Producing : Why Your Creative Community Is Your Career - Creative Army Drive WEEK 2! by Ashley Renée Smith

Simply because, in this industry, you can’t work alone. We’re forced to work together, whether we realize it or not. So, my success will also help you succeed.

I love this mission, Ashley! It makes growing our community feel intentional and personal, bringing in the people we genuinely want beside us. I already have a few creatives in mind and will work on bringing my two into the fold this week! :)

I think the most valuable creative connections are often built around people who challenge the way we see a story, rather than simply reinforce what we already believe. As a screenwriter, I’m always drawn to stories that explore what people hide beneath what they say. That kind of creative community is worth building.

Sandra Isabel

And you are on the right path, Hani Hannachi. Keep going.

I reached out to my two, a writer tackling her first novel and a game dev and talented artist who I think could really bring a great perspective to the animation lounge.

Hoping they join!

I invited my oldest son (content creator) Trevor Hess, and my friend Jen Shicky

another one

I sent one to Allen Salkin a month ago. I met him at a meetup. Look below.

@Ashley Renée Smith, I just sent out 2 invites to creative partners of mine, but I didn't want to post the invite or send through the https://www.stage32.com/invite portal because I want to keep their email addresses private. If they wish to join, they will join. I provied them my synopsis and mentioned what Stage 32 has to offer along with a supportive community of creatives.

Invited two Ashley Renée Smith and sent the two contacts to you via email!

I love Week 2 task :)) So, I invited through Instagram Natália Pavlovaklius, a brilliant storytelling director who lives in Lisbon and her Art is beautiful. Also, I invited Cesar Correia, a great Cinematographer with two shorts in his slate and fun fact ( he is my nephew) and began as The Misstep Gaffer :))

Now, Cesar’s invitation :))

Not Alan Sorkin? Is there an Allen Salkin also?

Hani Hannachi "the most valuable creative connections are often built around people who challenge the way we see a story, rather than simply reinforce what we already believe" is genuinely well put, and it's the harder version of community to build. It's easy to gather people who agree with you. It's much more useful to have people who make you defend your choices.

Since you're thinking about this the right way, go get your two! Invite two friends or collaborators to join Stage 32, come back and tell us who you brought in, and I'll send your free Pitch Session code right over. Given what you just wrote, I suspect you already know exactly who they'd be. I can't wait to meet them!

Elle Bolan both of those are great picks, and the game dev especially. We have members thinking about interactive and transmedia work who'd love to have someone with that background in the Animation Lounge and Transmedia Lounge, and it's a perspective we don't get enough of.

And a writer on her first novel is exactly who benefits most from landing somewhere with people ahead of her on the same path.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox. Thank you for bringing them in!

Wow! Inviting your own son is a lovely one. Content creators bring a genuinely useful perspective to these Lounges too, since audience-building is something a lot of our members are still figuring out and creators have been living it.

Welcome to Trevor and Jen both! Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox, Lisa Matzke.

Anthony McBride love that you're already in the habit of bringing people in! And meeting someone at a meetup and thinking to invite them here is exactly the instinct this whole event is about.

For this week's mission though, the invites need to go out during the Week 2 window, so send two new ones and you're in. Sounds like you've already got a sense of who's worth inviting, so that should be an easy one.

Come back and tell us who you brought in, and I'll send your free Pitch Session code right over.

Ray Fontenault that's the right call, and thank you for protecting their privacy. Personal invitations sent directly are honestly the strongest version of this mission anyway. An email from someone they already work with carries far more weight than any invite system could.

And sharing your synopsis alongside it is a nice touch. It gives them a concrete sense of what you're building here. Thank you! Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox!

Leonardo Ramirez Two weeks running, my friend. Thank you.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox. Go get some good feedback and notes. Maybe you'll even get your FOURTH script request! Rooting for you, my friend.

Sandra Isabel both wonderful picks, and I love that one of them started as your gaffer on THE MISSTEP and is now building his own slate! That's the whole thing: you work with someone once, and years later you're the person who brings them into the next room. A storytelling director in Lisbon is a great add too. We have members curious about Portugal as a production base, and having someone there who's actually working would be genuinely useful to them.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox. Thank you for keeping this going!

I invited my friends Brittney Anderson and Will Williams! Both have worked with me on projects and I think they would greatly benefit from Stage 32!

I invited two important people in my life in a private email--cc'd community@stage32.com. A trusted-friend and advertising copywriter I run everything by. My husband who has a book that would make a great documentary.

Is the session going to be via video? I prefer using Google Chat because I’m not fluent in English, unless there’s an app that provides real-time translation. Ashley Renée Smith

I used your system to send it to 2 screenwriters I work with that dont use you. I then privately emailed you for the code. Thanks

I sent invites to two persons who work at regional film funding organizations in my country. That may sound odd. But the film support policy in my country has been a horrible failure. For example, there is a net migration of talent from my country to USA, a country which has almost no film support system. So those people need to learn what to do instead. Have someone from their organizations active here.

When it comes to the pitch session, I want to pitch by email. I am in almost the opposite time zone, and speak English with a strong accent. Pitching should be fairly straight forward, because I can honestly tell that I have three ideas which are such that production companies in Australia, India respectively sweden have taken me seriously. A TV-movie, vertical drama respectively a TV mini series for children.

Thank you Ashley Renée Smith. I go to use it very well :)) Yes, Portugal now is growing and there is a new great film produced by Ryan Gosling with Lisbon and the Algarve as story locations. American production is shooting in Portugal, finally :))

Hi, Ashley, Here is my first invitation. It´s for Sarah Gavron, via agency She is a British director.

Here is my second invitation. It´s to Sarah Polley. She is a Canadian filmaker. She won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Women Talking in 2023. I made my two choices according to affinity of genre. Thank you for this great challenge, The Creative Army.

I invited a book author and a screenwriter.

Hey I invited loonie Jackson an actor and filmmaker. And I invited Tera slaughter a actress and screenwriter,, there very excited about stage 32

Sky Belluomini collaborators you've actually worked with are wonderful people to bring in. You already know what they're building and what they're up against, so you know exactly what this community can do for them.

Welcome to Brittney and Will! Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox, Sky.

Shirley Beatty Collier both wonderful people to bring in. A copywriter you run everything by is exactly the kind of reader every creative needs, and a book that could become a documentary belongs in front of this community. We have plenty of members working in documentary who'd be glad to talk it through with him.

Welcome to them both! Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox, Shirley.

Hani Hannachi good news, you have options!

You can choose either a written pitch or a virtual pitch, and both are wonderful. The written option may be the better fit given what you're describing, since it lets you take your time getting the language right and you'll still receive feedback from the executive. You can see all the details here: https://www.stage32.com/scriptservices/pitch-sessions&affid=ashblog24

Joe Rendace thank you for bringing in two screenwriters you work with directly! Those are exactly the people this community should have in it.

Your Pitch Session code went out to your inbox this morning, so it should be waiting for you.

Göran Johansson that doesn't sound odd at all. It's one of the more interesting invitations anyone has made this month.

Bringing people from regional film funding organizations into a community of 1.5 million creatives across 190 countries is genuinely useful for them. Seeing what filmmakers in other territories are actually navigating, and what does and doesn't work elsewhere, is exactly the kind of perspective that's hard to get from inside an institution. I hope they engage.

On the pitch, written is available and it sounds like the right fit for you. You can see all the details here: https://www.stage32.com/scriptservices/pitch-sessions&affid=ashblog24 And with three projects that have already gotten real attention from production companies in three different countries, I'd recommend emailing our Success Team at Success@Stage32.com first. They can help you pick which project to lead with and which executive is the best match for it. That's free and worth doing before you book.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox.

Sandra Isabel that's genuinely good news and exactly the kind of thing that shifts a territory's trajectory. One high-profile American production shooting somewhere tends to bring others behind it, because it proves the crew base and the infrastructure can carry it. Portugal has a strong case to make. Competitive rebate, a crew base that's grown a great deal, and geographic range that most small countries can't offer.

Maria Caeiro wow! Thank you for jumping in! Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox.

Colin Hussey thank you for sharing this! Both wonderful people to bring in, and an author and a screenwriter will find very different things useful here, which is the best kind of pair to invite.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox.

Andrew Crutcher welcome to Loonie and Tera! An actor-filmmaker and an actress-screenwriter are both great adds, and members who work across two disciplines tend to get a lot out of the Lounges since there's a room for each side of what they do.

Love that they're already excited. Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox!

It’s very true Ashley Renée Smith, and I made a new Producing lounge post about it, with the Premiere and trailer. Take a look: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/producing/Portugal-on-the-International-Production-Map

It’s a new world of opportunities for us.

Thanks for the code. I received it. And nice that you found the two persons interesting.

Ashley Renée Smith This is a great post. Unfortunately, I lost contact with fellow students in my screenwriting classes. But one of my friends has an animation business he is trying to get going. As technically an out-of-work screenwriter, I am looking for whatever job I can get. Hopefully, this will be a win.

Invited two of my writing room members from the Organization of Black Screenwriters. Thanks Ashley Renée Smith

Stage32 is too good a secret to keep to yourself, especially when you have friends who are actors, writers, and filmmakers! I've emailed about 50 of my friends who may not know about this site, and a couple have confirmed that they have joined! Hopefully, this helps them!

I invited M Ali, founder of Part, and Nasir Khan, Assistant Director at Green Entertainment, Pakistan. Also, in the invite section, there is no WhatsApp, and in Pakistan, email is not common; WhatsApp is used majorly.

I invited diverse independent Filmmakers (writer/producer/directors) Eunice Levis, Marcella Ocha, and Carole Renard. I have met or connected with each of them and their drive, passion and commitment are inspiring to me as I work to move fully into the screenwriting space. I've had the privilege to support projects of theirs as an independent producer

Week 2 mission completed! I personally contacted four creative professionals from my network: Suresh Eswaran, Shyam Babu, Skinny Corleone, and Chazz DeMoss. Chazz informed me that he was already a Stage 32 member, so I’m counting the other three as my invitations. Suresh has expressed interest in exploring the community. Thank you for the challenge, Ashley!

I actually reached out to my group of Commercial Acting Class Friends and invited them. Via email.

Hi Ashley! This is an incredible initiative, and I absolutely love the philosophy behind the Creative Army Drive. A free Pitch Session is an invaluable asset for independent filmmakers!

I have just personally reached out via private messages to two talented creative partners from my network, inviting them to join this amazing ecosystem and share their vision here. To respect and protect their privacy, I didn’t use the automated portal, but I’ve introduced them to what Stage 32 has to offer and can't wait for them to explore the Lounges.

Mission Week 2 completed! Looking forward to the code in my inbox. Thank you for this challenge!

Kevin Enners thank you for bringing your friends in and sending me an email! An animation business getting off the ground is exactly the kind of person who'd benefit from being here, and our Animation Lounge has members building similar things.

And for what it's worth, please don't count yourself out. Being between jobs is the condition most of this industry lives in, and this community is full of people who found their next thing through a conversation they didn't expect. Being visible here matters more than most people realize.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox.

MB Stevens the Organization of Black Screenwriters is a wonderful community to bring people in from, and writers you're already in a room with are exactly the right kind of invitation. They'll arrive knowing what it means to show up for other writers.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox. Thank you for bringing them in!

Jackie Letkowski fifty people! That's the biggest single reach anyone has had this week, and "too good a secret to keep to yourself" is spot on! I love that a couple have already joined. Personal invitations from someone they know carry so much more weight than anything we could post ourselves.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox. Thank you for taking it that far.

Shahzad Haider thank you for bringing M Ali and Nasir Khan in! A founder and an AD at a broadcaster are both great additions, and Pakistani production is a perspective we don't hear nearly enough of here.

And thank you for flagging the WhatsApp gap. That's genuinely useful to know. Our invite system was built with email as the default, and you're right that it doesn't reflect how people actually communicate in a lot of the world. I'll pass that along to our team as something worth looking at.

In the meantime, sharing the link directly through WhatsApp works perfectly well for the mission, so please keep doing it that way.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox!

Myrtle McGovern amazing! Three filmmakers you've actually produced for is a wonderful set of invitations. You know their work firsthand, which means you know exactly what this community can offer them.

Welcome to Eunice, Marcella, and Carole! And it sounds like you're building a real bridge between producing and screenwriting yourself, which is a good place to be standing. The people you've supported tend to be the ones who show up when you're the one with the pages.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox. Thank you for bringing them in!

Charmane Wedderburn wow! Three brand new to the community! Thank you for that, and for being so thorough about it.

Welcome to Suresh, Shyam, and Skinny. And it's always a good sign when someone turns out to already be here. It means you and Chazz are both in the right room.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox!

Xochi Blymyer A whole commercial acting class is a great room to bring in, and actors who already work together tend to arrive ready to participate.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox. Thank you, friend!

Maksym Stoialov thank you for jumping in, and for protecting their privacy while doing it.

Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox. Looking forward to seeing your two in the Lounges!

Another great mission!!! I invited my friend Yiannis Nikolaos Kalogiannis, a photographer and amateur actor as I admire him a lot as an artist. He is innovative, with great passion and joy for what he does .. Also my friend Kalomoira Petrou, a photographer and videographer who takes her first steps in screenwriting and I want to urge her to become more active and benefit from your seminars...

Hi, I've invited two of my fellow writer director friends, they're as excited as I am!

Thevinkumar Thiagaraja I love that they're as excited as you are. That's the best sign there is.

Thank you for bringing them in! Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox.

Ktenidi Evangelia both of these are lovely invitations, and I can hear how much you admire them.

A photographer stepping into screenwriting is exactly the kind of person this community can help. She already has the visual instinct, which is half of what makes a screenplay work, and she just needs the craft and the people around her. I hope she takes you up on it.

Thank you for bringing them both in! Your Pitch Session code is in your inbox.

I invited my sister, who is an actor.Her name is Mutsa and a fellow writer friend Ruvimbo

I invited a screenwriter named Marcus

And now I invited tung.

Ashley Renée Smith I should have done so before this - but I invited my DP for my film, a fellow writer Claudia Dixon wheeler, and one of my editors - Kathie Dickenson. They will be amazed when they realize what Stage 32 has to offer!

Week two accomplished! And I brought in some great people! One is a graphic designer/animator/UXUI designer, the other is an author with tons of books, a feature that going to multiple film festivals and more!

Author/Director Gary

I invited two actors who’ve been in my short films and who write as well. Also sent networking requests to a director I’ve worked on short with.

I’ve invited 2 creatives, a talented director I connected with at The Cannes Festival this year who is based in Atlanta and a Casting Director who works at a production company in New York!

Hi Ashley,

I’m sending the screenshots showing that I completed Week 2 of the Creative Army Drive. I sent invitations to Marisa Salas and Marcelo Vignolo, who were not previously registered on Stage 32.

I’ve attached the screenshots showing the invitations sent from my Stage 32 account as proof of completion.

Thank you!

Tari Matanga your sister and a fellow writer is a lovely pair to bring in. And an actor and a writer will find very different things useful here, which means they'll both have somewhere to land.

Welcome to Mutsa and Ruvimbo! Tari, your Pitch Session code went out yesterday, so it should be waiting in your inbox.

Nicholas P thank you for bringing Marcus and Tung in! Welcome to them both.

Your Pitch Session code went out yesterday, so it should be waiting in your inbox.

Debbie Seagle three people you've actually worked with is a wonderful set of invitations. A DP, a writer, and an editor will each find completely different things useful here, and they'll all arrive knowing exactly how you operate.

Welcome to Claudia and Kathie and your DP! Your Pitch Session code went out yesterday, so it should be waiting in your inbox, Deb.

Joshua Young both of those are excellent adds. A graphic designer and animator with UX/UI experience brings a skill set our Animation and Transmedia Lounges would genuinely benefit from, and Gary arrives with a body of work and a festival run behind him.

Welcome to them both! Your Pitch Session code went out yesterday, so it should be waiting in your inbox.

Phoenix Black that's awesome! Actors who write are exactly the kind of members who get a lot out of this place, since they'll find rooms for both sides of what they do. And people you've already made work with arrive understanding how you operate, which matters.

Your Pitch Session code went out yesterday, so it should be waiting in your inbox.

Jake Ibelo a director out of Atlanta and a casting director in New York is a genuinely valuable pair to bring in. Those are two of the most active markets in the country right now, and a casting director especially is a perspective our Acting Lounge would be glad to have.

And connections made at Cannes turning into invitations here is exactly how this is supposed to work.

Your Pitch Session code went out yesterday, so it should be waiting in your inbox!

Martín Vignolo Thank you for bringing Marisa and Marcelo in! And no need for screenshots, I trust you, but I appreciate the thoroughness.

Your Pitch Session code went out yesterday, so it should be waiting in your inbox.

Week 2 is officially closed!

Thank you to everyone who brought someone in. You invited sisters, sons, collaborators, DPs, editors, casting directors, actors from your classes, writers from your rooms, and people you met at Cannes. Every one of them is someone this community is better for having. All of your Pitch Session codes are in your inboxes.

Week 3 is live now, and this one is my favorite of the month.

Introduce Yourself Weekend runs September 18th through 21st, but you don't have to wait for the weekend. Post your Introduce Yourself any time this week and get a jump start on it.

This week's mission is to invite one person you know to join in. They don't have to work in the industry. Anyone passionate about film, television, theater, music, or any creative medium counts.

Then comment on the Week 3 post telling us who you invited, and share the link to your own Introduce Yourself post so the whole Army can welcome you.

Every member who completes it gets a FREE Stage 32 First 10 Pages Review with an executive of your choice. Not a drawing. Everyone who participates gets one.

Week 3 post: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/producing/The-Connections-That-Started-on...

Introduce Yourself Lounge link to share: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/introduce_yourself

Full details: https://www.stage32.com/blog/creative-army-drive-week-3-the-connections-...

And a reminder: complete three or more missions this month and you're entered in the Grand Prize Drawing for a free Career Development Call with an executive of your choice. We're at the halfway point, so there's still plenty of time.

Let's keep building this thing.

Yeah I messaged them to come over to stage 32 Ashley Renée Smith