Stage 32 Success Stories

Thanks so much, Maurice—I really appreciate that.

There’s no single “right” way to do this, but if sharing the process behind Pretty Little Lucy helps spark an idea or gives someone permission to try something unconventional with their own work, then it’s worth putting out there.

Wishing you the best with your script and your push—hope something in here proves useful, even if it’s just as a starting point.

You're welcome, David Williamson. Thanks. Hope you continue having success with Pretty Little Lucy and hope you have an incredible new year!

The sky’s the limit my friend! We’re all in this together and community is all we’ve got! If we don’t uplift eachother then no one else will!

You're right, David Williamson!

An inspirational and provocative post, David! Thanks a lot.

Congratulations, Dustin Williams!

I read the summary of your project and it's very interesting, well done!

Amazing! Congrats!

Congratulations! That’s incredible!

Congrats Dustin!

Congrats Yan! All the best!

That's awesome! Congrats!

That incredible! Way to go!

Congratulations! That's awesome news!

Congrats Yan! Best of luck with your script!

Clive - How did Nick happen to be reading some of your scripts?

Thanks for the support messages. We need to be there pushing each other, this is a tough industry and we all lose faith and confidence at times! Nick read the script through a consultation.

You're welcome, Clive Howard Morris.

Love it, Clive Howard Morris! Thank you for sharing this with us all!

This is fantastic Clive and thoroughly deserving. The world needs to see more of your stories.

Great questions, Darrell — and honestly, you’re already doing the hardest part by being intentional about it.

I don’t come from a formal “tech” background either, so my approach has been very practical and observational rather than overly technical. Most of the data I’m referencing comes directly from the platforms themselves: FilmFreeway, InkTip, Stage32, IMDbPro, LinkedIn analytics, website traffic, and basic link tracking. I’m not running anything fancy — I’m just watching patterns over time.

For click-throughs specifically, it’s less about knowing exactly which post drove which click, and more about correlation. When I post something specific (festival news, a personal insight, a screenshot, a behind-the-scenes thought) and I see a same-day or next-day spike in profile views, script reads, or site traffic, that tells me what resonated. Over weeks and months, those signals get very consistent.

Social media is verifiably driving people to the work — but not usually through hashtags alone. I use them sparingly. What’s been far more effective is clear language, repeatable themes, and letting people understand why a project exists, not just that it does. Keywords matter, but clarity and authenticity matter more.

The big shift for me was moving from “promotion” to “documentation.” When people feel like they’re watching something unfold in real time, they’re more likely to click, follow, and stay curious.

Happy to compare notes anytime — it sounds like you’re already building momentum the right way.

Check #BehindTheGlitches on Google

David Williamson Thank you so much for the thoughtful and comprehensive reply. I will certainly look to implement these in a productive way. I have sent out 129 query letters since last week and and once I hit my end of year goal for that I am going to really work on creating a type of actionable strategy that matches the scale of scope of my portfolio. Thanks again for your willingness to be so helpful and I hope we have the opportunity to discuss interesting topics in the future.

Darrell Pennington,

Visibility is the new query letter.

I stopped sending my work into quiet inboxes and started making the process visible.

Because psychologically, people are far more likely to look at something when they think someone else is already looking at it.

It’s the same reason children suddenly want the toy they ignored five minutes ago —

until another kid picked it up.

I call this “The Playground Toy Effect™.”

You don’t convince anyone a toy is valuable.

You let someone else play with it first.

Query letters ask:

“Will you read this?”

Visibility says:

“People already are.”

That single shift removes risk, sparks curiosity, and turns cold outreach into pull-in interest.

Not louder marketing — legible momentum.

In an industry built on risk avoidance,

no one wants to be the first kid on the playground.

They just want to know which toy everyone’s about to fight over.

hi david, congrats on getting so much attention on PRETTY LITTLE LUCY. what stage is it at? script sold? finance locked in? would love to hear more details about how the next steps went for you

James — thank you, I really appreciate that.

Pretty Little Lucy is currently a fully completed feature screenplay that’s now in a strong proof-of-concept phase.

So far, the script has stacked 15 wins internationally, along with multiple official selections, which has helped confirm that the story resonates across different markets and cultures. That global response has been intentional—I wanted to pressure-test the material before moving too fast.

On the production side, I’ve begun:

• Building preliminary budget breakdowns

• Reserving an A-list casting director

• Laying early groundwork for packaging

That said, I’m being very deliberate. I’m holding off on full packaging until early next year to let the momentum compound and to present the project as a clear, globally viable production—not just a hot script.

Right now the focus is proof, positioning, and alignment rather than rushing to close. Happy to share more as things progress, and I appreciate the interest.

thanks for sharing your experience david—much obliged

Anytime.

Congratulations! David Williamson Great news and very good advice to fellow filmmakers! Bravo!

Thanks Jack! I hope that sharing my journey and techniques are a guiding light to others.

Great post and very much appreciated!!

Congratulations on getting a Double Recommend, Carrolyn Foster!

Great job - very exciting!!

Thank you for the congratulations.

You're welcome, Carrolyn Foster. I hope you sell your script! Happy Holidays!

Congratulations!

Congratulations on Feral Mountains advancing to the Quarter-Finals, Terry Podnar! I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know I moved your post from the Introduce Yourself Lounge to the Stage 32 Success Stories Lounge. Let me know if you have any questions.

Congratulations! and best wishes.

Thank you Vamsi!

Parabéns Brenda! eu gosto bastante quando grandes projetos são reconhecidos.

Thank you, Maxwel Alves Gomes.

Congratulations, Brenda Mohammed! Best of luck moving forward and getting produced!

Thank you, John Snell.

You're most welcome, Brenda Mohammed.

Congratulations on finishing your first Stage 32 screenwriting course, getting a mentorship, and being one of the top scripts at the Hispanic International Film Festival, Thomas Newman!

Congratulations, Thomas Newman! Keep up the good work!

Congratulations, Thomas Newman! Good job!

Love to hear of success stories like this! AWESOME!!!!! Please keep us up to date, Aleisha Brooks .

Good for you! Break a leg!

Hope it gets made. That is what I want to hear about!

Congrats! I hope this gets made! Keep us all up to date on your progress!

Congratulations, Aleisha Brooks!

Congratulations on The Strongman advancing to the semifinals, Todd Jones! I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know I moved your post from the Introduce Yourself Lounge to the Stage 32 Success Stories Lounge. You can talk about your script advancing to the semifinals in your introduction post, but you need to introduce/reintroduce yourself to the community. You could check out other posts in the Introduce Yourself Lounge to get ideas for your introduction post. Let me know if you have any questions.

Congratulations, Todd Jones, best of luck moving forward!