Bertie Brandes

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Bertie Brandes
Born (1990-01-05) January 5, 1990 (age 35)
OccupationScreenwriter, journalist
Education Queen Mary University [1]

Bertie Brandes (born January 1990) is a British screenwriter and culture writer. She wrote the screenplay for the upcoming A24 film The Moment with Aidan Zamiri. [2] Brandes is also known for founding the satirical feminist magazine Mushpit [3] and for her journalism in publications such as VICE , GQ , The Times , The Telegraph and The Guardian. [4] [5]

Contents

Brandes's work has been described as "challeng[ing] the unrealistic representation of women in the media" [6] by i-D magazine and "an experimental and satirical approach to magazine-making" by AnOther magazine, [7] with It's Nice That describing her as "leading London’s independent print army". [8]

Career

Film

Brandes was revealed in January 2025 as a writer of the screenplay for The Moment , a mockumentary following a pop star preparing for her first arena tour. The film is directed by Aidan Zamiri and stars Charli XCX, Alexander Skarsgård, Rosanna Arquette, Isaac Cole Powell, Kate Berlant, Rish Shah, and Jamie Demetriou. [2] [9] The film is produced by A24 and Studio365, and began filming in London in March 2025. [10]

Journalism

Brandes began her writing career as UK fashion editor for VICE [11] and has written on fashion, feminism, and culture for publications such as VICE , GQ , The Times , The Fence, The Telegraph, The Face and The Guardian. [5] [12]

In 2011, Brandes founded the satirical feminist [13] magazine Mushpit with Charlotte Roberts. [6] Initially conceived as a zine, it evolved into a biannual magazine known for parodying glossy women's publications while engaging with political and social issues. [14] [15] [16] Mushpit's influence on the emergence of the UK zine movement [17] was recognised in 2018 with a D&AD Pencil award. [18] The magazine was also featured in the Somerset House exhibition Print! Tearing It Up, which celebrated the resurgence of British independent publishing. [19]

Mushpit creative director Richard Turley later founded Civilization [20] and Nuts, with Brandes contributing to both. [21] [22] In an interview with Interview Magazine , Turley described working with Brandes as "always a journey". [23]

Notable works

References

  1. Brandes, Bertie (25 September 2013). "The five freshers you'll meet at uni". The Telegraph.
  2. 1 2 3 Shanfeld, Ethan (2025-01-23). "Charli xcx to Star in A24 Movie 'The Moment,' Based on Her Own Original Idea (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  3. Sternadori, Miglena; Holmes, Tim, eds. (2020). The handbook of magazine studies. Handbooks in communication and media. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN   978-1-119-15156-2.
  4. "Bertie Brandes | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  5. 1 2 "Muck Rack | For journalists and public relations". muckrack.com. 2024-07-18. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  6. 1 2 "confused? mushpit zine founders bertie brandes and charlotte roberts have all the answers" . Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  7. 1 2 AnOther (2024-06-11). "Bertie Brandes' New Zine Remaps a Chaotic Past Relationship". AnOther. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  8. "Review of the Year 2016: publication Mushpit". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  9. Gularte, Alejandra (2025-03-13). "Charli XCX Is Creating The Moment". Vulture. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  10. Calnan, Ellie. "Charli xcx's 'The Moment' starts shooting in the UK for A24". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  11. Brandes, Bertie (9 January 2018). "Interview with Bertie Brandes". Museum of Non-Visible Art. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  12. "Author: Bertie Brandes". The Fence. 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  13. "Grrrl Zine Library: Mushpit". library.grrrlzinefair.com. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  14. Stone, Bryony (21 December 2016). "Review of the Year 2016: publication Mushpit". It’s Nice That. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  15. Watson, Steven (27 April 2016). "Insider: Mushpit magazine". Stack Magazines. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  16. Smith, Sarah (11 November 2016). "The Girl Zines Changing UK Publishing". Refinery29. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  17. Gamble, Ione (11 November 2016). "How Mushpit magazine changed the London publishing scene". Dazed. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  18. 1 2 "Mushpit – D&AD Wood Pencil Winner". D&AD Awards. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  19. "Opinion: Magazines are closing, but that's a good thing for print". Another Man. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  20. Hart, Benjamin (2018-05-17). "The Newspaper That Tries to Re-create the Feeling of Walking Around New York". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  21. Borrelli-Persson, Laird (2023-09-26). "'Nuts' Is Back – But Not As You Know It". British Vogue. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  22. "Civilization by Richard Turley is a "half newspaper, half support group" about New York City". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  23. Turley, Richard (2024-12-30). "How Aidan Zamiri Made the Music Video Essential Again". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  24. Brandes, Bertie (2013-06-05). "Robin Thicke's New Video Is Horrible, Misogynist Bullshit". VICE. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  25. Sara, Soma (2022). Everyone's invited. London: Gallery Books. ISBN   978-1-3985-1485-0.