Are You Ready to Get on the Hustle?

Hello, creative army! You've all heard me preach about the importance of relationships as it relates to accelerating your path toward success.  In my humble opinion, the daily work you put into your craft should be matched by the time and effort you put into building and nurturing relationships.  I'm not alone in this thinking.  Just yesterday, I was having lunch with my screenwriting manager, a guy who has been around and seen it all.  When I asked him the biggest mistake creatives make in their pursuit of a life in the business, he replied, "Not understanding just how important relationships are and not taking the time to learn how to build them." Building bonds with like-minded creatives not only helps fuel the passion within, but creates opportunities.  This is something we've seen time and time again on Stage 32.  Connections made years ago bloom over time, trust is built and, ultimately, artistic and creative collaborations are born.  On a personal level, I've been fortunate to have a few projects move forward over the last few months, and when I reflect back on the origins of how all of this came to happen, I realize that the connections made which helped spur these projects forward happened years ago.  The cultivating of those relationships led to the reveal of compatibility, shared interests and a desire to work together. Rewarding to say the least.   In Alex's studio watching a cut of On the Corner of Ego and Desire (who's that guy on screen?)   A few years back, I met Alex Ferrari, creator of Indie Film Hustle.  At first, I was just grateful to be a guest on Alex's fantastic podcast.  But immediately, Alex and I realized we not only shared many interests (including helping creatives in any and every way possible), but we got along really well and enjoyed being in each other's company.  Over the last few years, we've sought to help one another in whatever way possible be it creatively or within our business pursuits.  We've given talks together at numerous festivals and conferences and next week we'll be teaching students at USC. Further, when Alex called me up one day and said, "Dude, I'm thinking about filming a movie AT Sundance this year, will you be in it?", I said, "Of course.  When and where do you need me?"  And last week, I made my 6th appearance on Indie Film Hustle, making me the all time leading guest in the 220+ episodes of the show (damn right I'm bragging).  And ALL of this began with Alex and I connecting on Twitter and mutually saying (and I'm paraphrasing), "Dude, I dig what you do." Relationship building. Below you'll find my latest appearance with Alex on Indie Film Hustle where we speak about so many topics including how to best build these important and priceless relationships, do's and don'ts as it relates to approach, why you're underselling yourself as a master networker, things you can do today to up your online presence, all sorts of industry related talk and, of course, my stunning turn in Alex's new epic film - again, filmed completely at Sundance - On the Corner of Ego and Desire. I promise you you'll learn a ton and you'll laugh your ass off (especially in the last half hour!) Enjoy, and please share! Cheers! RB       Like this blog post? Please share it on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email etc) by using social media buttons at the top of the blog. Or post to your personal blog and anywhere else you feel appropriate. Thank you. As always, we welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the Comments section below...  Read More

Stage 32 + Hollyshorts Short Film Program - Q&A With Filmmakers [Video]

This weekend we premiered the 2nd Annual Stage 32 Short Film Program in Los Angeles at the 2017 Hollyshorts Film Festival. In one word, it was inspiring. We had the pleasure of showcasing a program of 7 films representing 4 different countries - all with varying creativity. The audience included Stage 32 members and executives from Lionsgate, Samaco Films, Whitewater Films, Kodak, Legion M, CAA and more who all told us how blown away they were with the talent here in the Stage 32 community. After the screening we brought the filmmakers up on stage to discuss their projects lead by our very own CEO Richard "RB" Botto. We wanted to share the Q&A which included (L-R): “Six Letter Word” directed by Lisanne Sartor (US)  “Monsters” directed by Steve Desmond (US) “Must Escape” directed by Vadyam Shapran (Ukraine)  "The Light in the Afternoon" directed by David Steiner (France), represented by Mathilde Chartier (France)    Enjoy!                  Congratulations again To The 2017 Stage 32 Short Film Program Filmmakers: “Must Escape” directed by Vadyam Shapran (Ukraine) – A man discovers he’s the protagonist in a cliché, short student film and struggles to get out of it. “Sisters” directed by Taylor Shortall (US) – Part exercise of passion, and part love letter, "Sisters" is a fragment of some lost, tragic opera. “Monsters” directed by Steve Desmond (US) – Jenn lives in an underground bunker with her family, protected from the monsters that now ravage the world. This is the day that she goes outside… “Eliza” directed by Mikko Lopponen (Finland) – When a vicious drug gang discovers they’ve been infiltrated by an undercover cop, they move in killing him and leaving his wife stranded – little did they know that they just signed their own death warrants. “Dryad” directed by Thomas Vernay Cumulus (France) – The wind blows and lightning approaches ominously, while a knight escorts a damsel through the woods. He can sense the end is near. "The Light in the Afternoon" directed by David Steiner (France) - He had no family, no father, no model. No one had told him life was just... that. When he ran into her after 7 years, she suggested it. “Six Letter Word” directed by Lisanne Sartor (US) – An unlikely mother is forced to come to terms her young son’s autism after an unexpected encounter with one her johns.       Like this blog post? Please share it on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email etc) by using social media buttons at the top of the blog. Or post to your personal blog and anywhere else you feel appropriate. Thank you. As always, we welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the Comments section below...  Read More