Tips

Good Morning, All - The coffee is hot, the company is good, and the content only compliments it. So lets get started with this week's edition of Coffee & Content, which focuses on producers and those of us who want to become producers. First up, answering the question: What does a Producer ACTUALLY do? There are many people that go on set either as an actor or crew member, and they really have no idea of the producer hierarchy on set. In this first video created by Crimson Engine, filmmaker...

Writing a stage play is a challenge because of the unique nature of the theatre – all of the dynamics of having a real live audience and a limited space in which to tell a story must be taken into account. Writing for the screen is no less of a challenge, but logically the approach must differ due to the medium by which the end product will be presented – the screen - varying greatly from its older cousin, the stage. Writers must appreciate and embrace the uniqueness of these mediums in order to...

There are lots of things I think about. But what I think most about, is WHY. More specifically, why people do the things they do. "Why" is the primary question I ask any potential client. And it’s something regularly ask myself, too. Why have I worked as a talent manager for almost three decades? Because I have a passion for making people feel something they’ve never felt before. And representing great talent is the best way for me to achieve that. Why do I write these blog posts?Because a...

When businesses are born, especially those birthed in a creative environment filled with film, television, and artists, it all starts with a dream. And on the journey to realize those dreams, it is almost inevitable that you will meet and talk to many people. From these people, you will hear one of these things:The truth.The half-truth.Bullshit. As the saying goes, “Money talks, bullshit walks.” But it goes even further than this. Developing strong fact-checking skills will save you...

Ready for advice from 2 New Yorker's in Hollywood? For writers and actors all over the world, making the decision to move to LA isn't taken lightly. For some, the move isn't possible. For others, it's been in the cards for a long time. And for even more, it's something they would love to do, but the timing isn't quite right. In this clip from the FREE webinar "Ask Me Anything," hosted by Stage 32 CEO and screenwriter Richard "RB" Botto, RB teams up with film producer Bradley Gallo to discuss...

If you’re a first-time filmmaker, you should market your film or other project first. This is what Stage 32 CEO Richard “RB” Botto covers in the next video in his continued series that dives deep into crowdSOURCING for filmmakers. Rb is the best-selling author of Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, and he covers this crucial point in the video below. Most of the time, as a first-time filmmaker or content creator, no one really knows who you are. Therefore, p...

Good Morning, Creative Army! Happy Sunday to you all. Today's edition of Coffee & Content focuses on the cost of creating a music video. Our friends at Indy Mogul have some really great video content out there that delves into ways to save and still put out a high quality music video. First up, How Much Do Music Videos REALLY Cost. This content talks about what is needed to produce, prep, and plan the creation of a video, regardless of your budget. After that, take a look at How to Make a...

Growing up I had a love for books and movies. When Stranger Than Fiction came out I fell in love with the writing. But more importantly, I fell in love with the value of two forms of entertainment rolled into the ticket price of one movie. It was value I enjoyed so much, that I wanted to be more than an author; I wanted my books to be optioned for movies. When the first real literary success came across my life path I went headlong into daydreams of the silver screen. These flights of fantasi...

  The most important thing in life is showing up. I am blown away by your ability to show up. (Keanu Reeves, Hard Ball)   Prologue Primarily being a writer, and one who does a lot of historical research, I spend a lot of time alone. So, when I’m hired as an actor, director, storyteller, or teacher, it gives me an opportunity to test my philosophies of keeping motivated and inspired and doing the same for others. For three weeks in June I toured as Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara in a...

Last month in my post, When Your Dreams [In the Filmmaking World] Fade, I left you hanging with me barely keeping control of my bowels, frozen in panic as my short life flashed before my eyes upon hearing my homeroom teachers voice on the phone. "Put your mother on the phone now," she barked a second time. I dropped the phone on my bed and ran downstairs to my parents screaming, "Mrs. Rankin is on the phone!!!" No matter how punk rock I try to be, I often have this reaction interiorly to...