Tips

One of the most driven, nice and talented filmmakers in our community is director David Rountree, who was voted IMDB's top 30 under 30 directors. For those of you who don't know David, he has been a member of the Stage 32 community since the early years and we've watched him raise financing and shoot several feature films including CUT! and 108 STITCHES. He's even employed over 40 Stage 32 members! His mission is always to support, encourage and teach fellow creatives on how to live their dreams...

You will hate this blog.Not the most inspiring of beginnings, but bear with me…I struggled as a voice talent for almost 15 years. Before that, I went to college and graduate school for acting. It turns out that while I was pretty good at acting, I hated the lifestyle. I hated the competition and how it brought out the worst in people. I hated, well, other actors. Their insecurity, their need to act as a form of therapy, their love of Ramen Noodles. I hated actors because I saw too much of myself...

Hey guys!  Happy Sunday. The past week has been consumed by Cannes prep (see all the details here), so I have something a little different for Coffee & Content this week.  And it's something for everyone.  How about we cover ground on all the following topics: - Why you need to cut the negativity out of your life- Today! - Why you do not need to be micromanaged as a screenwriter or a filmmaker - How you can bring value to every meeting - What I'm hearing in my meetings regarding...

Hey guys, On the AMA last week, many of you asked a number of questions that I have answered on various podcasts over the last few months.  Additionally, some of you asked where you could find certain podcast appearances.  Allow me to be of service!  All of my recent podcasts as well as numerous other webcasts and video content can be found by clicking on Education on the top menu bar and then choosing podcast.  You'll find dozens of hours of FREE content you can listen to and view at your con...

My agent once told me that he was more than happy for me to write my little character drama about a man who lives a double life robbing banks. He then asked me if I could also build him a time machine back to 1975 so he could sell it. Point taken. Hollywood is a fluid business where trends change in a matter of months. Some genres, in fact, go completely dormant. In 2009 The Proposal, It’s Complicated, and Couples Retreat all grossed 100M+ domestically. Know what the highest grossing romantic co...

If there was one subject that dominated the questions asked during my recent Stage 32 AMA, it was about best practices on social media.  Many of you wanted to know how to go about creating meaningful relationships that would help accelerate your path to success.  You know my feelings on this subject as it relates to launching and maintaining a career in film and content creation: Relationships = Reads Relationships = Jobs Relationships = Financing Relationships = Champions of you and you...

As the Stage 32 Writing Services Coordinator, I spend most of my time talking to development executives, producers, managers and agents about the kind of material they want, specialize in, or think is the next big thing. And I have to admit that sometimes it feels like I need a translator. High-concept? Grounded? Smart? Supernatural... but not horror? A Ten-by-ten? What the heck are these people talking about? Luckily, I've googled my head off, asked a ton of questions, immersed myself in the sc...

Happy Sunday, guys.  Before we get to the coffee and the content, a reminder that I will be a guest on Scriptchat tonight at 5PM PST.  We'll be talking screenwriting for at least an hour.  You can find all the details on how to join here. First up, they say that all dialogue should sound natural and specific to that character.  Are there exceptions?  The good people at Now You See It break it down with their Dialogue in Film - How Should Characters Talk? video. Speaking of rules, they say th...

Hey guys, You all know I love to talk, but there are few topics I enjoy talking about more than screenwriting.  And based on many of the questions submitted for the AMA this past week, many of you are looking for some direction, clarity and productive strategies as it relates to the craft and business of screenwriting. That's why I'm excited to announce that I will be returning as a guest on Scriptchat this coming Sunday at 5PM PDT.  What's Scriptchat?  Well, it's an hour long Twitter chat f...

Getting the Call It started, as it always does, with a phone call. I was driving down Sunset, it was a beautiful day in Hollywood; and I was feeling good. I had been in Los Angeles for five years, after having moved from Minneapolis. I had some great success back home and was expecting to jump right into the business when I go out here, but I was in for a bit of a surprise. I booked a guest star after only a couple of months, but then things really dried out. I spent the next five years tryi...