Meg Poveromo is a director, producer, writer, editor and actress known for her niche, often a campy brand of comedy with character-driven plots infused with a colorful aesthetic and a satirical edge. She draws inspiration for her films from real-life situations and people she’s met along the way, often with a humorous lens on lived experiences. A graduate from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in 2018, Meg is originally from Parkland, Florida and now based in Atlanta, Georgia. She single-handedly operates her own production company, Unemployed Idiots Film Productions, which she founded with friends in 2020. She’s since directed, produced, written and acted in several short films, sketches and a 2-part web series that earned her multiple awards internationally before making The Box Trap, her debut feature film which is currently in the film festival circuit and expected to stream in 2026.
How would you describe your childhood growing up in Parkland, Florida?
I had a fantastic childhood! I miss it a lot sometimes. Minus high school. And a couple of years after that.
What was the moment that sparked the beginning of your creative journey into filmmaking?
The respectable answer would probably be for me to say graduating from film school or making my first short film, but I think it actually started when a friend and I wrote a skit for our musical theater camp’s adaptation of Narnia in the summer of third grade. It was a competition that we won, and as a prize it got added to the play. We were so proud that our moms took us out for ice cream to celebrate. Then the next day our camp counselor, Mark, took it out of the play. We were devastated. I am pretty sure that was the first script I ever wrote. Afterward, my friend and I started writing songs and skits specifically about how ignorant he was. That was genuinely the start of my writing career.
What comedy influences shaped your voice the most?
I think I’d mostly have to blame The Lonely Island, Will Ferrell, Kevin Smith and Eric Andre for the way my brain developed. Larry David is also one of my favorite comedy influences, but that came more in my adult years. It took me a while to grow up though, so I guess that still counts.
Was there a specific sketch or short film where you realized that satire was your genre to pursue?
I never really pursued satire specifically, I just really love absurdity and get a lot of inspiration from real-life experiences, which just so happen to be absurd. But I do remember hyperfixating on this SNL sketch that I saw in second or third grade. It was Will Ferrell and Maya Rudolph, and he was wearing an eye patch, and kept repeating “do you like luxury?”. He was British or Scottish. I was around 9 years old and could not stop asking people if they liked luxury in that accent because of this skit. My teachers and all the rest of the adults around me likely thought there was something wrong with me. They were probably right.
From your early days at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale to now, what’s one lesson from film school that still sticks with you, and one lesson that you choose to forget, when producing your own works?
I have about zero recollection of anything that happened during my time in film school.
The Box Trap is the quintessential campy comedy film loaded with bright colors and personalities — what is your personal definition of “camp” and how do you know when a scene has hit that perfect sweet spot?
Over-the-top and exaggerated. Fun, niche and unserious. Original! I think of movies like But I’m a Cheerleader, Psycho Beach Party, and Dude, Where’s My Car?, which to me, is the most important movie made in my lifetime. I think you’ve probably mastered camp if half the audience is unable to tell if it’s supposed to be ironic or not. I know a scene has hit the sweet spot when I can escalate it so far into absurdity that it somehow comes full circle and starts to feel ironically real. I unintentionally did that a couple times while making The Box Trap.
When you’re developing characters, do you start with their flaws, their aesthetics, or the idiosyncrasies that make them human – and hilarious?
When I draft a character, I usually start off by thinking “what is going to be wrong with this one?”, and then I let the rest develop in the script.
What makes you gravitate towards more complex, imperfect roles when self-characterizing and writing, like your role as Jess in The Box Trap?
I can’t stand a boring main character. Life is complex and imperfect. Everyone’s got some traits that screw them over sometimes! Why pretend otherwise? If you can’t laugh at yourself, you end up crying at yourself. And I hate crying.
Where do you get your inspiration from for your characters?
90% of the characters I’ve ever written have existed at a job I’ve had. The ones who know are flattered. Markets, bakeries, coffee shops – mostly any minimum wage job is where you’ll find the most eccentric characters with the craziest life stories. Co-workers and customers. I always keep myself entertained.
Why do you choose to make a self-inspired character that is more of an anti-hero type, rather than the usual protagonist?
I don’t have enough of a savior complex to try and paint myself as a hero. I’d also never want to write a self-insert that people are supposed to feel bad for either. I made sure to emphasize my more annoying traits as loudly as possible for this reason. Jess can never catch a break but she’s so absent-minded that it’s almost impossible to sympathize with her. There was a brief redemption arc scene at the end of the film that I added last minute and then took out because it made me cringe, and in my opinion just undid everything that made her character funny in the first place. Keeping the humor rooted in her being a jerk felt more honest to me than forcing a cliché moral ending. She’s not a character who needs pity, and that’s one of the things I really admire about her. Though I’m not sure I’m able to relate to her now as much as I once did, she’ll always have a special place in my heart. And my villain complex.
As mentioned, The Box Trap blends satire with some really vibrant visuals. Which comes first for you: the punchline or the palette? What brings out this visual world and how do you communicate it with your DP?
The punchline for sure, but I’m always subconsciously visualizing a really vibrant and colorful scene when I imagine it playing out in my head. I just love bright colors in general. They add personality! I refuse to watch any movie that uses that same minimalist color palette. I like my eyes to be entertained at all times. I think vibrancy is also another way to really exaggerate the over-the-top aspects and give it that fantastical type vibe that makes a movie feel like a movie, setting it apart from real life. I’ve worked with the same DP for all of my films. Will’s got my vision down!
You have worn every hat possible — director, writer, actress, editor. Which role do you ultimately feel more drawn to and how does this diversity in roles help shape films like The Box Trap’s development?
If it’s a script that I’ve written, then I’m a director first! I find that a lot of the time when I talk about my movies, I usually leave out the fact that I’ve done any other role in it. Then people watch and are surprised to see that I am in the movie itself. They’ll be like, “I didn’t know you starred in this too!” and I’ll be like “Oh yeah! That’s right, I did.” Other than that, I love acting just as much and want to play so many more roles in the future!
As your debut feature tours the festival circuit, what has been the most surprising and best reaction you have received?
I really love hearing people compare my directing style to other directors or my characters to those in films that never would have crossed my mind while making it. It also feels very heartwarming to know that people will voluntarily sit through an hour and thirty minutes of something that I’ve made. Plus, I love all the core memories I was able to develop and come together with new friends from all over the world simply because we like making film projects. I’ve learned that having people with completely different tastes in movies dislike your film can be just as validating as having someone with top-tier taste love it. From this interview, I additionally think that I’ve realized my life peaked in third grade.
You have built a full indie production company from the ground up. What is the biggest, boldest, or strangest dream project you hope Unemployed Idiots Film Productions will make next?
I have no other option than to make the most revolutionary and profound B-movie of the late 2020s.
