Stage 32 Presents: Sci-fi & Fantasy Roundtable: The State of the Industry & Adapting IP Today
Stage 32 Presents: Sci-fi & Fantasy Roundtable: The State of the Industry & Adapting IP Today
Taught by Matthew Bouch, Thomas Vitale, Jonathan Walker & Nicky Weinstock
Top Sci-Fi and Fantasy Filmmakers
Jul 16th, 10:00 AM PDT
Free
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Summary

Join four powerhouse executive producers and showrunners behind your favorite genre shows for an exclusive roundtable on the current state of the industry, adapting intellectual properties—and how to break in. From THE WITCHER and DOCTOR WHO to STARGATE and SEVERANCE, these industry veterans will share insider insights on what's selling, how to adapt existing IPs, and what networks and streamers are hungry for right now.

What You'll Learn

Whether you're developing original worlds or eyeing that perfect adaptation, this is your chance to learn directly from the decision-makers shaping the genre's future. Plus, get exclusive tips from the very judges and mentors who could be reading your next Stage 32 Sci-Fi screenwriting contest submission.

Don't miss this rare opportunity to learn from the pros who are actually making today's biggest sci-fi and fantasy hits.

Who Should Attend

Perfect for screenwriters, producers, and anyone looking to break into or advance in genre entertainment.

Executive

Matthew Bouch, Thomas Vitale, Jonathan Walker & Nicky Weinstock
Matthew Bouch, Thomas Vitale, Jonathan Walker & Nicky Weinstock
Top Sci-Fi and Fantasy Filmmakers at

Matthew Bouch is a longtime Development Executive, Producer, and Showrunner who has produced for companies such as BBCDISNEY, and NETFLIX. Matthew was the Producer on seasons 2 & 3 of the NETFLIX hit series THE WITCHER, which was nominated for 3 Emmys. He also produced A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER , a BBC/Netflix co-production.

As an development executive at the BBC, Matt developed the shows DOCTOR WHOHOLBY CITYTORCHWOODLIFE ON MARS and MISTRESSES, the last three of which were re-formatted in the US, before developing and producing Russell T Davies’ BAFTA-nominated series THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES, which ran for five seasons. He also developed THE FAMOUS FIVE for Moonage/BBC/ZDF/TF1.

Matthew co-created the multi-award winning BEING HUMAN, on which he was co-showrunner with Toby Whithouse. Another BAFTA-nominated show, MY MAD FAT DIARY followed, and ran for three seasons. He was then selected by David Goyer to creatively oversee and exec Seasons 2 and 3 of the Emmy-winning DA VINCI'S DEMONS for FOX/Starz.

He is currently developing multiple projects including: HOW TO BECOME A FAMOUS SERIAL KILLER, with Olivia Cuartero, for Black Camel/All3ACTS OF GOD for Element 8/AT Productions, and a whole slate of projects with director Peter Hoar (IT'S A SINTHE LAST OF US).


Thomas P. Vitale (“Tom”) is a television and film writer/producer specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and horror/supernatural programming and movies. He currently runs Vital Signs Entertainment. Recently Tom produced and released the science fiction time travel action-adventure film, 57 Seconds, starring Morgan Freeman and Josh Hutcherson, based on the renowned and award-winning story by British author, E.C. Tubb.

Tom is also an EP on the critically-acclaimed Slasher, a streaming anthology series, formerly on Netflix, which will be dropping its sixth season on Shudder later in 2025. Additionally, Tom is an EP on the CW’s original documentary special, Best Christmas Movies Ever!, which premiered in December 2024. He is also producer, interviewer, and on-screen interview subject of the critically-acclaimed documentary 1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever, which premiered at the prestigious Sitges Film Festival in Spain and subsequently aired as a weekly series in the U.S. and in markets worldwide.

Tom was also a writer and Executive Producer on Pandora, a scripted science fiction series which ran for two seasons on The CW Network and Amazon streaming. And in 2018, Tom co-wrote and produced the horror-comedy, You Might Be the Killer – the first movie ever produced from a Twitter conversation that went massively viral – which played in over 15 film festivals in the U.S. and internationally, and is now available on streaming.

Prior to Vital Signs Entertainment, Tom was EVP at NBCU’s Syfy Channel and Chiller Network, where he ran scheduling, acquisitions, original movies, documentaries, specials, and series co-productions. While at Syfy, Tom made the network into one of the largest producers of original movies on television when he created Syfy’s original Saturday movie franchise, “The Most Dangerous Night of Television.” The over 350 original movies made during Tom’s tenure include buzzy, high-rated titles like Mansquito and Ice Twisters, Roger Corman’s Sharktopus, Stan Lee’s Harpies and Lightspeed, and the social media sensations Sharknado 1 & 2.

In the series world at Syfy, Tom developed, commissioned, or supervised many original TV series and miniseries including Z Nation, Dark Matter, Flash Gordon, Painkiller Jane, Lexx, the animated comedy Tripping the Rift, and the critically-acclaimed Farscape from Jim Henson Productions. He was also responsible for bringing the immensely successful Stargate franchise to Syfy and worked on everything at the network from Battlestar Galactica, to the Emmy-winning miniseries Steven Spielberg Presents Taken, to Eureka, to Warehouse 13, to the ratings record-setting Tin Man, to Dean Devlin’s The Triangle, and to unscripted reality shows like Ghost Hunters, Paranormal Witness, and Face Off.

For the Chiller Network, Tom ran all the day-to-day network operations and was responsible for critically-acclaimed festival horror and supernatural films such as Elijah Wood’s The Boy, and Animal from executive producer Drew Barrymore, in addition to dozens of hours of reality series, original documentaries, and specials.

Born and bred in the Bronx, Tom is a graduate of Williams College in Massachusetts. A member of the WGA, PGA, and Mensa, Tom began his entertainment career in the famed Page Program at NBC, followed by a stint in marketing and strategy at Viacom Enterprises. Tom has “permanent residency” status in the E.U., making him eligible for Canadian and European co-productions.


Jonathan Lloyd Walker is an English-Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter in the film and television industry. He has gained recognition for his roles in various films, including ShooterRED, and as Colin, the British radio operator in The Thing (2011 prequel). Additionally, he portrayed Rankol in the TV series Flash Gordon and Big John in TNT's Snowpiercer.

Beyond his acting career, Walker took on the role of showrunner for the fourth season of the drama series Van Helsing. During the first three seasons, he collaborated with acclaimed and award-winning playwright Neil LaBute, serving as Co-Executive Producer initially and then as Executive Producer.

Walker also contributed as a writer and producer for all four seasons of the popular Showcase/SyFy series Continuum, under the guidance of series creator and executive producer Simon Davis Barry. In 2018, he wrote for the Canadian television series The Murders and Private Eyes, while also assuming the position of Co-Executive Producer for the Netflix series Wu Assassins.


Nicholas "Nicky" Weinstock is the founder and president of Invention Studios. He has developed and produced movies including BridesmaidsAlex StrangelovePlus OneDinner in AmericaQueenpins and Thelma, as well as television series including Escape at Dannemora on Showtime (nominated for 12 Emmy Awards); the four-season hit series In the Dark on Netflix; the Apple TV+ series High Desert; and the Emmy Award-winning Apple TV+ series Severance, which he continues to Executive Produce.

Weinstock began his career as a book editor, journalist, and novelist in New York City. He is the author of the nonfiction book The Secret Love of Sons, the novels As Long as She Needs Me and The Golden Hour, and has written articles and essays for the New York Times Magazine, The Nation, National Public Radio, the Los Angeles Times, Variety, Vogue, and other national publications. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2004, Weinstock has run Apatow Productions with writer/director Judd Apatow; served as Senior Vice President of Chernin Entertainment; and headed Red Hour Films in partnership with actor/director Ben Stiller.

Weinstock launched Invention in 2021 with a diverse and expansive slate of projects in Hollywood and across the globe. He is also the founder of Craft Services: an online support network and project incubator currently serving more than 900 emerging movie and TV writers across the United States and in Canada, Mexico, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia, Africa and beyond.

Weinstock serves on the executive council of the Authors Guild, based in New York City; on the board of the Africa International Film Festival, which takes place yearly in Lagos, Nigeria; on the board of Pavillon Afriques, the Cannes Film Festival's platform devoted to pan-African cinema; and on the board of Get Lit, a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles devoted to helping under-resourced students and communities through the power of poetry and spoken word. In 2022 he was elected to the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences as a juror of the International Emmy Awards.

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