Inspirational

We are living in interesting times. Our lives have been affected whether we choose to recognize it or not. This has been a time of forced isolation. The plans we had, no longer have the exact outcomes we were expecting. I myself went into an earlier retirement, mainly because my work at a senior medical center was too much of a concern for my wife. The decision to leave my employment gave me one thing, time. I found myself with time to write. Now I fully acknowledge that this Pandemic has b...

Happy Thanksgiving, Creative Army! On behalf of the entire Stage 32 team, I'd like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. This year, with many of us stuck at home, the activity and energy on Stage 32 has been palpable. We have welcomed over 100,000 new members since March, and we are beyond honored to provide each and every one of you with a safe place to connect and stay inspired online. We are all extremely grateful for the members of this community and for the incredible relatio...

Whenever you put yourself or your work out to the world, you open yourself up for criticisms from strangers and people you know alike. Sometimes the criticisms are harsh enough to convince you to pander to the critic's opinion even if it's not your authentic self, play it safe or even give up on the whole idea. The following experiences have helped me over the years to overcome and push forward. A Tale of Two Poems The very first work I put out to the public was a poem about "Love" nearly 20...

Now more than ever, we're all trying to re-invent ourselves, and expand our crafts. Being stuck at home is, of course, limiting, however the voice-over industry has largely been unaffected by this pandemic, because we've all been recording voice-overs from home for years. This makes becoming a voice-over artist very tempting for those trying to expand their income. Breaking into the voiceover biz can be tricky. First, you need to be good. How do you get good? You get voice over training, and...

You look down at the DELETE key, sensing its magnet power drawing you in. You sigh, asking why keep going? You hear the echoes in your brain - "This is crap, get rid of it, you’ve been at this for years, give it up…" You move towards the Delete key…asking yourself - "Why do you do this writing lark…?" I have been a member of Stage 32 since 2015. I’m not much for social media, and initially would tell my friends I’ve joined "Facebook for the Industry." I am in a quite unique situation as a sc...

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. Now, grab some fresh coffee and let's dive in to this week's fres...

I honestly believe the path to success is driven simply by action. It doesn’t matter how amazing/terrible you might be at something, without action, you won't experience any growth and you won't progress towards your goals. Your dreams will never be realized and you’ll go through life always wondering what could’ve been. It’s not enough to want something in this life. Nobody is going to give you anything, you have to be willing to fight for it and you have to do so through action. Ideas are a...

Although I wear many hats (literally) as a Creative, I am first and foremost an actor. A performer and storyteller in the oldest of traditions, interacting with crowds and using a loose script and structure that allows ample room for improvisation and a broad emotional spectrum. Almost two years ago, in my article on audition prep, I told the story of auditioning for a producer in full pirate regalia in a kitchen in Ohio. Little did we know that performing in kitchens, living rooms, and thr...

You can absolutely do this. And convincing you of that fact is my main goal in writing this blog. I don't want to drag this down with too much personal information. Just know that I've lived in Pittsburgh my entire life, and when I started writing, I had no formal training, no industry contacts, and no idea how to even format a screenplay properly. If you can in any way relate to my original situation, please know that it's absolutely possible to succeed. Full disclosure: you're hearing this f...

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 caffeinated beverage of choice and let's get into it.  First up, Behind the Curtain interviews some of the best screenwriters in Hollywood about how to master the art of the outline. In this video, you will hear from Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women), Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Pulp Fiction, Ingl...