Success Stories

From Alex Montilla   Kheireddine El-Helou and I met while working as assistants in the editing room of 'The Muppets' in 2011 and immediately formed a bond based on a love of genre films and filmmaking, often discussing ideas for films we wanted to make. Through his award-winning short horror film, 'Drudge', Kheireddine got representation and some industry attention and was ready to make the move into features. So, in 2015, he told me his loose idea for a super low-budget movie he wanted to ma...

I’d been a “Schrödinger’s cat” member of Stage 32 for the better part of the last four years. “What does that even mean, Athina?” I hear you ask. Lucky for you, dear reader, I am here to elaborate. Get yourself a cup of tea (and one for me as well - black, with a dash of milk - please and thank you!) and let’s get crackin’. What I mean is, that “member” is a generous term. I’d been more of a passive, background, lurking in the dark Cat Woman sort of member. I had signed up for the newsl...

It’s no secret that we’re in a new Golden Age of Television. With audiences’ increasing desires for escapism and purely bingeable TV, there is perhaps no greater demand for new material than within Televised Comedies. Series like TED LASSO on Apple+, PEN15 and RAMY on Hulu, BARRY and INSECURE on HBO, ASTRONOMY CLUB on Netflix, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL on Amazon, critics and global audiences alike can’t get enough. Not only are these shows changing the way that we watch television but, in many c...

Hello Stage 32 Community! Since the beginning of this year, our fearless leader and CEO Richard "RB" Botto has been talking a lot about the Content Gold Rush of 2021 - how development and the need for great stories and content is higher than ever. Well, this notion has been proved time and time again within the Stage 32 community since January. For starters, we have already had 160 meeting requests from entertainment executives looking to connect with screenwriters and filmmakers they have met...

My background as a writer is very simple. I started writing because I wanted to direct. More by necessity than choice. At some point I realized something. For me, writing has been the only way that I’ve found the ability to express myself. But a screenplay can’t fully express the ideas within it. It’s in the translation to screen where the material is given life. That’s where the magic happens for me. Like many others, I started out writing and directing short films. It’s an invaluable...

Screenwriting was not how I envisioned my profession; nor is it to this day, easy for me. I came to writing after years of honing my directing and acting chops in conservatories and out in the professional world of Chicago and New York. However, life throws you curve balls and one day you wake up and realize that world is not going to tell the stories that you are truly passionate about. If it’s really important to you, you have to take it upon yourself to create that vision. This is something t...

I’ve been writing since I learned to read, and I’ve always dreamed of being a professional writer. I spent my childhood writing novels: Tolkien-esque fantasy knock-offs, historical fiction, and even a quirky murder mystery. In high school, I discovered my dad’s stash of classic sci-fi novels, and I fell in love with the genre. But I still stayed in my comfort zone, studying literature in college and then graduate school--starting a family--pursuing a career in academia. But through it all, I kep...

Television Drama is crushing it right now. Television Drama has expanded the possibilities for character exploration and led to storytelling that is beyond what any feature film could achieve. That is why series like THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT and BRIDGERTON on Netflix, EUPHORIA on HBO, YELLOWSTONE on Paramount, DEXTER on Showtime, ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, and upcoming series like GENERATION on HBOMax are blowing away critics. Writers and producers of Television Drama are on the cutting edge of entertai...

  CONGRATULATIONS!    HERE ARE THE WEEK 3 WINNERS!     Watch Webcast #3   THE PICKLE HUT by Mark Reynolds "The wicked dethroned best pickle champion and her deviant granddaughters plot against the sweet young woman that took her title."   A PLACE IN THE SUN by Oscar Barboza "When his ward doesn’t return from Rumspringa, Levi Schmucker, a 22-year-old Pennsylvania Dutch Amish man, leaves his wife and settlement behind as he journeys to the Big Apple, in search of the you...

A few short months ago, I was invited to write a blog for Stage 32 regarding my writing journey and insights into this crazy pursuit so many of us find ourselves locked in. At that time, I had buried myself in multiple writing projects (just trying to hone my craft,) won my first screenwriting contest and was still attempting to juggle life as a new father and higher education professional. As the fatigue of our COVID-19 world set-in, my writing room became a sanctuary where I confronted the dai...