4th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Screenwriting Contest

THE WINNER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED! SCROLL DOWN TO SEE!!

Winner Flown to LA and set up on meetings with manager of Oscar-nominated writer of Arrival, the producer of Emmy-nominated series Masters of Science Fiction, the producer of The Green Hornet and Kato with Universal Pictures, the producer of the Sci-Fi thriller Face/Off, the developed executive behind the Syfy Channel limited series Ascension, the development executive behind the Sci-Fi Thriller The Recall with Wesley Snipes and The Humanity Bureau with Nicholas Cage, and the manager of a writer who just sold a Sci-Fi spec to Universal with Mike De Luca producing! 

All finalists' loglines will be sent out to over 500 industry executives in a Stage 32 look book! If an exec requests your screenplay or a meeting, we will facilitate!

Sci-Fi and Fantasy are hotter than ever! Series including Westworld at HBO, The Witcher and Black Mirror on Netflix and feature films including Ad Astra, Gemini Man, High Life, and The Kid Who Would Be King prove that audiences are clamoring for Sci-Fi and Fantasy!  

Production companies, managers, and agents are looking for writers working with fantasy and sci-fi ideas. And we are here to answer the call! Stage 32 is proud to announce our 4th Annual Fantasy and Sci-Fi contest!  We’re once again looking to shine a light on the most talented undiscovered writers. 

Our panel of judges are not only experts in the field of understanding Sci-Fi and Fantasy writing, but are on the hunt for new writers and material.

What are we looking for? Well, everything! From small budget contained, to mid-range worlds, to blockbuster new realms, we want your best. We want you to build worlds, travel galaxies, discover civilizations, fight dragons, embark on quests, vanquish enemies, and above all entertain and inspire. 

As always, ALL finalists will be exposed to hundreds of executives. And this year’s winner will be flown to Los Angeles to meet with producer Steve Longi of Longitude Entertainment (Face/Off), the literary manager of an Oscar-nominated Sci-Fi writer (Arrival), former executives at SyFy and Blumhouse, the producer of Masters of Science Fiction for ABC, Men in Black development executive, and many more! 

What Types of Scripts Can Enter?

Sci-Fi and Fantasy projects of all budgets. Please note this contest is open to Features only. No shorts or TV pilots will be accepted.

About Your Judges

Spencer Robinson is a literary and talent manager at Art/Work Entertainment who's been in the industry for over a decade. His writing clients work in both feature and television and include Eric Heisserer (Academy-Nominated Sci-Fi screenplay, Arrival. In addition to working with the studios, cable and networks, Spencer has also set up projects at Netflix. 

Stacey Stanely is the head of the consulting firm The Smart Stanley Group providing entertainment finance and packaging for features and television. Stacey is the former head of Live Action at New Arc Entertainment, under Film Roman and Anchor Bay. Under her direction the company produced more than 15 indie features in its first 18 months.As the Executive in Charge of Production for the division, she produced the EMMY nominated series Masters of Horror for Showtime, Masters of Science Fiction for ABC and Painkiller Jane for SyFy, amongst others.

Bradley Gallo is the Chief Creative Officer for Amasia Entertainment. Helmed by the former president and CRecently, Amasia opened up a bidding war for My Favorite Things is Monsters, with SONY picking up the project, which is now in development (see it on Deadline) and announced a new Television division led by industry veteran Tracy Mercer, formerly with Morgan Freeman's Revelations Entertainment (See it on Deadline here). Amasia just acquired the rights to the sci-fi feature World Breaker and the pilot Doppel (see more here)OO of Marvel Studios, Michael Helfant, Amasia has emerged as one of the top production companies in the industry today. 

Steve Longi is a producer and the President of Longitude Entertainment. Steve has just wrapped principal photography on a mid-budget horror project in Tennessee and is shooting his next project in the UK and Cypress.  With over twenty years of experience, Steve has developed and produced numerous projects including the Sci-Fi thriller Face/Off with Nicholas Cage and John Tavolta, and the critically acclaimed Hacksaw Ridge, which garnered two Academy Awards and six nominations, including Best Picture.

Feedback Option

For an additional fee of only $49 (50% savings!) you can receive full coverage from our industry readers on your screenplay or teleplay. Just check "coverage" upon checkout. Coverage will be sent out after the winners are announced.

"I found Stage 32’s contest coverage far better than some other services I have used in the past, where I felt almost assaulted. Please thank him or her for a well-done job. It was my first try with Stage 32 but it will not be my last." - Bob C.

"Stage 32 contest coverage is even better than some of the industry coverage I received. Thank you for these invaluable notes!" - E. Robinson

"The insight from my coverage from the Stage 32 contest helped me improve my script's dimension exponentially. I had looked at the script so much that I can't believe I missed a major plot point. Thank you!!" - S. Persons

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Will be flown to Los Angeles to meet privately with:

• Literary manager who's client just sold the sci-fi spec script Varietal to Universal in a bidding war.
• Literary Department Executive at Abrams Artist Agency
• The producer of Masters of Science Fiction for ABC
• The producer of Them That Call, the sci-fi hit from Sundance 2019, starring Olivia Coleman
• The Writer and Co-Developer of the SyFy Channel series Painkiller Jane
• Development Executive for Men in Black
• Producer of Face Off and Hacksaw Ridge
• Literary manager of an Oscar-nominated Sci-Fi writer (Arrival)
• Former executives at SyFy and Blumhouse
• Many more!

ALL FINALISTS

Stage 32's executive team will send out your screenplay title, logline & writer bio to over 500 development executives, producers, managers & agents in an exclusive Stage 32 Contest Look Book. If an executive requests the script or a meeting, we will facilitate!

Unprecedented access. Better exposure. More reads. Real success!

3rd Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Winner Bill Poore: "This contest feels like a game changer."

Check out the 2018 winner John Dummer!

John went on a whirlwind of meetings after his win, which lead to Wonder Woman Producer Stephen Jones sending John's script to Atlas Entertainment (Justice League, Suicide Squad), as well as Talent Agent Shawn Burns sending out his script to managers that specialize in sci-fi writers!

And, check out an update from our first Annual Stage 32 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Screenwriting Contest winner Ben Gross!

Our Grand Prize Winner Ben Gross, writer of THE LADIES' GUIDE TO HACKING met with and is working through concepts with manager Daniel Vang from Good Fear Film + Management, has been commissioned to write a script for Daniel Herther, VP of Development from Baker Entertainment Group and met with Spencer Malof from the Illusinarium and met and was mentored by Marc Zicree (Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica).

Our 2nd Place Winner, Ryan Lee, writer of TOWER 9 was optioned by studio producer Mitchell Peck!

Want to see the successes of ALL Stage 32 contests? CLICK HERE!

Spencer Robinson (Feature Contest Judge) - Literary & Talent Manager, Art/Work Entertainment

Spencer Robinson has been in the industry for nearly a decade as a manager and is currently a literary and talent manager at Art/Work Entertainment. Spencer began his career in production at Cornice Entertainment and Howard Entertainment, and then moved into talent management at MBST Entertainment. For the past 6 years Spencer has been with Art/Work and continues managers both writers and actors for television and film.

Art/Work is a management company headed by Cindy Ambers and Julie Bloom. Art/Work merged with Verve in 2010 and represents writers and actors throughout the industry. They represent writers like Eric Heisserer, writer of 2016's Oscar-winning film ARRIVAL which grossed over $200 million worldwide.

 

Stacey Stanley (Judge) - Producer, The Smart Stanley Group

Stacey Stanely is the head of the consulting firm The Smart Stanley Group providing entertainment finance and packaging for features and television.

Stacey is the former head of Live Action at New Arc Entertainment, under Film Roman and Anchor Bay. Under her direction the company produced more than 15 indie features in its first 18 months.

As the Executive in Charge of Production for the division, she produced the EMMY nominated series Masters of Horror for Showtime, Masters of Science Fiction for ABC and Painkiller Jane for SyFy, amongst others.

Stacey then ran the production unit of Starz Media, and later, she shifted her focus to creative development overseeing new series including the Emmy nominated Starz Inside and Martin Lawrence’s First Amendment, as well as all overall development deals with Ludacris and Martin Lawrence..

Stacey also served as the Vice President of Development & Production for Indomina Media Group, overseeing output deals including Pantelion/Lionsgate and Relativity.

Bradley Gallo (Judge & Mentor) - President, Film & Television, Amasia Entertainment

Bradley Gallo is the co-founder and President of Film and Television at Amasia Entertainment. Helmed by the former president and COO of Marvel Studios, Michael Helfant, Amasia has emerged as one of the top production companies in the industry today.

Amasia which is the production company behind the sequel series DARK SHADOWS: REINCARNATION for Warner Brothers and the grounded reboot of the GREEN HORNET franchise, set up at Universal.

Amasia will soon release WILD MOUNTAIN THYME, starring Emily Blunt, Christopher Walken, Jon Hamm, and Jamie Dornan. Previous credits include 2019’s Official Sundance Selection THEM THAT FOLLOW, starring Olivia Coleman, Jim Gaffigan, Walton Goggins, Kaitlyn Dever, Lewis Pullman, Alice Englert, and Thomas Mann.

Amasia Entertainment is a production, finance and management company based in Los Angeles. They're behind films like CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, FEAR, INC., THE ROAD WITHIN, THE CALL AND MR. RIGHT. Amasia is currently in pre-production on FATE, written by Gary Whittar (ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY, BOOK OF ELI).

Recently, Amasia opened up a bidding war for MY FAVORITE THING IS MONSTERS, with SONY picking up the project, which is now in development (see it on Deadline) and announced a new Television division led by industry veteran Tracy Mercer, formerly with Morgan Freeman's Revelations Entertainment (See it on Deadline here). Amasia just acquired the rights to the sci-fi feature WORLD BREAKER and the pilot DOPPEL (see more here).

Thomas Pemberton (Judge) - Development Executive, Mind's Eye Entertainment

Thomas Pemberton is the Development Executive at Mind's Eye Entertainment under producer Kevin DeWalt. There he worked on Recallwith Wesley Snipes, Humanity Bureau with Oscar-winner Nicholas Cage, Distorted with Christina Ricci and John Cusack, Daughter of the Wolfwith Oscar-winner Richard Dreyfus, Score to Settle again with Nicholas Cage, and a YA series based on the best selling books called AVALON.

Minds Eye Entertainment has produced over 60 feature film and television projects. The company has been instrumental in establishing the Canadian film and television industry with exceptional, exportable projects that have sold to over 200 territories around the world. The company has produced over $400 million in production and has garnered over 50 national and international awards.

Minds Eye’s television portfolio includes the period mini-series THE ENGLISHMAN’S BOY and PRAIRIE GIANT: THE TOMMY DOUGLAS STORY, as well as the one-hour legal drama series JUST CAUSE, the action adventure teen series 2030CE, MY GLOBAL ADVENTURE, MYTHQUEST, MENTORS and INCREDIBLE STORY STUDIO, which sold to more 170 countries and multiple networks including The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and YTV.

With an expertise in international co-production and financing, Minds Eye has co-produced films with many countries including France, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, USA and the UK.

Minds Eye’s film Endless starring Famke Janssen, Alexandra Shipp, andNicholas Hamilton is currently in post-production.

Alexia Melocchi (Judge) - Producer & Sales Agent, Little Studio Films

Alexia Melocchi is a Producer at Little Studio Films, a representation and production company with more than 25 films and series credits. With more than twenty years in the industry, Alexia has worked in nearly every aspect of the entertainment industry.

Working at Little Studio Films since 2000, Alexia serves as Partner and Producer, involved in all aspects of company operations, including distribution and co-production deals, managing production activities, and film and television marketing.

On the feature side, Little Studio Films shot Summer Dance in New York last Fall. They are currently casting for the upcoming feature, Toxicant, to be directed by Marco Ristori and Luca Boni, and are preparing the miniseries on the life of young Maria Callas called "The Making of Maria". Little Studios recently completed the reality series, "The Experience"airing on UpLift Television.

Prior to Little Studio Films, Alexia served as President of Distribution at Alexia International Pictures and Director of Sales and Operations at Amazing Movies.

David Harris (Judge) - Producer, Harris Films

David Harris is a leading independent producer at Harris Films.

 

David has just acquired rights to The Protector, the 2003 thriller novel from David Morrell, the New York Times bestselling author who penned First Blood, the book that launched Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo movie franchise!

 

Prior to launching his producing career, David worked in development at Platinum Studios and Paramount Pictures. In 2017, he produced the $15m thriller Security with Nu Image / Millennium Films, which starred Antonio Banderas and Ben Kingsley.

 

After a pitch session, David hired a Stage 32 writer Craig Walendziak to write the thriller Desolation, directed by David Moscow.

 

David has optioned two Stage 32 scripts and helped get another Stage 32 member a writing assignment with producer Luke Edwards.

Rose Glaeser (Judge) - Literary Department Coordinator, Abrams Artists Agency

Rose Glaeser is the Literary Department Coordinator at Abrams Artists Agency. Prior to working at Abrams, Rose worked in production on projects for HBO, MTV, NUVOtv, Yahoo and Fuse.

For more than 40 years, The Abrams Artists Agency has earned a reputation and garnered access to all the major players in the industry. With a new approach, Abrams work with their clients across all of their departments to maximize their brands, exposure and income from all possible sources.

In 2018, The Abrams Artists Agency was acquired by Robert Attermann, CEO; Brian Cho, President; and Adam Bold, Chairman. The new team has an intensified passion for the constantly changing entertainment landscape, creating ownable content and disrupting traditional media for the good.

Rose was awarded a TriBeCa Film Festival grant for the interactive web series Mysteries in NYC. In my spare time I enjoy running, baking, and reading comic books.

Matthew Carpenter (Judge) - Managing Partner / Head of Creative Development, Venezia Media

Matthew Carpenter is a Producer and Creative Executive with extensive experience in both film and television.

As a writer he co-developed and wrote for the SyFy Channel series Painkiller Jane, and oversaw creative development for the animated horror feature Deadspace:Downfall based on the hit Electronic Arts video game franchise. Other works include the action/horror feature film Navy Seals vs. Zombies released by Anchor Bay, the animated pilot Alien Admissions for Blue Ant/Mondo and the drama series Eden that was set up with eOne and Imagemovers.

Previously Matt was the Director of Creative Development for StarzMedia, developing both comedy and drama projects for the network, including the critically acclaimed Party Down, Crash, Head Case, Gravity and Pillars of the Earth. He then ran television development for Jason Blum’s, Blumhouse Productions, where his projects included the MTV drama series Eye Candy and Syfy Channel limited series Ascension.

Later, Matt was named Head of Development for ASIB Entertainmentwhere he focused on international co-productions for both features and television. Matt has since partnered to form Venezia Media, where he serves as Managing Partner/Head of Creative Development, developing scripted and documentary content, and is currently producing the feature-length documentary Zero Gand I Feel Fine based on the early days of NASA.

Steve Longi (Judge) - Founder/Producer, Longitude Entertainment

Steve Longi is a producer and the President of Longitude Entertainment. With over twenty years of experience, Steve has developed and produced numerous projects including the critically acclaimed Hacksaw Ridge, which garnered two Academy Awards and six nominations, including Best Picture. Steve was instrumental in finding the project, securing the rights, setting it up and developing the screenplay for many years before landing director, Mel Gibson.

After years of experience running Permut Presentations, a prominent Hollywood production company and having worked with an array of talented stars such as Robert Downey, Jr., Sigourney Weaver, Rooney Mara, Whoopi Goldberg, Zach Galifianakis, and Ray Liotta, Steve formed his own company, Longitude Entertainment.

Andrew Kersey (Judge & Mentor) - Manager, Kersey Management

Andrew Kersey is a Literary Manager and the head of Kersey Management. In fall 2021, his client's comedy VACATION FRIENDS starring John Cena and Lil Rel was Hulu's biggest 3-day weekend opener for an original in the streamers history. A sequel is being fast-tracked.

In 2023, Andrew sold his client's action comedy spec script NEVER TOO OLD TO DIE, to Amazon Studios with Sylvester Stallone attached to star and produce!

His incredibly talented clients are working on projects at all the major studios and streaming outlets including Netflix and Amazon, and the networks and cable channels ABC, Fox, NBC, CW, Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon.

Andrew worked his way up through the industry, starting as a production company intern before working for the management and production powerhouse 3Arts Entertainment. He left 3Arts to get experience in development at a Universal production company, before starting his own management company, Kersey Management, in 2004. Kersey Management is a boutique literary management company that
nurtures unique storytelling voices in film and TV.