I have been an independent filmmaker for a few decades now and have always wanted to make films in Hollywood.

Living in Vancouver, BC, Canada (I have been here since my early twenties) was the place to come for those who wanted to pursue a career in film and television. It is no wonder they refer to it as “Hollywood North.” I started out as an actor but always felt that I needed to do more. Quickly, I realized that if I wanted to work as an actor, I needed to create work for myself. This is where my journey began as a writer.

Early in my career, playwrights like Neil Simon, Sam Shepard, and David Mamet were my biggest influences. I always felt I had a knack for understanding characters, and these playwrights wrote some of the richest characters of our time.

Writing led me to produce and then into directing, all the while still acting in the projects. I was fortunate and blessed to meet people who wanted to collaborate and make films with me and had a pretty solid career moving from one project to the other, whether it was my own or helping someone else. But deep inside, there was a dream that wasn’t being fulfilled. As much as I loved being part of the Vancouver indie scene and was an advocate for nurturing others, I had to be honest with myself and admit I still wanted to pursue a career in Hollywood and make films with studios and those whose work I admired and was influenced by.

In some ways, this happened for me as I worked on major motion pictures like GODZILLA, THE INTERVIEW, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 3, and SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, to name a few. This was an amazing experience as I could watch and learn how to do things from the best of the best. It really excited me, and that desire only grew, as did the dream.

So I kept going. No matter what I would face, I kept writing and creating and collaborating with friends, colleagues, and other filmmakers, all of who wanted the same thing – to make movies.

The biggest question I had to answer as a Canadian was: How? How could I leverage my relationships or contacts to help my cause? I felt that was one of my strengths. Building relationships with people. Which was always a personal goal of mine; to have healthy and strong relationships with people. Of course, it feels like a difficult thing and challenging feat to accomplish in our industry. But not an impossible one. Building relationships takes time. And time is our greatest asset.

If there is any advice I could give someone on how to build and nurture a relationship, it would be to set aside your needs and consider the other person’s needs first. It’s harder said than done, but being of service to others is the essential building block to creating the strongest relationships. It’s really what we are designed to do and who to be in this world.

As I share this last statement, that is what I feel the team at Stage 32 has designed and what they have built. I feel like they are accomplishing it too, not only writers but also those seeking to build and cultivate relationships with like-minded people and industry peers.

I discovered Stage 32 almost a year ago (to date) when they were promoting a webinar with Michael Schulman. I can’t say exactly how I came across it, but I was glad I did. My biggest takeaway from the talk was when Michael stated that he would only pass on 1 in every 100 scripts he read to his bosses. Here I realized it wasn’t a number game; it was a skills and craft game, talent too, but you had to be better than good.

How would you know how good you are? So much was going on inside. I had so many thoughts and feelings that I wondered if I really had what it took.

Well, the answer was easy: submit my scripts to be read by those constantly reading the works of others working at a higher level. And we all know that is what Stage 32 offers us.

It took me some time to warm up to the idea and take the plunge. Before I jumped in, I had some opportunities that I thought would open that doorway to meet studio executives, but in the end, they didn’t pan out. Needless to say, I was hitting a milestone birthday, and I knew I couldn’t keep going the way I was. I had to step outside of my comfort zone and take the risk.

I started to submit and pay to have others read my work. It was a big deal for me to do this, and I truly had to set my ego aside and humble myself even more. My word for this year was — Trust. This was a word that I heard from God. Trust me!

So I trusted and did just as I felt in my core to do.

For me, Stage 32 has been a platform to put myself out there. Yes, it can be nerve-wracking in the beginning, but it is so important. How else will you know where you stand and what areas you need to grow in?

Community is important. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people and having a support system or a springboard to jump off of is equally important. This is something Stage 32 offers writers, whether you are just starting out or you have been writing for decades.

My encouragement to you is to make a plan, create a budget and invest in your career and your future. I don’t know how many of you reading this take advantage of the 30-minute or 60-minute calls with executives, but they have been extremely valuable to me.

I have gained so much insight and clarity with my scripts. I understand where I am at in my career and realize where I need to work. Again, priceless. Each and every executive I have spoken to has spoken positively and critiqued the work, not criticized it. There is a difference. One is helpful, the other isn’t. And so far, I have felt every one of them to be more than helpful, and the experience was positive.

I am grateful for the team at Stage 32 and especially for Jason Mirch, who has always been great at responding. We all need someone in our corner, and I have felt in the short time I have been part of the community Jason has been a big support to me.

He was an advocate for me, reaching out and sending my script to Sofia Rovaletti at Mojo Global Arts. I am grateful for it because as I write this today, last week, Mojo Global Arts and my small but mighty company, AB Films, inked a deal to co-produce my screenplay titled SEVEN BELLS OF CHRISTMAS. This is a big moment in my career, and I am grateful for Sofia’s time and reading the script and passing it on to the team at MoJo Global Arts. I am also thankful for Stage 32 and their desire to help people like myself. Mostly I am grateful that I trusted that voice inside to take that plunge. Hopefully, this is the beginning of something wonderful.

Yes, it’s an exciting time for me. It has happened. It is happening. The territory has expanded, and a door has been opened. I am on my way.

My encouragement to each of you is to keep going, keep trusting, keep believing, and most of all keep writing.

I believe a writer-writes. No matter what they are writing, they are constantly writing. So, keep writing.

Thank you all for reading. See you in the room.

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