Acting

Happy Sunday Creative Army! First of all, congratulations to all of you who have already participated in our monthly Introduce Yourself Weekend! Thousands of connections have been made between entertainment creatives and professionals from every corner of the globe. Whether you are a long-time member, or brand new to Stage 32, take a moment to pop over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge and say hello before the end of the weekend. Bonus! If you are attending Cannes this week, Stage 32 is hosting...

Following up from my previous blogs, “Finding Your Creative Tribe” and “Building Safe Spaces”, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the very individual process a professional creative must go through in order to be present for their “tribe” or be strong enough to lead a team. Especially since doing the work for yourself, BY yourself is essential. It is the foundation of everything else we create. Consider for a moment when you visit a doctor. It is certainly their job to help analyze what a...

Months ago, I wrote a piece for the Stage 32 blog called “5 Ways to Use IMDb to Research Your Way to the Top”. That is still the foundation of getting the most out of IMDb. However, since then, IMDb has added more resources to its Pro element or things we didn’t cover before. 1. TRAILERS If you are one of those people that get to the movie theater early to catch the latest trailers, and it's one of your favorite things about the movie going experience- I’m right along with you. However, wha...

At one of my many day jobs, I worked in communications for one of the world’s largest banks. Not my dream job, but I had an office, so that was cool. When I wasn’t pasting press clippings into photo albums with solid gold covers for a former chairman (a real thing that happened), I got to work a fair bit with the CEO. It’s de rigueur to demonize bankers, but this guy was actually very decent. I was with him on one occasion when he gave a speech to employees. He told a story about how he regula...

Three Things in the Entertainment Industry You Shouldn’t Take Personally On Medium by Richard "RB" Botto It’s tough not to take things personally when you’re a creative. Writers, directors, actors, cinematographers and other film and TV creatives are emotionally invested in their work, while putting in a massive amount of time and effort in creating their art. This makes hearing negative feedback or a simple, but impactful “no” feel like a crushing setback. However, most interactions don’t...

Keeping in mind the old expression that “it takes ten years to become an overnight success,” as much as we all would love a shortcut, a golden ticket, a Fast Pass, the truth is that you DO have to put in the time and get the reps. BUT, the good news is that along the way you’re starting to build the foundation to eventually make a successful pitch from, to whoever it is that you’re trying to get in front of. I’m not only talking the talk, but walking the walk, having recently seen a culminatio...

Welcome to Atlanta! Where the Actors Play. Waaaay back in 2005, if you were living in Atlanta and looking to jump into this crazy business called acting, conventional wisdom would have told you to make the move to Hollywood and start there. And even as recent as 2012, if you came to Hollywood and mentioned you were from Atlanta, you would be met with a shrug of the shoulders, and maybe even a look of disgust. Flash forward to 2022, and if you were to move from Atlanta to Hollywood, ears would...

Hello Creative Army! Read any of the trades right now and our industry is in a rapid state of change. From streamers in the race for original content, to companies making acquisitions and, of course, the Great Content Gold Rush still in full force, it's a lot to keep up with. The entire Stage 32 team is on the phone every day to keep their fingers on the pulse of what's happening. It's exciting time for you as a content creator - whether you work in film, television or digital - and it's equ...

  Whether you are making Hollywood blockbusters, indie darlings, or passion projects in your back yard marketing your film on social media is incredibly beneficial. However, you may not be sure where to start. This article hopes to give you a guide offering tips and advice on using social media as a filmmaker. Create a Plan Work out what you are wanting to share and when you are wanting to share your posts. Take time to work out your target audience and post at the best times for them in...

One of the best ways to help build a successful screenwriting career is by building a successful network. Thanks to Stage 32, networking doesn’t need to be intimidating or boring. But before we start cold-calling up the A-list, there’s a much easier group of people to contact first - our fellow screenwriters! If you’re still of the mindset that other screenwriters are your competition, let me disabuse you of that notion right now. Your fellow writers ARE your lateral network! Lateral netwo...