Brandeis Magazine

By David Marino Jr., GSAS MA’19

Margaret Borchert ’15 came to Brandeis with dreams of becoming the next Great American Novelist. Then she took a course on short-film writing taught by Marc Weinberg, an adjunct assistant professor of English and film studies, and it opened her eyes to a different creative medium.

Today, she’s the co-creator, writer, director, and executive producer of a web series called “The Party,” which has tallied more than 12 million views from more than 100,000 subscribers across YouTube; TikTok; Instagram; and X, formerly known as Twitter.

The series, a situational comedy, debuted in 2023. It follows a group of friends who play Dungeons & Dragons together — until the game is disrupted by a new player who joins it under false pretenses.

“In scriptwriting, there are certain rules, and your audience has been trained to have certain expectations,” Borchert says. “The creativity comes from how you play with these rules to create something unique.

“The crux of every sitcom is asking, ‘Why does this group of characters get together every week?’” she continues. “What better way to bring people together than a recurring game of Dungeons & Dragons?”

Borchert herself is fond of the tabletop fantasy game. At Brandeis, she and a group of friends used to play it weekly in alternating dorm rooms. “I have some very fond memories of being up at 2:00 on a Saturday morning in Ziv Quad, having played all Friday night,” she says.

The Los Angeles native is quick to note how crucial Brandeis has been in her professional journey. “If Professor Weinberg hadn’t been such a great teacher,” she says, “I don’t think I would have pursued this line of work.”

Borchert says she hoped a television network would pick up “The Party” as a classic half-hour sitcom, but the prolonged writers strike last year presented big roadblocks.

With the strike over, and “The Party” finding support and new viewership on the festival circuit, Borchert is working to ensure the series continues, either online or on television. Whatever happens, the success of Season 1 will likely open more doors for her in the film and television industry.

“I see everything we’ve done as an opportunity to take control of my career, to do something for myself, and use it as a steppingstone for the future,” she says.