Inspirational

After publishing my blog, “Why Crowdsource Funding is Essential for Independent Producers”, there was some interesting feedback that pushed back, stating big investors are still the only legitimate way to fund film or other media projects. It was pointed out to me that, “If your goal eventually is a feature film that will be distributed internationally, then you are stepping into serious business, and the film should carry the weight of serious business in both its creation and financing.” As...

Before we delve into what will likely be some highly divisive discourse, I’d like to extend a reassurance to anyone who believes in the intrinsic value of authoritarian politics. Our discussion today will prove just as valuable to you as it will be to the bleeding hearts, the socialists, the people of color, the women, the disabled and neurodivergent people, the transgender people, and the queer people beside whom I proudly stand. What we’re going to talk about today is courage, and accountabili...

In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the Guide itself famously has ‘DON’T PANIC’ on its cover. That's still the best advice for navigating the unknown, including the flood of AI headlines you're gonna read in 2026. After thirty years in the film and TV industry, and years as an ethical AI consultant who spends every week tracking AI's collision with creative work, here's my current assessment of artificial intelligence as it pertains to the film and TV industry: MOSTLY HARMLESS. That's ano...

As filmmakers, we all know the high of wrapping production, that brief moment where the cast and crew are throwing high-fives, hugging, convinced for one breath that we did it. But anyone who has actually finished a short film knows the real work begins when the noise fades, and you’re suddenly alone with the footage, a blinking timeline, and a story that feels heavier than it did on set. On my most recent short, 'Loose Change', a 35mm project I wrote, directed, and edited, that silence was lou...

In car parlance, I might be a barn find -- a dust-covered vehicle that’s been unearthed after many years of storage. I wasn’t exactly in storage, but I was in the barn for 40 years, inching toward the door -- i.e., my lifelong goal to be a working actress. I worked 9 to 5 and was a single parent and couldn’t get an LA agent, so I simply did what I could around those parameters. For decades. At times, my forward progress seemed imperceptible. Then, in 2022, I went from zero ability to get an ag...

Happy New Year, Creative Army! I hope you all had a restful, meaningful holiday season and are stepping into this new year feeling energized, inspired, and ready to create. Whether you spent the last couple of weeks reflecting, recharging, or quietly plotting your next move, today is your starting line. As many of you know, every New Year’s Day, we use the Stage 32 Blog to pause, reset, and look ahead together. This tradition isn’t about resolutions that fade by February. It’s about intentio...

Some of you may be familiar with Blake Snyder’s book, Save the Cat, in which he lays out the important steps for hitting all the required elements in a screenplay. For those who are not familiar with this book, I would highly recommend you read it before tackling your next script. What I want to focus on here is a template I created based on his suggestions for architecting the story before sitting down and starting to write. Given my business experience as a project manager, I am always...

The El Paso Film & Creative Industries Film Commission has just partnered up with Stage 32 Certification to bring their top-tier, industry-backed training courses straight to our talented regional film community. This strategic partnership comes at a truly transformational time for our creative scene, as our area’s film and media industry keeps growing, fueled by our trademark Borderland energy, diversity, and “can-do” attitude. Stage 32 Certification offers practical, hands-on training design...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! I hope your weekend has been a creative one so far. Whether you’ve been writing, filming, editing, or sketching out the next spark of an idea, I’ve got something today that will give you a boost. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. This week’s featured video comes from StudioBinder and explores a question that’s fascinated filmmakers for decades: What makes Studio Ghibli’s work so powerful—and why is it nearly impossible to replicate? In The Secret Behind S...

In 2020, I wrote a Stage 32 blog about how to use struggles as creative fuel: When Life Gives You Lemons, Open a Lemonade Company - How to Use Struggles as Creative Fuel. In the last paragraph of that blog, I wrote: "Although I did not find a new well-paid job, I would not change it for the world. And I have confidence in the universe." Shortly after posting my blog on Stage 32, a published author contacted me, mentioning that she had read my wonderful blog and would like to connect. Thi...