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I am a Distributor turned Filmmaker. I have a finance degree and a law degree and I spent the first 22 years of my film career in Distribution. Then I got the bug to become creative. I have since made and successfully self distributed 7 feature films, 3 of which are presently airing on Netflix worldwide (FULL OUT / FULL OUT 2 - YOU GOT THIS! / KISS & CRY). I provide consulting services to hundreds of indie filmmakers and the initial conversation usually goes like this: Jeff to Filmmaker: “Yo...

I’ve made a lot of movies. I started off as a Runner and worked my way up. I worked on 13 movies as a 1st AC & 2nd AC and Director of Photography before I became an award-winning Director & Writer in my own right. Having gone from Runner to director I have experienced the whole gauntlet of film making from the biggest shoots (Harry Potter and James Bond) to tiny micro-budget one-man crew shoots. I have seen many ways to do things effectively and simply. There are 6 main areas of filmmaking for...

Happy Wednesday, Creative Army I am happy to report another win for the Stage 32 community! The most uniquely creative and talented community on Earth has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as an example of the power niche communities like Stage 32 wield, and how they're setting the stage for the future of social media. The pandemic has taken a huge toll on the mental health of creatives and professionals within our industry and studies have shown that broad based social media platforms like...

So...many...pitches… That’s the God’s honest truth about what often runs through my mind when I check my inboxes. On social, on email, and anywhere I can be hunted down, I get your pitches. Lots...and lots...of pitches. And the reality is- that’s a big part of my JOB! And while I may not be coming across as super enthusiastic at the moment, I am always excited to discover a concept that resonates with me, that’s unique, that is pitched well. The problem is, lots of these pitches that I sift thro...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some epic content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee and let's dive in. This week, I am thrilled to share a fascinating video from the Netflix Engineering team about how they take a movie from script to screen. This video gives a unique insight into how the promotions and engineering teams at Netflix help ferry their films from screenplay to streaming. They cover everythi...

Happy Screenplay Saturday Stage 32! I hope you all had a beautiful and creative week. I was catching up on the trades this week (following the very sage wisdom of our founder and CEO Richard "RB" Botto: Always read the trades and know what is going on in the business of entertainment!) and I came across an article from Deadline Hollywood about episode 101 of HBO's Lovecraft Country. This script is the first of 10 episodes in this drama/horror mini-series produced by Jordan Peele, J.J. Abrams...

Animation is one of the few genres that has continued during the pandemic in a relatively unharmed way. The fact that animation can to a large extent be produced entirely remotely, put it in the spotlight of the film and television production community when the world came to a halt during the first months of the pandemic. The ability to produce animation remotely, in combination with the availability of cross-border high-quality animation and talent, production incentives, and lower costs, has...

All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.” ~ William Shakespeare “Luna” is my 1969 VW bus. She was a well-thought-out, long-time purchase. A transformative place that serves as a traveling home, an office workspace, a holiday destination, and right now at this very minute, my own coffee shop! Luna gives me so much love and joy that I dare not take her for gra...

Happy Wednesday Creative Army! The revolution continues! As you've been hearing me preach for years now, the convergence between tech and entertainment is real and it's spectacular. And now, Entrepreneur Magazine has recognized Stage 32 as the leading social media/educational platform AND marketplace for film, TV, and digital content creators and professionals around the world in this awesome article: Why The Entertainment and Social Media Industries are Converging.The article speaks to how St...

Let’s go back to basics! If you are thinking or overthinking about producing your first short film, you are not alone. These are the 8 things that were around my head when deciding to go for it. 1. Is Making a Short Worthwhile? I hate to reply to this with another question, but you have to ask yourself first: Why do I want to do it? Maybe you want to be an actor and it can be a way to get material for your reel, get credits and exposure. Same with a director or DP. If you are a screenwrite...