Meet Jackie Schwartz | Producer, Writer, and Activist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jackie Schwartz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jackie, how has your background shaped the person you are today?

I was raised in Livingston, NJ, a town 40-minutes outside of New York City. I think it was a relatively normal upbringing, except for the fact that I’ve been plus-size my entire life and that has had a direct impact on who I am and what I do today. Like most plus size kids and teens from the 90s/early 2000s, I grew up around words like “thinspiration” and “heroin chic.” Most of the girls and women in my town had perfectly straight hair, matching Juicy Couture outfits, and a fixation on being slim. My mother being one of them. I was fat and had wild curly hair. My only options for clothing were Lane Bryant, which made me look like a middle-aged corporate woman on every school picture day. There was a lot of fixation on my weight by my family, teachers, and my peers. I felt from a very young age I had no ownership of my body, which caused me to have body image issues. What I found solace in was film/tv, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and John Waters’ Hairspray and Pink Flamingos. I was transported to a world with all sorts of misfits from different walks of life, who would give me strength and hope. I knew from a very young age I somehow wanted to return that feeling to others.

Of course, for all the good in TV/films, I also recognized a lack of characters who looked like me or other people I knew. John Waters’ films were few and far between. Because of that, I quickly realized that what was most important to me was creating and producing stories that championed marginalized communities and underrepresented voices. Not only did I want to create something meaningful to another wide-eyed high schooler, but also visually present stories they could see themselves in.

I know this has made me the activist I am today. Everything I do has a foundation of activism. I like to enact change through the medium of film and television, as I think it’s the most powerful conduit for change. I specifically love working in independent filmmaking because it gives you the freedom to explore the kinds of stories I want to make. Indie film has never been afraid of challenging the status quo, exploring the complexities of human beings, or changing peoples minds and hearts.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My film and tv production company is called Besties Make Movies. It was co-founded by Margarita Zhitnikova (they/them) and Stacey Maltin (she/her). I joined the company later and now serve as VP of Operations & Development. It’s called Besties for a reason – we’re all close friends who also have the same vision for how we want to make art and conduct business in “Hollywood”. Prior to joining the company, I was looking for partners who had the same vision and ethics. Entertainment is a tough field – so often people are competing rather than collaborating and stepping over each other to get to the top. I’ve been part of projects with great content where you walk away feeling really disheartened because of the toxic culture. I knew first and foremost that I wanted to be part of a company or partnership that believed in kindness first. I knew no matter how wonderful the project was, I would never feel good about it if other people walked away disheartened. I also wanted to work with partners who had a mission to champion marginalized communities and tell complex and rich stories, The minute I met both Margarita and Stacey, it felt as they say in Hebrew “beshert” or meant to be. We connected because of our shared values, our Jewishness, and our desire to work with people who were also our best friends.

I believe we have gotten to where we are today by not giving up. Being filmmakers you get A LOT of rejections. Way more than you show on social media. You have to develop a thick skin in some ways. It’s okay to be upset when that happens, it’s only natural. However, you have to keep moving forward. You have to keep fighting for yourself, your company, your career etc… I truly believe if you don’t give up and you keep marching on, you will get to where you want to.

I’ve also learned that not everyone is going to like or understand what you make. You shouldn’t let the opinions of others define you or your art. You have to keep trying and eventually you will the right home or partnerships for your work. Some of the greatest advice I ever got was from a writing teacher who said, “You learn more from your failures than your successes.”

On that note, it’s definitely important to learn lessons from rejections and constructive criticism. I think this has strengthened Besties over time.

What I’m most proud and excited about are two projects we’re about to put out into the world. The first is our queer musical feature film Triple Threat. It was acquired by Gravitas Ventures and will be in select theaters and VOD on June 21st. I’m also excited about our limited series called Mashed, about women’s pelvic pain. It’s about to go on a festival run, starting with the prestigious SeriesFest.

What I want people to take away from my work is that I’m trying to create art that is based on the world I see around me. That is made up of people from all different walks of life. And while some people watching it may not experience the issues I’m portraying, I think they are relatable to everyone on some level. It’s where the niche meets the mainstream.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in NYC, which I think is the food capital of the world so of course we would have to base our entire trip around that. To begin with, I would 100% ask what their food preferences are, if they drink, and what kind of accessibility they need (because that’s important and NYC can be challenging in that sense).

We have to of course start with the bagels. Either Russ & Daughters on the Lower East side (which has the best lox ever in my opinion) or Murray’s Bagels in Chelsea.

Then at some point we need pizza – at multiple points in the trip. Like a typical NYC slice pizza you can get for a couple bucks and then Roberta’s definitely in Bushwick.

I’m also really about neighborhood spots to eat – I love Remi Flower and Coffee, which is a coffee shop and flower/plant shop with really unique drinks. I also love Eclair Bakery – a french bakery in Midtown East. It’s run by a French baker and you could swear you were back in Paris.

Of course we would also have to go to my favorite elevated dive bar called Cowgirl Seahorse. It’s kitschy, has an amazing 90s/2000s playlist, and also sells Tex-Mex food while you stare at seahorses on the wall. Across the street from there is a bodega that also moonlights as a speakeasy. All the food in the bodega you can take into the speakeasy and who doesn’t love some Haribo Twinsnakes to go along with their earl grey vodka cocktail?

There’s an endless supply of amazing restaurants here too – Raclette, Rio Grande, and so many more waiting to happen.

Depending on the season, which is spring now, I’d take someone to go see the cherry blossoms in the Botanical gardens, to the Met Cloisters, and how can we forget a Broadway play (I’m loving Six right now about King Henry the VIII’s wives at a pop concert).

If there’s more time left, I would say we should go to outdoor markets like Smorgasburg, Bronx Night Market, Queens Night Market, and more!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I think I mentioned this in my initial answer, but John Waters! Pink Flamingos and Hairspray were some of the only content I had seen with fat women who were beautiful, thriving, and unapologetic. I remember the first time I was introduced to Divine (who was also the inspiration for my favorite Disney Princess -Ursula. She is a Disney Princess, fight me on that!). My friend David introduced me to her, a drag queen played by Harris Glenn Milstead, who was fat, fierce, and just confident. Divine was magnetic and I’ll never forget feeling fabulous for the first time in my life after watching her. I know other fat folks had similar experiences.

Also would love to shoutout my Besties Make Movies production company partners – Margarita Zhitnikova and Stacey Maltin. They have helped me grow professionally and personally like no other collaborators in my life. They’re my besties, my mentors, and they continue to challenge me every single day. I’m so grateful to have such meaningful relationships.

Website: bestiesmakemovies.com

Instagram: @jschwartz00 and @bestiesmakemovies

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-schwartz-she-her-9b369556/

Twitter: @jschwartz00 and @bestiesmovies

Facebook: Besties Make Movies

Image Credits
Black and white photo credit to Bruna Lacerda Rest of the photos credit to Keira Cronin