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My name is Erik. I'm Stage 32 Happy Writers coordinator, a writer and the son of a father born to excel in the corporate world – and as a Senior Executive at one of the most prestigious hospitality companies in the world, he did. You can tell I'm classy because I say “hospitality company” instead of “hotel chain”. My upbringing was one of reason, commerce, and common sense which, despite the specific machinations of economy and industry, Corporate America lives and dies on. I know there are wr...

Want to write, act, direct, negotiate, produce, walk a celebrity’s dog? Whatever your dream gig is, if you’re trying to break into Hollywood, there’s no better place to start than a talent agency. Everything you could ever need to launch a successful career is behind those spotless, heavy glass doors in Beverly Hills — or Culver City, you know who you are. The best (and worst) scripts to read. Contacts who will put your resume in the right hands and lie about how great you are to the powers that...

I’ve done it, you’ve done it, everyone’s done it: as you watch a movie or TV show you find yourself screaming “not that again!” or “he wouldn’t do that!” or “that makes no sense!” So now I’m going to list my pet peeves – those things I just can’t stand seeing over and over again in shows or movies. Or those things that just leap out as contrivances that just don’t work. I also reached out to colleagues in the entertainment industry for their ideas. I’d like this blog post to be interactive:...

The job of a film score composer is to elicit an emotional response from the audience viewing the film. Bing, Bang, Boom!!! In a nut shell that's it! That's the job description! Sometimes the score needs to terrify the audience or fill them with suspense, other times it calls for a triumphant feeling. Composers are called to make people laugh, cry and even fall in love. Each composer has their own 'voice' and their scores encompass an enormous variety of styles of music, depending on the natur...

STAGE 32 NEWS Live From Cannes - Talking Stage 32 Member Success & Cannes News - We wanted to share a Cannes update. So far we have met hundreds of Stage 32 members from all around the world, 32 which have films screening here at Cannes, and that are competing, which has been so inspiring!  Listen to RB's update from the Variety party in Cannes and get the news on amazing things going on here! 10 Reasons To Release Your Feature As A Web Series - You can now shoot a movie on a phone. You can e...

You can now shoot a movie on a phone. You can edit like a pro on a laptop. You can share your work with a few billion people with just a few YouTube clicks. The revolution is here. So why are we stuck on old business models? Why do we still think the best way to further our indie careers is to make a low budget feature, do the film festival circuit and be discovered and signed like it’s 1999? I’m over 50. (Yikes!) and it’s time to let go of decades-old indie filmmaking ideals. It’s tim...

Having a unique and compelling voice as a writer is something we all desire to have. Yet we are told (in forums and by so called gurus) that “We must follow the rules” to be a screenwriter, we must do everything exactly the same as everyone else. People have looked at great screenwriting and found commonalities. However, commonality is not causality. Because if these common things are all that is needed to create a great script, writers wouldn’t be needed. How the Rules came about The rule...

 Meet Stage 32 members from all over the world who have had success using Stage32.com!   Like this blog post? Please share it on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email etc) by using social media buttons at the top of the blog. Or post to your personal blog and anywhere else you feel appropriate. Thank you. As always, we welcome thoughts and remarks on ANY of the content above in the Comments section below...  

STAGE 32 NEWS Let's Celebrate You! Hey there, my Stage 32 fam! I have some very exciting news for you all today. You know, I say this all the time, but we are so lucky to have this incredible platform. I know for many of us, it has jumpstarted our careers and totally transformed our lives. We have immediate access to a world of opportunities at our fingertips, as well as this amazingly supportive community to keep us going forward. Not to mention, the incredibly affordable educational resources...

Are you familiar with the 80/20 rule? It’s originally known as the Pareto Principle and it basically says that 20% of the input creates 80% of the result. In other words, only 20% of you will do whatever it takes to become published, produced, or put on display in the world of writing. Only 20% of you will ever see the project you started come to fruition. Only 20% of you are willing to be criticized, crucified and ridiculed in order to become part of the 80% result. The question is th...