The Writer As An Entrepreneur: Building Your Audience & Creating A Community

The Writer As An Entrepreneur: Building Your Audience & Creating A Community

The Writer As An Entrepreneur: Building Your Audience & Creating A Community

Geoff Hall
Geoff Hall
a month ago

The cultural zeitgeist speaks in this day and age about the isolation, alienation and despair of young people. We have watched the horrors of this in TV series like Adolescence.

In the North-East of England, the region has the highest suicide-rate in the country. This is the consequence of the economic policies of the 1980s. We are a region which has not recovered from the asset-stripping of major industries, leaving many like myself with the label of ‘redundant’. Imagine that word next to your name. It smarts. It is depressing, and it undermines any confidence you once had.

What a judgment on our lives. I was once a skilled man, and then I was redundant; surplus to requirements.

How do you get over that? Well, you become a screenwriter! No one probably said that, ever, but that’s what happened to me – eventually – and that has helped me see what I’m here for; giving me a sense of purpose.

I am a storyteller.

After you put the ‘closed for business’ sign on a region, the black economy takes over, and young people wonder why they go to school when there are no jobs to find afterwards. Back in the 80s, my hometown had an unemployment rate of +25%, and on some estates (projects in the US) it was at 75%. Not a family untouched by the recession.

I worked on one as a Youth Worker, where glue sniffing was the only out for young people. If the Police needed to arrest anyone, they had to come in riot vans; block off the street,s and go in to try and arrest the young offender.

This does something to your soul. Watching it at close quarters, experiencing it personally, and hoping that from somewhere, hope would spring forth. It didn’t, because there weren’t any storytellers of hope, just the ones who came to my town to make documentaries about the ‘Dole Capital of Britain’ as the town was labelled in the Press.

And yet, the Universe seems to be having the last word, and rather ironically a resurgence is happening through the film industry in Hartlepool. (see the post from Pat Alexander here)

The Writer As An Entrepreneur Building Your Audience  Creating A Community

Enter centre-stage – the storyteller.

Stories can send despair into exile; erode the shackles of isolation, alienation and despair. All of these negative energy forms attract company; energy which sucked the life out of the people. Despair bred an ugly and cruel nihilism in the town, but stories can breed hope and light into the darkened corners of any place. Stories that infuse people with an energy that says, “I will not give up, I will not relent.”

So, I’m asking that we as storytellers become relentless in our pursuit of inspirational stories that connect with people. It doesn’t matter what the genre is either; it’s not something limited to social realism ,and when I speak of that, I am always reminded of the words of French Filmmaker, Robert Bresson – “Realism. The pale imitation of nature.” It probably sounded more poetic in French, right?

Good energy attracts good energy, which empowers people. I’m not talking about politics, but human stories. We gain the power to come together, to form communities of worth, not worthlessness, of joy and not despair.

As Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners) said:

“If we are brought closer together because of a shared experience on the silver screen, or in the theatre, then those are the stories that I want to be a part of, whether as a viewer or as someone acting in it. That’s what attracts me to these roles. That’s what attracts me to these projects...“Do I feel changed? Do I feel like I’m growing?”

I think that we are not so much building an audience as a community.

Films can connect people and raise them from the dead wreck of a life deemed redundant. Tell me I’m mad, but this is what International Imaginists is all about. Not politics, but humanity. Not propaganda, but storytelling - Slogans versus something with a pulse. Propaganda is the tool of the powerful; Imperialism with a pen. It doesn’t want to know your opinion; it doesn’t give you time to think. Storytelling, on the other hand, gives the audience time to reflect and make changes, personal, social, and cultural.

I believe in something other than slogans, something which is quite outrageous:

“I am a pen in the hand of the Divine.” Rumi.

The Writer As An Entrepreneur Building Your Audience  Creating A Community

Building community first...on set.

Let’s step backward from the public viewing of our work and go behind the camera. Our aim as a company will be to bring change to those who make the film, the crew, by finding a new way to reward those ‘below the line’ on the budget sheet.

In other words, creating a community, not just from the watchers of our films, but also those who make it. Studios may not need to do this, as they produce bulk-buy items, but it may be a thing of the future for independent production companies.

Community has all to do with a common unity of purpose. We want to make films that inspire change, but we want that change to also occur in our industry. My initial thought was to give a discretionary bonus from the company's annual profits, but now I’m wondering about the crew as stakeholders. Not as employees as such, but for the moment, this is a long way off.

We know how perilous a career in this business can be, especially in view of the strikes over the last couple of years. This is what sent me thinking about rewarding the crew, beyond production days. I’m still thinking about it! It has to be financially viable of course, as my company would need to have development finance for their films, but I’m still wanting to find a way to do it.

During the production and release phases of our films, we want this community creation to include adopting charities that work in the area of the themes covered in our stories. With Seeing Rachel, we have connected with Unseen UK, a Bristol-based charity, to promote their work with the survivors of sex trafficking and raise funds through a charity premiere event.

Building an audience...

We are often told that we need a social media presence as part of the marketing for our films. I always viewed this as problematic. Mainly because...

Facebook was a disappointment as it always capped the number of followers who could see your posts. That’s where most of my followers came from. I must admit, that this still pisses me off, but then you learn to strategise around such barriers. I now limit what I post on FB, and I’ve found another more rewarding outlet: Instagram (IG).

Before working with Sandra Correia, if I had 50 people visit my account in a 30 day period, I was lucky. As of today, I have 4200 people visit it in the last 30 days. Why? I’d like to think that in the past, I posted cool stuff, but in truth, it wasn’t what subscribers of IG were looking for. All-in-all, they like videos! ‘Pictures that move’, to quote David Lynch. I can get over 800 views for one of the clips.

Now, with Sandra alongside me, this is the difference. A lesson to learn here: Click on the Collaborate Button when you are posting. It connects your post to their account. I’m not saying that this is earth-shattering and in the realm of a social media influencer, but you are talking about someone here, who only has 590 followers. No one is going to say “Wow!” to that. (Please note, Sandra has over 5700!)

We post soundbites from our interviews on IG, from topical conversations about the film industry and social issues, with CEOs of charities, businesses, and Film Producers too.

I am sure that those numbers will increase when we move through to the casting phase and onto production.

LinkedIn, is the outlier in all of this. To be truthful, I never really took much notice of it, because I really didn’t have much to say by way of business matters. Once, however, Sandra and I posted, tagged, and shared posts from the same interview clips, the figures increased. In the last 90 days, we’ve generated over 2650 impressions. Before this, I was lucky if I got 10 impressions to my posts.

All of this teaches me that you need to treat your social media accounts to the content that the subscribers expect.

Final thought on this: We must be doing something right!

The Writer As An Entrepreneur Building Your Audience  Creating A Community

Audience potential...

TS Eliot – “Only those who will risk going too far, can possibly find out how far one can go.”

From this, I see the audience potential, but what I want to do is build a community around the film and the production company, International Imaginists. Part of this was inspired by RB, who posted about Eli Roth and his initiative for inviting fans to become investors. Now, I know this is a way-off kind of thing for us and the production company, but...

It is now firmly on the list of our future developments.

I put all of this down to building a community around our work, and it seems that at Stage32, we have an advantage because the community is already there and waiting to hear about the next steps.

Finally, I would say we, as independent filmmakers; need to think not just about building an audience, but a community out of our audience. This step has the potential to transform our business model, from survive to thrive mode.

As the song says, “How did I get here?”

Well, it all has to do with connections and one in particular – Sandra Correia. She has given me the confidence to move forward with such ideas, ideas that 12 months ago would have seemed absurd. I wouldn’t have dared to even think of such things, never mind own up to them in public, and yet here we are.

And now, there is more to learn, greater steps to take. I am thankful for Sandra’s generosity and kindness towards me. I am thankful for her catching the vision for Seeing Rachel.

The next two months are planned for our strategy, and I will keep you posted in the next instalment of this series.

I leave us here, with this thought:

“If you expect to see the final results of your work, you simply have not asked a big enough question.” Frances Moore Lappé [Quoting Journalist, I.F. Stone]

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Got an idea for a post? Or have you collaborated with Stage 32 members to create a project? We'd love to hear about it. Email Ashley at blog@stage32.com and let's get your post published!

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About the Author

Geoff Hall

Geoff Hall

Screenwriter, Director, Producer

Personal: I grew up in the industrial north-east of England, in a little town called Hartlepool. I wasn’t academically inclined in those days, just forever curious about life. My school holidays were generally spent reading books hidden away at home, or playing football with my Dad and a few mat...

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11 Comments on Geoff's Article

Geoffroy Faugerolas
Executive, Producer
Couldn't agree more with the topic. Writers have more power and control than they realize.
a month ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thank you Geoff. And of course with GoT, it also revolutionised the film industry in Northern Ireland, as well as the local economy of Belfast. That’s what imagination can fuel. I love it.
a month ago
Geoffroy Faugerolas
Executive, Producer
As you mentioned in the blog, writers can start reverse-engineering their own IP and adapt their own work, get it published and find their audience without a middleman. Like, Game of Thrones, which was thought as a pilot first, then written as a novel and then...full circle moment, made into an epic series.
a month ago
Sandra Isabel Correia
Screenwriter, Executive, Director
You've written a fantastic blog, Geoff, and I only had time to come here today. It's my pleasure to collaborate with you, and we are growing together alongside Seeing Rachel. Social media is vital, but we need to learn how to use it in a strategic way. Only in this manner can we achieve success. I am proud of you, and together, we'll fly.
a month ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thank you, Sandra. Yes, we need a social media strategy. That world is sadly full of shisters, who just want to buy you follower numbers, but without any real addition of dedicated followers and potential leads save for bot accounts. I have been approached a number of times but such people, on LinkedIn, YouTube and IG. The real trick it seems to me is to find someone who understands the cause and can create a strategy for our outputs. If anyone knows of a good strategist, then please let us know.
a month ago
Sebastian Smeureanu
Screenwriter, Director, Producer, Acting Teacher, Creative Executive
SO much wonderful and insightful commentary here Geoff - thank you for sharing it. Happy to hear social media momentum is building for your project. I recently viewed Rachel Kisela's short presentation on increasing engagement. Some of the content may not relate, some if it seems like it won't relate but I feel there's always a lesson there. Anyway, here's a link: https://think.vyond.com/spring-2025-video-masterclass-ty Also... "Stories can send despair into exile..." that statement alone will energize me for days to come to keep writing. thank you Have a wonderful rest of weekend!
a month ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thank Sebastian, I’m thrilled that this has inspired you. And thanks too, for the link; I will check it out. I need a lot more help with this, as we ramp up the content on the IG accounts. Yes, let’s send despair into exile with our stories.
a month ago
Pamela Jaye Smith
Author, Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Acting Teacher, Script Consultant, Story Analyst
What inspiring words, Geoff. The sense of community is so very important and can last so long. I'm still co-creating with people I went to film school with at UT Austin as well as some I met when working in production at Universal Studios. We've hired each other over the years and have stayed friends. May your example continue to motivate other. And wishing you much success on all fronts, too.
a month ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Hi Pamela, it's always a joy to hear from you. That is a wonderful testimony to your communal instincts and values. Thank you for your well-wishes too. Be well.
a month ago
James Fleming
Author, Director
Great post! Believe it or not, I have written a trilogy of screenplays where the predominant setting is in a fictional county of northern England that is basically as you’ve described- a once thriving area that became hollowed out after time and industry both have moved on to greener pastures. I may want to pick your brain, so I sent you a link request.
a month ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thank you, James. What inspired you to write those screenplays? That's fascinating. Yes, for sure. Let's connect. Sadly, Hartlepool even to this day is still asset-stripped by the political and corporate powers that be. Notwithstanding this cataclysm, it seems that it may be the film industry may come to the rescue and give the local economy a boost. Check out the link to that story in the article.
a month ago
Charles F .D.
Cinematographer, Author, Screenwriter, Art Director, Composer, Concept Artist, Director, Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Musician, Producer, Researcher, Singer, Songwriter, Story Analyst
Your reflection is very powerful, and it resonates deeply, especially in times when social disconnections and economic tensions seem increasingly prevalent. The phenomenon of isolation and alienation in young people, coupled with the feeling of being "superfluous," is not a new one, but it seems we are seeing its effects more sharply now, with the crisis in the industrial sectors you mention and the spread of precariousness in various parts of the world. The label of "superfluous," as you mention, is a devastating blow. The feeling of being dispensable, of having no value in an economy that only sees productive utility, can be paralyzing. Many may feel that their skills, which once formed the foundation of their identity, are no longer welcomed or needed. The shift from "skilled man" to "surplus" is, sadly, a reflection of many lives that feel discarded for not having a defined role in a system that prioritizes immediate profit. However, it seems to me that your process of finding a purpose in writing is something deep and meaningful. Turning that frustration and despair into a tool of expression, of storytelling, is a way of resisting abandonment. Through writing, you give yourself the space to redefine your own identity, and at the same time, you speak for those who may not have a voice in this economic and social context. At its core, art—and particularly writing—can be a way to heal and transcend the experience of alienation. What kind of stories motivate you to write? Is it personal experience that drives you, or is there something else that calls you to create from that void?
a month ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thank you Charles, for you reply to the article. I always feel that word 'abandonment' very sharply. In Hartlepool, I was one of many to feel that and I think in my 20s, I was not really equipped emotionally to respond to it adequately and transformatively. I was depressed for a long time and couldn't figure out how to turn things around. I was married and the role I was supposed to fulfil as the main wage-earner, the provider, eluded me. This was in the 1980s and in the North-East of England that was still how the man's role in a marriage was viewed. It was a double pressure, that was so hard to shift away from.   I ended up working on short-term contracts through what was called the Manpower Services Commission; on schemes that were unemployed people (like me) working with unemployed people. In the mid 80s we started a family and a year later, after standing out with various media projects with local TV (consultancy is too grand a title) where I helped Producers get a handle what it was like being unemployed and living in the 'dole capital of England'. I met someone at the local College of Education, who suggested I thought about a change of direction and so, to cut the proverbial long story short, we moved away from Hartlepool to Bristol in the South-West and I studied Art History (and loved it!). It was there that I realised that I could write. All of these experiences feed into who I am and why I feel so strongly about film (and the arts) having such a transformative power.   Yes, that story of young people's lives being framed by isolation and alienation is not new, but I think each generation experiences it differently. However, we as storytellers have I feel a responsibility to connect with them; we have to tell stories, create films which resonate with them. That to me takes anyone moved by our work, from audience to community. I want to create a strong bond with an audience and then progress that along to forming the roots of community.   All of this, plus, a spiritual dimension, is what inspires me to write. Furthermore, I want to produce films which that capture the imagination through the heart - as the poet Joy Harjo inspires us to do. My work is not to be giving out messages of human worth, but to create an emotional bond with the audience. (More on that, in the next article).  "What kind of stories motivate you to write?"  Great question, Charles. Here's a link to the company website: https://www.international-imaginists.com/projects   You can see there are lots of different genres there. I think I am drawn to stories about the abuse of power, the illegitimacy of authoritarian governments, non-violent resistance, spiritual manipulation, but all seen through the lens of the psychological thriller. My influences on that front are from the likes of Alan J Pakula's 'paranoia trilogy' (The Parallax View, Klute, All the President's Men). However, I'm not a preacher nor an ideologue; first and foremost I'm a storyteller. I hope that helps you to understand some of my motivations and inspirations. Thanks again for your response, Charles.
a month ago
Your post really struck a chord within me Geoff and mirrors my feelings. I feel it is the way forward. Thanks, it has reminded me to keep chipping ...
a month ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thank you Frank, I'm glad it resonated with you. There's no point giving up, as it leaves us in the middle of nowhere. You're right, it pays to be resilient and to keep pressing on. We are both in the right place, here at Stage32, to find the support we need.
a month ago
Thank you, Geoff
a month ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
And thank you, Wendy!
a month ago
Many kudos to you! Great blog. Sandra's the best and my new biz partner. Take care and great blessings to you. Carol Ann
a month ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thanks Carol Ann.
a month ago
Leonardo Ramirez
Screenwriter, Author, Voice Actor
Congratulations on all that you're learning in the journey Geoff! I do prefer to think that there is a difference between finding our identity in what we do vs enjoying what we do. And we can be disciplined (if not more) and strive to do our best in the latter category. I've always found that when we find our identity in what we do, circumstances can easily take that thing away and what we're left with is emptiness. We had a purpose before we became screenwriters. That is to love well and be loved. Once we produce from that place of standing, there is no joy that can be taken away from us unless we surrender it. We are then better able to attract and audience from a standing in confident joy. As an aside, I'm with you on the FB thing. I'm not a fan of the toxicity there. Thanks for the great post friend!
a month ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Thanks Leonardo, the mystics would tell us not to be seduced by ego agendas, as they preclude us from knowing our True Self or Essence. No amount of ego projection will satisfy us and will ultimately disappoint. I have a deep joy in what I do, but also in who I am. The joy deepens when it is shared with others, of course. My aim is to be generous in that sharing and energise a community behind what we do.
a month ago
Maurice Vaughan
Screenwriter
Hi, Geoff. Building an audience and creating a community are huge things for writers, filmmakers, etc. "We are often told that we need a social media presence as part of the marketing for our films." I don't think a writer, filmmaker, etc. NEEDS a social media presence as part of the marketing, but it helps. And it helps if the person constantly posts about a script, film, etc. It doesn't have to be every day, every week, etc., but I don't think the person should go a long time without posting about the film. I understand a writer not constantly posting about a script if they're still writing/rewriting it though.
a month ago
Geoff Hall
Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Hi Maurice, personally I think if we are marketing films, then without a doubt we need a social media presence. For a screenwriter though, we are raising awareness of our work and as you have pointed out, that needs to be consistently over whatever platform works for us. People may be interested to now what we are researching for our story. As RB says, people will be checking us out on our social media profile, to see if we are the kind of person they can work with.
a month ago
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