Find Your Footing on Stage 32: Join Our December Community Open House!
Monday, December 29th at 12:00 pm PT!
Every success story begins with a first step.
If you’re ready to take yours, join me, Ashley Smith, Head of Community at Stage 32, for our December Community Open House Webcast happening Monday, December 29th at 12:00 pm PT!
Free Registration: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-s-december-community-open-house-webcast-with-ashley-smith
Whether you’re chasing representation, looking for collaborators, or simply tired of creating in isolation, this live event is your chance to show up, be seen, and start making real progress.
This isn’t just an overview — it’s your creative launchpad. You’ll walk away with practical tools, new connections, and a clear path forward, no matter your background or where you are in your career.
You’ll Learn How To:
- Navigate Stage 32 like a pro and make the platform work for your goals
- Build authentic connections through the Stage 32 Lounges
- Access Education, Certification, and Script Services tailored to your next big move
- Show up in ways that get you noticed by the right people at the right time
- Participate in real-time Q&A and get guidance specific to your path
Whether you’re a writer, filmmaker, actor, producer, composer, editor, or wear multiple creative hats — this is where your Stage 32 journey truly begins.
If you can’t attend live, don’t worry — registering ensures you’ll receive the full recording to watch anytime from anywhere.
Who’s planning to join me live for the Open House?
2 people like this
David B. Williamson such an interesting post. I have adopted some of these approaches the last 60 days but not nearly all of them. Not having a 'technical' background, what provides the data of the 'A...
Expand commentDavid B. Williamson such an interesting post. I have adopted some of these approaches the last 60 days but not nearly all of them. Not having a 'technical' background, what provides the data of the 'Analytics Over Ego' section. For instance, how would you identify what drove a click thru? Also, do you find that social media sites are verifiably driving people to your projects? If so, are you using hashtags, or just key words etc....to drive a user to the social media?
1 person likes this
Great questions, Darrell — and honestly, you’re already doing the hardest part by being intentional about it.
I don’t come from a formal “tech” background either, so my approach has been very practical...
Expand commentGreat questions, Darrell — and honestly, you’re already doing the hardest part by being intentional about it.
I don’t come from a formal “tech” background either, so my approach has been very practical and observational rather than overly technical. Most of the data I’m referencing comes directly from the platforms themselves: FilmFreeway, InkTip, Stage32, IMDbPro, LinkedIn analytics, website traffic, and basic link tracking. I’m not running anything fancy — I’m just watching patterns over time.
For click-throughs specifically, it’s less about knowing exactly which post drove which click, and more about correlation. When I post something specific (festival news, a personal insight, a screenshot, a behind-the-scenes thought) and I see a same-day or next-day spike in profile views, script reads, or site traffic, that tells me what resonated. Over weeks and months, those signals get very consistent.
Social media is verifiably driving people to the work — but not usually through hashtags alone. I use them sparingly. What’s been far more effective is clear language, repeatable themes, and letting people understand why a project exists, not just that it does. Keywords matter, but clarity and authenticity matter more.
The big shift for me was moving from “promotion” to “documentation.” When people feel like they’re watching something unfold in real time, they’re more likely to click, follow, and stay curious.
Happy to compare notes anytime — it sounds like you’re already building momentum the right way.
Check #BehindTheGlitches on Google
2 people like this
David B. Williamson Thank you so much for the thoughtful and comprehensive reply. I will certainly look to implement these in a productive way. I have sent out 129 query letters since last week and an...
Expand commentDavid B. Williamson Thank you so much for the thoughtful and comprehensive reply. I will certainly look to implement these in a productive way. I have sent out 129 query letters since last week and and once I hit my end of year goal for that I am going to really work on creating a type of actionable strategy that matches the scale of scope of my portfolio. Thanks again for your willingness to be so helpful and I hope we have the opportunity to discuss interesting topics in the future.
Darrell Pennington,
Visibility is the new query letter.
I stopped sending my work into quiet inboxes and started making the process visible.
Because psychologically, people are far more likely to look at...
Expand commentDarrell Pennington,
Visibility is the new query letter.
I stopped sending my work into quiet inboxes and started making the process visible.
Because psychologically, people are far more likely to look at something when they think someone else is already looking at it.
It’s the same reason children suddenly want the toy they ignored five minutes ago —
until another kid picked it up.
I call this “The Playground Toy Effect™.”
You don’t convince anyone a toy is valuable.
You let someone else play with it first.
Query letters ask:
“Will you read this?”
Visibility says:
“People already are.”
That single shift removes risk, sparks curiosity, and turns cold outreach into pull-in interest.
Not louder marketing — legible momentum.
In an industry built on risk avoidance,
no one wants to be the first kid on the playground.
They just want to know which toy everyone’s about to fight over.
hi david, congrats on getting so much attention on PRETTY LITTLE LUCY. what stage is it at? script sold? finance locked in? would love to hear more details about how the next steps went for you