Tips

Two years ago, I became ranked in the Top 10 of Up-and-Coming Hollywood Directors Under 40 on IMDb (Internet Movie Database) and was featured on the front page of the Hollywood Reporter. I’ve been fortunate enough to direct many name actors including an Oscar-Nominated and Golden Globe winning actor and am attached to direct several multi-million dollar projects over the next few years. I also co-run LA Acting Studios, which is an intense on-camera, set-like scene study class in Los Angeles.  ...

For the last month I've had the pleasure of working with Roger S. H. Schulman, the Oscar-nominated and BAFTA award winning writer of SHREK. Roger's impressive roster also includes being a scribe for Steven Spielberg Executive Produced BALTO, as well as two Disney films MULAN II, THE JUNGLE BOOK II, and plenty of other features and TV shows. I'm thrilled to bring in Roger as a special guest for Stage 32 THIS SATURDAY to teach a Masterclass on Creating Compelling Characters. I mean, the waffle l...

First of all, let me introduce you to the existence of Independent Film Predators. They are less-than-legitimate indie film distributors that want to distribute your film and unfortunately, there's a bunch of 'em. In fact I can vouch for their existence personally. 3 OF A KIND, my recently completed psychological thriller, premiered at the WorldFest Houston International Film Festival. It's a film we literally scraped and clawed financially to get done. We ultimately had to take out personal l...

This blog may be stating the obvious and I don't want to come across as condescending, but I just thought I would impart a piece of advice I have recently given to a client of mine. I have found while doing my job as an editor, that I have a great responsibility, not just to the authors I work with, but to the work itself. It's not just about spelling and grammar, it is also about what is best for the story and looking at something from the point of view of the reader. I do know of course that...

Dreams are an interesting phenomenon. They are available to everyone to dream them, but there are only a few who go chasing them and fulfill them. Why is that? Why doesn't everyone grasp their dream and be what they want to be or do what they really want to do? Well, in my case, this question came a little later in my life, (let's say I'm not in the first flush of youth), but what's more important for me is that I took my time and efforts to answer it and the answer for me personally was to get...

Happy Sunday, everyone.  Hope you've brewed some strong java because I have some inspiring and motivational content to springboard you into a new week. As you know, we've had some remarkable talent contributing to the Stage 32 Blog over the past 6 years.  Some of these terrific pieces have been buried (although you can always use the Blog search function!) and we've been reviving them and giving them a new audience on Medium. So without further fanfare, here are 5 fantastic and diverse blogs...

Today on Twitter and Instagram, it's #ShowReelShareDay - That means whether you're an actor, filmmaker, cinematographer or other creative with a reel, today is the day to showcase your talents to the world. Let's show the social world that we are the most creative community on the planet! We're asking all our members who have reels and either a Twitter or Instagram account (or both) to help promote Stage 32 while promoting yourselves!  All you have to do is share your reel link here on Stage 3...

There is a wonderful book written by the outstanding African author Tsisti Dangarembga called Nervous Conditions. The shocking first line of the book is: "I was not sorry when my brother died". She wasn’t sorry, because it meant she could now go to school. I feel like that about what is happening in our business. I am glad we are in a disruption and that the old model is falling apart, because I feel the new data driven e-commerce model allows more diversity and this gives advantage to the...

Happy Sunday, everyone.  And for those celebrating in the States, a Happy 4th of July weekend. For Coffee & Content this week, I'm sharing two terrific videos I'm sure you'll all find enormously entertaining and informative. First, it's the Personal Storytelling of INSIDE OUT.  I'm sure many of you are familiar with the painstaking process all Pixar scripts go through from concept to screen.  This video provides some more insight into why INSIDE OUT was Oscar nominated and works as well as i...

Times are changing for film, TV and web creators, and the SHAPE expo will explore how the convergence of technology and entertainment will impact your work. We are excited to open up a very unique opportunity for the Stage 32 community to purchase tickets for $25 ($100 normally) by using promo code ShapeOnStage at checkout, but hurry because space at the event is limited! Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker) Spend your Friday night listening to Kathryn Bigelow, two-time Aca...