Zachary Brenner started writing when I was very young — stories that he thought were amazing but would garner feedback such as “this seems awfully close to Harry Potter”. He didn’t let the haters get in the way of my creativity. Thank goodness he’s not getting that feedback now, though.
When he was in second grade, he raced home to tell my parents about a new fact he learned at school — that birds were the only animals that couldn’t have heart attacks. From then on, all of his creative tidbits were thrown into a hypothetical folder his family referred to as “The Bird Files”. Another notable entry was later that same year when he shared that my school had hosted a Q+A Session with the famous Mark Twain himself. The File remains to this day.
He has come a long way from those early days of creativity. Now, he likes to think that he writes more authentic and truthful pieces. He tries to be funny intentionally but he’ll see if others agree! His worldview was heavily shaped by his experiences studying at UC Santa Cruz, where, in the Ethnic Studies program, he dove deep into the history of systemic inequality in the United States and the world. He analyzed his place as a white writer hopefully playing a part in unpacking serious topics — and will continue to ponder his place until he has nothing else to write.
On a technical level, he learned filmmaking by watching the best at work. The summer of my sophomore year of college he found myself thrust into my first PA job on the Warner Bros. backlot for a Christopher Nolan film called Dunkirk. To say he was terrified of failing is an understatement. But he persevered and used the opportunity as a tremendous learning experience with how to run a production efficiently and professionally. Fun fact, it was also on this production where he finally ate cream cheese for the first time. Luckily he doesn’t have an addictive personality.
From there he worked on other film and TV productions — notably as a day player on Jordan Peele’s Us, the Amazon TV-series Jack Ryan and, fulfilling a lifelong dream, as Production Assistant on the Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run. After these experiences in the freelance world, he settled into a role with Amblin Partners in Physical Production, where he expanded my Physical Production capabilities through aiding Line Producers and executives with schedule-building, agreement execution, budget-making, location research, and department head hiring. He also served as a floater for the company — often tapped to cover on the highest level of executive desks such as the President of Development.
The knowledge he gained at Amblin aided greatly while producing my latest short film, The Doorstep (out soon).
He developed my voice as a writer — now determined to work on projects that give voice to those struggling to obtain their own. He often writes about lonely or pained individuals who struggle to find the support they need. Who desperately seek catharsis, inclusion, or meaningful connection. He likes to explore environments that might otherwise get overlooked.
And look out for his short films that will be released under my new production company, The Bird Files!