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Front Page, Industry News
Stage 32 brings social networking to film, television and theatre creatives
Tuesday July 10th 2012By TO411 staff writer Daisy Maclean
A new social media network has been gaining members steadily over the past eight months, and it has done so almost solely by word of mouth. While new social media platforms spring up everyday, very few are successful and even less have something unique to offer their users, but this one could well revolutionize independent filmmaking. Stage 32, named after the famous paramount stage lot on which Orson Wells shot Citizen Kane, is a social media site dedicated specifically to people working in film or theatre. Wells relied on a group of creative people he had already collaborated with in the past, the mercury players, to help make his first film and with stage32 the idea remains the same – the site helps filmmakers and theatre people of all levels meet other like-minded, creative souls in order to collaborate on projects and get them made.
So far the site , founded by Curt Blakeney and Richard “RB” Botto, has attracted more than 50,000 members in more than 180 countries, catering to an networking aspect already inherent within the entertainment industry. It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.
“The growth has surpassed our expectations,” said Blakeney in an interview with me. “Especially the global reach. We knew there was a need in the industry for a niche social network that served film, TV and theatre creatives, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised at the response. Our members are our biggest advocates. Growth has been steady. We’re very proactive when it comes to servers and software, so we’ve stayed ahead of the curve.”
The site is coded by lead programmer and CTO, Derrick Ontiveros who has been with Stage32 since the beginning. Users are invited to create a profile, similar to Facebook or LinkedIn, and list their profession within the industry be it actor, producer, director, editor, writer, composer, or crew. Features on the site include the ability to import contact lists from other online communities, a place to list your current projects and creative needs, private chat, job searches, industry buzz, the lounge – an area for discussion boards – and a site blog that features guest entries written by professionals within the industry.
“My favourites were the blogs by Rex Pickett (Sideways), Doug Richardson (Die Hard 2) and Danny Rubin (Groundhog Day), whose ‘tales from the trenches’ were absolutely fascinating and eye-opening,” enthuses Blakeney.
Doug Richardson said of his guest blog experience, “a good friend and intermediary suggested that I might pen a short blog series for Stage 32. Imagine my greater surprise that, during the run of the blog, I found myself as enamoured by the interaction from the Stage 32 members as the actual writing experience. An entirely new and unexpected voice was injected into the story that I found stimulating as hell. I’m very grateful for the Stage 32 experience and plan to stay involved as the site continues to evolve.”
Success stories due to Stage32 networking are beginning to pile up, including those of Matt E. Hudson, a director, producer and screenwriter from London, who became the first of several to shoot a film (this one 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, and was hired to write the pilot for a historical miniseries “The Vanquished.”
“One of the pleasant surprises has been the proliferation of Stage 32 meet-ups in cities around the world,” continues Blakeney. “Stage 32 members have taken the initiative to organize these meet-ups and they have become quite popular.”
Ever evolving and releasing new features, the site tries to listen closely to the feedback of it’s members. Stage32 plans to unveil their iPhone and Android apps shortly, however there has been no discussion about integration with other industry sites like IMDB or Mandy. As for selling, Blakeney had this to say:
“We have no plans to sell. We’re in this for the long haul. We made a commitment to our members to make Stage 32 the premier social network for film, TV and theatre. That is our goal … short term and long term.”
Front Page, Industry News
Stage 32 brings social networking to film, television and theatre creatives
Tuesday July 10th 2012By TO411 staff writer Daisy Maclean
A new social media network has been gaining members steadily over the past eight months, and it has done so almost solely by word of mouth. While new social media platforms spring up everyday, very few are successful and even less have something unique to offer their users, but this one could well revolutionize independent filmmaking. Stage 32, named after the famous paramount stage lot on which Orson Wells shot Citizen Kane, is a social media site dedicated specifically to people working in film or theatre. Wells relied on a group of creative people he had already collaborated with in the past, the mercury players, to help make his first film and with stage32 the idea remains the same – the site helps filmmakers and theatre people of all levels meet other like-minded, creative souls in order to collaborate on projects and get them made.
So far the site , founded by Curt Blakeney and Richard “RB” Botto, has attracted more than 50,000 members in more than 180 countries, catering to an networking aspect already inherent within the entertainment industry. It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.
“The growth has surpassed our expectations,” said Blakeney in an interview with me. “Especially the global reach. We knew there was a need in the industry for a niche social network that served film, TV and theatre creatives, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised at the response. Our members are our biggest advocates. Growth has been steady. We’re very proactive when it comes to servers and software, so we’ve stayed ahead of the curve.”
The site is coded by lead programmer and CTO, Derrick Ontiveros who has been with Stage32 since the beginning. Users are invited to create a profile, similar to Facebook or LinkedIn, and list their profession within the industry be it actor, producer, director, editor, writer, composer, or crew. Features on the site include the ability to import contact lists from other online communities, a place to list your current projects and creative needs, private chat, job searches, industry buzz, the lounge – an area for discussion boards – and a site blog that features guest entries written by professionals within the industry.
“My favourites were the blogs by Rex Pickett (Sideways), Doug Richardson (Die Hard 2) and Danny Rubin (Groundhog Day), whose ‘tales from the trenches’ were absolutely fascinating and eye-opening,” enthuses Blakeney.
Doug Richardson said of his guest blog experience, “a good friend and intermediary suggested that I might pen a short blog series for Stage 32. Imagine my greater surprise that, during the run of the blog, I found myself as enamoured by the interaction from the Stage 32 members as the actual writing experience. An entirely new and unexpected voice was injected into the story that I found stimulating as hell. I’m very grateful for the Stage 32 experience and plan to stay involved as the site continues to evolve.”
Success stories due to Stage32 networking are beginning to pile up, including those of Matt E. Hudson, a director, producer and screenwriter from London, who became the first of several to shoot a film (this one 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, and was hired to write the pilot for a historical miniseries “The Vanquished.”
“One of the pleasant surprises has been the proliferation of Stage 32 meet-ups in cities around the world,” continues Blakeney. “Stage 32 members have taken the initiative to organize these meet-ups and they have become quite popular.”
Ever evolving and releasing new features, the site tries to listen closely to the feedback of it’s members. Stage32 plans to unveil their iPhone and Android apps shortly, however there has been no discussion about integration with other industry sites like IMDB or Mandy. As for selling, Blakeney had this to say:
“We have no plans to sell. We’re in this for the long haul. We made a commitment to our members to make Stage 32 the premier social network for film, TV and theatre. That is our goal … short term and long term.”
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Front Page, Industry News
Stage 32 brings social networking to film, television and theatre creatives
Tuesday July 10th 2012By TO411 staff writer Daisy Maclean
A new social media network has been gaining members steadily over the past eight months, and it has done so almost solely by word of mouth. While new social media platforms spring up everyday, very few are successful and even less have something unique to offer their users, but this one could well revolutionize independent filmmaking. Stage 32, named after the famous paramount stage lot on which Orson Wells shot Citizen Kane, is a social media site dedicated specifically to people working in film or theatre. Wells relied on a group of creative people he had already collaborated with in the past, the mercury players, to help make his first film and with stage32 the idea remains the same – the site helps filmmakers and theatre people of all levels meet other like-minded, creative souls in order to collaborate on projects and get them made.
So far the site , founded by Curt Blakeney and Richard “RB” Botto, has attracted more than 50,000 members in more than 180 countries, catering to an networking aspect already inherent within the entertainment industry. It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.
“The growth has surpassed our expectations,” said Blakeney in an interview with me. “Especially the global reach. We knew there was a need in the industry for a niche social network that served film, TV and theatre creatives, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised at the response. Our members are our biggest advocates. Growth has been steady. We’re very proactive when it comes to servers and software, so we’ve stayed ahead of the curve.”
The site is coded by lead programmer and CTO, Derrick Ontiveros who has been with Stage32 since the beginning. Users are invited to create a profile, similar to Facebook or LinkedIn, and list their profession within the industry be it actor, producer, director, editor, writer, composer, or crew. Features on the site include the ability to import contact lists from other online communities, a place to list your current projects and creative needs, private chat, job searches, industry buzz, the lounge – an area for discussion boards – and a site blog that features guest entries written by professionals within the industry.
“My favourites were the blogs by Rex Pickett (Sideways), Doug Richardson (Die Hard 2) and Danny Rubin (Groundhog Day), whose ‘tales from the trenches’ were absolutely fascinating and eye-opening,” enthuses Blakeney.
Doug Richardson said of his guest blog experience, “a good friend and intermediary suggested that I might pen a short blog series for Stage 32. Imagine my greater surprise that, during the run of the blog, I found myself as enamoured by the interaction from the Stage 32 members as the actual writing experience. An entirely new and unexpected voice was injected into the story that I found stimulating as hell. I’m very grateful for the Stage 32 experience and plan to stay involved as the site continues to evolve.”
Success stories due to Stage32 networking are beginning to pile up, including those of Matt E. Hudson, a director, producer and screenwriter from London, who became the first of several to shoot a film (this one 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, and was hired to write the pilot for a historical miniseries “The Vanquished.”
“One of the pleasant surprises has been the proliferation of Stage 32 meet-ups in cities around the world,” continues Blakeney. “Stage 32 members have taken the initiative to organize these meet-ups and they have become quite popular.”
Ever evolving and releasing new features, the site tries to listen closely to the feedback of it’s members. Stage32 plans to unveil their iPhone and Android apps shortly, however there has been no discussion about integration with other industry sites like IMDB or Mandy. As for selling, Blakeney had this to say:
“We have no plans to sell. We’re in this for the long haul. We made a commitment to our members to make Stage 32 the premier social network for film, TV and theatre. That is our goal … short term and long term.”
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