Here we are during Introduce Yourself Weekend, and I'm thrilled to contribute to the best community around!
I'm John Mezes, a screenwriter who took charge of his career in 2015. I've been writing long before then, but as life would have it, I was on a twenty-eight-year hiatus from it living the responsibilities of my life at the time. Rather than beat myself up about this and play the blame game with me, I lived life and took all those experiences I lived and incorporated them into my writing.
I joined Stage 32 in 2021, and immediately immersed myself in this wonderful opportunity. I attended key webinars and classes that pinpointed specific education for my career path, worked and learned within numerous writing groups among different levels of fellow writers, swapping scripts and receiving and giving notes. I also began networking with others who operated within my creative space, matching genres and similar styles of writing with like-minded writers as we worked together building our careers. I built a trusted circle along my journey. These steps proved invaluable.
Two of my feature scripts, "Garden of Eden" (comedy/drama) and "Two" (thriller/drama) were sold to Uallywood Productions Studios & Odessa Film Studio, and are in production and pre-production respectively. I also co-host the Pitch Practice Tank Session right here on Stage 32 every Thursday @5:30 pm PT/8:30 pm ET for Writer's Room members where Brooklynn Fields and I coach your pitching styles in order to guide them to industry level standards. I am also a Stage 32 moderator and I offer script consultations and pitch coaching.
Those of you new to Stage 32 during Introduce Yourself weekend, I urge you to post about yourselves, connect with your fellow writers, actors, filmmakers, producers, authors, etc. and begin to build those necessary ties with this supportive community here. Your journey doesn't have to be an isolated one. Trust in the Stage 32 staff to help guide your career choices through important education opportunities on this website. The most important creative path you'll choose for yourself starts with a single introduction!
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Hi John Mezes! Thank you so much for being an incredibly vital part of our community!
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Happy IYW, John Mezes! The best community around. Definitely! Do you have any plans for the holidays?
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It's a pleasure to be a part of the community, Emily. Thank you for all that you do here. It's pretty amazing.
Hi Maurice! Most assuredly. Getting together with family for the weekend in upstate New York. How about you?
DT, thank you for the compliment. I hope you were able to take away some valuable pieces of information from the pitch tank that will help you. Of course you are always welcome to join us in the pitch practice. We'd love to hear your pitch.
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Welcome John. Nice to be connected here with others. Stage32 especially now that Stage32 has big developments.
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Hi Leonor! Nice to meet you. Yes, I couldn't agree with you more, now is an exciting time to be a member of Stage 32, which is only enhancing it's capabilities with helping and educating it's community. Interesting things are developing for us all.
Hi Soph! Nice to meet you too! Looking forward to getting to know you better and your career goals.
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Hope you and your family have a great time, John Mezes! I'll be spending time with family for the holidays. And probably writing. :)
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John Mezes Hi John, I’m happy to see that you are selling your scripts. Excellent! Well done. Here’s wishing you a very happy Christmas and a restive festive season.
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Oh yes, Maurice, the laptop is coming with me, LOL. I'll be staying with relatives through the weekend, and I'll be making some quiet time when I can type out some pages. Happy holidays to you and your family as well.
Hi Geoff, yes, these scripts sold in early 2023, so they're in the process of be filmed. Happy holidays to you as well. Be safe and enjoy!
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Thanks, John Mezes. I was pretty sure you'd be writing during the holidays. :) Happy holidays to you and your family! Safe travels!
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You're awesome, John Mezes! Thank you for all you do here in the community!
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Thank you, Ashley. Thank you for everything that you do for our community as well. We both do our parts because we believe in Stage 32 and what it can give to our fellow creatives. It's pretty great! Happy holidays to you!