Inspirational

“Move to Montana” is not the advice you’ll get when you tell someone you want to break into the entertainment business. Especially if, like me, you were working at one of the biggest magazines in the country owned by a parent company that also ran TV and movie studios. At that job, I interacted with boldface names and their publicists all day and, as a writer, also interviewed Grammy, Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe winners. You’d think this would be the place to work if you were an aspiring scr...

Hey, Stage 32ers! I hope if you're not recovering from a Thanksgiving feast that, no matter where you are in the world, you're ready to relax and enjoy the weekend! The holidays are always a great time to look back and applaud the "wins" from the past year, and this community has had some pretty big ones. From booking gigs to signings to projects that are getting made, your passion for your craft and love for this community are what make every success on Stage 32 so incredibly special. Today...

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, we have welcomed hundreds of thousands of new members to our growing, creative community, and we are beyond honored to provide each and every one of you a safe haven to connect, be inspired, and come together to make art. We are all extremely grateful for the members of this community and for the incredible relationships and friendships that have bloo...

WOW! Five days of intensive wandering, going up one elevator and down another. Pitching my TV series and three screenplays, meeting old friends, and making new ones. That’s what the American Film Market is all about. This was my second visit in ten years to Santa Monica and the AFM, and I was not disappointed. I was on a mission, and Stage 32 prepared me to meet the challenges all creatives are confronted with. What do I do, what do I say, and how do I say it? First, I was given the opportun...

Have you ever fallen in creative love? Perhaps you idly chat about your favorite director, only to discover that you both love their most obscure film best. Over your first coffee date, you playfully square off about who has the worst set stories, but you share a laugh over the resiliency it takes to keep going. Now you're about to start a project, and your new creative ally is firmly entrenched in your corner. 'How in the world did I get so fortunate?' you wonder. If luck favors the prepared, t...

Anthropology, simply put, is the study of what it means to be human. A tall order, almost as difficult as the provocation “How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?” from The Sound of Music. Anthropologists, writers, storytellers, and artists are obsessed with finding authenticity. They both know that in order to get to the truth, you have to get deep into the messy zones, the gray areas, and the unknowns. And they are both up for the challenge. To embark on this challenge, anthropologists lea...

What keeps you from writing a new screenplay, TV pilot, or pitch? Or finishing the one you started last year? Or composing those dreaded query letters? You might be waiting to find the time to write. Have a million reasons to procrastinate. Feel intimidated by the words FADE IN. Or find writing alone uninspiring and, well, lonely. I was experiencing most of the above in January 2021, when I discovered Amy McGuire's "Friday Study Hall" and Louisa Burton's "Sunday Writers' Cafe" Zo...

As we head into the last two months of the year, you might feel the pressure of trying to complete those 2022 goals before the year runs out. Sometimes the pressure is good: in fact, I’d argue that this is at least part of the reason why NaNoWriMo and Stage 32's November Write Club are such popular challenges. It’s not unlike signing up for a 5K race to give yourself a deadline for starting those healthy habits you’ve committed to building. But sometimes, the pressure of a deadline can cause Res...

I’m lucky. I like to pitch. My father was a traveling salesman and used to talk about his work at the dinner table. I understand the art of the sale. Because of this and what my sister calls our familial blind confidence, I have no fear of getting up in front of people to talk. I like sales. And I write screenplays. That’s how I came to land at Stage 32 Script Services where they offer opportunities to speak with industry executives. You pay for time and expertise, essentially. Would you like...

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. We kicked off our 8th Annual November Write Club this past week (and gave out some great prizes on Instagram Live). So many people have already announced their goals for the month, and I'm incredibly inspired by the wealth of creativity and, even more importantly, the support that this community shares w...