Up-and-coming writer and director Blake Sherwyn is redefining comedy with his acclaimed viral short film, now riding the festival circuit
Writer and director Blake Sherwyn is gaining recognition with his short film Lil Brick Answers the Web's Most Searched Questions. After a successful premiere at the LA Film Festival, he’s gearing up to showcase his work at the Austin Comedy Film Festival next month. Starring the hilarious Jack Atkins from Netflix's The Circle, this viral hit brilliantly blends humor with timely topics.
Inspired by the success of Lil Brick Answers the Web's Most Searched Questions, Blake is eager to explore new storytelling avenues. He’s excited to tackle deeper themes while maintaining that delightful comedic edge audiences love. Join us as he shares a sneak peek of what’s next in his filmmaking journey.
Your latest short, LIL BRICK ANSWERS THE WEB'S MOST SEARCHED QUESTIONS, has gained massive attention online. Did you expect this level of success, and how has that impacted your creative process moving forward?
From the original incubation of the idea, Lil Brick was kind of designed to have viral potential, so I can’t say I’m surprised per se; more so just happy that we executed properly. Maybe it’s just a positive feedback loop, but I’ve definitely taken the blueprint that we used for Brick and applied it to other projects. My next short, Behind the Curtains With Alex Crash, and my upcoming pilot follow the same roadmap of passing something off as hard comedy, hitting the midpoint, and taking it a step deeper.
With LIL BRICK premiering tonight at the Los Angeles Comedy Festival, what does this particular project mean to you in terms of both personal and professional milestones?
The level of virality that Lil Brick achieved was extremely validating; a lot of the time, you shoot these things and then submit them into the festival void. For millions of people to watch and leave such thoughtful comments was so rewarding and showed me that I’m doing something right.
How do you ensure your projects entertain while also challenging your audience to engage intellectually?
I think any good project does both, but one strategy I try to employ is to be as subtle as possible. I’d rather something go over someone's head 5 times and click on the 6th watch than to spoon feed them, preach, or talk down to them; the easiest way for audiences to check out is to make things too easy or on the nose.
Looking ahead, what’s next for you? Are there specific types of stories or platforms you’re eager to explore?
In December I’m shooting my first ever TV pilot, a workplace comedy. The basic premise is: picture if James Bond had a son who graduated college and only got the job at MI6 because his dad is James Bond. It’s probably my favorite thing I’ve ever written. It’s a spec pilot so the goal would be to use it as a pitch tool to get the series picked up / financed. If I am unsuccessful in this endeavor, I plan to leverage the project to generate funding for a genre-adjacent feature. Either way, it’s going to be a good year.
