Every day, there are thousands of talented individuals searching for
like minded souls with which they can collaborate. They join writing or
acting classes, theater groups, and on line forums. They act in student
films, direct and submit short subject films to festivals, and enter
screenplay contests. They take the first step and fight for the second.
They search for answers to the never ending "hows" and "whys." Some take
pride in bucking the relentless frustrations and challenges, many more
succumb to them. Almost all wonder: "How can I make my dream a reality?
How can I increase my odds and give myself the greatest chance to
succeed?"
Welcome to Stage 32 – a community for people working in or with a desire to work in
film or theater. It’s a place to gather, to discuss and develop
projects, to join actor with director, director with producer, producer
with cast and crew. As the saying goes, it’s not what you know, it’s
who you know.
Let's get to know Curt Blakeney, the co-founder of Stage 32
Q: Curt, you're a well-known sports personality in Phoenix, tell me about your love for cinema as a kid?
CB: I’ve
always been a film buff. I really enjoyed watching movies as a kid;
especially summer matinees. Nothing like the thrill of a movie
doubleheader with a tub of popcorn and a box of M&Ms. I was also a
fan of the drive-in … many good memories there. My
awareness of film was heightened by my brother Eric, who is a writer
and director in Hollywood.
Q: Who were some of your favorite actors, directors and movies?
CB: I’ve
always been a big fan of Spielberg movies: Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind,
Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, Saving Private Ryan. He’s one of the great
storytellers in the business. As
far as actors, certainly on my top 10 list all-time are Paul Newman,
Gene Hackman, Tom Hanks, Morgan Freeman, Daniel Day-Lewis. There are so
many…too many to list. More recently, I think Leonardo DiCaprio,
Robert Downey Jr. and Brad Pitt are exceptional.
Q: Your family is no stranger to Hollywood success. Your brother wrote the
screenplay for Gunshy, a successful feature film starring Liam
Neeson and was a producer/show runner for "21 Jump Street, the TV series that put Johnny Depp on the map.What did you learn about the movie industry through his eyes?
CB: Just
how important it is to work tirelessly and network, network, network.
It’s so important to build those relationships in the industry. It’s no
industry to be shy.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Stage 32?
CB: Two
years ago, my business partner, Richard Botto, and I were in Los
Angeles for the American Film Market (AFM). At the time, we had our own
film production company, Fair Warning Productions, and had a few
projects in development. AFM is a gathering place for filmmakers, sales
reps, distributors, financiers and others from around the globe.
Everyone is in town for one week pitching their projects, pitching their
craft, trying to find funding, etc. The most vibrant place was the
bar at the Loews Santa Monica Hotel. There we witnessed so many
projects being discussed and so many filmmakers with completed films
begging to be heard. And once AFM was over, those people went back to
their respective cities and waited another 12 months for the next AFM.
On the flight back from LA, a light bulb went off. We thought it would
be great to create a virtual meeting place so that people could discuss
film projects and connect year round, anywhere in the world.
Q: What are some of the success stories that have emerged from Stage 32?
CB: There are so many examples of success stories, that we created a forum for it:
http://www.stage32.com/lounge/stage_32_success_stories But
a couple that stand out. Matt E. Hudson, a director, producer and
screenwriter from London, became the first of several to shoot a film
(called “Reduction”) using crew found entirely from Stage 32. And
Persephone Vandegrift, a screenwriter from Seattle who has been
tirelessly networking through Stage 32 since she joined, was hired to
write the pilot for a historical miniseries “The Vanquished.” The numbers keep growing as directors find actors, filmmakers find screen writers, producers find crew.
Q: What is your goal for yourself and the participants who network on Stage 32?
CB: The
goal of the site is to bring together like-minded individuals who
collaborate to promote creative growth in film… and television and
theater as well. So members can upload their projects, resumes,
loglines, scripts, photos and videos – anything that shows off their
skills and talents. People can private message other members, post on
their walls, chat live or post on our message board – called the Stage
32 Lounge. It’s a very open and friendly community. Film students can
get advice from seasoned professionals, screenwriters can get tips from
other screenwriters, people can share their experiences. We’ve
also had guest blogs from award-winning writers such as Danny Rubin
(Groundhog Day), Rex Pickett (Sideways) and Doug Richardson (Bad Boys),
whose “tales from the trenches” have really resonated with Stage 32
members.
It’s a social network to not only communicate with others, but learn, teach, share and foster.
We
have a saying, that sums ups the site. Stage 32 is the social network
uniquely populated with the most creative people on Earth. That’s our
mantra…we’re trying to build this amazing global network of incredibly
talented people and let the sparks fly.
