Stage 32

If you are just starting out and looking to get some initial feed back on your screenplay, Happy writers on Stage32.com is a good place to start. Its cheap and there are a variety of "professionals" on there to give you their unbiased and sometimes very biased opinion of your work. Make no mistake as a writer, you need to experience both because you will anyway, and its better you get used to it now. Don't get caught up in the hype about getting chosen, if you research the "success" stories and testimonials you'll see most of those individuals never advanced beyond the first stage and are still out here with the rest of us and the ones that do. You guessed it, are already established and working in the industry way before Happy Writers became a thing. Also forget about customer service, the Happy writers crew are terribly unresponsive, on my very first purchase I did not receive my feed back when I was promised and after several emails I had to call them out on my page just to get them to respond. They have a very bad habit of claiming they sent your feedback out but never actually do so you will have to watch them. Otherwise, buy a couple of pitches get your feed back, tighten up that script and move on to the Black List where REAL executives actually hire good writers. Not a bunch of Assistants and producers that have not done anything for years like whats on Happy Writers.

They charged me $32 but gave nothing in return at all. They also spam me even though I have unsubscribed several times

Stage32 is a very cleverly designed site by its founder Richard Botto to profit from aspiring writers. It sells various services such as pitch sessions and script coverage. It offers no viable path for more mature writers to secure representation (agent or manager), even if the writer's work receives glowing coverage by the reader. Many, if not most, of the reviewers including those described as "executives" are on the very edge of the business, meaning they are not serious players in show business. Basically, if your writing is good or bad and you are seeking representation, they will politely advise you to "go find your own agent or manager because they are mostly an educational site." So in conclusion, Stage32 is one of the many sites on the net wholly designed to profit from aspiring writers with no real path to advancement offered. On the positive side, they are friendly and responsive to deal with, but also very expensive. (Stage 32 has a consumer rating of 2.38 stars from 71 reviews indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases.) The rating speaks for itself.

I pitched 3 scripts to a dozen executives. What struck me was the huge variety in the comments I got. The marking scheme is haphazard to say the least. Sometimes a pitch would get 4/5, and others a paltry 1/5. Some said the pitch was clear and interesting, other that I needed to learn how to pitch clearly if I was going to succeed.
One pitch led to a script being requested, with the comment "this is a smart, intelligent pitch with an intriguing premise". The exact same pitch was dubbed "typical of the unprofessional work of a beginner" by the next executive.
One executive told me to make the main character's aim clear. So I added "Her aim: a fresh start." In my pitch. I pitched it again to another executive who said that sentence was ungrammatical and this was one of the reasons she was rejecting it.

I may be wrong, and perhaps some people break in through Stage32, but my impression is this is a way struggling executives make a little extra cash and offload their frustrations on to beginners.
Because, of course, you get no right of reply.

I've been a member of Stage32 almost since it's inception. I don't use it as much as I should do, but I'm very fortunate to stay extremely busy with my acting, writing, and film making career. I should make more time to give back to the community, but with so many other life distractions, it's not always easy to do.

Any entity in the public arena is going to come under scrutiny: good and bad. In a field as diverse as ours, it is impossible to pander to everybody's wishes, needs and expectations. As with life, you get out what you put in. It hurts me to read so many negative posts on here, and don't know the specifics of their complaints, but it's a tough industry to work in, and many people that try to break in simply don't have the skills and talent to make it. If it was easy, there would be many, many more success stories!

I'm sure Stage32 isn't for everybody, but I for one am glad to have this resource here to network, and stay connected to like-minded creatives from around the world. Well done RB and team!

I've tried using Stage 32 several times and, from the transaction itself to the services, everything royally sucked -- each time I gave it a try. To begin with, their site is poorly set up and it's hard to find things. Their customer service tech support people don't follow up and signed me up for something without my consent. They charged me for a service I never signed up for and then canceled it before I could use it so I'm out $40 for something I never paid for and then they blocked my access.

Their classes are terrible. I've worked in the industry for many years and was suckered into a class advertising professional level knowledge when what they offered was not even the quality of something you'd get in high school. The "community" of people online willing to pay their good money to get feel-good feedback must be keeping them afloat. Rather than do real work and risk a bad grade in college and learn the right way from professionals, it seems the wannabe's are at Stage32 without the rigors of a real class and the accountability that comes with it. If you've gone to a real film school or have worked in the real industry for any amount of time, you don't need the "education" provided by Stage32. You already know what they have to offer and it'll be beneath you.

Lots of people want to write for TV or film and there are lots of platforms, services, contests, etc to help would-be and current writers. Stage 32 stands head and shoulders above the rest. Here are my personal observations why based on using their services over several years.

The craft of screenwriting is important -- Stage 32 provides access to industry reviewers to look at scripts as well as very well done how-to webinars (live and a great archive library). Since those are done by industry pros, the feedback is useful and cutting edge.

I find the greatest value however is the emphasis on understanding the industry. It doesn't matter that you have written the greatest script, if you can't get anyone to look at it, let along produce it. The Writers' Room of Stage 32 brings in industry executives who share their experiences on their journey to success. As the CEO RB Botto keeps repeating, you have to understand how the entertainment industry works to be successful.

Stage 32, and especially its Writer's Room, helps you improve your craft and understand how to sell your product. It's a winning combination.

Dont fall for the smoke and mirrors that Richard Botto and his staff try to dazzle you with. This "social network" is a side hustle for people with nothing but a title. They leverage that title into hustling you for a few hundred bucks for script reviews and pitches that go nowhere, until you eventually realize its snake oil.

Look at the body of work for any of these so-called executives. Most of them are currently self employed with executive titles they gave to themselves. They have a few imdb credits for being attached to films where they worked for a real executive, and now their job is giving you false hope for giving you a few pages of notes and nothing more.

They don't even honor the service turnaround commitments on their script coverage service. When I first ordered 2x script coverage, the order said the turnaround time was 14 days. At some point they changed it to 3 weeks. Its been over 3 weeks and i still have not seen a single response for my money. Ask yourself, if you're really trying to work on a screenplay and get it contest ready, or submission ready, do you really have 3 weeks to sit around waiting for 1 round of feedback? Do yourself a favor and find a legitimate, professional coverage service. Stage 32 is for suckers.

I've been a member of Stage 32 for 6 years now. I think there were about 100,000 people on the platform when I joined and now there are over 1,000,000, so I've had a front row seat for the incredible growth and expansion. As a filmmaker who took up screenwriting later on, I can't stress enough how much Stage 32's education, services and hands on approach with me and my work has accelerated my career path.

For starters, I was a finalist in their short film program in 2019. They set me up on more than a dozen meetings which led to me getting interest from a major producer to set up my next film as a director. Even better, the exposure on the platform helped me secure my financing, and quick!

About 3 years ago, I moved into screenwriting. I connected with a manager on the platform who told the powers that be at Stage 32 that I had massive potential and that my script should be workshopped. Stage 32 set me up in one of their labs and I worked with Anna Henry to shape my script. Once the script was deemed market ready, I was reintroduced to that same manager who now reps me thanks to Stage 32.

It's rare in today's vitriolic world to find a community and a staff that is so kind, so empathetic and so willing to help, but the people in the Stage 32 community and those working for the company are exactly that. If you follow their CEO, Richard "RB" Botto on social media and on the platform, you can see he walks the walk and leads by example. Everything is just so positive and uplifting.

I cannot stress this enough, if you are serious about a career in film, you need to be on Stage 32. They'll provide you with all the tools. I owe my career to them.

Impossible to unsubscribe, constant spam, overhyped content, money grab app that feeds on the dreams of creators. Honestly do not join.

Impressions of my Stage 32 Happy Writers Pitch Session with Katie Politanoff.

One can always tell if the listener is actually listening or just burning minutes. This was the worst pitch experience I have ever had and I have had many.

Any time the listener says, "You have two minutes". You know you're in trouble. Absolutely no enthusiasm from her. Just, "Tell me about your story" and I'll prepare your card." That's it. A real waste of $30.
You guys need to do a better job screening your producers.

1 - She stopped listening after 3 mins and gave me a 2 min waning after 4 mins.

2 - She asked only 2 questions.

3. It is obvious, she was rushed and unengaged.

Given this experience, I have learned that these pitches are worthless. When a pitch is set up by the site, like Stage 32, it's like a modeling agency getting you "go sees" because you took their classes. A pitch agent is more interested in supporting the site than actually finding scripts.

The blacklist and WOM are the only things I will trust in the future.

After 2 months and $1k spent pitching hoping to attract representation but if nothing else at least valuable feedback to help improve my script, I walked away with nothing. A rushed 30 minute call (speed talking executives) and no written feedback for $150 a pop. You literally have to record the call and go back and listen to what was said to remember what was said. Each time a different executive would suggest something different to the same script. There is no networking just a bunch of folks subscribed; no responses or feedback to questions in chat rooms. I didn't want to believe the reviews I read before joining but now I do. At least one "executive" (female of Asian descent... Regina something) that I paid to have review my true crime drama pilot, one that 4 others agreed was good, stated otherwise mainly because she was long/late getting back with my review and I complained to Stage32 who must have communicated my complaint to her. She started my written review with an attitude and explanation about being in a car accident as the reason why she was late... very unprofessional and insulting towards the end saying, "If you don't understand the language I'm using ask someonr to explain it to you!" Ego-tripping "professionals" who are what's wrong with the industry. Had another caucasian executive suggest that I revert to stereotypes for my characters of color... make this one a parolee, the daughter a shoplifter, etc. Thanks Stage32, but no thanks! I'm with another platform and am happy for now.

The site is weird. It's an industry networking site but the only people in the industry on the site are the paid guests the site pulls in to schill their knowledge or input on your script. They aren't actual members and don't contribute anything for free. You can't network with them. The actual site members are mostly newcomers breaking in.

It's truly a great business model. An endless amount of desperate hungry writers and a matching supply of struggling disingenuous "execs" waiting to take advantage of them. Brilliant idea. No surprise why many of them stay anonymous now.

Paying to pitch is a waste. You'll find it's a total dead end toward development and it should just be illegal. Most execs selling their time to hear pitches couldn't accept any I. P. or submit anything to the companies they work for even if they wanted to. One told me flat out they only take scripts from the top 5. Yeah? So, uhm, what are you doing listening to my pitch?

In the same way that paying an agent to find you work is against the law. Paying to pitch should be as well. Only a matter of time till someone ensures that's the case and this ridiculous circus act is brought to a close.

I've had scripts that were "Finalists" in their competitions, meaning they were one of 10 out of hundreds, if not a thousand submissions. They claim being a Finalist will get your project exposure to the industry, but I've never had so much as a single query. And forget "pitching." The credits of the "professionals" on Stage 32, if you research them, are exaggerated and blown WAY out of proportion. Some of them are lowly assistants, who have NO chance of putting anything into development. I recently paid for a written pitch with Libby Meyer, who supposedly works for Michael Shamberg, and though the project pitched lined up with what she pretended to be looking for -- I NEVER HEARD BACK. Not even a "thanks, but no thanks," though written pitches are supposed to receive feedback. Stage 32's "pitches" are just money-grabs by people hanging onto the business by their fingernails; people who cannot get anything done. If you do a verbal pitch, you will often get a rejection like, "... but the writer didn't tell me what color shoelaces the character was wearing on page 51, so I wasn't sold on the story..." You can feel them dislocate their shoulders, they are reaching so hard for some excuse to explain why they aren't "buying" your project -- which they could never have done, anyway. STAGE 32 IS A SCAM. Stay away.