc. Tommy, I also don't understand why you'd spend time trying to diminish the value of discussions in here, by starting another discussion. Kind of ironic, don't you think?
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Nice to meet you, Tommy and thank you for your candid post. On Stage 32 I met a director I ended up working with on a short film that had a successful festival run (honoring me with a “Best Composer Overall” award at one point) . That Director introduced me to another director who hired me for her short. Both gigs where paid. This other director, now co - producer on a feature film, is currently making an introduction for me to that Director. Based on my experience,, I think S32 is like everywhere else we network. It is all about meeting with many , many people and putting out there good work and a positive attitude. I know thousand of people from other circles and in every circle many connections aren’t followed by collaborations and a few are. I also believe that in every situation you’ll never know whom you might run into. I understand your concern on the amount of time spent in networking, but as a freelancer I consider it part of the job. I hope this helps :)
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Tommy, the site is FREE. Not even ad supported. Yet it is not free to run in overhead nor manpower. That is the business model. You are free to not like it or not participate in it. I have been a member since inception and most of my current team has come from the network I built here -- not the paid services. Although I do use them when there is a fit. I have a list of credits a mile long, and a longer list of projects in various stages and I can guarantee you that every single one has come together differently. That is where the power of your network comes in. That is the reality of this business.
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Laurie Ashbourne huzzah! Well said. I have much to learn from you.
Tommy Luca it sounds like you have a full blown conspiracy theory here. And because you haven’t made it - whatever that means - then whole thing must just be rubbish.
For sure there are people who are paid by Stage32, because like any other business, they have staff. And these people will bust a gut for you. They are good people, but if you carry such a negative attitude around with you, it doesn’t make for good relationships.
So please, instead of regurgitating this question, please try and contribute to the nurturing and caring of the creatives in this community. I’m sure it would enhance your experience here at Stage32.
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Yes, one can say that time is best spent with pen to paper, or rather, fingers to keyboard in Final Draft, but the truth is, at least for me, I need community and everyone here has been exceptionally supportive. My partner and I got a script request last week from a written pitch, so I'd say this site is well worth it! Nevertheless, welcome! Hope you find Stage 32 to be a good place for you.
It is interesting how people here are quick to make me out to be a villain accusing me of being a conspiracy theorist when you do not even TRULY know me. Is that not being prejudiced? Labeling what you do not know? If that is how you are then it is I who doesn't want to do business with you.
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Tommy Luca You’re not the villain. But neither is Stage 32. The post does seem to be a mild attack on something that means a lot to many people. Still, I don’t think they would have reacted in trying to shift your perspective if we didn’t feel like you’re not one of us. The alternative would have been to ignore it. We chose not to because you ARE one of us. And like the rest of us, you may be going through a dry spell with work. We all go through that valley once in a while. Just know that you will come out of it with no judgment from us. Hang in there friend.
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Tommy, the only thing you’ve gotten out of these responses is that you don’t want to work with people who get a sense of conspiracy thinking in the post? That’s a missed opportunity. I don’t know if you’re a conspiracy theorist, and don’t consider you a villain for expressing your opinion, but the opinion is based on incomplete information. You challenged whether anyone gets anything of value out of the platform and people took the time to give you examples. Maybe you’d get more out of this experience if you’d shed the cynicism, be grateful that people took the time to engage, and acknowledge that you might’ve been a little hasty and negative.
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Tommy, I see you have 21 scripts but don't really have any loglines written or posted yet. I was going to offer to read something. You don't have to wait for copyright registrations to come back before marketing your material.
I agree, Tommy Luca. Here is a bit from me which I hope you will look at. I'd love to talk with you about projects. Dale Reynolds screenwriter playwright writdale@gmail.com
Screenplays and Stage Plays
Braggarts irritate me, but if I don't toot my own trumpet (just as a tin thing) I won't get the interest in my work that it may deserve. I start my 'music' with a true tale. A retired MGM producer once read a screenplay of mine. We met here in London and he said to me, "You write better than most of them."
My next seeming achievement was to get the interest of Gregory Peck and Richard Farnsworth for the lead part in A REGULAR JOE, another screenplay, but my ad hoc producers who had connected me with those famous actors, and others, were unable to come up with the money for the project.
Going back further, I've had three stage plays produced in London theatres. The last play was translated into Russian and German. It was nearly produced in Moscow at a marvellous arts theatre near Red Square. Lack of financial backing was again the problem. Too bad, as the Russians loved my satire, SMALL TALK. (Russia had just become Russia again.)
(A German theatre producer owns the production rights to the German translation of Small Talk.)
Since those times, I've completed several other scripts. I have a full length drama for the stage and a short religious comedy, THE TRIAL OF GOD, which one actor has called "a beautiful comedy". Both plays should be performed in the UK first. The "God play" could also be a film. It needs one set and five players.
Two newer and other screenplays would most suitably be shot in the USA and Canada, both comedies and dramas. STAYING WITH FRIENDS is a comedy that explores the question whether neighbours can truly be friends.
Now that I have dropped some of my names as well as some of my projects, I'd love for some of you to drop your names to me, and your own interests.
I'd appreciate it if some of you who are looking for a new movie or play to look at some of my work. I didn't just do it for myself. Thank you,
Yours warmly,
Dale Reynolds writdale@gmail.com