Learn the most effective strategies on how to write and produce a romantic comedy feature from Matt Bierman, a producer and executive who has worked at Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount, Warner Bros., Village Roadshow, and more! In this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar, you'll learn the fundamentals of creating a successful romantic comedy. This is your chance to learn how to craft a winning story, identify target buyers, and explore budgeting and monetization strategies to make your film a success. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, this webinar is a must-attend for anyone looking to make their mark in the world of romantic comedies. Your Stage 32 Educator is Matt Bierman, a studio executive and producer who has previously worked as an executive at Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount, Warner Bros., Village Roadshow, and more. Matt is an expert in the field of romantic comedies having produced Christmas With the Darlings, Love at First Bark, Love Under the Stars, Memories of Christmas, and more. Under Matt's guidance, you will learn how to map out your unique idea using his proven tactics and techniques. Matt will cover how to develop, write and produce a successful rom-com you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of the key elements that make for a successful film. You will cover the complete gambit of what makes a successful romantic comedy: understanding your audience, exploring the various sub-genres of this feature type and discussing rom-com script structure. You will also get key tips on current market trends and needs, valuable insight into who the buyers of such features are and what they are looking for and Matt will also walk you through the economics of romantic comedies including physical production considerations. Don't miss out on your chance to learn how to create and produce your romantic comedy feature! Praise for Matt's Talent & Knowledge: “Matt Bierman is one of the best movie execs and producers that I have worked with” – Brian Levant, Director of Jingle All The Way, A Christmas Story 2 "This lab was one of the best educational experiences I have ever experienced. I feel so confident in my work after getting guidance from Matt. Thank you, Stage 32!" -- Rebecca M. "Matt Bierman knows his stuff! I highly recommend taking any course he is teaching." -- Marcus E.
Learn from an executive and producer with over 25 years of experience behind holiday and rom-com films such as A LOUD HOUSE CHRISTMAS, LOVE AT FIRST BARK, LOVE UNDER THE STARS, and more. Holiday-themed romantic comedies have become a year-round staple for television viewers. It goes beyond Christmas. There’s a holiday event every month and a “rom-com” on countless networks and platforms to celebrate it. So are you ready to write or produce your feel-good holiday-themed rom-com for audiences worldwide? In this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar, you’ll learn how to write, develop, and produce a holiday rom-com. These films aren’t the same as straight Christmas movies or other romantic comedies. The holiday rom-com is its own genre, and you’ll find out the rules and norms that audiences require and how to break those rules effectively. You won’t just learn how to write these stories but also who the buyers are how and how to produce them. You will cover the budget ranges, how to generate the budget, how to monetize your film, and what you need to sell your film. It’s no longer just Hallmark telling these audience-favorite stories. Now, they’re being shown on networks and streaming platforms across the spectrum, giving you more opportunities than ever to get your project made. Your teacher is Matt Bierman, a studio executive and producer with over 25 years of experience. Matt has previously worked as an executive at Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount, Warner Bros., Village Roadshow, and more. He has also developed and produced movies for Hallmark and Nickelodeon. Matt has vast experience making low-budget holiday films and romantic comedies, including A LOUD HOUSE CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAS WITH THE DARLINGS, LOVE AT FIRST BARK, LOVE UNDER THE STARS, and more. You’ll learn all about this hugely popular genre as Matt shares his vast knowledge and experience with you so you can discover how to jump into this in-demand genre by writing and producing your own movie today. Praise for Matt's Talent & Knowledge: “Matt Bierman is one of the best movie execs and producers that I have worked with” – Brian Levant, director of Jingle All The Way, A Christmas Story 2 "This lab was one of the best educational experiences I have ever experienced. I feel so confident in my work after getting guidance from Matt. Thank you, Stage 32!" -- Rebecca M. "Matt Bierman knows his stuff! I highly recommend taking any course he is teaching." -- Marcus E.
This Webinar has a 100% Satisfaction Rating! It’s undeniable that we’re witnessing a new era of unscripted television. The staggering, cultural success of shows like CHEF'S TABLE, CHEER, RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE, PAMELA: A LOVE STORY, LAST CHANCE U: BASKETBALL, LOVE IS BLIND and PERFECT MATCH signify in no uncertain terms that the appetite is huge for premium docuseries and will likely continue to be for at least the near future. In today’s rapidly evolving television landscape, one of the greatest challenges that producers face is how to develop series that will actually resonate in such an increasingly crowded space. Gone are the days of having an idea, putting a 3-page deck together and pitching it to 30 different networks in the hopes that several of them will make offers to further develop the series. Instead, the most effective way to produce a docu-series in today’s world is to secure many more parts of the package when bringing a new project to market. In a world of talent, access, format and projected story arc, the development of different types of shows require us to ask different questions of ourselves early on and throughout the development process. Doing this and working to stay ahead of the curve can very well situate you for success and put you on your way to produce your own premium docuseries. And, we're thrilled to bring you a Stage 32 Educator who can help you do just that. Andrew Fried is the Founder and President of Boardwalk Pictures, producers of premium non-fiction content for multiple networks and distributors, including Netflix, Showtime, YouTube and many others. A recipient of multiple Emmy wins and nominations (including six nominations and three wins for breakout Netflix hit CHEER just this year), Fried and Boardwalk strive to elevate and expand the idea of documentary television across an ever-growing unscripted landscape. Boardwalk has been responsible for some of the most prestigious unscripted series of the last few years. CHEF'S TABLE, now in its 7th season, received 8 Emmy nominations, won 3 James Beard Awards and the IDA Award for Best Documentary Series. CHEER, also on Netflix, has proven to be one of the platform's biggest successes. Other huge commercial hits include Gwyneth Paltrow's THE GOOP LAB, 7 DAYS OUT, STREET FOOD and LAST CHANCE U (now in its 4th season), the Showtime series ACTION and YouTube’s BEST SHOT. By revealing how the industry works behind popular docuseries and walking you through the entire timeline of what putting together content like this looks like, Andrew will give you clear tools and a practical roadmap you can use to make your own docuseries a reality. Praise for Andrew's Stage 32 Webinar: "Really really great info. As someone who has had success in pitching docuseries before Andrews's information was spot on and I still got new info and ideas out of it!" -Matt R. "Great presentation. One of my top 2 favorite Stage 32 webinars I have attended. -Heather L.
Adult animated TV is hotter than ever right now as shows like BOJACK HORSEMAN, SOLAR OPPOSITES, RICK & MORTY and BIG MOUTH are taking the genre to a new level. It's absolutely true that TV animation is an exciting world to dive into right now. Yet animated TV is written a bit differently than other types of series. In order to write successfully in this space, it’s important for you to understand the differences and challenges there are to writing animation and how the best animated series break story for an episode. This way, you’ll be able to fit seamlessly into any writers' room and begin an exciting career in prime time animation! Sivert Glarum is a veteran sitcom writer and story breaking whiz with 25 years of experience, who has written on both live action and animation series, including KING OF THE HILL, BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD, JUST SHOOT ME, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, and more. He has also served as showrunner for Marc Maron’s comedy MARON on IFC, animated series GLENN MARTIN DDS on Nick at Nite, and YouTube Red’s RHETT AND LINK’S BUDDY SYSTEM. When Sivert isn’t writing or running shows, he helps young writers develop their craft and trains new showrunners on breaking story and character. Sivert will teach you everything you need to know about breaking an episode of prime time animation, including how long an episode should be, breaking story, structuring your episode, and the difference between plot and story. He’ll take you through a case study of GLENN MARTIN DDS to show you how to find your A-Story beat by beat, then apply the same beats to your B and C story. He’ll also breakdown the three different types of sitcoms and how the breaking process for each works. Sivert will give you all his tips for properly executing an episode of primetime animation, highlighting the differences between animation and live-action, and prepare you to write and run an animation series. "I’ve spent several years writing on animated comedies. I’ve seen many scripts turn out great. I’ve witnessed many others suffer unspeakably grueling fates at network table reads. After a while, I realized the key was to make sure the script had a solid structure. Understanding the basic rules can make all the difference. I’m glad to share what I know and break down what really makes an episode of prime time animation work." -Sivert Glarum
Learn directly from Shaun O’Banion, an award-winning independent producer! As a producer, post-production is a part of the process you’re rarely involved in from day-to-day, and yet it is one of the most integral parts of the filmmaking process (if not the most important). A lot of questions can be asked from a filmmaker like how to shape the film, how to define roles in post, what to do with VFX, how to handle the footage you have and ultimately how to develop a great film after it’s been shot. It’s not easy to do and it takes a lot of practice and experience to perfect. We will discuss the pieces that make up the whole, from assessing the relationships in the edit suite, to bringing all of the elements together and how it all happens. From the technical to the emotional, this webinar will attempt to demystify the process in a way for you to easily understand what to do to “find the film” in post. Post Production: Finding the Film is presented by 20 year industry veteran, Shaun O’Banion, who has worked with the likes of Steven Spielberg, Christopher Walken, Courtney Cox and David Arquette, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Judd Apatow and Peter Hedges. He has won numerous awards for his films, including the prestigious IFP GOTHAM Award for GIRLFRIEND. PRAISE FOR SHAUN'S TEACHINGS: "Thanks for the wonderful class. A phrase comes to mind when I think about it: 'Tell it like it is'. You directly shared what it is like in the industry. I don't know how others in the class are affected, but I am left with the motivation and recognition that one must love - have a passion for creating films to be in the industry - as it should be. So, your effort is an inspiration. You are someone who is 'following his bliss' as Joseph Campbell would state it." - Don D. "Thank you again for teaching a terrific filmmaking class! You have valuable practical real-world experience that is hard to find in theory based teaching today." - Rene S. "There was so much information in your class that I think I’ll have to come back next session and take it all over again - gladly! Great class!" - Daniel T.
Learn directly from Jon Reiss, a distribution and marketing specialist who's worked with Paramount Pictures, Screen Australia, Film Independent, and is the year-round distribution and marketing lab leader at the IFP Filmmaker Labs. There are thousands of film festivals around the world – and tens of thousands of filmmakers trying to get into them. So what to do with your film? Jon Reiss wrote Think Outside the Box Office and has advised hundreds of filmmakers on their festival and distribution strategy. In this webinar you will learn how to create a film festival strategy for your specific film, how to use festivals to benefit the release of your film, how to be smart once you have been accepted into a festival and make each festival work for your film and career. This webinar will cover the essentials that all filmmakers need to consider in order to create a festival strategy for your film.