Acting

Happy Tuesday, Creative Army! Last week, I announced our 11th Annual Short Film Program at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival, and I promised I'd come back and introduce you to the extraordinary filmmakers behind this year's six finalist films. So grab a coffee and settle in, because these are the people we're celebrating on August 13th, and once you know their stories, I think you'll want to be in that room as badly as I do. First, in case you missed last week's announcement, he...

What's up, Creative Army! I have been on the road, in the meetings, and on the phone with executives, producers, financiers, and buyers all year long. And every time I come back from one of those conversations, the same thing happens. I want to sit down with the creatives in this community, and I want to tell them everything I just heard, because so much of it is information that would genuinely change how they approach their careers if they only knew it. So that is exactly what I am about t...

Happy Wednesday, Creative Army! You've made a short film. You've put your time, effort, blood, sweat, tears, and maybe even some serious money into it. And your goal isn't just to get it seen. It's to get it seen around the world, and by the people who can actually make a difference in your career. Would being screened at an Oscar-qualifying film festival matter to you? How about having your film screened for over 1,000 executives, including managers, agents, producers, and financiers? Then...

Nobody tells you the honest version of this when you're starting. You hear about residuals and royalties the way you hear about compound interest, abstractly, admiringly, as something that happens to other people. And then one day, you negotiate your first reuse clause and the abstraction collapses into something real and irritating and completely learnable. The irritating part is this: the information is buried under a thick layer of people who'd rather sell you a framework than explain...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! I hope your weekend has been a creative one so far. Whether you have been writing, filming, editing, or sketching out the next spark of an idea, I have something today that will give you a boost. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. This week's featured video comes from FilmStack- When an Actor Saved His Career More Than Once. Ben Affleck’s career is one of Hollywood’s most fascinating examples of reinvention. After co-writing Good Will Hunting with Matt Dam...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Let’s kick things off with a huge shoutout to everyone who has already jumped into this month’s Introduce Yourself Weekend. Thousands of creatives from around the world are connecting, sharing their stories, and building relationships that can lead to collaborations, opportunities, and lifelong friendships. If you haven’t made your introduction yet, you still have time. Head over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge before the weekend wraps. Be bold. Introduce yourse...

One of the most valuable things you can learn as a creative, whether you have spent years on set or have never stepped foot on one, is who actually does what on a film crew. It is the roadmap to how a production really works, and it is often the first step toward finding your own place on one. Most people, inside and outside of the industry, have familiarity with the primary "above the line" crew positions and the creative forces behind a project. Yet many of the "below the line" crew position...

As an actor, you learn quickly that you're not going to book every job. You go into a room, you do the work, and often, the answer is no. But there's an old piece of advice every actor hears at some point: your goal isn't to book the job, it's to book the room. What that means is simple. Even when you don't get the part, you want to leave the people in that room remembering you. You want them thinking about you for the next thing, recommending you to someone else, wanting to see you again. The...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! I hope your weekend has been a creative one so far. Whether you have been writing, filming, editing, or sketching out the next spark of an idea, I have something today that will give you a boost. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. This week's featured video comes from Variety, and it is a real eye-opener for anyone making work with limited resources: How Richard Gadd and Jamie Bell Made an Emotional 15-Page Scene in Under a Day for Half Man. If you do not...

It's official, Stage 32 Community: July Filmmakers Club is back for our 3rd annual run, and I could not be more excited to kick this month off with you If this is your first time joining us, here's the quick version. July Filmmakers Club is your month-long creative accelerator, built to help you connect with fellow filmmakers, set clear intentions, and move your projects forward with real purpose, in partnership with Blackmagic Design. And this year, here's the rhythm you can count on every...