MEET MICHAEL
AWARD-WINNING WRITER, DIRECTOR & PRODUCER BASED IN LOS ANGELES.
I work in film, television, theatre, tech, books, media, experiential, and events. Got a project in outer space? I’d like to try that too.
My films include the forthcoming STRANGERS ON A BEACH, produced by Academy Award Winner Andrew Carlberg, the Disney produced SNATCHED starring Emmy Award Winner Tatiana Maslany, streaming on Hulu, and the 3x award-winning MONTANA, streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
My scripts have been featured on The Red List and placed as finalists at Sundance (2x), Final Draft (Top 5), Coverfly (Top 1%) SeriesFest and Launch Pad Prose.
As a theatre maker, I've worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and at Lincoln Center. I've also created more than 750 events and experiences in a wide range of venues including Broadway theaters, Ivy League universities, football stadiums, national museums, beachfront estates, luxury skyscrapers, convention centers, and tech company headquarters.
Recent collaborations include Netflix, TikTok, Spotify, Google, Microsoft, The Tony Awards, Rockefeller Center and Art Basel.
RECENT NEWS - WINTER, ’25
Michael recently completed his newest film, STRANGERS ON A BEACH, starring Jelani Alladin (Fellow Travelers), Zane Phillips (Fire Island), Juliana Aidén Martinez (Griselda) and Jack Falahee (How To Get Away With Murder), produced by Academy Award Winner Andrew Carlberg and Gotham Award Winner Nilou Safinya, with cinematography from Sundance Award Winner Matthew Pothier and music from Grammy Award Winner Andrew Dost. The film will have its world premiere Spring 2025.
Michael is currently out with his newest feature screenplay, a sci-fi heist comedy called PAY ATTENTION! (“Don’t Look Up” meets “Severance”) and the Queer fantasy comic book series 8TH DEADLY SIN, featuring art by Zachary Brunner.
Michael is the co-creator, co-writer and director of THAT’S A GAY ASS LIVE SHOW. The variety game show, hosted by Eric Williams, has featured an all-star line-up of LGBTQ+ comedians including Magaret Cho, Matt Rogers, Bowen Yang, Ana Gasteyer, Peppermint, Nico Carney, Richard Perez, Jessica Vosk, Chris Murphy, Meatball, Kevin Zak, Dan Pelosi, Milly Tamarez, Tien Tran, Daniel Franzese, Jason Michael Snow, Greta Titelman, Brandon Kyle Goodman, Bryan Safi, Jared Goldstein, Good Children Pod, Straightio Lab and The Dragon Sisters. The show recently played sold out runs at Netflix Is A Joke and The New York Comedy Festival. A TV adaptation, GAY OLYMPICS, is currently in development.
Michael’s latest film, the disco horror SNATCHED for 20th Digital Studio (Disney), stars Emmy Winner Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk), Brendan Hines (The Tick), and Misha Osherovich (Freaky.) Stream it now on Hulu. The film’s festival run kicked off in Spring ‘23 when it played at the biggest horror film fest in the country, Overlook Film Festival, winning the Runner-Up Audience Award for Best Short Film. It then screened in competition at two Oscar-qualifying festivals over the Summer, Hollyshorts and Cinequest.
Michael has been endorsed by Coverfly, the premiere platform for screenwriters around the world. His TV pilot SENIOR HIGH was featured on THE RED LIST and placed as a TOP 5 FINALIST in Final Draft’s annual Big Break contest.
Michael’s debut novel, the YA mystery PROJECT WILD, was named by Launch Pad as one of the best unpublished manuscripts in the world.
FOLLOW MY ADVENTURES
EXTENDED STORY
Michael Schwartz is an award-winning writer, director and producer, and the founder and creative director of Boat Ashore Productions.
FILM & TV
As a filmmaker, Michael has directed narrative films, music videos, and docuseries. His latest film, STRANGERS ON A BEACH, stars Jelani Alladin (Fellow Travelers), Zane Phillips (Fire Island), Juliana Aidén Martinez (Griselda) and Jack Falahee (How To Get Away With Murder.) It was produced by Academy Award Winner Andrew Carlberg and Gotham Award Winner Nilou Safinya, with cinematography from Sundance Award Winner Matthew Pothier and music from Grammy Award Winner Andrew Dost.
His 20th Digital Studio/Disney film SNATCHED, starring Emmy Award Winner Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk), Brendan Hines (Locke And Key), and Misha Osherovich (Freaky), premiered on Hulu before playing Oscar-qualifying film festivals Hollyshorts and Cinequest. Entertainment Weekly featured it on their “What To Watch” list, and them, Condé Nast’s LGBTQ+ publication, called it, “The funniest horror short of the year.”
His award-winning short film, MONTANA, which Film Threat called “Breathtaking and Visually Compelling” and Indie Shorts Mag called “A Powerful Lesson in Hope,” premiered at The Brooklyn Film Festival before screening at SeriesFest and playing film festivals across the country. He collaborated with The American Foundation For Suicide Prevention to use the filmmaking process as a catalyst for dialogue, support, and education around teen mental health. The film won three Best Short laurels, and is now available to rent, buy, or stream on Amazon Prime. He is currently developing feature adaptations of all three shorts while pitching his latest feature screenplay, the sci-fi heist comedy PAY ATTENTION!
TV projects in development as a creator include SENIOR HIGH (Featured on The Red List, Top 5 Finalist - Final Draft’s Big Break), MONTANA (Finalist - Sundance New Voices Lab and Sundance Episodic Story Lab), PAC HEIGHTS (Finalist - SeriesFest), SPICE IT UP (formerly in development with Warner Music Group/Eko), GAY OLYMPICS (based on the hit stage show) and 8th DEADLY SIN (based on his comic book series.) Other writing includes extensive ghost writing and speeches made at The White House. He’s also been endorsed by Coverfly, the premiere platform for screenwriters around the world.
His still photography has been featured in the liner notes of music albums, on the jackets of New York Times best-selling books, in art galleries throughout SoHo, and on the headshot boards for Broadway Opening Nights.
BRANDED CONTENT
Michael’s branded content work includes directing and producing video segments for THE TONY AWARDS, commercials and app content for BETTER SPACES, a documentary short for ALL STAR CODE, and a five-part video series for CURIO and CONCRETE PARK. He wrote the BLOOM experience at HERO NYC for clients MATTE and ROCKEFELLER CENTER, and additionally worked on an Expressive Captions campaign for GOOGLE and WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM.
He has also directed and produced music videos for Billboard charting pop duo Karmina with Academy Award nominated producer John Powell (Solo: A Star Wars Story, How To Train Your Dragon), and Grammy Award Amplifier finalist Malynda Hale. His latest video for Malynda, GOD AND HIS GUN, was nominated for Music Video Of The Year at The Josie Awards - The Grammy Awards for independent musicians.
His brand activation and management clients have included Disney, HBO, Comic Con, Evian, King, Tribeca Film Festival, Pandora, Panasonic, Time Warner Cable, Nautica, Express, Banana Republic, and The Indie Beauty Expo.
THEATRE
As an award-winning theatre maker, he has worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and at Lincoln Center, and directed productions at some of the world’s most notable theatres, including The Old Vic in London, Yale University in New Haven, and the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. He is the co-creator and director of THAT’S A GAY ASS LIVE SHOW, currently playing sold-out shows across the country. Additional credits include work with IAMA Theatre Company, The Magic Theatre, Boston Court, Antaeus Theatre Company, New World Stages, Skirball Center, The Flea, The Lark, NAMT, Fringe NYC, Sam French Festival, Midtown International Theatre Festival, Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, and New York Theatre Barn, a non-profit incubator for new musicals, where he was Associate Artistic Director.
BOOKS
Michael is currently shopping two books: the Queer fantasy graphic novel 8TH DEADLY SIN, illustrated by Zachary Brunner, and the YA mystery novel PROJECT WILD, named by Launch Pad as one of the best unpublished manuscripts in the world. For assorted musings, visit TheAdventureAddict.com.
EVENTS & EXPERIENTIAL
He has directed many large-scale productions and events in non-traditional venues including The American Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Hall, The Plaza Hotel, The Rainbow Room, the headquarters of Google, Microsoft, Spotify, General Assembly and AOL, and the 4,000 seat Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre atop Mt. Tamalpais just outside San Francisco.
Additional work includes annual direction for THE TONY AWARDS events (Rainbow Room, Sofitel, The Plaza Hotel,) direction for The Golden Trailer Awards at the Orpheum Theatre in DTLA, producing the TIK TOK SHOP Experience at Salesforce Connections in Chicago and VidCon in Anaheim, annual galas for PENCIL, The YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund, and All Star Code, event production for Art Basel Miami, Salesforce, American Copper, and U.S. News & World Report, direction for the Inbal Dror Fashion Show, Blossom Ball, and Teens For Food Justice galas, production work on Sleep No More, and experiential direction, strategy, and programming of world-class talent for tech companies Better Spaces and Speakizi. For Better Spaces, Michael also created, programmed, produced and hosted the four-day virtual festival Better Work Week.
Michael has also Assistant Directed large-scale theatrical productions for TV and Film, including RESTORING LOVE, broadcast live from the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and COMPANY, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Colbert, and Patti LuPone, at the NY Philharmonic, which was broadcast on PBS and distributed internationally by Screenvision in the largest platform ever for a filmed theatre production. He was also the Assistant Musical Stager on the 2008 Broadway Revival of the Pulitzer-Prize winning SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE.
IMPACT
Additionally, Michael has an extensive background in the education and social impact spaces. In 2013, he helped launch ALL STAR CODE, a leading tech inclusion and education non-profit that bridges opportunity gaps for young men of color nationwide. And in 2008, he co-created THE TOMMY AWARDS, an evening of celebration, philanthropy and performance that continues to be held annually Off-Broadway in honor of the cultural contributions made by USC alumni in New York.
His work has been covered by Vanity Fair, Vogue, Variety, Entertainment Weekly, Bloomberg, Glamour, Elite Daily, PBS, BizBash, The San Francisco Chronicle and The New York Times. He is a California Arts Scholar, a member of SDC, Lincoln Center Director’s Lab, and Old Vic New Voices, an alumni of the USC Schools of Dramatic Arts and Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles and The British American Drama Academy in London, a lifelong vegetarian, and a cultural carnivore.
Full CV available upon request.
