Networking

Let me paint you a picture. It's May 2025. I'm standing in a room in the South of France wearing sequins and what can only be described as a bridal party sash, clutching a microphone, about to pitch a drag queen horror film to some of the world's most discerning genre enthusiasts. The rosé at the after-party is ice-cold. My hands are not. And above all else I am stressed because as Australians, we're still collectively butchering the pronunciation of Cannes, but that's fine. Everything is fine...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Let’s kick things off with a huge shoutout to everyone who has already jumped into this month’s Introduce Yourself Weekend. Thousands of creatives from around the world are connecting, sharing their stories, and building relationships that can lead to collaborations, opportunities, and lifelong friendships. If you haven’t made your introduction yet, you still have time. Head over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge before the weekend wraps. Be bold. Introduce yourse...

Hello, Stage32 Creative Community! I hope you are all good at these challenging times of creativity. Today, I'd like to talk about networking and how it can change the game for screenwriters. I am a communicator, but occasionally, I am not! I am not typically extroverted or introverted. It all depends on how I feel about the situation and the day. What did I do to achieve a balance between my two sides? Before I share it with you, I'd like to talk to you about something that became the ho...

As an independent producer, I'm always planning my next project. With a stack of screenplays (many of which are my own), and no Mr. Moneytree waiting to spread his love, it can be challenging. This is why I've taken the Robert Rodriguez approach when it comes to filmmaking. For those of you unfamiliar, Robert Rodriguez's first feature film, El Mariachi, had no crew. And almost no budget. At a meager 7k, he was the writer, director, cinematographer, location scout, sound, and editor. With inflati...

The data doesn't lie. What producers and buyers want right now is different than what writers write. They want scripts that are efficient. Scripts that can attract talent and directors. Scripts where the story doesn't just move forward…it is propelled forward.Catapulted. Every scene earning its place. Every page keeping the reader hooked and turning to the next one. Lean. Mean. Purposeful. I recently spoke with a literary manager whose sentiment echoed what we've been hearing consistently ac...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! I hope your weekend has been a creative one so far. Whether you have been writing, filming, editing, or sketching out the next spark of an idea, I have got something today that will give you a boost. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. This week’s featured video comes from Film Courage- Hollywood Is Not A Movie Making Town. In the interview, filmmaker Pedro Correa shares a perspective that may feel jarring at first, but it is one every creative needs to under...

Most writers spend months perfecting a script and minutes figuring out who to send it to. That’s backwards. And it’s one of the most common reasons great material never finds its audience. The entertainment industry is not a lottery. It is a marketplace with real signals, active mandates, and specific needs at any given moment. Studios are greenlighting certain things right now and passing on others. Managers are building particular kinds of rosters. Producers are attached to projects that tel...

I’m curious: if we were to poll 1,000 regular users of Stage32, how many of them jumped in and learned all of the resources right away? My guess is that 8 out of 10 new members were more like me: tiptoeing into the waters.   Maybe you’re wondering, “There are so many incredible options, and how do I pick?" I felt like a kid in a candy store, and I wasn’t focusing. Plus, I really wanted to learn it all at once! The good news is: if we can get over THE NEW‑KID‑FIRST‑DAY‑OF‑SCHOOL vibes...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! I hope your weekend has been a creative one so far. Whether you have been writing, filming, editing, or sketching out the next spark of an idea, I have got something today that will give you a boost. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. This week’s featured video comes from Variety- How 'Wicked: For Good' Composer Wrote 'The Girl in the Bubble' & 'No Place Like Home' And if you listen closely, there’s a powerful lesson here that goes far beyond composing....

Dubai is often described in images before it is described in ideas. The skyline. The scale. The architecture. The speed. The polish. For many people outside the region, the city registers first as a visual spectacle, a place that looks expensive, futuristic, and immediately cinematic. What it is rarely known for, at least not yet, is narrative filmmaking. That gap between perception and reality is exactly what makes Dubai so interesting. Because beyond its image, beyond the obvious p...