4th Annual Feature Drama Screenwriting Contest

Stage 32 is proud to present the 4th Annual Feature Drama Screenwriting Contest!

Our Grand Prize winner will:

• Be flown to LA for meetings (travel permitting) to meet with top industry professionals working in the industry with Perfect Storm Entertainment, IPG Literary Management, Imagine Talent 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 one 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 Contest Winners See Results

We have helped 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?

• Eric Jeske was signed to a manager at Heroes and Villains after we set him up on a meeting!
• Martin Reese - landed at $5,000 option agreement and eligibility for $100,000 in production financing.
• Christina Pamies - was signed by prolific spec script selling manager Jake Wagner of Alibi Entertainment after being set up on a meeting by Stage 32! She was hired to write the horror Thriller BAGHEAD for StudioCanal!
• Jonathan Jordan - signed with an agent at Verve as a result of winning the contest and is now writing a script for a major studio, beating out a Nichol winner for the job!
• Christine Torres - signed with prolific manager and producer Brooklyn Weaver of Energy Entertainment after being set up on a meeting by Stage 32!
• Last year’s winner, Kelly Nugent, took meetings with executives at Treeline Films, Four Leaf Productions and 3Pas Studios!
• Finalists have had their work requested by and met with managers and producers at Untitled Entertainment, Dreaming Ants, Campfire Studios and more!
• Greg Mania - was signed by Laina Cohn and Jon Taub of Cohn/Torgan Management after being set up on a meeting by Stage 32!

• See dozens of success stories below under "Our Track Record"

Still don’t believe us? Let Feature Drama Winner Kelly Nugent tell you why you should enter!

Jonathan Jordan is now signed to Verve Talent & Literary Agency and beat out a Nicholl winner for a screenwriting assignment!

Eric Jeske is now signed to Heroes & Villans Entertainment

About the Stage 32 4th Annual Feature Drama Contest

Ever dreamed of writing the next "Best Picture" winner? We know you have - and we want to help you achieve that dream! And feature dramas are the best place to start. Let our judges take your career in features to the next level.

If you write drama, this contest could launch your career. We are looking for feature drama scripts of all subjects - whether your film is hard-hitting, a quiet indie or anything in between, our judges want to read it! This contest is open to feature length scripts only.

About the Exposure For Your Script

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

Eric Hsiao, Creative Executive, Perfect Storm Entertainment (F9: THE FAST SAGA, STAR TREK BEYOND)

David Moscow, Producer/Director, UnLTD Productions (UNDER THE SILVER LAKE, BIG)

Doug Torres, Producer, Suckafish Productions (12 YEARS A SLAVE, AD ASTRA)

Joel Gotler, CEO/Manager, IPG Literary Management (THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, CHOCOLAT)

Christina Pickworth, Literary Manager, Imagine Talent (Client Credits Include FANTASTIC BEASTS, JUSTICE LEAGUE)

Daniel Seco, Literary Manager, Empirical Evidence (Client Credits Include BASKETS, THE NIGHT)

Agustine Calderon, Producer, 3Pas Studios (HOW TO BE A LATIN LOVER, TETRIS)

Andrea Dimity, Producer & Manager, Pannon Entertainment (Client Credits include A SERIOUS MAN)

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 complete portfolios and 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 MONTH 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: October 13th, 2022

Early Bird Deadline: November 9th, 2022

Regular Deadline: November 23rd, 2022

Final Deadline: December 21st, 2022

Quarterfinalist Announcement: March 10th, 2023

Semifinalist Announcement: March 24th, 2023

Finalist Announcement: April 7th, 2023

Winner Announcement: April 21st, 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.

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 10th, 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 December 21st, 2022 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.

Doug Torres (Judge) - Producer/Director, Suckafish Films

Doug Torres is an assistant director and producer with credits like 12 YEARS A SLAVE, AMSTERDAM and AD ASTRA. He started his career in filmmaking with music videos in the 1990's, working his way up through New York's indie scene. His knowledge extends from low budget independent films through big budget, VFX heavy blockbusters. Doug's filmmaking experience makes him an invaluable asset. 

Joel Gotler (Judge) - CEO/Manager, Intellectual Property Group Literary Management

Joel Gotler is CEO of Intellectual Property Group, a literary management company representing some of the world’s best-selling authors. He is also responsible for selling the underlying rights to hundreds of films, including Indecent Proposal, Chocolat and The Wolf of Wall Street. Joel is a producer as well, with credits like The Wolf of Wall Street and Ferdinand. 

David Moscow (Judge) - Producer/Director, UnLTD Productions

David Moscow has show his diverse talent as an actor in film, television and theater, as well as a producer, director, and writer.

Moscow made his feature debut playing the young Tom Hank's character in the classic film, BIG, directed by Penny Marshall. Other film credits include Disney's NEWSIES, RIDING IN CARS WITH THE BOYS starring Drew Barrymore, HONEY starring Jessica Alba, JUST MARRIED with Ashton Kutcher, and RESTAURANT opposite Adrien Brody.

Moscow the began work on his own projects as a Producer, Director, and Writer. He Exec-Produced the documentary THE END OF AMERICA, based on the book of the same title by Naomi Wolf, the films THIRST STREET and TO DUST (both Tribeca Premieres), recently produced UNDER THE SILVER LAKE starring Andrew Garfield, which premiered in competition at Cannes 2018. All in over the last 2 years, Moscow has produced or financed 18 features including partnering with Circle of Confusion to produce HELLBENDERS, a 3D action-comedy written by JT Petty and picked up by Lionsgate, and directed and produced the thriller DESOLATION, which was released theatrically in January 2018. Craig Walendziak wrote on DESOLATION after being discovered by David Harris in a Stage 32 Pitch Session.

Along with features, David also developed and co-produced Lin Manuel Miranda's first musical, the Tony Award-winning In the Heights.

 

Eric Hsiao (Judge) - Creative Executive, Justin Lin's Perfect Storm Entertainment

Eric Hsiao serves as Creative Executive at Justin Lin's Perfect Storm Entertainment, the production company behind such films and series as F9: The Fast Saga, Star Trek Beyond, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and HBO Max’s Warrior, where he has collaborated on the development of projects set up at studios including Universal, Paramount, Sony, Netflix, and Participant. Perfect Storm Entertainment has a first-look deal with Universal.

Additionally, Eric oversees Perfect Storm's producing partnership with the Beijing-based film studio CMC Pictures (The Meg). Eric got his start as an assistant and agent trainee at UTA after graduating from NYU’s MBA/MFA producing program. A Bay Area native, Eric holds BAs in Mass Communications and Sociology from UC-Berkeley.

Christina Pickworth (Mentor & Judge) - Literary Agent, Imagine Talent (UK)

Christina Pickworth is a Literary Agent at the UK-based, Imagine Talent. Christina founded the agency in 2012 to support writers and directors in telling their stories. She now works with a raft of brilliant clients, championing emerging talent and female voices.

Christina has been working in film and television since 2003. She has consulted for production companies and financiers, worked on film and television productions. Previously, Christian was at United Agents, as well as a film development finance fund that invested in 300 British film projects over 3 years.

Christina founded and runs the Writers’ Group for Women in Film & Television (UK), which supports new and established writing talent.

Christina has been on the selection committee for the BAFTA Rocliffe screenwriting competitions, she was also the assistant chair for the Fremantle UK New Talent Award, as part of the Women in Film & Television Awards 2012, and has been a mentor for First Light.

Daniel Seco (Judge) - Manager, Empirical Evidence

Daniel Seco is a literary manager and partner at Empirical Evidence, a literary creative company founded by Derrick Eppich.

He joined CAA in 2014 where he worked in the motion picture literary department before venturing into literary management on the feature side at Writ Large in 2015 as a coordinator/junior manager. A series of consulting jobs including a stop at Netflix in its Original Film department gave way to Seco joining Schemers Entertainment as a literary manager in 2018.

A former sports journalist covering U.S. Soccer, MLB, and the NBA, Seco began his Hollywood career in 2013 at Resolution. Seco is a proud graduate of the University of Maryland and the University of Florida as well as a cancer survivor.

 

Agustine Calderon (Judge & Mentor) - Producer, 3Pas Studios

Agustine Calderon is a Producer working in feature films and television at 3Pas Studios. He was also Co-Producer on TETRIS starring Taron Egerton for Apple+. He also just developed the feature drama CRITICAL THINKING directed by actor John Leguizamo.

He was previously an executive at a major production company with a co-financing and production deal at Warner Bros. His production and development credits include MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, THE REVENANT, BIRDMAN, READY PLAYER ONE, WONDER WOMAN, THE JUNGLE BOOK.

Agustine is also currently in development on a project with producer Beau Flynn, producer of REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. 

Andrea Dimity (Judge) - Producer & Manager, Pannon Entertainment

Andrea Dimity is a film producer and literary manager based in Los Angeles. She started working in the entertainment industry while attending the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television. Since then she has worked for such prolific producers and directors as Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Todd Phillips and Chris Meladandri in feature film development. Before founding Pannon Entertainment, a Los Angeles based production/management company, she has collaborated on several projects with the Walt Disney Studios.