It seems that Romantic Comedies were the logical genre for Miraya Berke to add to her growing portfolio of curated, unique events. Having proven herself as a successful entrepreneur with the launch of Dessert Goals – a dessert festival with pop-ups in NY and LA (sign me up!) – Berke has now shifted her focus to another passion. After all, her main goal is to create experiences that “spark delight,” and what better way to do that than with Rom Coms, especially when paired with desserts and rosé?
In my exclusive interview with Berke, we talk favorite romantic comedies, the festival’s celebrity curators, and so much more.
The festival runs June 20th through 23rd, for more information on tickets and badges, click here.
A Rom-Com festival is a genius idea. Thank you for this. Where did the idea come from?
I am a huge Rom-Com fan, that’s always been my favorite genre. Whenever I want the happy pick-me-up, rom-coms are what I turned to. My background is in event planning. I started Dessert Goals a few years ago in LA and New York, which showcases local dessert vendors and creates experiences for people to come together and spark joy. After Dessert Goals, I’ve been thinking of what else really makes me happy, which was a rom-coms!
With Rom Com Fest, I wanted to highlight both classic and new films and make it experience based. We’re bringing in awesome dessert vendors, costumes, arts and crafts, and celebrating the genre and community.
I don’t know if I should admit this, but my favorite film is The Wedding Singer. Total rom-com.
Oh, that’s so great!
What was the first step you took to make this dream a reality?
It’s been a whirlwind. I had this idea in October of 2018 and knew it had to happen. First I started thinking about the design, then started talking to people and building an advisory board, and then choosing a venue. I stumbled upon the Downtown Independent in LA and it’s the perfect theater to house the festival. It’s one cinema and it has a large lobby, so it felt like the perfect place to have these different events and experiences that I was imagining.
That was the first step. These last few months it’s been posting the submissions information for new films on Film Freeway, watching films, and [building the lineup.] There’ve definitely been moments of extreme overwhelm, but I put myself through it because I know how much fun it’s going to be. I like to visualize all the smiling faces at the end. It just feels really worth it.
As an entrepreneur, how do you relax or decompress at the end of a long day?
I feel like I’m always figuring that out. I think movies and TV are a big way of relaxing for me, usually with dessert or some wine and popcorn and cuddled up in PJ’s. This feels like the easiest way to unplug.
I noticed Rachel Bloom of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” is curating a screening (Never Been Kissed). I actually went to a theater camp with Rachel years ago, it’s cool to see her and other women doing great things in film/TV. How did that collaboration come about?
I’m a huge “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” fan as well. My boyfriend and I were doing long distance for a while and that was the TV show that we would watch together all night by hitting “Play” at the same time. We watched all the seasons living across the state from each other. I feel like she has so cleverly tapped into the psyche of modern-day rom-coms, so when I was building my dream wishlist of the festival, I wanted her to be involved in some way. Her managers replied to one of my emails and said she was really excited about it and asked if she could curate her favorite rom-coms.
[Rachel] suggested Never Been Kissed, which feels like a perfect addition, and it’s actually going to be the 20th-anniversary screening! Rachel will be doing a fireside chat afterward too. And we also have a craft project before the film, we’ll be making these cute little conversational heart pins.
Another cool partnership is with Not Pot– I read you’ll be passing out CBD gummies before one of the screenings?
Yeah! Similar to the talent, I made a dream wishlist of brands that I would love to team up with. CBD products are super trendy right now and their branding is so on point with the style of the fest, plus the founder is based in Los Angeles. We feel like this is the perfect collaboration with How Stella Got Her Groove Back because it’s based in Jamaica and all about her relaxing. Having a CBD gummy while watching a film dressed in your PJ’s felt like the perfect kind of mash up for film experience.
Final thoughts before the festival next weekend?
I usually set very high expectations for myself. It would be easier if I have fewer expectations, haha. I know that it’s my first year and there are so many unknowns, but I feel very proud of what I’ve put together.
