Anything Goes

Ashley Renee Smith

Head of Community at Stage 32 ♦ Creative Executive, Producer, Author

November 2025 Open House Webcast

Don't Miss November's Community Open House- Free Webcast Event for All Members!

Tuesday, November 25th at 12:00 pm PT!

Every success story begins with a first step.

If you’re ready to take yours, join me, Ashley Smith, Head of Community at Stage 32, for our November Community Open House Webcast happening Tuesday, November 25th at 12:00 pm PT!

Free Registration: https://www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-s-november-community-open-house-webcast

Whether you’re chasing representation, looking for collaborators, or simply tired of creating in isolation, this live event is your chance to show up, be seen, and start making real progress.

This isn’t just an overview — it’s your creative launchpad. You’ll walk away with practical tools, new connections, and a clear path forward, no matter your background or where you are in your career.

You’ll Learn How To:

Navigate Stage 32 like a pro and make the platform work for your goals
Build authentic connections through the Stage 32 Lounges
Access Education, Certification, and Script Services tailored to your next big move
Show up in ways that get you noticed by the right people at the right time
Participate in real-time Q&A and get guidance specific to your path

Whether you’re a writer, filmmaker, actor, producer, composer, editor, or wear multiple creative hats — this is where your Stage 32 journey truly begins.

If you can’t attend live, don’t worry — registering ensures you’ll receive the full recording to watch anytime from anywhere.

Who’s planning to join me live for the Open House?

Click HERE to Register for FREE!

Event starts
28
28 people like this

Liked by Michael Dzurak and 2 others

Ugo Cavallo

Screenwriter, Graphic Designer

posted in Anything Goes Sign in to subscribe

3 weeks ago

About Music Biopic

We'll soon see the Michael Jackson biopic in theaters. Which biopics would you like to see next?

Hello everyone, and have a great weekend.

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Sydney S

3
3 people like this
2 weeks ago

Ugo, Nat King Cole...yes!

Ugo Cavallo

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
1 week ago

Darrell Pennington you have all the space below to list your forbidden desires for a music biopic :))

Ugo Cavallo

2
2 people like this
- Sydney S
- Maurice Vaughan
1 week ago

Sydney S hoping to see one in the future !!!

Darrell Pennington

2
2 people like this
- Ugo Cavallo
- Maurice Vaughan
1 week ago

Ugo Cavallo haha, yes that is true. I can be a bit verbose so just not trying to outstay my welcome haha!

Sydney S

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
17 hours ago

Me too Ugo!!!

Liked by Maurice Vaughan

Wade Pessin

Actor, Screenwriter, Voice Actor

posted in Anything Goes Sign in to subscribe

21 hours ago

Live Chat Support

Is there a live chat support that I can utilize? I'm trying to use the email system but it seems turn around time can be weeks. I had a pitch session a month ago and haven't heard a peep from the person it was with since. Never got any feedback on my pitch.

Maurice Vaughan

20 hours ago

Hi, Wade Pessin. There isn't a live chat support. It can take 3 weeks or longer to get feedback on a pitch. I suggest emailing writerhelp@stage32.com for an update....

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Wade Pessin

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
20 hours ago

I have, and am still waiting

Maurice Vaughan

20 hours ago

When did you email them, Wade Pessin?

Wade Pessin

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
20 hours ago

been emailing for a few weeks

Maurice Vaughan

20 hours ago

I'll email one of the Team members about it, Wade Pessin.

Liked by John Fife

C.J. Night

Author, Screenwriter

posted in Anything Goes Sign in to subscribe

22 hours ago

OMG, are you really a producer?

A producer is the most miserable creature alive. His morning doesn’t start with brushing his teeth with a fresh line of cok... — no, he has to groan, crack his spine, and drag himself to Walmart. There he buys yet another tiny mixed-feed gizmo for the Time Machine he’s been building, just so he can...

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When he’s done with his very important engineering duties, he has to call the rent-a-nurse squad, who deliver a specially engineered Marvel-Version Suit for him — The Producer-Man Suit, which is basically a straitjacket they buckle him into so he doesn’t accidentally slap anyone’s ass. Including his own. His ass can file a lawsuit too, in case you were wondering.

His mouth stays taped shut from dawn till dusk, because Mossad and MI6 installed spyware apps on his phone disguised as a calendar — at the polite request of his coworkers. Now the only thing he can get handsy with is the tape on his lips, and his lips are desert-dry because of it.

He even has to change the shine in his eyes by dropping Ozempic into them. And now that signature sparkle he once had when seeing a fat check has been replaced by a raw, unfiltered joy whenever he spots a performer who perfectly fits The Agenda.

Moreover! The poor dude has to work on the floor, because a desk is a potential site of an intimate crime, and all the beds in his home he handed out to carpenter friends ages ago.

And now, when a newbie performer sees this broken soul, they no longer ask, “OMG, are you really a producer?” They just silently pull out their credit card and buy a discounted pack of nuggets so the apex predator of show business can survive until the next multi-million-dollar blockbuster.

This miserable and battered producer needs your support and help. There will be no bank details — he asked me to set up the fundraiser tomorrow, when the hostel owner comes to demand rent.

Kevin Hager

Other

posted in Anything Goes Sign in to subscribe

2 days ago

November Newsletter

Is the next newsletter for the November writing club open yet?

P.S. I have asked many times about sites that claim they can help you meet an actor, producer, director, etc. I would like to know how many and which of these sites are legit.

Maurice Vaughan

2 days ago

Hi, Kevin Hager. Week 4's blog for November Write Club comes out tomorrow. I don't know about sites that claim they can help you meet an actor, producer, director, etc....

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Kevin Hager

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
2 days ago

Maybe that could be something to do research on.

Marcus Ward

Filmmaker, Screenwriter

posted in Anything Goes Sign in to subscribe

4 days ago

Comic book writing

Does Stage 32 offer anything to help with Comic book writing? I'm looking more in terms of writing the outline script aspect.

Mike Boas

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
4 days ago

I don’t think so, but writer Warren Ellis has talked about his process a lot over the years. Here’s an article with script samples: https://www.comicbookscriptarchive.com/archive/panel-1/warren-ellis-...

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Marcus Ward

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
2 days ago

Okay. Thanks.

Robert Niebrzydowski

Actor, Host/Presenter, Manager, Producer

posted in Anything Goes Sign in to subscribe

3 days ago

After an audition

Could this soon be the go to pizza spot in CT?

https://youtu.be/MxEctwBeFBg

Kevin Hager

Other

posted in Anything Goes Sign in to subscribe

4 days ago

Meet a Star the legit way

I have seen some sites that promise you can meet an actor, or other. But there is a fee for the service. But are those kinds of sites legit? If so, which ones?

Eddie Lawhorn

Author, Screenwriter

posted in Anything Goes Sign in to subscribe

4 days ago

Best Dad Jokes

I was driving my wife to the store recently, and that Prince song 1999 came on the radio. I said, “Wow, that song’s dated.”

My wife was going over our child’s biology homework on the inheritance of traits. She said that you have dimples like your dad, so that must be a dominant trait. I said, I disag...

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Maurice Vaughan

4 days ago

Haha Eddie Lawhorn. I don't have any dad jokes, but I want to come up with one now.

Kevin Hager

Other

posted in Anything Goes Sign in to subscribe

4 days ago

Similar Formula

Do some movies end up following the same scenario as others? Like for example Enter the Dragon inspire the video games Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and Double Dragon and their film adaptations?

Then Die Hard, after its release there were many films that had the same situation, but in differ...

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Maurice Vaughan

1
1 person likes this
- Lindbergh E Hollingsworth
4 days ago

Hey, Kevin Hager. Some movies end up following the same structure as other movies. The movies have different storylines, different locations, and different twists though....

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Kevin Hager

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
4 days ago

I have seen that.

Maurice Vaughan

Screenwriter

posted in Anything Goes Sign in to subscribe

4 days ago

Wearing Many Hats As A Creative

If you’re struggling with writing loglines or you want to get better at them, check out today’s blog written by Libby Wright. www.stage32.com/blog/wearing-many-hats-as-a-creative-4291...

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Sandra Isabel Correia

Screenwriter, Executive, Director

posted in Anything Goes Sign in to subscribe

6 days ago

Celine Song on Materialists: Love, Commodification, and the Divine

In her latest film, Materialists, writer-director Celine Song continues the delicate exploration of human connection that first captivated audiences in Past Lives. In a recent Creative Screenwriting interview, Song: https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/an-in-depth-interview-with-celine-song-on-her-...

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reflects on the tension between love and materialism, asking whether intimacy can survive in a world increasingly defined by transactions and ownership.

At the heart of Materialists lies a provocative question: what happens when love itself becomes commodified? Song dissects the cultural forces that shape our relationships, status, wealth, and the allure of material gain—while insisting that love remains a radical act of freedom. Her characters wrestle with the pull of desire and ambition, yet the film insists that true connection resists being bought or sold.

Song’s words resonate deeply:

“Love is the one place where you actually can be freed from everything else that is trying to take over and trying to own you. It’s the one place where you actually can be... you can accept the divine into your heart.”

This quote crystallizes her vision. Love, in Song’s framing, is not simply romance; it is a sanctuary, a rebellion against commodification, and a spiritual opening. It’s a reminder that even in a culture obsessed with material gain, love remains the last frontier of authenticity.

For filmmakers and storytellers, Song’s perspective is a challenge and an invitation. How do we portray love without reducing it to cliché or transaction? How do we honor its capacity to liberate us from systems that seek to own and define us? Materialists offer one answer: by embracing complexity, contradiction, and the divine vulnerability at the core of human connection.

Stage 32 thrives on conversations that push us to rethink storytelling. Song’s work is a call to filmmakers everywhere: tell stories that resist commodification and that honor love as both fragile and transcendent. In doing so, we not only craft cinema that resonates—we create art that reminds audiences of their capacity for freedom.

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https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/an-in-depth-interview-with-celine-song-on-her-film-materialists-exploring-materialism-and-the-commodification-of-love

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Maurice Vaughan

2
2 people like this
- Michael Dzurak
- Sandra Isabel Correia
6 days ago

One way we can portray love without reducing it to cliché is putting a spin on the clichés, Sandra Isabel Correia.

Sandra Isabel Correia

2
2 people like this
- Michael Dzurak
- Maurice Vaughan
5 days ago

I love that, Maurice Vaughan. No doubt, clichés need to be renewed with fresh perspectives and plots. For me, screenwriting is also a way to educate and bring more awareness through our stories. For e...

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Maurice Vaughan

2
2 people like this
- Michael Dzurak
- Sandra Isabel Correia
5 days ago

You're right, Sandra Isabel Correia. Screenwriting is also a way to educate and bring more awareness through our stories. I like to set up a scene so it looks like a cliché is gonna happen, but I deli...

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Sandra Isabel Correia

2
2 people like this
- Maurice Vaughan
- Michael Dzurak
4 days ago

One day, I want to be similar to your knowledge, hehehe. Love that approach, Maurice Vaughan Setting up the expectation of a cliché and then subverting it is such a smart way to both surprise the audi...

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Rich Terdoslavich

Art Director, Concept Artist, Music Composer, Music Supervisor, Musician, Songwriter, Storyboard Artist, Music Editor, Illustrator

posted in Anything Goes Sign in to subscribe

6 days ago

Angle Shots

Sometimes, a script might require a few close ups when drawing storyboards. In other cases, switching up the angles from storyboard to storyboard, makes the work dynamic. Something I learned from the pros/experts in the comic book and film industries. To this day, I still think about it when I am re...

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Rich Terdoslavich

1
1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
5 days ago

Thank you, everyone.

Maurice Vaughan

5 days ago

You're welcome, Rich Terdoslavich. Have a great day too!

Don't Miss November's Community Open House- Free Webcast Event for All Members!

Tuesday, November 25th at 12:00 pm PT!

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