Hi, Stage 32 Community!

Our Stage 32 Team has been working diligently to bring in as many new resources and opportunities as possible to enrich your experience here in our community!

At Stage 32 you have direct access to industry professionals who’ve written, acted, developed, produced, distributed, directed, made trailers for, and represented acclaimed projects like ALL THAT WE DESTROY, LITTLE WOMEN, HANNIBAL, MOLLY’S GAME, FATAL AFFAIR, SHADOW & BONE, FAST X, BARBIE, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, CRIMINAL MINDS, GINNY & GEORGIA, WEDNESDAY, THE LION KING, and many more.

So without much further ado, let's roll out the red carpet and welcome some of the fantastic new people joining our Stage 32 Community this September!

New Stage 32 Educators-

Sean Keller, Screenwriter & Script Doctor

Sean Keller is a professional screenwriter and script doctor who has worked for Blumhouse, ABC, Lionsgate, as well as numerous independent production companies. Sean began working in the entertainment industry as an actor (Roger in 1st National Tour of RENT) before turning to screenwriting and his first love, horror. Sean has written for legendary horror directors Dario Argento’s GIALLO, John Carpenter’s THE WARD, and Chelsea Stardust’s ALL THAT WE DESTROY and stars such as Nicolas Cage, Danny Glover, and Adrien Brody.

Sean will be teaching the upcoming webinar, Horror Screenwriting 101, starting on September 8th.

Alessandro Fiorucci, Actor & Director

Alessandro Fiorucci is an actor born in Rome, Italy. He has worked for top film directors such as Marco Bellocchio, Ridley Scott, Paolo Virzì, Stefano Mordini, Alessandro Celli, and many other directors, playing roles in feature films with worldwide distribution. His recent film KIDNAPPED was in competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or award, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival, as featured in Variety (to read the article, click here). He won the best actor award for his work in NEVER AGAIN at multiple film festivals, including the A.R.G International Film Festival in Paris, the North Film Festival in Stockholm, and the Milan Gold Awards in Milan. As a director and writer, he had the honor of being included in the 2021 50 Best Short Films list from the David di Donatello Awards (one of the most important Italian awards) for NEVER AGAIN. Alessandro won the Best Director award in Milan for his first short film. Alessandro’s breakout role in the USA was in the 2019 film LOVELY TO MEET YOU, where he plays a maniac named Michael.

Alessandro will be teaching the upcoming webinar, Actors: How To Prepare To Work With An A-List Director, starting on September 14th.

Peter Sullivan, Director

Prolific director Peter Sullivan, has made over 100 feature films, many of which have been released on Netflix and Lifetime. Peter’s recent credits include SECRET OBSESSION starring Brenda Song (Netflix), THE SANDMAN (SyFy), FATAL AFFAIR (Netflix), and more. Peter has extensive experience working with multiple editors across different genres and is now sharing everything he’s learned through his years of directing, exclusively with the Stage 32 community.

Peter will be teaching the upcoming webinar, The Final Cut: Optimizing The Director-Editor Relationship, starting on September 15th.

Meredith Alloway, Director, Screenwriter, Producer, & Journalist

Filmmaker and journalist Meredith Alloway’s critically acclaimed short film DEEP TISSUE screened internationally at festivals including SXSW, AFI Fest, Overlook, and Bucheon, and opened for Julia Ducournau’s film RAW at MoMA. She partnered with Hulu, Sundance Institute, and 20th Century Digital Studios on her last two short films RIDE and FIRST DATE, and was thrilled to direct Paris Jackson’s debut gothic music video LET DOWN with Eli Roth as Executive Producer. As a journalist for over 12 years, Meredith has written interviews and feature pieces for publications like Vanity Fair, Playboy, Filmmaker Magazine, Nylon, and Indiewire.

Meredith will be teaching the upcoming webinar, How To Maximize The Impact Of Your Short Film: Distribution, PR, Festivals and More, starting on September 20th.

Erin Conley, Screenwriter

Erin Conley is a writer on Netflix's hit fantasy series SHADOW AND BONE and SIX OF CROWS. Erin worked on SHADOW AND BONE from day one, assisting showrunner and Oscar nominee Eric Heisserer on the first season as he navigated adapting the international phenomenon young adult book series by Leigh Bardugo. She went on to co-write the season 2 finale with Heisserer and served as a staff writer in a pre-greenlight writers’ room for the SIX OF CROWS spinoff. Previously, Erin worked in the writers’ room on Fox’s SLEEPY HOLLOW and Marvel’s IRON FIST.

Erin will be teaching the upcoming webinar, How To Create a Binge-Worthy Fantasy TV Series, starting September 21st.

Ariane Ackerberg, Film & Trailer Producer

Ariane Ackerberg is an independent film producer and veteran trailer producer at Company 3, which cut the trailers for BARBIE (Warner Bros.), MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING PART 1 (Paramount), AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (Disney), THE FLASH (Warner Bros.), THE LITTLE MERMAID (Disney), TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM (Nickelodeon/Paramount), FAST X (Universal), and countless other top releases. Ariane was formerly a film and TV development executive at Safehouse Pictures (SPINNING OUT, UNDERGROUND, ATLAS, ROBIN HOOD). Before joining Safehouse, Ariane worked at 20th Century Fox (THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY & DEADPOOL), New Regency Productions, and Fox Searchlight Pictures. She also served as a showrunner's assistant for the NBC series THE BLACKLIST.

Ariane will be teaching the upcoming webinar, How To Make A World-Class Film Trailer And Use It To Sell or Market Your Movie, starting on September 27th.

Michael Tully, Award-Winning Director

Michael Tully is an award-winning writer/director whose films have garnered widespread critical acclaim, his projects having premiered at some of the most renowned film festivals across the globe. His low-budget feature film SEPTIEN premiered at The Sundance Film Festival and got a theatrical release through Sundance Selects/IFC films! Michael's first feature, COCAINE ANGEL, world premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film immediately solidified the director as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s "25 New Faces of Independent Film”. His follow-up feature, SILVER JEW, a documentary capturing the late David Berman's rare musical performances in Tel Aviv, world-premiered at SXSW and landed distribution with cult indie-music label Drag City.

Michael will be teaching the upcoming 4-Part Class: How To Make Your Feature Film For Under $100K And Sell It To A Major Distributor, starting on September 16th.

Kym Jackson, Actress & Author

Kym Jackson is a working actress and author of the book The Hollywood Survival Guide For Actors. Kym is best known for her on-camera work on the hit CBS series CRIMINAL MINDS and NCIS: LOS ANGELES, the ABC series S.W.A.T. and the movies SNITCH starring Dwayne Johnson, FATAL AFFAIR on Netflix, and countless other projects. Kym is also the founder of the Secret Actor Society.

Kym will be teaching the upcoming 2-Part Lab: Elevate Your Acting Reel, starting on September 13th.

Ryan Cartwright, Actor

Ryan Cartwright has over 30 years of professional acting experience and training and he has developed a robust audition process that he will share with you to incorporate into your own process to consistently elevate your work. You've seen Ryan's work on numerous TV series and movies including MAD MEN, BONES, KEVIN CAN WAIT, THE BIG BANG THEORY, 9-1-1: LONE STAR, ALPHAS, and more.

Ryan will be teaching the upcoming 3-Part Acting Lab: Develop Your Professional Audition Process, starting on September 24th.

Cole Quirk, Screenwriter

Cole Quirk is an accomplished television writer who most recently wrote on the hit series JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL (FX). Before that, Cole worked in the writers's rooms of ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST (NBC), SCREAM (MTV), RESURRECTION (ABC), THE 100 (CW), and CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS). She also sold a murder mystery feature pitch to THE HALLMARK CHANNEL. Between shows, Cole worked for a writer/producer under a development deal at SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT.

Cole will be teaching the upcoming Screenwriting Lab: Write Your 1-Hour Drama TV Pilot In 12 Weeks, starting on September 30th.

New Stage 32 Executives-

Averie H, Producer & Head of Development

Averie H. is currently a producing partner and Head of Development at Roll With the Punches Productions. The company was founded by Mandy Moore. The company currently has a deal with 20th Television, where Averie has shepherded the slate to include TWIN FLAMES at Hulu, based on the Wondery podcast of the same name, LILIUOKALANI at Onyx, based on the life of the last queen of Hawaii, and MY MOM HAS NO FRIENDS, an article by Monica Corcoran-Harel, which RWTP won in a six-way bidding war.

Averie started her career in television as an NBC Page, learning the network and studio ropes while giving tours and working on THE TONIGHT SHOW (both with Leno and Conan). From there, she went to BermanBraun and worked for the Head of Television, Gene Stein, during multiple pilot seasons that included projects ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (CBS), MERCY (NBC), ALPHAS (Syfy), and THE CAPE (NBC). After BermanBraun, she worked for renowned producer, Sara Colleton. Under Sara’s deal with Universal Television, Averie worked on two Bryan Fuller projects: MOCKINGBIRD LANE (NBC) and HANNIBAL (NBC), as well as the last season of DEXTER (Showtime). She also worked for Nicky Weinstock at Invention Films under his Lionsgate deal which was tasked with finding 10/90 formats like PARTNERS (FX), ANGER MANAGEMENT (FX) and SAINT GEORGE (FX). In 2015, she joined Amy Pascal's Pascal Pictures, which has a deal with Sony Television and Columbia Pictures. At PPI, Averie was tasked with creating an entire television department, which began with BENEATH A SCARLET SKY – the #1 Most Read and #2 Most Bought Book on Amazon in 2016 – and attached Tom Holland to play the lead. She also set up multiple other television projects from Mattson Tomlin, Damani Johnson, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Hilary Winston. During her time at PPI she also worked on Greta Gerwig's LITTLE WOMEN, Steven Spielberg's THE POST, Aaron Sorkin's MOLLY'S GAME, and Marvel’s SPIDER-MAN movies. In 2018, she moved to BOOM! Studios, where she ran the television department as VP and set up 20+ projects based on the company's IP. She was instrumental in selling and setting up BOOM!’s first-ever television series at Disney+, JUST BEYOND, based on the RL Stine graphic novel of the same name. She also helped develop MECH CADET at Netflix, which is slated for a 2023 debut and sold JOYRIDE to FX with Sera Gamble & John McNamara attached to showrun and David Reed writing.

You can meet with Averie about your First 10 Pages, your Pilot here (all genres), your Adaptation Review here, or Pitch Deck/Bible Reviews.

Bryan Schwartz, Producer & Creative Executive

Bryan Schwartz is an independent producer and creative executive who spent over a decade working at Paramount, primarily within Nickelodeon and AwesomenessTV, where he served as the Executive in Charge of Production, overseeing all aspects of a show's creative, working as both the Studio and Network executive simultaneously. While there, Bryan oversaw shows receiving multiple Emmy-nominations, working with production companies such as Will Packer Media, Kapital Entertainment, Casey Patterson Entertainment, and more. During his time at Nickelodeon, he worked on such seminal shows as HENRY DANGER, DANGER FORCE, THE THUNDERMANS, ALL THAT, LIP SYNC BATTLE SHORTIES, JOJO'S DREAM SERIES, as well as several others. He also started the first Nickelodeon scripted podcasts, with the upcoming original ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? Podcast, as well as developing teen drama DANI WHO?, and musical comedy NANA'S SUPER RADIO among others. He also oversaw the NICK SHORTS SHOWCASE initiative, creating over 150 pieces of digital-first content, receiving 3+ million views, as a developmental incubator for future linear content. Bryan began his career at the powerhouse agency UTA.

You can meet with Brian about your Adaptation Review here, or Pilot here (genres including comedy, drama, sci-fi, animation, family, and holiday).

Elena B, Principle & Executive Producer

Elena B. is a Co-Executive Producer on Netflix's Emmy-nominated hit series GINNY & GEORGIA, which has been picked up for two additional seasons. According to Bloomberg, its the most streamed series of the year so far. Most recently, she was Vice President at Toluca Pictures which produced the hit series Emmy-nominated WEDNESDAY, Emmy-winning HANDMAID'S TALE, Emmy-winning FARGO, Emmy-nominated VIKINGS: VALHALLA, and THE CONSULTANT. While at Toluca, she worked across close to 40 scripted TV projects in development.

Prior to Toluca, she consulted for the scripted podcast team at Spotify where she was the Executive Producer on BATMAN UNBURIED, a scripted podcast for DC Comics, Warner Bros. and Spotify which hit #1 on the Spotify Charts Worldwide. She also helped oversee the overall deals for DC Comics, Warner Bros., Archie Comics & Q Code. Previously, she was the Head of TV & Film at Frolic Media and Director of Scripted Content at Dynamic Television. Elena also worked at NBC, RBEL Agency, and ICM.

You can meet with Elena about your First 10 Pages.

Dustin Lee, Director of Story

Dustin Lee is the Director of Story at Firefly Film Studio. A short list of projects on which Dustin has worked includes THE LION KING, IRON MAN, BREAKING BAD, GAME OF THRONES, ER, STAR TREK, THE WEST WING, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, BOSTON LEGALl, THE BEAR, SHREK, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, RATATOUILLE, UP, FRAILTY, THE AMERICANS, SIDEWAYS, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, and SHRINKING.

He has extensive experience in scriptwriting, story analysis/editing, creative development strategy, film finance, production operations, and movie marketing. Dustin works with Hollywood studios, independent production companies, television networks, and streaming services providing his clients with over two decades of experience, helping them generate revenue in the billions of dollars. Assimilating production finance lessons gleaned from his father, who served as a savvy film production accounting manager and producer, Dustin is able to balance creative storytelling endeavors with specific budgetary and logistics considerations to convey the best story possible while adhering to expected and unexpected business and monetary restraints that may be imposed upon the filmmakers and/or production entities at various stages of production.

You can meet with Dustin about your First 10 Pages, your Pilot here, your Feature here, or Pitch Deck/Bible Reviews.

Tim S, Producer & Founder of Cosmic Arena Prod.

Tim S. is the founder of Cosmic Arena Productions and has produced over 30 features that have grossed over a billion dollars at the box office and attracted multiple Academy Award nominations. Tim began his career at Emmett/Furla Films, where he quickly rose from assistant to President of Production and Development. At EFF, Tim shepherded films including FIRE WITH FIRE (starring Josh Duhamel and Bruce Willis), END OF WATCH (with Jake Gyllenhaal and Woody Harrelson), Joe Carnahan’s BOSS LEVEL (starring Mel Gibson and Naomi Watts), the ESCAPE PLAN series with Sylvester Stallone, and HEIST (with Robert De Niro and Dave Bautista). Throughout his career, Tim has worked with filmmakers such as Stephen Frears, Peter Berg, and Balthasar Kormakur as well as Martin Scorsese on his most recent films, Silence and The Irishman.

Tim joined Voltage Pictures where he produced the action/thriller AFTERMATH (starring Dylan Sprouse, Mason Gooding, and Dichen Lachman with director Patrick Lussier), and set up a slate of features that are now in preproduction. Given his proven track record in identifying, developing, and producing commercially and critically successful films, Tim launched Cosmic Arena Productions. The company is currently in development on a project with an Academy Award-winning actor attached to the star.

You can meet with Tim about First 10 Pages, Feature here, or Pitch Deck/Bible Reviews.

Rosemary Tarquinio, Producer & Senior Creative Executive

Rosemary Tarquinio is a producer and Senior Creative Executive who has skillfully facilitated the development, launch, and management of over 1,600 hours of scripted television content for leading entertainment brands.

Rosemary served as Senior Vice President of Current Programming and Vice President at CBS Entertainment where she oversaw the creative direction of 30+ dramatic, comedic, and late-night talk show series’, acting ina dual capacity as both studio and network executive on multiple shows. She has also worked with A & E Lifetime Entertainment where she is responsible for the development and production of 10+ Lifetime original movies. Some of the shows Rosemary has worked on include CRIMINAL MINDS, FBI, FBI MOST WANTED, THE GOOD WIFE, THE MENTALIST, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, TWO AND A HALF MEN, TWO BROKE GIRLS, and THE UNICORN.

You can meet with Rosemary about your Pilot here, Feature here, or Pitch Deck/Bible Reviews.

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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