Success Stories

Switching distribution guns to KILL MODE! The distribution journey for a Dutch-made low-budget action/sci-fi flick.     Kill Mode’s Release Wasn’t Timed to Coincide with a Global Pandemic! (2020) Kill Mode was released in the United States on March 17 by RLJE Films, our U.S. distributor, through a deal brokered by our international sales agent, Raven Banner Entertainment (Canada). While this blog entry is principally about how the Kill Mode producers secured and negotiated distribut...

I’ve been screenwriting for the past four years consistently, and the past ten inconsistently. I stumbled across Stage 32 from a Facebook post that a member made over a year and a half ago. I decided to check it out because of the great things that were said about Stage 32 in the post. Wow, I’m so glad I did! My life has changed so much since then. I've met some truly wonderful people who’ve helped me tremendously in my writing endeavors as mentors who spent extensive amounts of time to...

Happy Monday, Stage 32 community! We just experienced one of our biggest “Introduce Yourself Weekends” in the history of the site! It was amazing to interact with so many creative individuals from around the world. By all means, do not stop the momentum! If you have not had a chance to get in on the IYW action, head on over to the dedicated lounge and start connecting with your fellow creatives. I want to take some time to dispel a rumor that seems to be floating around and offer some encoura...

I didn’t know it at the time, but as I submitted my script Desperate Times into the 6th annual Search For New Blood Contest, my life was about to change. Having entered a previous Stage 32 contest for romantic comedies and not even making it into the quarterfinals, I was wary about trying again, but I had a horror script I was passionate about and figured it was worth a shot. After entering, I tried to put the contest out of my mind and got to work on a new script as a distraction. It...

Good morning, Stage 32 Creative Crew! It’s a brand new week and we are excited to kick it off with some huge news! We are excited to announce that author and screenwriter Greg Mania has officially signed with Cohn/Torgan Management for literary representation! As you probably remember, Greg was the winner of our 4th Annual Comedy Writing Contest with his original pilot, “Mania”. As part of his winning the contest, in October, Stage 32 sent Greg on about a dozen meetings with literary managers...

When I first started writing screenplays, I was a former newspaper journalist with five novels and two novellas under my belt, all traditionally published.I thought screenwriting would be a piece of cake. Wrong answer. It was more like ignorance soufflé with a side order of "What the hell am I doing?" I quickly learned that screenplays are as different from novels as novels are from newspapers. So, as most people with a PC or a Mac would do, I began searching the internet as well as perusing...

Good morning Stage 32 Crew! I hope you had a productive weekend and were able to tackle some of your creative goals. We are cruising through February and spring is just around the corner. I know for a lot of us (myself included) now is the time where distractions creep in and start to derail the resolutions we made for the new year. Are you still doing the work? Remember that success in this highly competitive business is a combination of talent and work ethic.   LA-based Stage 32 members...

It is an honor and a privilege to bring you the worldwide premiere of the 4th Annual Stage 32 Short Film Program! Below you will find six amazing short films to watch that were carefully curated by Stage 32's panel of leading industry executives. Our esteemed panel of judges is made up of top producers, managers, development executives, and Oscar-winning filmmakers.    These films are only available for viewing for 48 hours.   Our six winning filmmakers hail from all over the world, and...

Happy Post-Oscar Monday Stage 32 Crew! There were a lot of great moments during the ceremony and some very deserving winners. If you participated in our annual Oscar picks contest, I hope you did well. I wanted to kick off this week with a great story I have been tracking for a while. It reminds us that every professional relationship starts with a pitch. For those who doubt the power of the pitch, take note of this story. It might just change your mind. It comes from Stage 32 member Emily...

As we get ready to take in the Academy Awards this Sunday, I am tempted to think about some of my own memorable Oscar Moments and the lessons that those moments have taught me over the years. And, not only are they some of my fondest memories to date, but they read like a list of what to do and what not to do.   Sam, Oscar, and Ernie …   As you can see above, I got to hoist Ernie Borgnine’s Best Actor Oscar from 1956 that he won for portraying the title character in Marty. That was nea...