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Welcome back to TALKING BUSINESS: Insights from the Independent Film Industry, hosted by Stage 32 Thought Leader and Business Consultant, David Zannoni, from Freeway Entertainment and Zannoni Media. In TALKING BUSINESS, David brings you in-depth conversations on the behind-the-scenes of the filmmaking business with industry veterans. In today’s fourth episode, David speaks with Octavio Marin, VP of Production & Operations for Santa Fe Studios and SF Film Services, LLC. Octavio oversees Santa F...

Brooklynn Fields and I, the co-hosts of Stage 32’s Writer’s Room Pitch Practice Tank Sessions, put our thoughts and opinions together in writing this blog for our community. Writing is sometimes made a solitary pursuit, but writers don’t have to go it alone. Accountability and support are key components of success for writers. Let’s talk about the concept of writer accountability and the various forms of support that can help writers achieve their goals during November Write Club and beyond....

Hey, Creative Army! For the 8th year in a row, Stage 32 continued as the official Networking and Education partner of the American Film Market! It was a whirlwind few days, but we all had an absolute blast! We had the pleasure of catching up with so many of our members, educators, executives, and Thought Leaders who were present. This year was history in the making as Stage 32 was proud to coordinate the film market's first-ever Television panel, and to say it was a hit would be an understat...

1. The Blogger “Toxic & Elitist”, were the words circling within my head in November 2013. I’d found myself at the door of Stage 32 an artistic refugee, spiritually exhausted after a stint on screenwriting forums and a certain website that evaluates your scripts with a score. The former exposed me to trolls who’d convinced me I didn’t have what it takes to break in, while the latter had done nothing but send me in circles. While a script of mine had been selected by Amazon Studios as a “Notable...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee, and let's dive in. This week we're talking all things lighting! So first, in this great video from In Depth Cine, you'll look at the differences between 'cinematic lighting' and 'natural lighting.' Often what we think of as 'natural' is anything but. However, there are plenty of films that do manage to use natural lighting...

Through 15 years of working in the entertainment industry, I’ve learned that there will be many ups and downs in a dream pursuit. There will be obstacles, and good days, and opportunities, and rejections. The High Achiever (a.k.a. you!), needs a game plan through it all. The High Achiever needs to handle all of these moments intentionally and carefully, in a way that effectively keeps them on the path to success. That’s why I developed the 10 Pillars of the High Achiever. Here are the 10 pillars...

When you decide to write music for Film and Television as a full-time job, you’ll soon realize that from that moment on it is not just about your music, but about the music business. There is so much to know and to learn about the process of negotiating a deal. I am going to share some of the experiences I have had so far, hoping that it will help you with your negotiations a little bit. When And Why: Signing An Agreement When you are offered a composer job, your first instinct is probably to...

The world keeps spinning, and so do our heads—hurricanes in Maui, earthquakes in Morocco, floods in Libya, and now the Israel-Hamas war. We are inundated with media filled with horrific and disquieting sounds and images. You want to be engaged, to keep up with world events, yet it can be paralyzing. What to do? My book about happiness came out on October 10th, which happened to be Mental Health Day. Amid all the atrocities going on right now, you may feel that this is not the best time to be...

Hi Creative Army! It’s great to meet you all! I’d like to properly introduce myself, I’m Samantha Rivera, the Development Services Coordinator at Stage 32! Some of you may have interacted with me through success@stage32.com, which is a great way for me to interact and answer any questions of any members regarding Stage 32, our services, and how we can best help you achieve your goals. However, emailing us isn't the only great way for you to closely connect with us at Stage 32. It's just one of m...

*Jean Pierre co-wrote this piece with his business partner, Vadim Fortunin. Cinema’s magic lies in its power to whisk audiences into uncharted realms. The grandeur of open seas and the mysteries of underwater abysses often beckon filmmakers, yet capturing such scenes is no small feat. The wild temperament of natural waters and the ensuing logistical quagmires are often stumbling blocks. However, nestled in the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta emerges as a cinematic sanctuary, offering the enc...