Ayah Alhabbal's Lounge Discussions

I'm Zac, I'm currently a student at AAU majoring in Directing. I just recently moved to LA and I'm looking to connect with active filmmakers. I'd love to help out with your short film productions in any way I can. I'm also developing a few projects of my own and would love to connect with writers in the area.

My very first job out of college was one I did not want, to be honest. I was working in advertising but not making commercials - we sold air time, and my job in "production" wasn't one that made me excited to get up every day.

But it taught me a lot.

We used to have quarterly trainings about customer service or time management or creating a commanding presence. One of the best pieces of professional advice I ever got came from one of those meetings: the instructor said "if you're ever in a position where you are nervous, act as though it's your party and everyone is there to see you."

A few months later, I saw a gig posted on our local film office website looking for production assistants. I leapt at the opportunity, even though I had no idea what a production assistant did, I just knew I needed a seat, any seat, at a table where they were making films. I got the gig, and was set up to work as a production assistant with the art department.

I was now going to be a part of a film starring David Morse (12 Monkeys, The Green Mile, Hack) and Corey Monteith (Glee) in one of his final roles. Elated is an understatement.

A week before production was slated to begin, the entire cast and crew were invited to a pre-production party in a fancy part of town. Now the reality of what I was jumping into had set in, and I was petrified.

What if I was horrible, what if they found out I'd never done this before, what does the art department even do...

I sat in my car outside the private residence, my key still in the ignition, thinking about calling it off.

I worked up the courage to get to the front door and knocked. No answer.

I knocked again, no answer.

I thought about leaving, but then I thought about walking in as though it was my party and everyone was there to see me.

I don’t know what came over me, but I turned the door knob and it was open. I entered the foyer and was greeted by a lovely woman who wanted to know why I was there.

I choked out "I'm working on the movie."

A smile overtook her face. She grabbed me by the hand and led me into the kitchen where all the producers, the director and David Morse were cooking up some burgers and drinking wine. She introduced me to all the major players by name and I spent the rest of the evening getting to know all the crew I would be working with over the next 6 weeks, many of whom I still keep in touch with today.

Imagine if I had chickened out and drove home?

Take the risk, take the chance.

It's your party, and every one is there to see you.

Hi everyone!

I'm Aisha, a storyteller from Nigeria. For years I've been telling stories, and this year, guess what? I made my very first film! It's a Hausa story I've always wanted to share.

Making the film was amazing, but there's so much to learn about filmmaking! This online community seems awesome, so I'm hoping you can help.

What advice can you give a new filmmaker like me, especially someone who wants to tell stories from different cultures? Are there helpful resources, workshops, or even film schools you recommend?

I'm excited to learn, work with others, and be part of this filmmaking group!

My name is Walid sam, and I am a professional actor from Morocco with experience both locally and internationally. Over the years, I have had the privilege of honing my craft in diverse settings, from theater to film sets..

In addition to my acting career, I am also passionate about writing. This dual expertise allows me to bring a unique perspective to storytelling, whether on screen or through the written word.

I am dedicated to delivering compelling performances and creating memorable experiences for audiences. I am currently seeking opportunities to further expand my career in the entertainment industry, particularly in Hollywood, I know it's big but that was my dream since I started all of this

I look forward to connecting with like minded professionals, exploring new projects, and contributing to impactful storytelling. Please feel free to reach out if you have any opportunities or would like to discuss potential collaborations.

Hello Everyone!

I am so EXCITED for July Filmmakers Club!!! I hope you all are too! :))

Here are my goals for this month:

(Drumroll plz )

- Create in anyway possible may it be a short film, a music video, or even an edit with my friends

- Grow in the Stage32 community and connect as much as possible

- Collaborate on as many projects as I can

I can't wait to accomplish my goals and see everyone do the same!!!

Hey, Stage 32!

My name is Daniel Sol and I'm the Co-Director and Co-Founder of HollyShorts Film Festival! In celebration of Stage 32's July Filmmakers Club, I'll be LIVE on Instagram TODAY, July 2nd talking about my career, the advice I have for new filmmakers, and the history behind HollyShorts and our wonderful partnership with Stage 32. You should tune in to @Stage32 at 12:00 PM PT to join in!

THEN, if you have any questions for me about the things that I discuss LIVE or you have any questions about short films, festivals, networking, etc. you can drop those in the comments below. I'll be here all day on Wednesday, July 3rd answering your questions for a 24-Hour Ask Me Anything. So please comment with any and all of your questions on this post!

A bit more about me-

With a passion for film and filmmaking since childhood, Daniel decided to move to California in 2000 with an interest in the film business. After working on commercial productions as an understanding of the filmmaking process.

After graduating from Cal State Northridge in 2006, he realized that young filmmakers had very little access to industry professionals and few options for screening their films. Thus, the categories, HollyShorts has quickly become the most influential short film festival in the World, with Daniel guiding it as Festival Director and lead programmer and the HollyShorts Monthly Screening Series, which takes place each month at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres.

Aside from HollyShorts, Sol also battled daily with domestic exhibitors as a theatrical sales executive at Lionsgate from 2008-2014. Mr. Sol is also the co-founder of the premium Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV content channel BITPIX along with co-founder of the production company 88th Street.

He proudly serves on the Film Augusta Advisory Board. Sol is also an Executive Producer of the short films THIRST and DESMONDS NOT HERE ANYMORE, currently airing on Hulu, and is the Festival Co-Founder of the 9th annual Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival.

Let's get rolling! Excited for this challenge. My goal this month is to rekindle relationships that have been languishing for a long time. This business is all about relationships (as we know) and a lot of times if we don't connect and interact with a filmmaking contact for a while it starts to feel as though we've lost touch.

So my goal is to go through my rolodex and reconnect with some old colleagues, friends, mentors, and collaborators to rekindle the relationship. Not to ask for anything mind you - just authentically check in and see how they're doing and what they've been up to. My goal is to do as many as I can, but let's call it people 10 at a minimum.

I've just read Nick's blog post about managing the production process of your film and my spirits are high. I'm new, in the process of character development and writing my pilot. The things he addressed are some of my short-term worries because I am determined to reach production with this project.

My goals:

* To finish developing my characters and writing the pilot by end of July. 

* Getting notes on the pilot through Stage 32 and other contributors in my circle. 

* In September I'm attending MIP Africa solely to pitch my pilot and make new connections to take the project forward. 

I'm available as an extra set of eyes to anyone here who needs it. Let's learn and lift each other up. 

All the best everyone! 

V. 

Maurice mentioned that we can extract a short story from our feature script. So, that's what I did. I made a short from my script, JUST ONE INCH which has won 16 awards so far and called it THE SCRIBE. It just won Quarterfinalist in its first competition. So, thank you soooo much, Maurice!

Hello Everyone! My name is Ayah, I am a recent college graduate from the University of New Haven. I majored in communications with a concentration in film production. My goal is to go into advertisement content creation for creative companies.

I have a strong knowledge of understanding a brand's aesthetic and how to bring it to life through social media and other platforms.

A fun fact about me is that I love films based on their color palettes and aesthetic. Any Wes Anderson Film is my favorite especially Moonrise Kingdom.

I am excited to get to know and be a part of the Stage 32 community!