2nd Annual Action/Thriller Screenwriting Contest

Stage 32 is proud to present the 2nd Annual Action/Thriller Screenwriting Contest!

Our Grand Prize winner will:

• Be flown to LA for meetings (travel permitting) to meet with 8 top professionals working in the industry including literary managers, director of developments and producers who have worked on FREE GUY, THE TOMORROW WAR, ENTER'S GAME, THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY, THOR and more!
• Work with Stage 32 to develop your script’s pitch deck for the market.
• Get a free membership to the Stage 32 Writers’ Room and free access to some of Stage 32’s educational resources
• Continued support from the Stage 32 team to help move your career forward and get you in front of decision makers!

ALL 10 Finalists will:

• Have your loglines presented to over 500 industry executives including literary managers, agents and producers in a Stage 32 lookbook. Past lookbook writers have been set up on meetings with 3 Arts Entertainment, UTA, APA, Art/Work Entertainment, Zero Gravity and more!
• Get a free three month membership to the Stage 32 Writers’ Room

Stage 32 will be a champion for your script - once you’re part of our community, we make sure you rise to the top!

Our Action/Thriller Winners See Results

So many of our previous contest winners and finalists have been signed. Click the "Success Stories" link here for testimonials from our past winners! Stage 32 has quickly emerged as the leading source for industry executives to uncover new talent! Is this your year to move the needle on your career?

• Last year’s winner, Gregg Guest, booked his first big screenwriting gig through Stage 32 after winning the contest!
• Finalists have had their work requested by managers and producers at Stampede Ventures, Energy Entertainment, Mind's Eye Entertainment and many more!

Still don’t believe us? Let Action/Thriller winner Gregg Guest tell you why you should enter!

About the Stage 32 2nd Annual Action/Thriller Contest

Is there anything more exciting than an Action/Thriller film? Action movies are the new blockbusters, so if you've dreamed of seeing your film in the theater this is the genre for you. Television has never been more action oriented as well - if your script has a superhero, you're on the right track! Don't miss this opportunity to see your story on the big screen.

If you have an action packed story that needs to be told, now is the time to show us what you've got, because our goal is to amplify your voice, give you the access Stage 32 is known for, and take your writing career to the next level!

We are looking for action and thriller scripts of all subjects and tones. Whether your script is flashy and full of fight scenes or a slow build to the final blowout, our judges want to read them! This contest is open to Features and Television Pilots for Limited and Recurring Series.

About the Exposure For Your Script

The Grand Prize Winner Will be Flown to Los Angeles to meet with:

• Jamie & Jason Neese, Producers (THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY, UNREAL)
• Steven Adams, Founder & Producer, Alta Global Media (THE GREEN HORNET, THOR)
• Matt Dy, Literary Manager, Lit Entertainment Group (FREE GUY, THE TOMORROW WAR)
• Tyler Winther, Head of Development, Aaron Sims Creative (ENDER'S GAME, X MEN: DARK PHOENIX)
• Sofia Rovaletti, Director of Development, Mojo Global Arts (Client credits include THE WALKING DEAD, TWIN PEAKS)
• Andrew Kersey, Literary Manager, Kersey Management 
• Charlie Osowik, Literary Manager, Osowik Management (Client credits include DOOM PATROL)
• David Harris, Producer, Harris Films (THE PROTECTOR, DESOLATION)

In addition to these meetings, the winner will also receive unlimited access to Stage 32’s Educational resources, be promoted on Stage 32’s social media, and have their professional biography sent to an exclusive roster of over 30 agents and managers hand picked by Stage 32 who are actively looking for new clients and material. Stage 32 will facilitate introductory meetings to any of the representatives who respond to your material and bio. This is the type of exposure that will change your career forever!

If you reach the Finals, you still get massive exposure to decision makers!

ALL FINALISTS will receive a FREE THREE MONTHS OF THE MEMBER'S ONLY STAGE 32 WRITERS' ROOM and will be in a Stage 32 Look Book which includes their script title, logline & bio mailed to over 500 industry executives including, managers, agents, producers, development executives, and financiers! Stage 32 Look Books are some of the most sought after talent resources for the industry and have helped secure meetings with places like Verve, Good Fear, 3 Arts, APA, Echo Lake, Amazon, UTA, CAA, WME, First Friday, Pathfinder, The Cartel, Art/Work and many, many more.

Important Dates to Be Aware Of

Super Early Bird Deadline: November 17th, 2022

Early Bird Deadline: December 7th, 2022

Regular Deadline: January 4th, 2023

Final Deadline: February 1st, 2023

Quarterfinalist Announcement: March 31st, 2023

Semifinalist Announcement: April 14th, 2023

Finalist Announcement: April 28th, 2023

Winner Announcement: May 12th, 2023

Submission Options

Feedback & Resubmission Option

Would you like immediate feedback on your submission and the option to make changes and resubmit? Using our NEW Feedback & Resubmission Option you will get 3-5 pages of coverage/notes back in 5-days with a guaranteed option to resubmit one (1) revised draft of your script up to 10 days after the Final Deadline! See what elements of your script are working and what still needs to be developed. You can position yourself for the best chance of success - all for an additional fee of only $99. Please submit revised drafts to contests@stage32.com.

This option is good for a one-time use and is non-refundable/non-transferable if you do not enter an updated draft. See full terms in the Rules Section. The last day to submit new drafts is February 11th, 2023.

Feedback Option

We offer discounted coverage for $49.00. With this option, you will receive 1-2 pages of coverage/notes after the Quarterfinalist Announcement on March 31st, 2023. See full terms in the Rules Section.

Resubmission Option

We offer the option to resubmit a new draft of your script later in the contest for $39.00. You only have until the Final Deadline on February 1st, 2023 to submit a new draft. You cannot submit a new draft after the reading process has commenced or after any announcements have been made.

If you have any questions regarding this contest, check out frequently asked questions here.

Jamie & Jason Neese (Judges) - Producers, THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY,

Jamie and Jason Neese were born in North Carolina and hold a B.F.A in Creative
Writing from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. They currently serve as Co-executive Producers on the EMMY nominated Netflix series THE UMBRELLA
ACADEMY. Previously they were producers for multiple television series including
CRUEL SUMMER, UNREAL and DEAR WHITE PEOPLE.

The brothers have partnered up with Don Cheadle’s RADICLE ACT PRODUCTIONS to adapt the Russian television show CALL CENTER for American television. The Neese twins optioned an original half-hour horror comedy script to SONY TV called THE CRAIGSLIST EXCORCIST and have now partnered up with VERTIGO ENTERTAINMENT for development. Currently they are out to market with YOUNG THUG, KENYA BARRIS and BET STUDIOS with a 1⁄2 hour comedy they wrote and created. NBA All-Star CHRIS PAUL under the banner of OH DIPP!!! PRODUCTIONS is attached as Executive Producer for the limited television series CAPE FEAR RISING. They’ve adapted it from the book of the same title.

During the pandemic they wrote and directed a spec TV pilot starring EMMY nominated CONSTANCE ZIMMER and NTARE MWINE. The twins have also written and directed for SHARON STONE, EMMA ROBERTS, MALIN ACKERMAN and EMMY winner TATIANA MASLANY.

Steven Adams (Judge & Mentor) - Founder & Producer, Alta Global Media

Award winning Producer Steven Adams is a Founder of ALTA GLOBAL MEDIA where he represents international talent & media companies and is actively developing television and film projects with his clients. Adams also serves as Chief Strategist for Alta Global PR, the Marketing division of Alta Global Media.

Adams served for 4 years as VFX Executive Producer with Paris-based VFX house BUF. VFX EP credits there include such Academy Award winners as James Cameron’s AVATAR, Ang Lee’s LIFE OF PI, THOR for Marvel Studios, as well as GREEN LANTERN, GREEN HORNET, Stephen Sommers’ ODD THOMAS, and Tim Burton’s DARK SHADOWS.

Adams produced the Peabody Award winning A HUEY P NEWTON STORY, directed by Spike Lee. Other Luna Ray credits include BURNING SHADOWS, GOD’S WAITING LIST, JUSTICE, MY FATHER BELIZE and the indie pilot IT'S NOT ABOUT JIMMY KEENE, an official selection at Sundance 2019.

He is a frequent public speaker at Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, The Motion Picture Academy Content London, and a host of others. Steven began his career at the Paradigm Talent and Literary Agency.

Matt Dy (Judge & Mentor) - Literary Manager, Lit Entertainment Group

Matt Dy is a Literary Manager at Lit Entertainment Group which produced the Action films FREE GUY and THE TOMORROW WAR. 

He joined Lit Entertainment Group as a Literary Manager in early 2019. Previously, he worked at Austin Film Festival (AFF) since 2008 where he served as the Director of Script Competitions and facilitated the evaluation of thousands of annual script submissions reaching a record 10,580 submissions in 2018.

During his time at AFF, he helped shepherd the careers of countless writers and connected them with various industry professionals.

Tyler Winther (Judge & Mentor) - Head of Development, Original Content, Aaron Sims Creative

Tyler Winther is an award winning filmmaker and the Head of Development at Aaron Sims Creative where he oversees development of all Original Content for the company.

 

Aaron Sims Creative is an Award-Winning Design, Visual Effects, and Virtual Reality Studio brining iconic characters and worlds to life including, WONDER WOMAN, WONDER WOMAN 1984, PLANET OF THE APES, SKYSCRAPER, THE EDGE OF TOMORROW, MEN IN BLACK,  I AM LEGEND, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN, and "STRANGER THINGS".

 

Led by Aaron Simms, the team works alongside filmmakers, producers, and storytellers at every phase of concept and visual development to help bring their vision to stunning reality.

Sofia Rovaletti (Judge) - Director of Development, Mojo Global Arts

Sofia Rovaletti is the Director of Development at the management and production company MoJo Global Arts, with an extensive understanding of the film and TV industry from concept development to the sales process.

Mojo Global Arts in July 2022, Mojo Global Arts optioned a feature script from Stage 32 writer Michael Mendershausen after he connected with her through Stage 32!

Mojo Global Arts was founded by Producer Morris Ruskin who has produced approximately sixty films including GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS. Sofia is the Executive Producer of the Feature Film MID-CENTURY which stars Bruce Dern and is being released through Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Previously, she worked in acquisitions for the sales agency Shoreline Entertainment.

In her current role, she actively seeks new and diverse content and creators to feed the company’s slate.

Born in Argentina, she studied directing at the Eliseo Subiela Film School and earned a bachelor’s degree at the National University of the Arts. In Argentina, she worked in feature films such as OPERATION FINALE -directed by Chris Weitz for Netflix and MGM.

Her passion and personal mission as a content creator and developer are to help create emotional, diverse, and exhilarating stories that introduce a different insight into meaningful social topics and inspire people to change the world, through innovation and creativity.

Andrew Kersey (Judge and Mentor) - Manager, Kersey Management

Andrew Kersey is a Literary Manager and the head of Kersey Management.  Andrew just sold his client's Sci-Fi spec script to Universal with Mike De Luca, the Oscar-nominated producer behind THE SOCIAL NETWORK and the FIFTY SHADES OF GREY movies! You can read more here. 

Currently, his client’s comedy VACATION FRIENDS is in production at Broken  Road for Hulu starring John Cena and Lil Rel.

Kersey's incredibly talented clients are working on projects at all the major studios and streaming outlets including Netflix and Amazon, and the networks and cable channels ABC, Fox, NBC, CW, Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon. 

worked his way up through the industry, starting as a production company intern before he working for the management and production powerhouse 3Arts Entertainment. He left 3Arts to get experience in development at a Universal production company, before starting his own management company, Kersey Management, in 2004.

 

Charlie Osowik (Judge & Mentor) - Literary Manager, Osowik Management

Charlie Osowik is a literary manager who began his career at top international sales companies such as FilmNation, Sierra/Affinity and Voltage, amongst others. He later worked in the office of the CEO of MGM. After two years there, he went on to work for a partner in the feature literary department at Gersh, where he stayed for another two years. It was there that he realized his passion for guiding writers and directors could be turned into a career.

In June 2018 he established his own company, Charles Osowik Management. He currently has a writer staffed as Story Editor on her second year on the hit HBOMax Fantasy Adventure series DOOM PATROL, while Gunpowder & Sky released a film by his writer/director client on their sci-fi platform DUST in 2018. That film is now being developed as a series with a production company, which he is executive producing. He also has a number of production companies attached to other projects in development. He is a firm believer in quality over quantity, loves ideas and surrounds himself with people who deeply connect with what they do.

David Harris (Judge) - Producer, Harris Films

David Harris is a leading independent producer at Harris Films.

 

David has just acquired rights to The Protector, the 2003 thriller novel from David Morrell, the New York Times bestselling author who penned First Blood, the book that launched Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo movie franchise!

 

Prior to launching his producing career, David worked in development at Platinum Studios and Paramount Pictures. In 2017, he produced the $15m thriller Security with Nu Image / Millennium Films, which starred Antonio Banderas and Ben Kingsley.

 

After a pitch session, David hired a Stage 32 writer Craig Walendziak to write the thriller Desolation, directed by David Moscow.

 

David has optioned two Stage 32 scripts and helped get another Stage 32 member a writing assignment with producer Luke Edwards.