Producing

Want Success? Stop Listening to the Hollywood Narrative! Is it just me, or does it feel like Hollywood is set up to make you fail? Obstacle, after obstacle… Rejection, after rejection… It’s *almost* not even worth trying. And I can say ‘almost’ because those of us who still believe in the magic of our dreams, have a passion so strong that we are going to go for it, despite all of the hardships we hear about. If you are one of those people, like me, I want you to really listen to what...

On behalf of the Centro de Portugal Film Commission, I am honored and excited to share the news of our partnership with Stage 32 Certification. As someone dedicated to fostering talent and building professional pathways in Portugal’s emerging film landscape, I know firsthand how significant this collaboration is for developing the creative community here. Stage 32 Certification is so much more than a digital credential; it is an industry-changing resource, equipping Portuguese filmmakers and c...

I'll spare you the 394th Warner Bros. acquisition digest. I'm sure you've heard enough expert opinions. Instead, I want to take an optimistic view of the business and talk about what can really affect your day-to-day as an independent producer, creator, writer or content maker. While big conglomerates play Russian dolls with M&As, we're seeing smaller platforms targeting audience niches…and that's what excites me. With Tubi exceeding 100 million monthly active users and Angel Studios surpassin...

Happy Tuesday, Creative Army! Every now and then, you get one of those moments where the work, the passion, the belief, and the years of pushing uphill finally land in a way that makes you stop, breathe, and say, “Yeah… this is why we do it.” Today is one of those days. Recently, Forbes published a full feature on Stage 32 and our Certification Program — calling us “the future of film school and career education.” You can read the article by clicking here! To say this is an honor is an...

Happy Monday, Creative Army! Stage 32 Managing Director Amanda Toney and I had the honor of representing Stage 32 at the 43rd Torino Film Festival and Torino Film Industry in Torino, Italy. And let me tell you: Italy is not just open for business, they are hungry to create more opportunities for filmmakers around the world — and Stage 32 is right in the center of it. How This All Started This relationship began months ago at our Stage 32 Film Commission VIP event in Cannes. What started as...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? Whether you’ve been writing, filming, editing, or dreaming up your next big idea, I’ve got something energizing for you today. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. This week’s featured video is an incredible deep-dive from Vanity Fair where James Cameron breaks down every film he’s made, from The Terminator all the way to Avatar: The Way of Water. If you need a jolt of inspiration, this conversation delivers. Cameron tal...

As recently announced in The Hollywood Reporter, the world's leading vertical micro-drama producer has opened their doors exclusively to our community and we're excited to announce we've partnered with DramaBox - who are offering a $5,000 option contract to the winning writer of our joint screenwriting competition! Open to feature screenplays, TV pilots, and short scripts! Direct-to-Production Access Drama Box is the world's leading short drama platform launched in April 2023. Covering over 2...

A conundrum is plaguing Hollywood: to get buyers or financiers interested, you need A-list talent or a director attached, ideally underlying IP, and a production company already involved. Most agents and managers don't have the bandwidth to package for their clients, and producers are chasing projects that are further along. In this marketplace, it can seem impossible to "break in." But here's the silver lining: these challenging conditions are forcing writers and filmmakers to become entrepre...

Production for Pure Vortex, our no-budget comedy feature, kicked off on June 25, one of the hottest days of the summer. I barely slept, not because I was nervous, I wasn’t, but the heat and racing thoughts about shot lists, rehearsals, and if we could pull this off kept me up. So maybe I was a little nervous. By 3:30 AM, I was checking gear and props, in full zombie-mode. Driving to set, my partner and cinematographer, Leya, tried chatting, but I was quieter than usual, lost in “what-ifs.” We ar...

Happy Monday, Stage 32 Community! We're coming into the home stretch of 2025, and I want to talk about something that doesn't get enough attention: what happens after the momentum stops. November Write Club has been incredible. Hundreds of writers showed up every day, engaging in the lounges, commenting on blogs, supporting each other, pushing toward their goals. The energy has been real, the progress has been tangible, and the wins have been stacking up. But here's what I always see happe...