Glow in the Dark reimagines the Jewish brand 

From The Jazz Singer to The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, the world’s image of Jews has been shaped by screen products for the past 100 years.  

Now, as the Jewish world faces a major image problem, some Jewish Hollywood producers think it’s time to leverage that capacity more consciously.  
 
“I think it’s time to get on the offensive,” says filmmaker and producer Michael Weisler. 

“It’s clear that some people, who don't have the highest opinion of us, have been working on portraying a negative image of us, and have been very effective at it.”   

Weisler is the founder of Glow in the Dark, a new initiative that seeks to change negative images of Jews by bringing Jewish stories to mainstream media, both onscreen and online. 

Glow in the Dark has already signed its first project: a long-term partnership with Roblox game developers to create an original video game. While the details remain under wraps, there are also plans to adapt its sci-fi story to film and theatre. 

Melbourne-born, LA-based Weisler is the founder and creative director of Vienna Gold Productions, which has produced commercials for brands like Peter Jackson, and is a previous recipient of the Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF) Short Film Fund. He co-founded and managed the La Mirada Film Festival, whose celebrity curators included Pedro Almodóvar, Martin Scorcese and Penélope Cruz. 

After October 7, Weisler banded together with friends and colleagues in Hollywood, both for moral support and to work on communication strategies to combat antisemitism. They realised there was a need to unify the global Jewish community and reclaim its narrative in the media.