As Managing Director for Stage 32, Amanda oversees operations and partnerships for the global business. She has curated over 1,500 hours of online education created exclusively for Stage 32, and works with hundreds of entertainment industry executives from around the world to serve as educators and mentors. She has spearheaded partnerships with such prestigious organizations as the Cannes Film Festival Marché du Film, American Film Market, SXSW, Austin Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, Hollyshorts Film Festival, PGA, WGA and DGA, as well as brands such as AT&T, Peerspace, Pond5, Mandy, Bondit Media Capital and her personal favorite partnership, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which is the official vodka of Stage 32.As a film producer, Amanda has worked on the psychological thriller What Lies Ahead starring Rumer Willis and Emma Dumont, Metaphorms, a Hungarian film, which premiered at the Raindance Film Festival and Dolphin Girl which premiered at the Oscar qualifying Hollyshorts Film Festival. She has also helped incubate Chick Fight, starring Malin Akerman, Alec Baldwin and Bella Thorne and 10-31 which is being produced by Eli Roth and Orion Pictures. She is an Executive Producer on Vagic with Amy Baer at Gidden Media, as well as My Clone's an A*Hole with National Lampoon. As a television producer, she recently sold an unscripted show to a major US network.Amanda has spoken all over the world at the Cannes Film Festival (France), Hollyshorts Film Festival (US), Raindance Film Festival (UK), Hamburg Film Fest (Germany), Trinidad & Tobago Film Commission (Trinidad), Fest Festival (Portugal) and Harvard (US) on the business of the entertainment industry. Carmen Cabana - Filmmaker & Cinematographer MS. MARVEL, NARCOS, VIDA Carmen Cabana is a cinematographer of Afro-Hispanic descent raised in Colombia and Venezuela. Her TV work includes Marvel & Disney Plus Ms. Marvel; Hulu's new series High Fidelity starring Zoe Kravitz; Lionsgate/Starz LatinX hit show Vida, Netflix's Narcos Season 2, Amazon's pilot Los Angeles, HBO Access pilot Sterling and TNT/Refinery 29 short French Fries directed by Janine Sherman Barrois. Her film work includes 25 independent features including Blumhouse/Amazon's: Nocturne starring Sydney Sweeney.She has been recognized in magazines like Variety as one of the most promising filmmakers ("10 Cinematographers to Watch List" Nov/2020) and "Below the Line report Up Next" (Aug/2016). In the magazine American Cinematographer as a "Rising Star in Cinematography" (AC May/2010) and (AC Feb/2017); ICG Magazine (Oct/2018) covered Vida S1.Carmen's years of experience and ability for understanding story, capturing emotion and visual dynamism has catapulted her towards the top choices for female cinematographers. Quickly to adapt and collaborate with locals, Carmen has filmed features in 16 US states and in Mexico, Cuba and Colombia.She teaches cinematography workshops around the world as well as empowerment talks. Her past appearances include: The 8th and 9th Annual Masters in Motion Film Conference (Austin-Texas 2018 and 2019); HBO Access Mentorship Program (2018), Arri and Film Independent Project Involve: Cinematography workshop (2017), UCLA: Summer speaker sessions (2020); NAMIC: "Latino Creatives in Entertainment" (2018); HRTS Women of the West: "Diversity on Television Panel" (2018); Women Empowerment Panel-DTLA Film Festival: "Seen and Heard" (2018); STAGE 32: "Women in Entertainment Panel"; Rule the Set "Cinematography for episodic TV" (2016); ENFOCUS Cinematography workshop (2016 in Costa Rica) , Erman Baradi's Industry Panel (2019); LITEPANEL's workshop (Vegas); LITEPANEL and ADORAMA "Gemini" workshop" (New York).Carmen is an ADFC and Imago member; a Film Independent Project Involve Fellow (2010), a Sundance Director's Lab Crew Participant (2008) and a member of the Friends of the ASC. Robyn Watson - Director, WarnerMedia Distribution Board President Women in Film & Television, Atlanta (WIFTA) Robyn Watson is director of communications for WarnerMedia Distribution, based in Atlanta. Previous to that, Robyn was the principal owner of Watson Media Ventures (WMV), an entertainment consulting firm that advised on film, television, digital media productions and entertainment events. Prior to WMV, she spent over 17 years as a corporate communications executive at Verizon and Time Warner Cable. Robyn has been involved in the Women In Film organization for over 10 years having served on the board of directors for New York Women In Film & Television (NYWIFT) and Women In Film and Television Atlanta (WIFTA). She is also on the board of Women In Film & Television International (WIFTI) where she serves on the Knowledge, Advocacy and Activism Committee. Robyn graduated from Emory University and holds a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Benedictine University. Kristi Shuton - Creative Talent Development & Inclusion, Walt Disney Television A long-time Walt Disney Television cast member, Kristi Shuton has spent time working in various positions at ESPN and ABC, joining the Creative Talent Development & Inclusion (CTDI) team in 2006. In her current role as Manager, Shuton partners with network/studio programming and casting executives to connect professionals at all levels to opportunities at WDT and beyond. She also helps guide the WDT Writing and Directing Programs, contributing to identifying and cultivating talent, providing creative guidance and professional development. Shuton's extensive knowledge of diversity trends positions her as a key contributor, engaging with the creative community, diverse national partners and advocacy groups, as well as entertainment industry guilds. She has served as a panelist at the annual Comic-Con International: San Diego as well as various film and comedy festivals. A Colorado native, Shuton is an avid supporter/volunteer for the Adopt the Arts Organization and mentoring creative young minds thru volunteering at school campuses and workshops. Additionally, she also serves on a non-profit Board of Directors with Hollywood music producers in support of efforts to end human trafficking. She received her Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Cal State Northridge. Moderated by Catherine Delaloye - Founder & Executive Director, Female Voices Rock Film Festival Catherine Delaloye is a director, producer, and writer, who is passionate about social impact and dedicates her work to empowering diverse voices. Her credits include WHERE TO NOW?, THE WITCHES OF BUSHWICK, THAT PART, and the upcoming feature film SLEEPAWAY CAMP, starring Antoni Porowski (QUEER EYE). Growing up between Europe and the US, Catherine has a global perspective that she uniquely brings to each film and project she is a part of. This, along with her avid attention-to-detail, valuable direction, and impressive verbosity, has gained recognition in the film community. Her projects have been awarded with various honors including more recently winning the Grand Jury Prize at Barnstorm Screenwriting Contest for her script Noah & Camille. She's also won the International Honolulu Film Festival Screenplay Award and the International Los Angeles Film Festival Screenplay Award for her script THE DOLLMAKER. Catherine founded Female Voices Rock, an organization that aims to increase the female presence in the film and TV industry. Through her organization, Catherine has raised over 200K for various film projects, creating a substantial platform for underrepresented filmmakers in the industry. The annual Female Voices Rock Film Festival has grown to be rated amongst the “Top 100 Film Festivals in the World” in just two years since its inception. Full Bio »
In Stage 32's continued effort to shine the light on women in the entertainment industry we have partnered with Female Voices Rock for a thrilling virtual event. On March 8, International Women's Day, some of the industry's top leaders who are dedicated to empowering women will be coming together to host an inspiring webcast celebrating women in entertainment.
The panel features five powerhouse female voices of entertainment, including:
After our live panel, join us for an exciting networking happy hour! We will break off into smaller groups and meet and toast your fellow female filmmakers, actors, screenwriters, cinematographers, production designers, and entertainment creatives & professionals from all over the world.
This is a global event and we encourage you to join us! Take our #internationalwomensday challenge on social media!
Amanda Toney
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It is an honor and a privilege to bring you the worldwide premiere of the 5th Annual Stage 32 Short Film Program on Stage 32! Our seven winning filmmakers hail from all over the world, and we could not be more excited to share their undeniable talents with you. We were proud to screen these films in the 2020 Oscar-qualifying Hollyshorts Film Festival and the Raindance Film Festival in London. And, we're even more proud to showcase the international premiere to all of the development executives, agents, managers and agents that work with us. Since 2016, the Stage 32 Short Film Contest has served as an unparalleled incubator for finding talented filmmakers and helping them forge connections that make their careers blossom. Our past finalists have gone on to be signed by Paradigm, APA, Gersh, Verve, Echo Lake, Circle of Confusion and more! Congratulations to all the 5th Annual Short Film Contest winners, we cannot wait to see where your talents take you.
If you’re an independent filmmaker or producer working to put together a film or TV project, you are likely going to have multiple producers, investors, financiers, sales agents, and talent that are will be looking to recoup profits on the completed project. This can get tricky. Not only do you have to keep your numbers and figures straight to properly reallocate your revenues, you also likely have to handle guild residuals, navigate liability issues and ensure every party is happy and trusting in the process. This can ultimately be a very messy process, and one that you should not handle on your own as the film’s producer. Instead, it’s probably time you have a collection account. A collection account is an account in the name of a neutral third party who receives revenues generated by an independent film or TV project on behalf of the multiple beneficiaries from local distributors. This process is called collection account management and is an effective tool to guarantee that the beneficiaries receive their share of the revenues. Collection account management is a massive time saver and a way to lower the chances of errors or improper payments. But it’s also the industry standard and something most parties and investors are going to expect you to have if they are considering moving forward. So how exactly does collection account management work and how can you best use this process to your advantage as an independent filmmaker? David Zannoni is an international business specialist for Fintage House in the US, Europe, Canada and Latin America territories. Fintage House, the world's most respected company for revenue and rights protection for industry professionals and companies. David negotiates agreements for films and television series and is involved in business development and relationship management globally on hundreds of productions. David is continuously present to make deals and speak at international film markets, festivals and conferences, including: the Cannes Film Festival, the European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin, the American Film Market (AFM), Ventana Sur, the Bogota Audiovisual Market (BAM), and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and travels regularly to the United States, the Netherlands, Europe, and all over Latin America. David will teach you how to navigate collection account management. He’ll begin by going into what exactly collection account management is and the different elements that go into it. He will also explain when to know if your production will need collection account management and delve into how this process affects your job as a producer, including liabilities, your relationship with your sales agent, and the rights and obligations with financiers, guilds, and talent. Next, David will demonstrate how collection account management works from a legal framework and the paperwork and contracts that go along with it, including the CAM Agreement. Finally, David will outline the benefits you will see as a producer when working with a collection account. He’ll even give specific tips for producers related to the CAM agreements, financiers, residuals, sales agents, and more. Collection account management can be a tricky process, but it’s also one that’s crucial to get right. David will show you how. Praise for David's Previous Stage 32 Webinars: "David is incredible and lovely and clearly knows his stuff." - Cynthia P. "Eye-opening information. A no-brainer approach that wouldn't be so obvious to the uninitiated." - Gary O. "By far, the best class I've seen on the subject." Kirk K. "David is a fantastic teacher. And what a voice! I could listen to him all day. More importantly, I learned so very much!" - Isabella T.
Learn how to effectively execute your pre-production from a multi Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and author! It might not be the most glamorous, but pre-production is arguably the most important aspect of putting together a film. The crucial decisions you make and the team you build during this phase will determine the success of your production and ultimately, your film. But no matter what experience level you are at, pre-production can quickly become an overwhelming process. From hiring and budgeting to location scouting and scheduling there are always going to be a lot of plates you have to keep spinning. Yet approaching pre-production with a plan, with discipline, and with the appropriate knowledge will keep your film on track and even elevate it to a level you might not have previously thought possible. Whether you're filming a project for $1 million or $1,000, pre-production is the foundation to make sure your production goes smoothly. But with so many I’s to dot and T’s to cross, there are A LOT of traps and pitfalls you can fall into as a producer. That’s why it’s imperative you have a clear understanding of the work and challenges you have ahead of you and what you need to be aware of to ensure you can ultimately get your film made. So what exactly do you need to ensure gets done during this critical phase of your project? How can you build the best team possible and put together the resources you need without going over budget? Let’s dig in. Multi Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and author Shane Stanley has worked in almost every capacity on and off the set with hit shows like ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT and SEINFELD and producing films like Sony Pictures’ GRIDIRON GANG a #1 box office hit starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. For three years, Shane was Vice President of Sheen/Michaels Entertainment where he produced several motion pictures starring Marlon Brando, Mira Sorvino, Thomas Hayden Church, Donald Sutherland, Marisa Tomei, Sean Penn, John Travolta, and Charlie and Martin Sheen. Shane recently released his book What You Don’t Learn In Film School, which covers filmmaking from concept to delivery and has already landed on required reading lists at several universities across the country. Shane continues to produce and direct independent films of all levels, and just wrapped production on his latest action thriller BREAK EVEN. Over the countless films he has produced, Shane has gotten pre-production down to a science and knows what it takes to prepare a film of any level. In this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar, Shane will dig into his deep producing knowledge to break down the pre-production process and outline how you can best prepare for your own project. Shane will explain how to define your budget, including where you should put most of your money towards and will dive into crewing up, focusing on the five most important members of your team and how to find the right fits for your project. He will next discuss the challenge of finding locations, how to do so for cheap, and how to best communicate with property owners and take care of permits. Then Shane will give tips on how to schedule, how many shooting days you should plan for and how to adjust when things inevitably change. Lastly, he will talk about the final steps producers should take before moving to production and when you should feel ready. Praise for Shane's Previous Stage 32 Webinar: "Shane was thorough, gave me a realistic view into the market as it is now, yet encouraging. Easy to listen to and follow. I'll be signing up for other classes he teaches in the future." --Karena K. "Just straight-forward, real, the kind of producer most of us would kill to work alongside." --Clark R. "Shane was relevant, knew what was happening, and could walk the walk." --Chuck R.
As you are aware, unscripted television is BOOMING. All the streamers have jumped into the mix and now more and more networks, premium cable channels and even short form platforms like Quibi are diving in with both feet. Creating compelling non-fiction TV requires more than just vision. It involves a gameplan. And it can't hurt to have multiple ideas in reserve or even multiple paths for the same show. This will allow you to not only launch one show, but perhaps lay the groundwork for many shows, essentially building brand recognition for you and for your production company. There is a path to building a scalable business in reality and unscripted and that path is wider than ever. And there's no better person to send you on that path than a guy who has built an empire with his company through producing such shows as Netflix's CHEER and CHEF'S TABLE and many others for streamers and networks around the world. We all have a desire to tell stories. In an era when technology is rapidly developing and there are increasingly lower barriers to actually creating unscripted content. But an idea is just the start. Often times what we fail to do is understand how to get from an idea, or a series of ideas, to having viable content that a more commercial marketplace is actually looking for. By doing a deep dive into the history, shows and business of the prolific reality production company Boardwalk Pictures, we can better understand how to establish our creative voice and brand in a crowded landscape and determine how best to bring our value to a variety of projects and partners. Andrew Fried is the Founder and President of Boardwalk Pictures, producers of premium non-fiction content for multiple networks and distributors including Netflix, Showtime, Quibi, YouTube and many others. A recipient of multiple awards and 3 Emmy nominations, Fried and Boardwalk strive to elevate and expand the idea of documentary television across an ever-growing unscripted landscape. Boardwalk has been responsible for some of the most prestigious unscripted series of the last few years. CHEF'S TABLE, now entering its 7th season, has received 8 Emmy nominations, has won 3 James Beard Awards and the IDA Award for Best Documentary Series. CHEER, also on Netflix, has proven to be one of the platform's biggest successes. Other huge commercial hits include Gwyneth Paltrow's THE GOOP LAB, 7 DAYS OUT, STREET FOOD and LAST CHANCE U (now in it’s 4th season), the Showtime series ACTION and YouTube’s BEST SHOT. Andrew will teach you how to stake your claim in the unscripted marketplace and also how to build an empire in the space. By diving into his journey and the paths Boardwalk Picture shows have taken from concept to screen, Andrew will show you the do's and don'ts of unscripted from the creative and business sides to assure you shorten your path to success. He will speak to the companies origin stories and how Chef's Table became Netflix's first unscripted original series. He will explain how to judge quantity vs. quality, explain the "8th Grade Assembly" test, describe what it means to be storyteller led, and how to identify a void that needs to be filled. He will dive into how to develop your creative brand, define what stories it is you want to tell, and how to approach meetings and networking opportunities to help get your vision to air. He will describe how to add value to just about every situation - so important in unscripted where you're likely to have partners and how to best position yourself to where people not only want to work with you, but will be anxious to hear your next idea and the one after that. Praise for Andrew's Stage 32 Webinar: "Fabulous, authentic insights into what makes a successful producer of premium unscripted content!" -John P. "Loved it! I especially appreciated his positivity! I’m feeling inspired and I know I’m on the “write” track to creating something wonderful!" -Edie F. "Andrew was really great - a total professional who gave a lot of insight into "the business" and what attracts the green light." -Pooky A. "Excellent. Honest. Thoughtful. Insightful." -Tim O.
Virtual Reality: The Next Frontier of Filmmaking - You've probably heard this mantra from anyone who's ever picked up a VR headset and they aren't necessarily wrong. New forms of media come along once every couple of decades and VR is the latest form to take shape since the advent of online video. If you're interested in learning what goes into the production of a spherical capture and VR you're in the right place! In this Stage 32 Webinar, Zeke Thomas, an executive producer at Ego 360 (clients include: Legendary Pictures, Nerdist Industries, VidCon, Youtube, Outside TV, and Paramount Pictures) will provide an overview of best practices for shooting a 360 video and spherical capture from concept to execution. He will cover the importance of storytelling in immersive environments, how your location will inform your production workflow, and the best way for consumers to interact with your content. Virtual Reality/spherical capture is a relatively new form of media that is being adopted by consumers at an incredible rate. If you're interested in throwing your hat in the ring, take advantage of Zeke's knowledge to learn about what works and what doesn't for immersive experiences. As an executive producer at Ego 360 and VR your host, Zeke has guided, budgeted, and executed a multitude of projects in immersive storytelling as well as managed client/studio relationships. He has been a filmmaker and storyteller in the digital space since 2007 and continues to produce in both framed and immersive environments.
Learn directly from Laurie Cook, Producer and Head of Development at Bigscope Films, who's produced 6 feature films that have sold theatrically worldwide! With advances in modern technology across all facets of production, post and distribution, there is no better time to go and make a low-budget film and establish yourself in the industry. From Christopher Nolans' £4,000 Following to Eran Creevy's £100,000 Shifty to Jay Blakeson's £1 million Disappearance of Alice, there are different types of "low-budget" that have been proven successes in their own right, but more importantly a launching pad for the filmmakers. So what kind of film should you make? And how can you, regardless of how small your budget is, get the most for your money? Most importantly, how can you make sure that the right kind of people see your film once you have made it? In this exclusive stage 32 Next Level Webinar, host Laurie Cook will guide writers, directors and producers through his experience developing and producing for the UK low-budget market. Having produced 6 low-budget feature films in the past few years within the UK, which all received worldwide theatrical distribution, Laurie will teach you his tips and tricks for producing low-budget, high production value feature films and how to best utilize UK resources. From development ideas to sources of finance, production tips to the ever-changing distribution landscape, this will be your go-to guide for navigating the low-budget UK film market, with an open question and answer throughout the webinar for maximum interaction.