Producing

So you’re a producer as if that title really means anything. Some of you may work hard and some of you may skim a little off the top of the budgets, but for the most part there are three kinds of producers.

1) The Hot Dog. You have had your successes and have given studios and investors a favorable return on their investment. I think that’s beautiful. Trouble is, I don’t think you would be on Stage 32 looking for your next big win. Since you probably won’t see this because you have brown nosing agents in your back pockets that you rely on, continue on with your quest.

2) The Icy-Hots. There are some producers that have had some hits and misses. The hits may range from big successes to big failures depending on how much input you had on the project and how much the people you trusted had screwed you. If you are participating in Stage 32 pitch sessions, I kind of wonder why? What exactly is your cut from the fees writers pay and how much are you really professionally invested in the people you fleece… I mean talk to. I mean you should have some idea of what projects will fly and which won’t. Do you care about the writer or are you just interested in selling their IP and thusly selling the writer down the creek. Your integrity better be beyond reproach or it’ll likely wind up biting you in the ass down the road.

3) The Last Legs. The 3rd type of producer needs a hit really bad. You have learned your lessons from the past, but those lessons have cost you your reputation and you’re about as big of a risk as there can be. Whatever you do, has to make a profit and the bigger the profit, the better. Now I would hope that you kind of have some idea what type of project will do that, but if you don’t, then trust the creatives with an actual plan and just make sure all the paperwork is filled out and the little SAG people get their meals on time.

In any case, I can work with any of you. I’m not just a writer, but I plan things out. You don’t like the plan then we part ways and you’ve lost nothing except maybe 15 minutes of your time. Otherwise you can keep throwing darts at the balloon wall until you develop pitcher’s elbow.

Tell me what you’re looking for and your target budget and I’ll have it. With the right team and the right ingredients, the finished project will make everyone happy. You know where to find me.

Merry Christmas.

Hi Producers!

As many of you know, I’m based in Portugal and work across international productions and there are two major developments here that every producer should have on their radar.

1. A New Wave of Government Investment

Portugal is preparing a significant new funding package — around €350M — aimed at strengthening film and TV production, expanding incentives, and supporting international co‑productions.

For producers, this means:

• More accessible financing pathways

• Stronger support for international partnerships

• A stable, production‑friendly environment

• A country actively investing in becoming a global creative hub

2. Europe’s First Fully Eco‑Friendly Film Studio Is Being Built Here

Portugal is also building a major new eco‑friendly, zero‑energy studio complex — a first in Europe.

This new studio will feature:

• Renewable‑energy‑powered stages

• Sustainable construction and materials

• Water‑recovery systems

• Biodiversity‑protected surroundings

• Large‑scale infrastructure designed for international productions

Read here: https://variety.com/2024/film/global/portugal-tage-studios-carbon-neutra...

For producers prioritizing ESG, green production, and long‑term sustainability, this is a game‑changer.

Why Portugal Is Worth Considering

• 300 days of sunshine

• Competitive production costs

• Highly skilled multilingual crews

• Diverse locations within short travel distances

• A government actively investing in the sector

If you’re exploring Europe for your next project, especially if sustainability or co‑production financing is part of your strategy — Portugal deserves a serious look.

I hope this helps you. Have a great weekend.

YouTube has just shut down two channels who created movie trailers using AI. "The Google-owned video giant has switched off Screen Culture and KH Studio, which together boasted well over 2 million subscribers and more than a billion views" reports Deadline.

Interestingly, the channels were shut down, allegedly for violating YouTube's metadata rules, as well (possibly) as gaming the system to get more views (the latter is my opinion). YouTube monitors AI generated content so that, among other things, it can have the algorithm respond to audience preferences (which tend to reject AI currently), as well as to address the inevitable copyright issues. Many people don't know that the AI platforms often insert watermarks that are invisible without specific filters, or embedded into the audio but undetectable to the ear. YouTube can detect these, or can respond to takedown requests.

Interestingly, the studios whose trailers were being emulated did not ask for take down. They only asked that the ad revenue be turned over to them.

Read the short article here, and what are your thoughts?

https://deadline.com/2025/12/youtube-terminates-screen-culture-kh-studio...

What are YOU planning to do in 2026? What have YOU done in 2025? HOW WILL YOU MAKE 2026 A YEAR OF SUCCESS?

For me:

1. I and my partner Diamond Monique Washington have advanced Stage And Screen Innovations PUNC program - we have put 6 early career producers through hands-on production in a commercial production (now in post). All these people are working in the industry right now, from independent production to staff at TMZ - and they all have valuable inside skills because of their experience in the ongoing PUNC program. We are very pleased - Stage And Screen Innovations is a 501(c)(3) and our way of paying things forward in the industry we love. Interested in being involved or supporting it? contact me!

2. Our company Diamond Shadow Productions is now forming a startup which integrates AI into the conventional 3D/2D/cgi VFX pipeline, but also is working to develop the next generation of VFX technology based in quantum computing (QC). AI is here to stay but is expected to stabilize in 2026 or 2027. However in the last year QC has gone from a science fiction concept to working prototypes that solve problems in seconds that our supercomputers require tens of thousands of years to work on. The smart money is going to QC already, and we are literally the ONLY entity working in this specific space.

3. The Independent Producers Guild, already with an international membership, will assert itself throughout the year. We are the ONLY professional organization which has established best practices for independent film, and  our members handbook is being expanded now into its 2nd edition with production checklists, contract templates and expanded guidelines (including ethical gudelines) that address AI, safety and more. We are launching Guild certified programs for producers and directors. By year and people will ask if your production is an IPG production. By end of 2027, the IPG logo in your credits will mean you know what you are doing.

4. Dark Veil, Uncharted Freedom, Nightcrossings, Slayer - these and other projects are already moving forward in film form, and we are exploring connections in gaming as well.

2025 WILL BE A YEAR OF CONTINUED DISRUPTION, IMO - Not just due to, AI, but to the rapidly evolving economy, the convergence of the MPA cartel to monopoly, the concrete monopoly of the Google search engine and the new phenomenon of the Zero Click Search, and as I alluded to above, the beginning of the quantum computing revolution. But that doesn't mean 2026 will be a "bad" year - it means there is an amazing scope of opportunity coming our way.

HOW WILL YOU MAKE YOUR OWN YEAR OF SUCCESS?

Will audiences flock to new Disney AI movies? Will Disney be able to claw back the rights later on? Disney is one of the most litigious companies out there - what will they do when people clearly use AI to clone their AI?

https://deadline.com/2025/12/disney-openai-deal-sora-1236645728/

Kyrathia is an adult animated series built around two god-level brothers whose power is rooted in emotion, imagination, and consequence.

The story begins grounded on Earth and escalates outward—moving through original mythology, Greek gods, hell, werewolves, witches, vampires, and eventually into a darker sci-fi saga involving government-created “MEWtants.”

Each saga expands the rules of the universe rather than resetting them.

Early seasons focus on limitless power and unchecked emotion.

Later sagas introduce restraint, moral incompatibility, and institutional horror.

The tone balances:

• Dark mythological drama
• Violent cosmic action
• Character-driven humor
• Long-form worldbuilding designed for binge viewing

The series is structured in multi-chapter sagas (not episodic resets) and is intentionally written to be immediately binge-ready, with future seasons already mapped.

While currently envisioned as adult animation, the world and characters are being developed with live-action adaptation in mind.

I’m posting here to:

• Pressure-test the concept
• Connect with producers / creatives interested in long-form animated IP
• Get feedback on positioning and next steps

Happy to share more detail if there’s interest.

I am very proud to announce the exciting partnership that CANACINE and Stage 32 closed, to bring the Stage 32 certification program to Mexican filmmakers!

This is a great impulse for audiovisual education, especially focused on Mexico's strategic positioning as a global audiovisual production hub in the Americas, as a direct neighbor to the US, and as a bridge to and from Europe.

Part of the collaboration will be the promotion of Mexico and a filming destination. Mexico is known for stunning locations and professional crews. Also, several states have introduced very attractive cash rebates of up to 40%. Examples are Jalisco and Morelos. For sure, more states will follow.

Here are some articles about the partnership, in Spanish:

https://www.produ.com/television/noticias/canacine-y-stage-32-firman-ali...

https://www.prensario.net/CANACINE-y-Stage-32-anuncian-alianza-estrategi...

Feedback is welcome and if you want to learn more about or participate in the CANACINE and Stage 32 partnership, or you want to learn about producing and filming in Mexico, please reach out!

Cool article on how tech is changing location scouting from thelocationguide.com ( https://www.thelocationguide.com/spotlight-report/spotlight-report-from-... )

The better news: there are fantastic tools one can use to location scout at any budget.

Here's an AI-generated TL;DR, but reading the actual article is worth the time, especially the techie side panel, if that's your thing ;)

Location scouting has flipped from “footwork + gut” to “framework + data.”

The job still requires taste and instinct, but tech has compressed timelines, raised client expectations, and put scouts under constant real-time scrutiny (more stakeholders reviewing images daily, faster turnarounds).

Phones replaced film—and changed the social fabric of scouting.

iPhone/Android photos + instant sharing mean rapid decision cycles, but scouts often don’t even meet each other anymore; teams can be fully distributed, feeding digital packs back to production.

Discovery is increasingly digital (even social media), but verification remains human.

Instagram (and even Craigslist/Yelp) can surface “never-seen” locations, yet the scout still has to validate: access, ownership, permitting feasibility, and whether it truly works for story/crew.

Virtual scouting is now mainstream:

VR, photogrammetry, and especially LiDAR/phone scanning (e.g., Polycam) are used early to build rough 3D models so directors/DPs/art/VFX can previs, estimate scale, and plan faster—sometimes before a location is even chosen.

Navigation + environmental apps have become core gear.

Google Maps/Street View for pre-scouting, Google Earth Pro for 3D views and sun simulation, offline GPS (Gaia), sun-path apps (Sun Seeker / SOLight), and weather/climate AI tools to assess fog, wind, terrain stability, etc.

AI is reinventing the location database layer.

The big problem used to be tagging/metadata at scale; now platforms (notably FilmFixer’s LocationDB) use AI to ingest archives, auto-keyword/group, and enable searching by text prompts, reference images, even sketches—moving toward script-to-location suggestions.

Tension point: ownership, protectionism, compliance.

Some scouts resist sharing hard-won finds, but the article argues images are “already everywhere,” and platforms mainly deliver speed + inspiration—while serious users emphasize GDPR/IP/cybersecurity and controlled visibility (public/private, “rest” a location).

The future is hybrid, not replacement.

Tech gets you to the shortlist faster; the scout’s role expands into creative interpretation + diplomacy + community relations + logistics + sustainability, with final decisions still resting on human judgment: “Technology doesn’t replace instinct. It gets you to the instinct faster.”

How are you going about location scouting? Are you in 'hybrid mode' yet ?