One of the ways I challenged myself this week was helping get a new team member up to speed on what makes this community so special.
It was genuinely a joy. I’ve always loved teaching and helping people feel confident stepping into a new space or skillset. But I’ll be honest, one of my favorite parts of the experience was getting to brag about this platform and the incredible members who make it what it is. It’s pretty special to have a job where talking about the community you’re part of is something that makes you genuinely happy.
Training someone also always pushes me to grow. Every person learns differently, so it challenges me to adjust how I communicate, how I explain processes, and how I meet someone where they are so they can feel comfortable and confident moving forward.
Growth doesn’t only come from big creative leaps. Sometimes it comes from helping someone else find their footing.
How are you challenging yourself to grow right now, personally or professionally?
Are you trying something new, refining a skill, stepping into a leadership role, learning from someone else, or pushing yourself outside your comfort zone in some way?
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This is a great post Ashley Renée Smith! As a producer, your whole life - and success - is tied to helping and supporting people. Whenever asked how I define producing, the best answer I’ve come up with is “doing whatever’s possible to put creative people into a position to do their best work.” It’s a life of service - to a team, a vision, a community. Working with Stage 32 Certification is a constant opportunity to support people who want to work in production and make their own films and series. If I can ever support anyone on their Stage 32 Certification journey, please email at Certification@Stage32.com.
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This industry is all about collaboration! Personally, I'd like to challenge myself to slow down but it's not going to happen :) We're always on the hunt for new opportunities for the members and we're seeing new executives join Stage 32 every day who are eager to meet with writers and provide guidance or find material to shop. It's an exciting time in the industry as the power shifts more and more to the creators.
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I guess right now my main challenge is effectively adapting Metal Garden into a screenplay (since it was a novel first). I'm amping up the comedy and the drama, as well as reimagining certain character interactions and details (I noticed one particular interaction that would actually be very good for Axel that never happened in the novel)... and also keeping in mind how complex it's always been and how that might translate to film. And my other challenge is getting over anemia so I can write it lol
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My main struggle right now while polishing my script is that I fear my language and structure may hurt the idea itself.
The challenge is to develop it in the best possible way I can.
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Sam Sokolow, I love that definition of producing. “Doing whatever’s possible to put creative people into a position to do their best work” really captures the heart of it. At its best, producing is absolutely a life of service to the story, the team, and the larger creative community.
I also appreciate you mentioning the Stage 32 Certification program. It’s such a valuable path for members who want to deepen their understanding of production and build the confidence to start creating their own films and series. Having someone like you there to support people along that journey makes a huge difference.
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Haha, I feel you on slowing down, Geoffroy Faugerolas. I love the idea of it, but I never seem to know how to actually do it.
It’s also exciting to see how many new executives are joining Stage 32 who are genuinely interested in connecting with writers, offering guidance, and discovering new material to champion.
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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh, that sounds like a really exciting challenge to take on. Adapting your own novel into a screenplay is such an interesting process because you already know the world and the characters so deeply, but the storytelling tools are completely different. I love that you’re discovering new moments.
And on the anemia front, please be kind to yourself while you’re working through that. Your health has to come first. The story will still be there when you have the energy to tackle it, and sometimes stepping back is exactly what helps the creative brain recharge.
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Meriem Bouziani, that’s such an honest challenge to share, and I think a lot of writers feel that same tension when they’re polishing a script.
It can be scary to feel like the language or structure might hold back an idea you care about, but the fact that you’re aware of it and actively working to strengthen it is a really good sign. Keep going, and don’t be afraid to test different approaches as you refine it. Sometimes the best solutions appear after a few rounds of experimentation.
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Yeah, I’m trying—I hope I’m doing it right. Thank you very much for your encouragement. Ashley Renée Smith
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Thanks yeah Ashley Renée Smith, especially since I remember saying I’d never adapt any of my works into new media lol but in fairness I’d been meaning to give the story a proper edit/rewrite and I figured it would work pretty well as a screenplay (plus I rather missed the sarcastic energy of my social satires; Lunar Window has a bit of it but Metal Garden’s is much more pronounced). It’s definitely a good challenge seeing how much I can transplant over from the novel and what I should probably leave behind in the novel. Genuinely makes me appreciate now how book to film adaptations pretty much always make cuts.
Thank you, I will :3 I’m gonna need to rest today anyway. You know it’s bad when I actually need coffee rofl
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hi Ashley Renée Smith
I really like this perspective. For me right now, growth means pushing myself to learn more about storytelling and the craft of writing. Being part of communities like this helps a lot because you get to see how others think and approach creative work.Love those questions, Ashley Renée Smith. For me it’s always been about learning across different forms of art and creation.
Long before I started writing, I was deep into video and VFX. I never fully finished mastering everything there, so I’m actually circling back into that space again. I’m also stepping back into 3D design after a couple of years away, which has been exciting.
Over the years I’ve explored a lot creatively — I filmed music videos for a band I was part of, spent years designing merchandise and graphics, and I’ve been drawing for over 10 years. I’m planning to get back into drawing again as well, partly just to show myself that the creativity is still there without needing AI or graphic design.
On the technical side, I also spent years studying business intelligence, coding, and data analysis and earned a few certifications so I could eventually build and run my own studio the right way. I’ve also taken time to learn the legal and business side of creativity — patents, copyrights, licensing, and music licensing.
Recently I even created a theme song for my project Blood Magic, so I’ve been stepping into making quick songs once in a while too.
For me it’s less about one lane and more about constantly expanding the creative toolkit and pushing into areas that help me build the worlds I want to create