Inspirational

Okay, you are a licensed Stunt Performer. What now? Firstly, I used to say to myself, "Now that you have the license to act as a human crash dummy, don't be a dummy!" What it means is to look after yourself. Because the most challenging work, the most difficult part, is just beginning. After your initial grading, you will become a stunt action personnel (again, this may vary from country to country). What it means is that you are pretty much a trainee. You can be onset and work; however, you...

I’ve always liked challenges while creating stories. In my children's book, TONY'S BUTTERFLIES, I was challenged to create a book about the sensitive subject of death while keeping it kid friendly. After that book, I wanted to tackle the subject of mental health since it’s a personal subject for me. The challenge of trying to tell a story about mental health in a three-and-a-half-minute short seemed like a difficult story that would be fun to create. So I chose the next project: THE HAPPY STATUE...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! First, 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 around 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. December means the holidays have arrived, and the count down to the end of the...

Being a creative professional is more complicated than most people think. Whether you’re a writer, actor, or producer, your productivity levels are directly proportional to your organizational skills. Becoming an organized individual isn’t just about working in clean environments or managing time properly. It is also about organizing your thoughts, emotions, and actions in such a way that nothing and no one can stop you from reaching your objectives. In today’s post, I’m sharing 20 ideas to...

You’re in your artistic element, deeply connected to your creativity and performance. Just like a river flowing from its source into the world, it feels right. It’s a connection that transcends flaws, doubts, and fears. Your inspiration, passion, skills, and talents come together into one stream of expression. You’re becoming your song, writing, or your acting. In moments like these, you can feel the ripples of emotions between you and your audience. Time stops… Nothing else matters… You and y...

“Let’s talk,” he said with a misleading twinkle in his eye, “about what it takes to ensure that our immaculate and undoubtedly superior artistic vision is protected from the corrupting influence of all those collaborators, executives, and audience members who all want their own little piece of the creative process.” A film grows to its fullest potential when it’s nurtured by the relationships of all the people responsible for making it. Any filmmaker who is so locked into their creative vision...

As we come to the end of 2022 and our final Introduce Yourself Weekend for the year, I wish you another year filled with love, joy, and success! I’ve been taking stock of where I’ve been, where I am right now, and where I want to be. I have decided that lamenting the past and worrying about the future is a huge waste of time. Being a septuagenarian, one does not have the luxury of squandering a moment. That made me think about my relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. In sales, yo...

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. After looking at pre-production last week, it seemed fitting to take the opposite approach and go into post-production. The editing of a project can be a make or break. Editors are just as much creatives and writers as everyone else involved in your project, but you can't get to the creative part of post...

At my kids’ school, they’re putting up two new buildings, and I had the chance to watch them pour the concrete for the walls as I sat waiting in the carline the other day. What was really remarkable to me was the fact that in order to get to this step, they’d first have to assemble an entire framework that served as the mold for the walls. They’d basically built a building to build the building, in a manner of speaking. And then (because I’m a writer who likes thinking about the process of wri...

When speaking of my recent victories - I wrote and produced an award-winning 48-Hour Short Film called "Livin' with Lisa," co-produced an all-female-cast-and-crew short film, and just wrapped production on the most involved proof-of-concept short film I've ever produced - there is only one constant in every one of those victories. Relationships. "Exactly how connected do I need to be to be successful in the industry? Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon connected?" Sort of. The "Six Degrees of Separati...