Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Bergamo.
Hi Michelle, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m the writer of “Jersey Birdies,” a feature film (RufCut Pictures) currently in post-production with an anticipated 2026 release.
I’ve always loved to write. I grew up in Byram Township (northwest New Jersey), performing original shows with my sisters and friends. My one friend and I used to perform plays for our 5th grade class. In that same class, I won a “Future Playwright” award at the end of the year. I will never forget that! I got involved in theater in high school (Lenape Valley Regional) and that sparked a lifelong love of the creative arts.
In college (Rutgers) I studied Journalism, which was a great way to gain writing experience, but I think I always knew that hard news was not for me. I yearned for a more creative path. After college I accepted a full-time position in theater marketing at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, which was somewhat creative (or “creative adjacent” as I’ve heard people say) but I wasn’t completely fulfilled.
I learned about playwriting by watching performances and reading scripts during my time in the industry. I began taking non-credit classes, online workshops and studying films and TV shows. Eventually, I bought screenwriting software and wrote a bunch of spec scripts.
I left the theater to pursue writing full-time and since then have written three screenplays, three stage plays, co-written another screenplay. My script “Lake Girls” is a Coverfly top 8%. All of my plays have had staged readings and one, “Turned On,” was produced as part of the NY Fringe Fest in 2018 (Director Gerry Appel).
I also work as a writer/proofreader in the stationery industry for Designer Greetings. in Edison.
For the past year and half, I’ve been studying with a Rebel Collective, a creative community started by writer/actor/director Jennifer Esposito (“Fresh Kills”). I’m currently in a one-on-one mentorship with Jennifer for my new screenplay “Pieces.”
I enjoy the thrill of being on set and serve as script supervisor, from time to time. I’ve recently worked with Star-Crossed Studios (“Last Summer”) and will be helping out on Jennifer Esposito’s upcoming feature film, “Mary Rides the F Train.”
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
2020 was an unbelievably difficult year for me. I suffer from health anxiety, so a global pandemic is something I didn’t think I could handle. I was sick to my stomach every day, a complete mess…I was so overwhelmed that I got a medical exception to work from home a few weeks before my company even had the policy. And just as COVID was really starting to spread, my mom was diagnosed with cancer and died within days, on March 31.. Of course, we couldn’t be with her until her very last moments. And that April, my dad received his own cancer diagnosis and began a long and complication-filled year of surgeries, chemo, radiation – with the pandemic still raging. Having lost my mom, he needed help and I stepped up. The difficulties of grieving my mom during this isolated time ((no funeral or hugs from friends and family) while temporarily living in her house, being a caretaker, in and out of hospitals during COVID’s early days, and almost losing my dad, too…was definitely the most challenging time of my life. But one good thing came out of it, a script called “Jersey Birdies.”
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I like to write human stories that tickle the funny bone while also pulling at the heartstrings.
In my work, you can usually find Jersey vibes, feminist themes, women protagonists, an underlying message and lots of witty dialogue.
I’m open about my lifelong struggles with anxiety and this theme also regularly makes its way into my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.michellebergamo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jersey_birdies_movie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jerseybirdiesmovie
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-bergamo-78a7204/
