A western New York native, John Schwert splits his residency between California and North Carolina, managing and operating his production company Fourth Ward Productions. After pursuing a successful career in advertising, Schwert started his production company in 2004 while writing, producing and directing his first feature film Among Brothers, based on the actual events surrounding the unsolved murder of a college student in 1994. Among Brothers was financed with funds from a second mortgage on Schwert's home and went on to play at 17 international film festivals, was featured in a two-hour Dateline NBC story, and was subsequently released worldwide in 2007. With momentum on his side, Schwert began work on his follow-up feature, writing, directing and producing In/Significant Others in 2008. A multi-narrative drama, In/Significant Others navigates through the different lives of one city's residents, each of whom is connected to the same local homicide investigation. In/Significant Others is premiering at the Boston Film Festival in September, 2009 with subsequent festivals to follow and a limited theatrical release in 2010.