Emerging Screenwriters Interview Series - Meg Swertlow & AJ Bermudez

The process of writing, or creating any art for that matter, is a consistent battle between striving for confidence and self-assurance while avoiding ego. While there are many writers out there who struggle between these two poles, A.J. Bermudez and Meg Swertlow are two artists who ceaselessly prove that confidence and ego need never meet. Both are on the other side of a plethora of different successes, each of them having won the ISA’s Shoot Your Sizzle contest in different years, in addition to a variety of other accolades and career triumphs that they’ve earned through dedication and hard work.

And yet, in talking to both of them, it’s clear that their passion for the work and certainty of their own voices, brands, and crafts has been tempered through years of humility and grace. In talking about her experience shooting the sizzle for her project “Nightingale,” the first thing that Bermudez cites as instrumental to her own success is the people she was able to surround herself with after winning the Shoot Your Sizzle contest. “It’s really important to work with killer people.” Without the support of the ISA and the other fantastic creatives she was able to surround herself with, Bermudez explains that she would never have been able to get that sizzle off the ground.

Swertlow discusses a similar sentiment in describing her unique approach to winning the Shoot Your Sizzle contest. Originally, the plan was to shoot her sizzle (which later became a full-fledged short film), in April 2020. Due to the global pandemic, the shoot was, of course, pushed. However, Swertlow attests that having that space was actually beneficial to the project. “I’m so glad that it got pushed […] because it was going to be my second short film, but in between that time, I was able to shoot six more shorts.”

Because of the time gap between winning and actually shooting, Swertlow says she could cut her directing chops further and leverage her win into fleshing out her creative team. In the months after winning the contest, she was able to attach Alyssa Milano to the project, leverage a colorist from Picture Shop to help with the short (Maxine Gervais), and raise upwards of thirty-thousand dollars beyond her initial prize from the ISA. And in the end, Swertlow explains that the invaluable collaboration with Milano on set proved all the better for her short, entitled “No Overnight Parking.”

Beyond crafting the best script you can, being flexible on set as a director and a multi-hyphenate proved to be imperative for the shoot. “Best idea wins,” Swertlow says. “I got people who have much more experience than I do, and have a great eye […] and I’m gonna just pick the best idea.” No matter whose idea it is, Swertlow cites the value in pulling from others’ perspectives, even when working on a project that is so voice-specific and the brainchild of just one person.

Bermudez relays a similar experience as a director. From cutting beautiful lines that she was deeply impacted by on set to collaborating with actors on directorial style, teamwork and humility always play an important role in her process. On “Nightingale,” Bermudez explains that one of her actors, Joshua Noble, asked her to leave the camera on him longer than anticipated. Trusting his voice, she obliged, and found herself overjoyed that they ended up getting some of the most gorgeous footage in the entire project from that decision. Ultimately, for Bermudez, "[…] it’s not about ego, it’s about finding the best thing together.”

Beyond Bermudez's multi-hyphenate credits, she’s also an interdisciplinary writer. At the end of 2022, she published her first book Stories No One Hopes Are About Them, and cites the world of screenwriting and the art of prose as being informative of one another. “I’m a huge believer in interdisciplinary writing. Writers flourish by challenging the boundaries of what kind of writing is which kind of writing.”

In her view, the magic of interdisciplinary writing doesn’t just come from helping the writer hone their craft. Being well-versed in multiple forms of writing will help stories become the best version of themselves. “Sometimes, a story will almost convey its ideal format,” Bermudez explains. Whether that format is prose on the page, or a collaborative short film, being open to what form a story naturally takes is invaluable for writers in Bermudez’s mind.

While Bermudez has found success branching out into the world of prose, Swertlow is also fresh off of a career highlight in a genre space that she discovered a knack for in recent years. Swertlow was recently a fellow in the inaugural cohort of the 2023 K Period Media and Blumhouse “Screamwriting” Fellowship. She describes the program, which is designed to platform emerging screenwriters in the horror space, with nothing less than the highest of praise. In the program, Swertlow was mentored by Kevin Williamson (Scream), Jacob Chase (Come Play), Danielle Krudy (Blow the Man Down), and Couper Samuelson, the President of Feature Films at Blumhouse.

Reflecting on her mentorship experience, she jokes “In what world!” Swertlow describes the experience as nearly surreal. But of course, the notes process for her sample in the program was anything but easy. However, after receiving a wide range of feedback, and strategizing with her mentors in the program on her plan of attack, Swertlow feels more confident than ever that “No Overnight Parking” has what it takes to be produced.

When she first entered the fellowship, she states that her script was good enough to get her into the program, but perhaps not quite ready to be fully produced. But during the program, she got incredible notes from Samuelson, who she explains is “[…] someone who makes movies, not someone who just reads them, but someone who makes them.” That insight into making her work all the more producible was indescribable in Swertlow’s view.

With regard to their recent career success and triumphs, both Bermudez and Swertlow credit those around them who’ve helped them, but also credit the advice they’ve received about striving for marketability while being true to your own voice and craft. While Bermudez thinks it can be fantastic for writers and artists to be market savvy, “[…] it’s also great for that to not color the work too much. Good art is always a maligning of the status quo.” Understanding the marketplace and your own sellability helps, undoubtedly, but Bermudez believes that “you have

to know where the market is going […] and then envision how you would love to nudge the market in another way.”

Swertlow largely agrees but approaches the idea of sellability from a different approach. She cites a career shift that took place a few years ago for her when she transitioned from writing primarily comedy to horror after the experience of being locked in an underground parking garage inspired “No Overnight Parking.” She explains how, from there, she developed a new genre for herself to dive into because she felt that the shift was “savvy, and I think it’s smart, and I think there needs to be more women’s voices in that genre.” And yet, even when she pivots back and forth between her comedies and her horror pieces, she says that her voice carries over “regardless of genre,” and regardless of sellability. In her mind, there’s always a way to bridge the two together.

Between a rich tapestry of different career successes and first forays into new genres and mediums, Bermudez and Swertlow’s advice and approach to their respective crafts remain incredibly similar. Their views on grace, collaboration, drive, and confidence in voice all boil down to a few key pieces of advice they each shared. “Don’t be afraid to fail,” Swertlow says. “I’ve been rejected so many more times than I’ve succeeded. But that’s okay, because this whole thing is about plowing ahead anyway.” And as she credits the help of so many other ingenious collaborators who have helped her reach her current career high, Swertlow also points out how important it is to “bring others along with you.”

Bermudez offers up a similar sentiment as well. Currently about to embark on her next project, a film called “My Dead Friend Zoe” that she co-wrote, Bermudez advises emerging writers to “be generous.” This industry, she explains, is so inherently imaginative and collaborative, and there are so many ways for creators to help one another. Most of all, she says, it’s imperative to “[…] create opportunities for other people,” not just yourself. For both Swertlow and Bermudez, having the humility to reach back and help others who are still emerging is what keeps this industry turning, and what ensures the longevity of a career.