Some days you plan. Some days you take action on those plans.
Today is one of those days for taking action.
When we launched the Stage 32 + Pathfinder comedy contest, the goal wasn’t to hand out some bullshit trophy. It was to find a voice, roll up our sleeves, and go to work.
That’s exactly what happened.
Ted Sperling wrote a killer script. Today, we’re moving that script — TREASURE INC. — into active development with myself, Geoff Faugerolas, and the insanely talented Todd Biermann (IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, GHOSTS, BLACK-ISH) producing. We’re excited to get this one from the script to the screen.
This is exactly why I built Stage 32.
Not to talk about breaking in… but to actually break people in. To democratize the industry worldwide.
No gatekeepers. No waiting around for permission. Just talent and preparation meeting opportunity and turning that into something real.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - the gap between where you are and where you want to be is smaller than you think… IF you’re willing to do the work, put the excuses to bed and stay in the game.
Proud. Grateful. Fired up.
Excited to make something special.
Congratulations again to Ted!
Thrilled to announce the launch of the Stage 32 Global Screenwriting Contest Hub and the hiring of 3 former leaders and architects from Coverfly.
For the last 14 years, the Marketplace on Stage 32 has helped thousands of film and television creatives get discovered and forge careers. As a WGA screenwriter myself, I know firsthand the challenges of finding respectable and reputable screenwriting contests. The Global Screenwriting Contest Hub cuts out the noise and allows writers to not only find the most highly regarded contests, but also those that fit the genres they write in.
With Coverfly now closed, Stage 32 will be the central home for screenwriting contests around the world. We’re launching today with over a dozen contests including those which are Oscar and BAFTA qualifying. Dozens more are committed and will be onboarded soon.
And by bringing on board the 3 people most responsible for the architecture and writer success stories of and through Coverfly, needless to say, this is only the start. Much more to come.
My thanks to Max Goldbart (@goldbart1 ) for the coverage on Deadline!
To see the Stage 32 Global Screenwriting Contest Hub and all the contests currently listed, click the link in bio!
Meet your new industry advocate, Geoffroy Faugerolas—Stage 32’s new Director of Development Services!
In just two months, Geoff has already connected with hundreds of execs looking for scripts, secured 45 new OWAs, and lined up mentorships with showrunners from Severance, The Witcher, and more. He’s here to help YOU navigate the market, get read, and land real opportunities.
Geoff spent 4.5 years at Coverfly as a Sr. Manager with a track record of helping 350+ writers sign with reps or get optioned/produced. Geoff is now bringing his 2,500+ exec contacts to Stage 32. He’s ready to help you build your career—even if you’re not repped yet.
This is your moment to connect with someone who’s been in the room, knows the game, and champions your hustle. Just last week, 20 execs and producers from different continents reached out asking for features in the $2-4M budget range and procedural pilots. The demand is real, writers!
Want to get your project into the right hands? Email Geoff at [email protected] and tell him what you’re working on!
#Stage32 #WritersRoom #IAmStage32 #Screenwriting #DevelopmentServices #FilmIndustry #TVWriters #BreakingIn #WriteYourStory #GetOptioned #OWA
Some shots from the Opening Night Party for the Marche du Film at Cannes. We celebrated our 11th year of Stage 32 being the official education partner of the Marche with the people who make the whole Dan thing run…effortlessly. Love these humans.
Much more to come! ❤️
"I never pitch in the dark."
Stage 32 screenwriter and filmmaker Michael Mouyal breaks down exactly how he prepares before every pitch — and his approach is one of the most practical things you will read today.
"I take time to analyze each executive: what they've produced, what they're actively looking for, and what they've responded to publicly. Then I match that with my inventory of scripts."
Two steps. Know the executive. Know which of your scripts fits. The writers who do both consistently walk out of pitch sessions with script requests. The ones who skip the research walk out wondering what went wrong.
Every Stage 32 executive profile gives you exactly what you need to do what Michael does. The research is already there — all you have to do is use it.
What is your go-to research move before a pitch? Tell us in the comments.
#Stage32 #Screenwriting #FilmWriter #TVWriter #ScreenwritingCommunity #Hollywood #WritersRoom #CareerAdvice #Filmmaker #IndieFilm #TVPilot #ScriptWriting
"Be as true to yourself as possible."
— Janice Lee, former Netflix producer (THE KISSING BOOTH 2 & 3, LOOK BOTH WAYS, NO ONE GETS OUT ALIVE) and VP of Film Production and Development at Fifth Season, the company behind SEVERANCE and THE NIGHT MANAGER.
She has developed and produced films from $7M horror to global YA franchises to prestige independent productions. She knows exactly what makes a pitch land.
And it starts with this.
Sign up for a FREE MONTH of Stage 32 Writers' Room to watch the full replay, Link in Bio.
#Stage32 #filmmaker #filmmakersofig #filmmakersofinstagram #filmmakerworld #screenwriters #screenwriter #screenwritersofig #screenwritersofinstagram #screenwriterslife #screenwritersguild #writer #writers #writersofinstagram #writersofig #writersblock #writercommunity #writersclub #writers_around #writersden #writersofinsta #writerstag #writerproblems #writersworld #writershelp
Are you telling your story the best possible way — or the safest way?
That is the question Stage 32's Geoffroy Faugérolas asks in his latest blog, and it is one every filmmaker and writer needs to sit with.
Tarantino wins the Palme d'Or for Pulp Fiction and half the jury reportedly walks out. Nolan releases Memento with no studio backing and a structure that runs backward. Bong Joon-ho makes his debut and Korean audiences do not know what to make of it. Thirteen years later that same voice makes Parasite and wins the Oscar for Best Picture.
None of these filmmakers were being controversial for the sake of it. They were being specific. They had something to say and they found the form that said it most honestly — even when that form broke every rule the industry thought was sacred.
The controversy was a byproduct of the clarity.
Full blog at the link in bio — a genuinely important read as Cannes opens its doors again this year.
#Stage32 #Filmmaking #Screenwriting #Cannes #Cannes2026 #IndieFilm #FilmDirector #Cinema #Hollywood #Storytelling #FilmWriter
Genre writers — the industry you are trying to break into looks nothing like it did five years ago, and it will look different again five years from now. Thomas P. Vitale has been inside that change at every level — as the Syfy EVP who greenlit STARGATE SG-1, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, FARSCAPE, and the Emmy Award-winning Steven Spielberg Presents TAKEN, and more recently as EP of SLASHER on Shudder and producer of 57 SECONDS starring Morgan Freeman.
In this highlight clip from his recent Stage 32 session, Thomas is direct: the business always changes, new formats like verticals are reshaping how content is bought and sold, and the writers who thrive are the ones who never stop learning alongside it.
Watch the clip at the link in bio — and tell us in the comments: what is the biggest shift you have had to adapt to in your writing career?
#Stage32 #Screenwriting #ThomasVitale #GenreTV #SciFi #Horror #Fantasy #TVWriter #Shudder #AlwaysLearning #FilmIndustry #Hollywood #WritersRoom #ScreenwritingCommunity #CareerAdvice
Television Writers! Don’t miss this week’s Executive Hour with David Brownfield.
David was SVP of Current Programming at CBS and creative lead at Dick Wolf Entertainment behind LAW & ORDER, ONE CHICAGO, and the FBI franchise. He is joining the Stage 32 Writers' Room live tomorrow, Wednesday May 13th at 4PM PT.
He oversaw the creative development of over 20 scripted series per season at CBS, including CSI, NCIS, THE GOOD WIFE, THE BIG BANG THEORY, and HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. He started his career writing comedy on BOY MEETS WORLD and THE DREW CAREY SHOW. His perspective on television covers every angle — the writer's room, the network executive's office, and the producer's chair.
Come with your questions. This is the kind of session you will be thinking about long after it ends.
Writers' Room members — link in bio.
#Stage32 #ExecHour #TVWriter #Screenwriting #CBS #NBC #LawAndOrder #NCIS #WritersRoom #Hollywood #TVDevelopment
Day 1 at Cannes and we're already announcing deals. This time with the incredible people at the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI)
There’s a conversation happening all over the world right now about runaway production, shrinking crews, disappearing opportunities, and whether this industry can actually sustain itself long term.
But one thing has become very clear to me over the last few years:
If we want production to grow globally, we have to invest in the people who actually make production possible.
That means training. Education. Workforce development. Real access.
Not just for the top of the call sheet, but for the crew members, coordinators, accountants, ADs, location managers, production managers, post supervisors, and every below-the-line professional productions rely on every single day.
That’s why this initiative with the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) means so much to all of us at Stage 32.
This is not theory. This is action.
Together, we’re building global workforce training initiatives designed to help film commissions, regions, and production hubs strengthen their local crews so productions can confidently shoot there, stay there, and grow there.
The entertainment industry has changed. The old model is gone. The future belongs to the regions, countries, and communities willing to invest in infrastructure, education, and people.
Proud of our team. Big shoutout to Amanda Toney who spearheaded this initiative.
Proud of our partners.
And deeply grateful to The Hollywood Reporter for covering this important story.
This Wednesday's Exec Hour is one every television writer needs to be at.
David Brownfield is joining the Stage 32 Writers' Room live on Wednesday, May 13th at 4PM PT — and his résumé is genuinely extraordinary. He served as Senior Vice President of Current Programming at CBS for nine years, overseeing the creative development of over 20 scripted series per season including CSI, NCIS, THE GOOD WIFE, THE BIG BANG THEORY, and HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. He then led creative and production teams for seven Primetime series at Dick Wolf Entertainment — the powerhouse behind LAW & ORDER, ONE CHICAGO, and the FBI franchise.
What makes this session especially valuable is the range of what David has done inside the industry. He started as a comedy writer on BOY MEETS WORLD and THE DREW CAREY SHOW. He rose to SVP at CBS. He produced at the Dick Wolf level. He understands television from every angle — the writer's room, the network executive's office, and the producer's chair. That 360-degree perspective is exactly what television writers need to hear right now.
Come with your questions about developing drama and comedy, navigating the network and streaming landscape, and what it takes to build a series with real longevity and commercial strength.
Wednesday, May 13th at 4PM PT. Open to all Stage 32 Writers' Room members. Link in bio to join.
#Stage32 #WritersRoom #ExecHour #TVWriter #Screenwriting #CBS #LawAndOrder #NCIS #CSI #BigBangTheory #himym #OneChicago #NBCseries #Episode #Hollywood #TVDevelopment #ScreenwritingCommunity
Cannes 2026 is almost here — and this year feels different.
The festival was founded in 1946 as a home for visionaries too uncomfortable, too provocative, or too strange for Hollywood to champion. Bergman. Godard. Fellini. Tarantino. These were filmmakers considered too dangerous for the mainstream.
So the idea that Cannes is now embracing AI-generated films, VR experiences, content creators, and serialized television should not shock anyone who understands what the festival was always built on.
Stage 32's Geoffroy Faugérolas puts it perfectly in his latest blog: "The creators showing up on the Croisette in 2026 are the same disruptive, left-of-center voices Cannes has always celebrated — they just built their audiences on YouTube and TikTok instead of 16mm film."
Cannes has always adapted. When television became prestige storytelling, Cannes screened pilots. When streaming rewired distribution, Cannes adapted its market. This year is no different.
The festival just finally admitted it was always bigger than film.
Full blog at the link in bio for Stage 32 — worth reading before Cannes opens.
#Cannes #Cannes2026 #Film #IndieFilm #Screenwriting #Stage32 #FilmFestival #AI #ContentCreators #Hollywood #Storytelling #FilmIndustry #Filmmaking #NewMedia #Cinema
