{"product_id":"how-to-write-produce-a-successful-christmas-tv-movie","title":"How to Write \u0026 Produce a Successful Christmas TV Movie","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #42C2CB;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"http:\/\/admin.stage32.com\/vendor\/moxiemanager\/data\/uploads\/15__2__5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"158\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #42C2CB;\"\u003eIt’s the most wonderful time of the year, with mistletoe, tinsel, sleigh rides, and, of course, a boatload of new Christmas movies. Indeed, for millions of families across America and the world, appetite is high for new Christmas-themed content. Hallmark alone is premiering 80 (!!) new Christmas movies this holiday season. That’s on top of the 90 they produced last year. And Hallmark isn’t the only player in the Christmas movie game. Many other networks and streamers have entered this space like Netflix, Hulu, Lifetime, Freeform, and BET, to name a few. With so many networks and streaming platforms hungry for Christmas content, there has never been a better time for writers and producers to bring their own Christmas story to the screen.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf you want to write or produce your own Christmas film, there are a lot of opportunities available to you, but you first need to understand what this space is currently looking like and how you can best fit in. Who’s buying and selling? What makes a Christmas themed script successful and how can you best produce and assemble your film to make it marketable, unique, and exciting? Better understanding the context and current landscape can give your own Yule tide project the success you’re looking for.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJames Crawford is a producer and development executive currently at Fireside Pictures with several holiday titles—and several dozen other pitched projects—under his belt.\u003c\/strong\u003e While at Engage Entertainment, James developed, sold, and produced seven movies to Hallmark Channel over three years, including \u003cstrong\u003eTHE ROOFTOP CHRISTMAS TREE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e,\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eSLEIGH BELLS RING\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eA DECEMBER BRIDE\u003c\/strong\u003e. In addition to his feature production experience, James has developed several one-hour television series, pitching to \u003cstrong\u003eEPiX, WGN America, Cinemax\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eUniversal Cable Production\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003es\u003c\/strong\u003e, among others. James worked as Creative Executive at \u003cstrong\u003eCartel Entertainment\u003c\/strong\u003e, a television and film literary management and production company, and was responsible for identifying, developing, and pitching content for its first-look deal with \u003cstrong\u003eEntertainment One\u003c\/strong\u003e, including the Stephen King novel \u003cem\u003eThe Regulators\u003c\/em\u003e. At Cartel Entertainment, James developed pitches for \u003cstrong\u003eAmazon, FX, Hulu, Netflix, Cinemax, UCP\u003c\/strong\u003e, and other major networks. \u003cem\u003eJames has a storied background as a producer and executive and is intimately familiar with what it takes to turn a script into a produced holiday film.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJames will teach you how to write and produce a successful Christmas movie in today’s industry.\u003c\/strong\u003e He’ll begin by going over the market and explaining \u003cstrong\u003ewho is buying and selling\u003c\/strong\u003e. He’ll also outline \u003cstrong\u003ewhat stories are popular right now\u003c\/strong\u003e. He’ll then delve into tips for writing an effective Christmas movie, both \u003cstrong\u003eTV movies and films\u003c\/strong\u003e. He’ll discuss aspects like s\u003cstrong\u003ecreenplay format, plotting and structure, themes to lean into and avoid, diversity, characters\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003ewhat the holiday film essentials are\u003c\/strong\u003e. Next James will go over how to produce a Christmas movie. He’ll talk about \u003cstrong\u003ewhat a successful budget range should be\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ewhen to start pitching\u003c\/strong\u003e. He’ll explain \u003cstrong\u003ehow to cast your movie\u003c\/strong\u003e for success and\u003cstrong\u003e where to spend your money in production\u003c\/strong\u003e. Finally he will go over\u003cstrong\u003e distribution options for your holiday film and whether it can sell outside of the US\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cem\u003eIf you’ve always wanted to make your own Christmas movie or have a story that you think could work within the holiday market, let James give you the lowdown you need to take the next steps toward holly jolly success.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003chr\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"\u003ePraise for James's Past Stage 32 Webinar\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #cdcdcd; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"James was awesome. Clear, concise, and knowledgeable.\" -\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e-Stephen B.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #cdcdcd; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e“James Crawford was very informative, and the way he brought the webinar across was entertaining and kept you engaged. I loved every bit of it! I hope he comes back for a round 2” -\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e-Imo C.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #cdcdcd; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Super helpful and very clear. Right to the point. Not full of anecdotes but actual teaching.\" -\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e-Helena W.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #cdcdcd; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e“It was very informative in a practical way. James was great!” -\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #42C2CB; font-size: 14pt;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e-Dave M.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #cdcdcd;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"http:\/\/admin.stage32.com\/vendor\/moxiemanager\/data\/uploads\/18_11.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"158\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stage 32","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48056018174259,"sku":"","price":49.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0700\/7728\/4659\/files\/image_65c5a5a2e0e68.jpg?v=1707451813","url":"https:\/\/stage32.myshopify.com\/products\/how-to-write-produce-a-successful-christmas-tv-movie","provider":"Stage 32","version":"1.0","type":"link"}