Producing

I invited Carlos Ratti to join Stage 32 and participate in Introduce Yourself Weekend. He has now joined the community and posted his introduction. Thank you!

Invited my close friend and frequent collaborator, Julian Reed! He’s a writer and director who is diving deeper into indie producing this year, so I told him he needed to jump into Introduce Yourself Weekend and get connected with the lounge.

Here is the link to my Introduce Yourself post: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/introduce_yourself/Nicholas-Greene

And the creative army marches on. I invited my friend & novelist GenXCore. Here's my first Introduce Yourself post since I first arrived. Good to be saying hi again! https://www.stage32.com/lounge/introduce_yourself/Introduce-Yourself-Wee...

Hi, I invited my cinematographer friend who is now making his first directorial debut short . Below is my introduction post https://www.stage32.com/lounge/introduce_yourself/Colourist-available-fo...

I invited my partners who collaborated on "Snow FAlls" with me. I'm currently pitch the package which includes screenplay, original music, budget, investor deck, lookbook and an evloving storyboard along with MAster Production Breakdown and a stress tested shoot schedule. https://www.stage32.com/lounge/introduce_yourself

I don't get it? you are a producer and financier? why are you asking how other people are doing it? has something changed in the industry? Are you a D-guy? I'm not a producer nore do I want to be as my passion is to direct. Now, I did produce my first feature film as I only had $120,000 in the bank that I saved up from directing TV commercials and corporate videos and broadcast news. Not enough to make a movie and, my friend from film school showed me this book Rebel With Out. a Crew by Robertuy Rodriguez... he claims he went out and shot a feature on $7,000. Well, he used an Arri S 16mm camera and shot mostly in Mexico so if he did what I think he did he converted dollars to pesos! Brilliant! I then met this very talented makeup artist named Stan Winston. He made the terminator, dinos in Jurassic Park, Aliens, Predator.... he wanted to work with me on my first movie but I was too embarrassed to take him up on his offer because my budget was that low. his advice to me was you can make any movie you want on any budget you just have to find a way. I way I did... I went from $120,000 to $600,000. $5 million deferred. It's been 16 years and had to wait to make my 2nd movie. without hesitation I started to go-to film meet ups and events. I got to pitch my movie to a well known company. All I had was a 10 second pitch. no pitch deck, no sizzle reel. All I said... I'm gearing up to make my 2nd movie, it's an action adventure movie like Indiana Jones, I need funding... are you in? To my surprise they said yes and gave me a special phone number to call. $20 million dollar budget deal. oh but they want a pkg. It's BS!!! why? on 20 million, i could only seek out B-listers and c-listers who need pay to play contracts which cost anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000. If you want to attach an actor for free... go for A lister. A listers Don't work with guys like me. Not to mention, you attach an A lister... your script is now Hot and the budget goes through the roof! So if you're a D-guy like I think you are,than you know as well as I know putting a pkg together is the easiest thing... having them sign that option! impossible unless your seasoned. Hollywood is broken! You my friend need to fix it! Start hiring film makers out of film school and forget pkgs! I can sign Tom Cruise to my script and don't need a line producer or casting director simply by calling his agent! It's that easy and guess what, I'll up the ante and even get a memo deal which guarantees he has to be in the picture pending his availability of course. That's his out. why would he be out? I would offer him $80 million dollars upfront plus back end deal. You better have a $400 million dollar budget! So please... don't waste these folks time. You're a financier??? then finance a film and change the system!

Francisco Castro can you elaborate? How is the current model being run and what needs to be updated?

Regarding your question, Teresa Valiquette, foreign presales is still based on the 80s model that needs a male lead (DeNiro, Cage, Stallone, Butler, etc) to pull the trigger for financing. Today, even after the #MeToo movement, foreign presales has not really moved the needle anywhere near scripts with women and/or diversity leads.

Thanks Francisco Castro. Is there any public data about what territories are wiling to pay for specific genres (whether a film is packaged vs. not)? Or is that data held solely by foreign sales agents?

Financing is definitely a roadblock. After taking a film financing course, I was told that one of the biggest mistakes a screenwriter makes with their pitch deck (when presenting specifically to a financier) is focusing only on the story and not on the potential ROI. When presenting to a creative, open with the story; when presenting to a financier, open with ROI and marketability (At least that's what I was told). :)

Great post and hopefully very insightful. I have created a full package. The script, the story, the screenplay, the editor cut, the mp3 sample soundtrack (complete) along with the shorts.. my biggest issue? Knowing where to go next. Hence signing up to this site when I asked Copilot the same question. Hopefully, to see a dream become a reality.. happy to just network, connect and learn (and hopefully one day, see my work on the screen).

As someone with knowledge of UK film industry, I can say the national tax credit here has genuinely transformed the landscape. We now have sound stages being built all over the country, not just in and around London. What's interesting is we're also seeing regional film funds emerge, with different counties and regions setting up their own incentives to attract productions away from London. This makes sense economically too: London has become so expensive that a lot of crew now live in the regions, so they can be hired locally in places like Yorkshire or Norfolk rather than everyone having to travel from the capital. At Cannes this year several UK regions had a real presence, including Norfolk's Epic Studios, which is actively courting independent film production.

The tax credit has also opened up more opportunities for actors, since American productions and TV series are increasingly shooting in the UK.

One model worth highlighting: near where I live, a studio called Marlow Film Studios faced real local pushback during planning, with residents worried that overseas productions would come in, spend briefly, and leave without investing in the area. What Marlow is doing differently is building itself as a training hub. Young people who want to get into the industry, but can't afford film school, get opportunities to come in as trainees and work under highly skilled crew, sometimes people who've come over from major US productions. They learn on the job, build relationships, and can move on to the next production once that project wraps.

If the federal tax credit goes through in the US, this could be a compelling model for states that haven't traditionally been filming hubs. Building studios with a training ecosystem attached would let people who can't afford to leave their state or a training program to still break into the industry, working on high level productions and learning directly from experienced professionals.

Productions leave L.A. for many reasons. One of the biggest, for directors, producers, and writers, is to get away from studio execs just "dropping in" on shoots without warning. Being on the other side of the country, or in another country, makes this a lot more difficult. Also, on-location shooting in L.A. and NY is a pain in the ass because residents and businesses are tired of being disrupted and inconvenienced, whereas in other areas a film shoot is seen as interesting and exciting and there's a lot more cooperation.

I think a national production incentive is a critical step forward and I hope it happens REALLY SOON, since I hope to be shooting next spring and we could really use the credits!!! My only fear is that some short-sighted state legislature might see a federal credit as an excuse to drop their own state incentives. As the article properly points out, only a combination of state and federal will make domestic production competitive with many overseas locations that feature not only incentives but also drastically lower labor costs and regulations.

The great advantage of a domestic federal credit is that it would apply to cast fees, which tend to be the biggest piece of a lower budget indie trying to punch above its weight. Those are rarely covered by overseas credits because L.A.-based stars aren't "local hires".

As Vice President of FilmUSA, I’ve actually been working on this initiative with the Motion Picture Association for almost two years now. FilmUSA is part of the U.S. Film & Television Production Coalition working on the national incentive, and I’ll be heading to Washington, D.C. next week for meetings as we continue moving this effort forward.

One of the most important points here is that this is not a Hollywood initiative. This is a 50-state initiative.

We currently have letter-writing campaigns underway in red and purple states and are expanding those efforts into blue states as well. The goal is to make sure legislators, policymakers, the industry, and the general public understand that this is a 50-state issue.

As someone who lives in Florida and has served as a Film Commissioner in both Florida and Texas, I can tell you firsthand that there are great production hubs all over this country outside of California and New York.

That is also part of the messaging we are trying to get across to everyone talking about this: stop calling it Hollywood.

Yes, California and New York will benefit, but so will Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Minnesota, and states across the country.

There are currently 39 states with production incentives. Florida does not have a statewide incentive, and this gives Florida an opportunity to step up. Minnesota has a smaller incentive and is working to grow its production industry. Ohio has a great production incentive. There are production communities and regions throughout the United States that stand to benefit from this.

The key is bringing production business back to the United States.

Just a few years ago, roughly 65 to 75 percent of productions were shot in the United States. Today, that number is around 39 percent, and in another 10 years it could be down to 25 percent.

Productions have increasingly gone to the UK, Ireland, Eastern Europe, Spain, France, and other countries that have enacted major production tax incentives. We want to bring that business, those productions, those jobs, and that spending back to the United States.

Another critical component is that the proposed federal incentive would be stackable with state production incentives. Depending on the state and the production, that could mean combined incentives in the 50 to 70 percent range in some instances for shooting in the United States.

It gives the United States an opportunity to compete internationally while allowing individual states to continue competing for productions domestically.

This is what FilmUSA, the Motion Picture Association, the unions, guilds, and the other members of the U.S. Film & Television Production Coalition are working on. It is a nationwide effort, and I’ll continue to keep everyone updated as it moves forward.

If you work in film and television, or your business or community benefits from production, you can select your state and sign the letter supporting the national incentive here:

https://www.filmusa.org/letter

Thanks for sharing the letter Tony Armer - so proud of the work you are doing with FilmUSA

Thanks for starting this conversation. Soooo...this proposed federal tax sounds like an amazing opportunity for creators outside of the Hollywood bubble. My question is WHO will actually benefit from said federal tax credits? Considering the current administration's policies and rollout, I'm not so encouraged. I spent the first 14-years of my career in Network TV. For 6 of those years, I was a network executive in what is now called DEI...the job was traumatizing for many reasons AND I learned a lot about the marketplace as it pertains to underrepresented creatives and voices.

I've seen the pendulum swing many times but something about this moment feels different. UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report and the USC Annenberg report on the stats every year. Research from 2025 shows a downward trend and backsliding in creative opportunities for people of color and marginalized communities. Which is ridiculous because data and dollars prove that audiences what authentic and inclusive representation in the content.

In 2025, A staggering 91.7% of the top scripted streaming series were created by white storytellers. Only about 20% of the films that were produced where written by writers of color. I fear those numbers are far worse for talent with disabilities and other minority groups. Don't even get me started on the WOC who have left the field entirely.

These are the issues that keep me up at night and pushing even harder for underrepresented voices on this platform. I have been overwhelmed in the best way by creatives on Stage 32. This gives me hope! Now we need the opportunity, money and allies who can help us move from Pre-Production to production! Let's get these tax credits!

this is such an interesting question. I’m only beginning to navigate this side of filmmaking, but I already feel the tension between protecting a project’s artistic identity and finding a realistic path to finance and audience. I’m very curious to learn how others here balance the two.

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, I see what you mean. For me, the biggest difference is less the label and more the culture around risk and entrepreneurship.

Public funding can be incredibly valuable, but an industry also needs people willing to invest, build companies, take calculated risks, and back projects because they believe in their potential.

That entrepreneurial mindset is the part I think Europe could learn much more from.

I like that, Claude Gagne, especially the “feel it in your bones” part. At some point, producing always involves a leap of faith.

The key for me is making that leap with enough preparation, the right people around the project, and a clear sense of why it deserves to exist.

Natalia Pavlova-Klius, for me, the key is not to see the creative and business sides as opposites.

A strong project needs a clear identity, but it also needs a realistic financing model, a defined audience, and a strategy for how it reaches the market. The goal is to build the business around what makes the project special, not dilute the project to fit the business.

That’s where producing becomes entrepreneurial: protecting the vision while creating a path that makes it viable.

Shadow Dragu-Mihai - You have that right about Canada. Sandra Isabel - Yes, I guess you need to divide the pie before you get your feet wet.

Anna Henry Thank you for this perspective. As a professional screenwriter, I agree that a clear vision and strong pilot structure are essential both to establish the show’s engine and to signal what future episodes can deliver. Character-driven decisions, multiple story threads, and a willingness to collaborate remain priorities in my own work.

Wes Ambrecht I agree that understanding the market and clearly identifying the intended audience is essential. Strong comps, awareness of the key demographic, and a realistic sense of where a project sits commercially all strengthen a pitch. Even original stories benefit from that clarity it’s still a business, and knowing who the work is for remains a critical part of the craft.

Henry Hereford I strongly agree that the strongest stories arise when a character has no other viable option, and when the stakes feel like life and death in the moment even in comedy. Specific, compelling loglines and character descriptions rooted in point of view and drive (rather than surface details) are equally critical. These are principles I return to constantly in my own work. Very useful insights.

Thank you for this wonderful question. Trust us producers see a LOT in the material we read. I wish more creators would put less emphasis on the marketplace more on THEIR story —The one that burns the belly and chest. The story that keeps them up thinking in the middle of the night. We can feel the passion in the writing when the story and characters matter! Take the pressure off and tell a memorable story!

Whitney Davis Thank you for this. As a professional screenwriter, I believe the strongest material always begins with a story that truly matters to the writer the one that refuses to let go. Passion for the characters and the core idea is unmistakable on the page, and it is what ultimately separates memorable work from the forgettable. That personal conviction, paired with disciplined craft, is non-negotiable.

Sounds great Elaine Itacarambi. Likewise, please let me know how your verticals do. I know they're hot right now so I genuinely curious about them.

Thank you, Leonardo! AGAPIAN: Before You Arrive has just premiered on YouTube, and I’m excited to see how audiences respond to the vertical format. I’ll definitely keep you posted—and I’d love to stay in touch and continue exchanging experiences.

Of course Elaine Itacarambi! I’d love to watch it if you’ll send a link to it.

I think one of the mistakes filmmakers make is marketing a short film the same way they would market a feature. There absolutely is an audience for shorts, especially on YouTube and at festivals, but it's a much smaller market and people tend to discover them differently. So rather than trying to sell "come watch my short film," I think you have to sell the thing inside the film that makes somebody curious: the genre, the subject, the cast, the location, the cause, the hook, whatever it is. For crowdfunding, I'd also break interviews like this into smaller pieces of content rather than relying on people to watch the whole thing. A funny answer, an unexpected story, something that gives people a reason to care about SOL RISE before you ever ask them to care about the fact that it's a short. And start dropping those pieces weeks before the campaign goes live, not when you need their money. By the time you ask for cash, people should already feel invested in SOL RISE. I find crowdfunding succeeds on momentum, and momentum is built on small, consistent drops, not one big reveal. People don't typically go looking for shorts, but they do go looking for genres, causes, behind-the-scenes stories and human drama. If SOL RISE has a hook that's interesting on its own, lead with that every time. The film becomes the payoff, not the pitch.

This is great advice Joshua Young - can't thank you enough!

Hello! Please post the part 2 link from the 12th.

I work weekends performing and booked shows every Saturday this month

so I can’t attend the zooms but the videos posted after are worth it. can you also please send Sam’s email? Or Sam send me an email. Contact@daymori.com

I agree with many of the comments here! LA is still absolutely the creative eco-center for film and TV. If you're interested in BTL or Line Producing, there are good opportunities to do that in other production hubs.

I think what's really wonderful about the digital world we live in though is that more established creatives can live in other regions once they've found their footing in the business, something that wasn't as easily available in 20th century film and television.

In short, if you're starting out as an above-the-line, capital P Producer, LA (or NYC) is still the best place to be, and then you can grow from there. If you want to work on set, there may be other strong options!

No.

Center is relative. As many in this thread have already mentioned, the entertainment business has become increasingly global. Even so, LA still functions as the nucleus for the US side of the business. All of the buyers are located in LA and many writers' rooms still operate within city limits. From a production standpoint, the city has taken a step back but federal tax credits could change that.

If the question is, "Do I need to be in LA to work in entertainment?" then the answer is empirically no. But, depending on the job you want, the answer could be yes.

I guess I'm with David, there...no. If we're asking, is Hollywood still in LA? Yeh. Of course it is. What can you get there you can't replicate? Possibly, soundstage access.

I just left LA after 16-years and moved back home to Wichita KS! The past 3 years taught me that stories and storytellers don’t revolve around Hollywood. The business is mostly still in LA. Staffing for series the same but guess what?! The majority of all meetings and deals happen over Zoom. I will travel back to LA 3-4 times a year for meetings and to nurture relationships but other than that, we worldwide!!!

As a director, the premise then the first 10 pages. If the dialogue doesn't work its getting dropped straight away.

As a creative producer, idea, Synopsis. See if its worth putting at least 2 years of my life into it.

So yeh.. it has to stand out immediately and not necessarily in the script format.

For example your project doesn't suit my taste and vision so it would be a hard sell from the start. Now I know your premise if I were on the look out for something along these lines the first 10 pages would have to have me cracking up.

Aleksandr Rozhnov The screenplay. Ideas are nothing, execution is everything Ideas are cheap, everyone has them and if you've thought of it, hundreds or thousands have thought if it at the same time (that's why there's no copyright in an idea).

I agree with Shadow Dragu-Mihai. The Screenplay 100% because it’s your IP. The pitch deck, treatment comes next. It’s very hard to sell a project without the heart.

Thank you very much for sharing your opinion. But let me tell you a story that happened to me.

I wrote the pilot episode of a series called Swallowed. It is a mixture of drama and horror. The story is about people who have been reduced to microscopic size, while ordinary insects have become giants that start devouring them one by one. Under these conditions, they have to compete for a position at a very powerful and influential corporation that can open the door to unlimited opportunities and wealth.

In this series, I wanted to explore the idea that people and corporations devour each other for profit and ambition. And I think this theme is relevant in any country, because corruption, stepping over other people to get ahead, and betrayal are relevant all over the world.

So I sent this project to a producer who was looking for new screenplays. But he didn't even read the pilot because he told me that he really dislikes insects, so the concept was simply too much for him.

That means the idea of insects devouring people became the deciding factor for him before he even looked at the actual screenplay.

And honestly, in terms of the plot, the pilot has some similarities to Squid Game. But in terms of the dialogue, I want to make it closer to Game of Thrones.

So, in this case, it seems that the idea can be more important than the screenplay itself.

Those first ten pages really are a useful test. If the reader isn’t curious about page eleven, everything that comes later has a much harder job. A fresh pair of eyes at that stage can be incredibly valuable.