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Thanks Dan and I'll return the favour visiting your page.

I've never looked up my IMDB ranking. I don't care. It seems silly to me, to put weight on something one has to pay for. I have credits yes, but I do not pay for my own page. Your post Dan Martin Roesch is a good reminder that it's all manufactured and means nothing as far as landing a role.

I've never used IMDB. Don't really have the credits for it to really count right now. I love the point about how the business remembers authenticity and emotional truth more than analytics. I think if I didn't stay true to the stories I want to tell as an artist, I would feel like the art was becoming fake and I wouldn't be telling the stories that I enjoy or the stories that make me feel most alive.

Hi Haley Mary,

thank you for sharing that — it’s beautifully said.

And honestly, I think your approach is exactly what keeps this industry human. IMDb, analytics, rankings… they’re all just numbers. They can help with visibility, sure, but they’ll never replace authenticity or the emotional truth behind an artist’s work.

What you said about staying true to the stories you want to tell really resonated with me. That’s the heart of it, isn’t it? If we lose that, the craft becomes hollow — but if we protect it, it stays alive, raw, and meaningful.

Credits will come in their own time.

But the voice, the honesty, the intention you’re speaking from… that’s already real artistry.

Thanks for adding such a grounded and honest perspective.

Feels good to be in a community where people still care about the soul of the work.

Warmly,

Dan

The other issue with IMDB and why I never used it, is that id doesn't include theater credits. I have way more stage credits than film/tv credits.

Thank you, Maurice Vaughan! I just sent it in for its table read and will be working on the date and time soon. If it weren’t for the bad sleep I’d even think about how I want to open SiR (or part 5 lol). But as it stands, very excited for the table read and how the actors will view the characters as well as the story developments, and also who’s coming back and who’s new (some actors I really hope will come back since they were perfect for their characters). Also wanna see if anyone will get some of the truly epic multilingual puns I cooked up lol

You're welcome, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh. Is the table read gonna be recorded?

Yup Maurice Vaughan, I’ll get the recording and try to learn how to cut the choice parts so you can see it too :D

Wow, what an incredible creative surge! Finishing a full draft in a week is phenomenal. It's especially exciting that this installment is taking such a bold turn, diving deeper into drama and its Christian themes.

Thanks so much Sam Rivera, it really is~ I think only a couple other times I worked this fast. And you're right, the turn it took is bold and as a result the trajectory of the remaining two sequels is going to be quite different. I'm likely going to have an equally strong commitment to the Christianity and Greek mythology lifebloods, with a return to adventure in the sequel SiR. BoFS was definitely the one with the most drama, and one instance of external conflict appropriately blew up this time in a really big way that pleasantly surprised me, and I got to play with one of my favourite tropes, a character knowing things the audience doesn't. I also got to break the fourth wall which was inevitable lol

You're welcome, J'Nae. Here's the link for Week 3's blog (www.stage32.com/blog/november-write-club-week-3-how-to-make-a-strong-fir...). There's three prizes you could win this week!

Hi, J'Nae! I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost my aunt to leukemia in 2013. I love writing poetry, too. Are there any specific genres of poetry that you write?

My condolences, Haley Mary.

Thanks, Maurice. She passed the week before Christmas, so that time of year is always tough.

You're welcome, Haley Mary. I hope it's not as tough this year.

Sorry to hear you got ripped off, Michael T Gregory. Was it a screenwriting agent?

Hey Michael,

I'm always warning others of the scumbags that infiltrate the industry and yet I get warned not to bitter (Truthful) or stand-offish (Cautiously optimistic). Now the biggest rip-off when dealing with agents is that they are all, to some degree, rip-offs. There are no REQUIRED licenses needed to become a literary agent. They mostly just weasel their way into the bedrooms and backseats of "decision" makers and studio head morons that love to greenlight overpriced bombs like The Running Man remake and lose 100's of millions of dollars.

That being said, the biggest rip-offs are stealing your screenplay and then ripping you off out of cash. Never pay an agent anything! They get 10% of what they structure a deal for. Always copyright your work. The process is fairly simple through The Library of Congress. After that, you just can't be just a screenwriter anymore. You should have some rudimentary knowledge on how to construct a business plan which will include, but not limited to a shooting schedule, a budget for Above the Line and Below the line talent, a cast wish list, but don't go for too big of a name because that no longer has any pull with audiences because audiences are becoming sick and tired of being lectured by these celebrities on what they should like as opposed to what they just like. The thing is, there are a lot of morons out there ready to take your money. They say you need to hire a Line Producer. Now you don't. You need to budget for one then when he's hired, he can make the appropriate adjustments.

Thing is that you have to research these people. I have had producers talk a big game and after a little digging have found out that they produced nothing of note. I myself am a director/screenwriter that made a film for $2,200.00 which grossed $4,500.00 on a 3 day/9 show weekend at a privately owned theater. The film featured over 14 locations and over 20 actors so I never lost money, but studios would rather lose $100M than take a gamble on a $1.5M budget action film.

Don't take anyone on face value alone. Do some research or have a trusted friend research them. Everyone says "They know the business," but according to the track record just from 2025 alone, none of these "professionals" know anything about the film industry or they are just to dense to learn from their past mistakes.

Michael T Gregory so very sorry to hear this. I can see why it feels even more bitter because your work is worthy of an agent. I can see also then how that could have made you more open to this fraudster. I know there was a post a few months ago about an actor who almost got ripped off by an agent.

Thanks for the feedback. Hindsight being 20-20, I would’ve done lots different. Do you notice there aren’t any agents on this platform?! Hmmm

Patrick Raymond, concerning title topics: Can you comment on the positives of the implementation of AI, (with updated practical availability issues to creatives etc.) from a Producer's pov for e.g.. do you see significant results in curbing and curtailing the unemployment statistics?

Hey Patrick Raymond,

Your background and body of work are incredible! Thanks for sharing your time with us, and shoutout to the Stage 32 team for making this happen. I’m really interested to hear your take on a few things.

First, when it comes to putting together the “perfect package,” what does that look like from a producer’s or financier’s perspective? What does a project need to have to truly stand out and attract financing?

I’m also curious. In your experience, are there certain genres, ratings, or theme combinations that always seem greenlit more frequently than others? If so, what do those projects usually have in common?

Another thing I’ve been wondering about—do you think there’s room in the industry for selling big story worlds themselves, beyond just a single script? Especially where film and game mechanics start to overlap, is there real value in separate packages that venture into different media mechanics such as utility/ gaming inventions associated with the project?

Thank you for doing this! I’m wondering if you can give insight into if you have ever hired a director for a project you produce, and what goes into that? What directors do you look for, and would professionals such as yourself consider hiring an indie director or a director that has only directed short films?

Hello fellow Patrick! Thanks for hosting this AMA. I'd like to know how you balance artistic vision with commercial viability?

Hi Patrick, thanks for taking on AMA! I just returned from AFM which was an incredible and productive professional experience. Can you share with members: 1) Your goals when attending AFM 2) The goals you recommend members should have if they're aiming to attend AFM 2026. Thanks!

Hi Eileen, do you like sci-fi?

Hi Billy, I'm afraid it isn't my strong suit although I do love suspense (Twilight Zone). I love drama, historical drama, mystery, thriller, biopic, narrative nonfiction, biography, romance, pretty much all genres except sci-fi. I really enjoyed House of Dynamite, The Beast in Me, The Pitt, Landman, Murder in a Small Town, the Dropout, Murdaugh type series even if fiction, the Substance, Broadchurch, The SInner, Absentia, Your Honor, Wayward, just to name a few :)

Happy Friday, Maurice!

I'm working on a Body Horror feature script that's kinda like The Substance, Eileen Cope. I'll keep you in mind for a Pitch Session. Hope you have a great weekend!

Thanks Eileen

That's great, John January Noble! A week is enough time to reach a goal. You also have today, tomorrow, and Sunday of Week 3 to work on your goal. Today's the last day to the challenges for Week 3 though. There's three prizes you could win this week! www.stage32.com/blog/november-write-club-week-3-how-to-make-a-strong-fir...

At a fast pace...Thanks !

You're welcome, John January Noble. I'm rooting for you to reach your goal!

Thank you all for your support.

You're welcome, Ernest Pick. Are you working on any other scripts?

Best wishes !

LUCK!

Keeping everything crossed for you, Ernest Pick

James Lagrimas Thanks for sharing!

Oh now, I'm very, very interested in some of these. I know quite a few amazing artists I could refer to this too.

Thanks for sharing, James!

Hey, James Lagrimas. I'd like to see Stop-motion Education.

I'd love to see something along the lines of bringing together a team of independent animators, writers, producers, etc. to build your own studio James Lagrimas.

HI Sandra and congratulations on finishing your screenplay for THE MISSTEP! That's amazing news and I'm really proud of you. You're killing these NWC goals!

You're welcome, Sandra Isabel Correia. Thanks. I'm going to make a post this weekend about my experience writing the one-page script and share some tips. One-page scripts are hard to write sometimes.

Thank you Elle Bolan, and I hope your achieve your goals too. Let’s goooo

That will be great Maurice Vaughan. Will bring more awareness to all of us. You are one of a kind very special :))

Oh, yes. I did. The main one anyway. INSPIRATION INC is drafted.

The TV pilot however... Will be the death of me.