On Demand Webinar - Available for immediate viewing and unlimited access.
On Demand Webinar - Available for immediate viewing and unlimited access.
Lina Ghandour is Senior Manager at the Creative Industries group (Film and TV-International Finance) at the National Bank of Canada, since 2017. Prior to that, Lina worked at other Canadian Financial Institutions for the past 18 years and specialized in the Media and Entertainment industry since 2010. Lina focuses on the Film and TV Motion lending on an International Level. She specializes in GAP-Presale financing with all other financing components needed to support producers. Although based in Montreal Canada, Lina travels to the biggest festivals and markets (Cannes, Tiff, Berlin, AFM, C21, SXSW) and often travels to Los Angeles and London to meet with partners, producers, and key players in the industry. Full Bio »

A New Exclusive Webinar
Hosted by the Senior Manager at the Creative Industries Group, with 18 years of experience in helping filmmakers finance their projects.
You’ve raised money to produce your project but you’re still coming up short. Did you know that there is money available to you at the bank to help you fill in the “gap”? You just need to know how to get it.
Gap financing is a bank instrument for filmmakers that fills the “gap” in funding between the money you’ve already raised and your estimated film production budget to completion.
In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you’ll cover the essentials of accessing gap financing.
No one knows the ins and outs of gap financing better than your instructor, Lina Ghandour. In her role as Senior Manager at the Creative Industries Group, Lina focuses on film and television motion lending at the international level. She specializes in gap-presale financing with all other financing components needed to support producers.
It’s more than making sure you know every aspect of your film or television package and meeting with a bank rep. It’s about knowing how the bank operates, who the people are that you’ll be working with, the insurance you’ll need, and how to choose the right sales agent for you.
You’ll find out what makes a production look like a worthy investment to a bank vs. one that’s too risky a bet. Plus, you’ll learn about the documents needed to close the deal.
Lina regularly travels from her base in Montreal, Canada, to Los Angeles and London to meet with partners, producers, and key players in the industry. She also attends the biggest festivals and markets worldwide, including Cannes, TIFF, Berlin, AFM, C21, SXSW, and more.
Lina is giving you what she’s learned working with productions just like you over the past 18 years all over the world. You'll walk away from this webinar with the knowledge you need to get that last bit of funding to make your project a reality.

Working with a bank
The Role of the Bank (Senior Lender)
The Role of the Other Players
Insurances
Q&A with Lina
Lina Ghandour
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Have you ever been asked, “what are the comps” for your project? Or, what’s the “this-meets-that”? Potential investors are always looking for the next big idea, and if your project aligns with past box office success in terms of story, genre, tone, budget, and more, you’ll be able to win those producers over. Having a Comps Report can provide real industry data to push your sales pitch over the top. Short for “comparable,” comps are films similar to your project that prove you have a viable idea to investors. So why can’t you pick a box office success as your comp and call it a day? Because it takes more than knowing titles. You need to understand different markets, different platforms, why those comparable films did well in some areas and not others, and more. An unrealistic report can even do more harm than good by driving away the people who could help your film produced. To walk you through creating your comp report is Bruce Nash, founder and President of Nash Information Services, LLC., the premier provider of movie industry data and research services, including comp analysis and international sales projects for feature films and real-time tracking of the industry through its OpusData service. Since its launch in 1997, Bruce and his team have served over 1,000 clients, with projects ranging from big-budget Hollywood hits to Oscar-winning dramas to low-budget films from first-time producers. In this webinar, Bruce Nash will teach you what quality analysis is, what comps are and how best to choose them, the four key questions to ask when compiling a comp report, and how to understand today’s market. Bruce will also include where you can find free online tools to help assemble your comp report. Don't miss this chance to learn from one of the best in the business.
Stage 32 + Netflix join forces to bring you an exclusive television pitch workshop Learn best practices to make your pitch work and what your pitching document should look like You do NOT want to miss this! For many, the holy grail of television has become Netflix. It’s a titan in the industry, and with over 200 million subscribers worldwide, no one can put out content quite like them. Just look at the recent hit show BRIDGERTON, which has already been seen by a massive 80 million households (!!) since its release. If you’re a writer or creator, getting your series onto Netflix’s platform can spell success in a big way. But first there’s the matter of getting your series in front of them and pitching it effectively. It should be a comfort to know that you’re not the only one who wants your series on Netflix. Netflix wants that too! Netflix execs are constantly on the lookout for exciting new voices and new series to fill their slate. Yet it takes more than just a good series or a good pilot script to get on Netflix’s radar; you need to be able to communicate it well and pitch it in a way that will get their team excited. This certainly takes some work, but it’s absolutely achievable. If you’re interested in getting your show on Netflix, it’s time to learn directly from the source what it will take to make that happen. In an effort to reach more writers and find more content, Netflix has joined forces with Stage 32 to present a FREE and invaluable workshop on what it is that they’re looking for in new shows and how you can best pitch your series to their executives. In Stage 32's continued effort to help level the playing field for content creators worldwide, we felt it's important that we help you get tools you need to be able to make sure that you can pitch effectively. Kicking off the workshop will be Stage 32 CEO, Richard "RB" Botto (@rbwalksintoabar), and hosting this presentation will be Stage 32's Managing Director Amanda Toney with Netflix’s Director of Creative Talent Investment and Development for International Originals Christopher Mack. Christopher was previously Senior Vice President of Scripted Content for Stage 13, overseeing all of the brand’s original scripted series and development slates across multiple genres, including Emmy nominated Netflix series’ SPECIAL and IT'S BRUNO. Before Stage 13, Chris headed the Warner Bros. Workshop, the writing and directing program for professionals looking to start and/or further their careers in television. Over a period of 10 years in this role, Chris curated a roster of close to 100 writers and 50 directors representing the breakthrough emerging voices working on high-profile television shows today. In addition to these responsibilities, Chris has covered hit shows such as TWO AND A HALF MEN and SMALLVILLE for the Current Programs department. Prior to joining Warner Bros., Chris spent seven years writing on various one-hour dramas including ER, THE PRACTICE and THE NEW TWILIGHT ZONE. After graduating from Loyola Law School, Chris got his start in television at NBC Studios as an associate and he quickly rose to becoming an executive. During his time at the newly created NBC Studios, he oversaw a varied list of shows including: THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR and IN THE HOUSE, among others. In this exclusive Stage 32 workshop, Christopher will delve into what exactly makes a television pitch work at Netflix. He’ll discuss the essentials you’ll need to catch Netflix’s eye and will zero in on how to write an effective pitch document. He’ll pose questions you be able to answer and communicate for your series and give you ideas on how best to communicate your show’s overview, world, tone, and characters. Christopher will then discuss how season summaries should be built and give you ideas on how to think about and present potential episodes. Finally, you will have the invaluable opportunity to ask Christopher your own questions. You will leave this presentation with the understanding of how to structure and present your series, not in theory, but directly from the source.
As independent creatives, most of us have probably accepted our fates as “struggling artists” until we “get our break.” Still, even getting our break isn’t a guarantee for success and financial stability. There’s so much hustle and wait in this industry, but what if it didn’t have to be that way? What if you could take control of opening the golden door to success? This is an industry full of opportunities for those who are willing to engage in the entrepreneurial grind of building a profitable entity within the film industry. If you’re willing to bet on yourself, you can no doubt lead a fulfilling life as an independent artist. The two greatest challenges preventing people from fulfilling their dreams though, are often undervaluing themselves and quitting early. It’s important to learn and own your value and what you bring to the table if you want to set yourself up for success. There are strategic steps you can take towards monetizing your skills and creative ways to find revenue (trust us, it is out there!), but you have to be honest with yourself, be willing to put in the work and stand by your worth. Through iteration, practice, and time, you can even scale your skill(s) into your own business. With the right tools, resources, and motivation, you too can set yourself up for success as an independent artist. Jacob Matthew is the producer of the hit Netflix film LESS IS NOW. He is also the co-owner of the global production company and film agency Booklight. At Booklight he has expanded the agency's global reach in international film production by working with creatives and brands such as Netflix, Open Table, Comedy Central and Twilio. Jacob believes that when creatives are given permission to work in an environment that is as healthy and encouraging as it is disciplined and detailed, their creative ceiling can have no bounds. Booklight’s explosive growth is due, not only, to its co-founder Chris Newhard’s obsession for quality, but also to Jacob's own unwavering pursuit of organizational health and clarity. In this unique webinar, Jacob will share his story of success as an independent producer, and teach you how to find your value while accepting some brutal truths. He’ll also give you a realistic look at the industry today, and guide you on establishing your brand, what and how to charge clients based on your value, and train you on how to build your wealth while managing risk and growing your client list. This course will give you the basic, high level tools to propel you on your journey to leaving your day job and carving out a space for yourself in this industry. PRAISE FOR JACOB'S TEACHINGS: "We all make the mistake of thinking that the term “filmmaker” is a noun, a title to be achieved. We are wrong. A filmmaker is a verb. We film-make everyday that we wake up and decide to do something that moves our film forward. We film-make everyday we look in the mirror and tell ourselves we are on the right path. We film-make every time we encounter an obstacle in our way and choose to get creative. I look forward to teaching you how you can get creative and make a profitable career for yourself." - Jacob Matthew
4 part class taught by Producer Michael Wormser, whose online distribution projects have reached over 30 million viewers! AVAILABLE ON DEMAND! Have you ever wondered how so many people have films, trailers, shorts and webisodes online that have achieved massive fan bases and are making millions of dollars? Well the truth is they aren’t any different than you, and in today’s world you have the same resources available that they do. There are many outlets to reach an audience, but how many of these are effective? In this course, you'll find out the best ways to not only reach an audience, but to engage and successfully grow an audience online. Stage 32 Next Level Classes is excited to bring you the previously-recorded 4 part class: Zero to Hero: How to Build an Online Audience taught by Michael Wormser, who brought the viewership content of Maker Studios from 40M to 250M monthly! Learn how you can see success in this competitive directly from an executive who's mastered it. Purchasing gives you access to the previously-recorded live class.Although Michael is no longer reviewing the assignments, we still encourage all listeners to participate!
The world of independent horror is like no other arena in the film industry. The appetite for new horror films is strong, consistent, and seemingly endless, as always-hungry audiences continue to seek out new titles. As a result, hundreds of horror films are made each year and the market itself is incredibly profitable. Yet in such a saturated market and with such a volume of horror films being released, it can be very hard to stand out. After all, out of hundreds of horror films, there are always only a couple BABADOOKs or GREEN ROOMs that have real staying power. A lot of people are able to work in the horror space, but staying in and thriving can be a lot more difficult. The challenge lies in figuring out what you can do to make your project and your work stand out. The independent horror film industry can be a difficult world to navigate, fraught with unique challenges and hurdles. Rules and trends that apply to the film industry on a larger scale can often differ when zoomed into just horror. It’s important, then, for filmmakers interested in the independent horror space to understand this market specifically and better operate within it. How do you get meetings, get your work read, create a name for yourself, and get attention? How can you create projects and own your craft to continue to work within the constantly changing space of horror cinema? The horror world does have plenty of obstacles, but there are many steps you can take at any level of your career to get ahead of the curve. Rebekah McKendry was the Editor-in-Chief for Blumhouse Productions as well as the Director of Marketing for Fangoria Entertainment. She is also currently a co-host of Blumhouse’s award-winning Shock Waves Podcast (along with Ryan Turek, Blumhouse's VP of Development) and host of Fangoria’s Nightmare University Podcast. Rebekah now serves as a professor in the renowned University of Southern California’s Cinematic Arts Department, specializing in directing and the horror genre. There are few people in the world who understand the world of horror filmmaking better than Rebekah, and she’s excited to share what she knows exclusively with the Stage 32 community. Rebekah will explore how to understand trends and tastes in horror, changes in distribution models and budgets, and how you can prepare for a long career. She will begin with a brief history of independent horror cinema, focusing on how horror tastes have evolved, how the genre has developed, what sort of trends have been created, how distribution models have changed, and social issues and problems that have come along with it. She’ll then delve into the current horror film market. She’ll outline the key players who are producing notable horror films and discuss the successful budget ranges that we are seeing right now. Rebekah will go over the production models that are being used in the horror space, including the conventional “studio” model, as well as the Blumhouse model. Next she’ll get into the microbudget film, what that looks like and what you have to maintain for it to work. Rebekah will then talk about distribution and how to navigate this part of the industry. She’ll teach you about the contemporary trends in horror films, outlining what’s popular and why, and what might be coming in the future. She’ll discuss the specific need and push for diverse voices within this genre and speak to the opportunity for social awareness in these films. Next Rebekah will teach you how to thrive in the horror industry as a filmmaker. She’ll go over how to craft a project, how to generate hype and get exposure for it, how to navigate conventions and festivals and what you can do to help get your script read. You will leave this webinar with a firm handle on this unique and tricky subsection of the film industry. Praise for Rebekah's Stage 32 Webinar: "This was awesome! Succinct but full of up-to-date information and very motivating. I love that she harped on "just make something!" So positive and supportive and I learned a lot!" -Allie R. "This was amazing! I was hesitant about spending $50 on this but it was worth every penny!" -Taylor D. "I thought Rebekah had by FAR the best webinar I have seen yet. She has such passion and coveys it- and she obviously has been in the industry and around it in so many ways her whole career - fantastic!" -Gail B. "This is exactly what I needed to see and hear, and Rebekah provided so much good information that I can apply to my projects." -Irene C.
The television landscape has changed dramatically over the years and continues to evolve, seemingly on a weekly basis. Yet through all of it, an undeniable constant has been late night TV. In fact, with their up-to-the-minute spoofs of our fast-changing news cycle and cultural landscape, late night shows like THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JIMMY FALLON, THE DAILY SHOW WITH TREVOR NOAH, LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, and FULL FRONTAL WITH SAMANTHA BEE have never been more relevant. The appetite is high, but writing for this rapid-turnaround genre is its own skill set, separate from others used throughout TV and film. Furthermore, getting hired for such a show can be particularly challenging. Yet it’s still possible. So how can you prepare yourself with for when late night writing opportunities present themselves, and can you find these opportunities in the first place? For as ever-present as late night TV is, the industry itself can seem hard-to-know and enigmatic. It’s certainly less covered in media than other types of television. Yet if you’re interested in writing for a late night program, it’s critical to have a basic understanding of how these shows work--both the media ecosystem they exist in, and more specifically, how they are produced day-to-day, and even hour-to-hour. It’s also crucial to put together a strong, standout Late-Night Writers’ Packet, which combines a number of different elements that decision makers are looking for when hiring. If you want to pursue a career in late night writing, it’s time to learn everything you need to know to find success. Rob Kutner is an Emmy, Peabody, and Grammy Award-winning late night television staff writer who has worked on shows like CONAN and THE DAILY SHOW. Starting out as a writers’ assistant on DENNIS MILLER LIVE, Rob is also the author of the satirical end-of-times bestseller Apocalypse How: Turn the End Times into the Best of Times! and has written material for the Oscars, Emmys, Writers’ Guild Awards, MTV Movie Awards, Guys’ Choice Awards, and two White House Correspondents’ Dinners. Rob has spent the majority of his storied career operating and thriving in the world of late night television and is ready to tell you how you can do the same. Rob will teach you how late night television works and how you can best position yourself to find opportunities as a writer within it. He’ll begin by going over an introduction to late night television, including a brief history and overview, an examination of how late night is different than other genres, how a late night show generally works, and what a typical day on a program like this looks like. Next Rob will go through his own experiences with late night and extract the biggest lessons he’s learned from his own journey. He’ll discuss his early steps, his work as a production assistant and a writers’ assistant, and how he got his first writing gig. He’ll also go into the differences between the shows he’s worked on, including CONAN and THE DAILY SHOW. He’ll explain how he continues to find work in this space. He will then go through five ways you can find a late night writing job of your own. He will also teach you strategies you should use to better get noticed as a writer. He’ll explain the difference between “hiring” and “reading”, how to be gently persistent, and what a late night writing packet is as well as why it’s crucial. Rob will dive deep into how to put together your own late night packet and share with you the 8 different pieces you’ll need to build a packet that will get producers’ attention. He’ll explain how to make your packet look good and noticeable. Rob will even offer a live demonstration, showing how to put together a packet live. Next he will talk about how to keep your writing job once you’re staffed. He’ll explain the differences between late night and episodic production cultures and go through what the day-to-day requirements of a late night writer are. He’ll explain what the etiquette of the writers’ room is, how best to pitch your ideas, and how to take and move forward with notes that you’re given. He’ll also talk about how best to navigate the quick turnarounds that are notorious in jobs like this. Finally, Rob will go through further opportunities in the world of late night that you can explore, including finding producing opportunities and chances to actually perform on your show. Let Rob help you walk into the world of late night with your eyes open and with a collection of strategies to best find the writing opportunity you’re after. Praise for Rob's Stage 32 Webinar: "Very informative, told with kindness." -Zara Q. "Rob's webinar was uber insightful and detailed. I learned more about breaking into the industry than several UCLA extension classes." -Jamie T. "Wonderful insider POV, super helpful tips on the package/sample work" -Laura D. "Very on point. Speaker was knowledgeable and had lots of real world experience. He seemed very relatable, too." -Jeff E.