Featured

I remember making my first short film, I had just broken up with a girlfriend and was desperate for a promotion at work. How about that for a perfect storm of motivation? My boss dangled a carrot, saying if I made something and it got into a festival I’d get the position I wanted and inspiration was provided by a messy break up and a slew of nasty voicemail messages left on my phone, this was pure emotional and creative gold. At this point in my career, I didn’t know anything about festivals...

I've long since been on a writing hiatus. Call it treating myself, call it writer's block. Call it what you will. What's important is that I am taking a mental health break on my own terms. This is necessary every now and then. Yes, it can be seen as lazy. Yes, it can be seen as a lack of creative energy. What I call it is: essential. There was a time in which my output was off the charts. Quite possibly unhealthy levels of writing. Of course I write because I enjoy it. But, I had reached a cert...

Fun. The main reason most of us got into (or are trying to get into) the film and TV industry is because it sounds so much fun! And it is - some of the best times of my life have been on set. I have been lucky enough to have filmed all over the world, from Pinewood to Bollywood and from Montana to the Sahara. I’ve worked on some really wonderful productions and I’ve been on some really awful productions that if I could get in my TARDIS, travel back in time, and change that timeline - then I woul...

Action and Thriller feature films continue to dominate the Global Box Office. In fact, THE HITMAN'S WIFE'S BODYGUARD just hit #1 at the Box Office last week! The highly anticipated THE TOMORROW WAR with Chris Pratt is coming out this week.  Thanks to classic franchises such as the TERMINATOR franchise, the JAMES BOND franchise, and the BOURNE franchise, as well as new hits like DEADPOOL, TAKEN, JOHN WICK, and most recently THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD, the world is looking forward to more Act...

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. First up, our friends over at StudioBinder have put together a great video highlighting the art of the opening scene. This video highlights how screenwriters & directors hook the audience in the first 10 minutes - whether through introducing characters, establishing relationships, and oftentimes, some good...

The film and television industry is global, yet, to many who live outside of the major production hubs (e.g., Los Angeles, Vancouver, Atlanta, New York City, London, etc.) it can feel out of reach. Stage 32 is the best community to keep us all connected, but what makes us the best? We help each other! But what are you doing to help yourself? RB often recommends on his “Ask Me Anything” series to read the trades. Which ones are you reading? Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire?...

“It’s good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” ~ Ernest Hemingway I love road trips! I love the idea of packing up the car and hitting the open road, not knowing what we’ll see or who we’ll meet along the way. I plan what I need to take, packing up any essentials. I then plan my destination, but what happens in between departure and arrival has a sense of fluidity! A Road Trip Down Memory Lane… My last road trip had three generations, my mu...

Previously here on Stage 32, you saw a blog from me titled, “Should People Be Interviewing You About Your Entertainment Career Yet?” There has been plenty of time since then to do what I like to call a self-audit, in this context to mean looking at the criteria I wrote about in there and deciding if you’re at a point where you should be an interviewee. How did you do? Good, I hope? I’m optimistic that as you read through that prior post, you were nodding and thinking, “Yes. Uh huh. I’ve done...

Documentaries have been produced since 1922. They were always considered the educational part of moviemaking; not entertainment. That has all changed. We are in the Golden Age of Documentaries. Prominent directors are using the documentary format to tell their stories. My documentary "Homecoming: Veterans, Wives, Mothers" joins the ranks for consideration for the “Outstanding Short Form Non-Fiction” Daytime Emmy Award for 2021. I need to say this format is one I use when I think a topic merits...

I first came across Stage 32 in 2016 but did not really make use of it until early 2017 when I decided I needed to take my screenwriting to the next level. I had toiled for years writing scripts that never made it into any competitions and screenwriting labs. I was already an indie filmmaker with 3 micro-budget features which I wrote and directed. Although those films played at some festivals and got some awards, they never did much for my career. I was still working the day job trying to get...