Southwest Airlines Co. has premiered the short film Alone in Tombstone, a first-ever brand film for the airline and the first Wattpad Brand Original.
Based on a short story, the film was written by Wattpad author E.A. Comiskey, and was adapted into Alone in Tombstone, by Tongal community member Kelsey Taylor (Alien: Specimen, 20th Century Fox).
Filmed on location at Mescal Movie Set in Benson, Ariz., Alone in Tombstone is a coming-of-age tale about life, love, and loss. It tells the story of a young woman searching for her place in life when faced with a surprise visitor. Watch below:
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“The creative community brings rich stories to life through various forms of art, including music, writing, and filmmaking,” said Brandy King, Managing Director Communications at Southwest Airlines Co. “The Southwest: Storytellers On The Rise writing contest uncovered meaningful stories of human kindness, and we are grateful for the opportunity to bring ‘Alone in Tombstone’ to the screen. Our On The Rise platform supports creatives by providing them a career lift in their journey to reach their goals. We look forward to continuing to amplify new voices as creatives share their unique perspectives and pursue their dreams.”
The project began in 2021, when Southwest Airlines and Wattpad, a leading web novel platform, celebrated the carrier’s 50th Anniversary through a writing contest. The Southwest: Storytellers On The Rise contest called upon the Wattpad community to share stories of kindness rooted in travel. The brands selected 10 finalists, and of those stories, chose a short story from Comiskey as its winner.
As part of the contest prize, Comiskey received a once-in-a-lifetime writing mentorship with Beth Reekles, the Wattpad author behind the global Young Adult sensation and film franchise The Kissing Booth from Netflix and Komixx Entertainment, alongside additional prizes to help her writing career take off. Further, the brands hired Comiskey as a paid consultant on the film set to incorporate her vision.
“Supporting authors and creating new opportunities to celebrate and elevate their creativity is central to everything we do,” said Chris Mathieu, Director, Wattpad Brand Partnerships. “We are thrilled to debut our first Wattpad Brand Originals alongside Southwest Airlines and Tongal, highlighting the incredible creativity we see across Wattpad daily.”
“Southwest built an impactful platform for advancing creators’ careers by connecting them to opportunities that are deeply authentic to their brand—I know the creators in the Tongal and Wattpad communities are feeling the love,” said James DeJulio, Tongal Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
The Alone in Tombstone film premiere, which took place in New York City on May 10, included a panel with director Kelsey Taylor, Comiskey, and representatives from Southwest, Wattpad, and Tongal.
Southwest’s On The Rise platform began in 2017 with the launch of Destination: Red Rocks. This program spotlighted six up-and-coming musical artists from across the country with an opportunity to compete for an opening set performance at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The content-rich program drove engagement with new and current fans of the musicians and introduced these On The Rise acts to Southwest Customers.
Building on the program’s success, Southwest continued to expand On The Rise, partnering with other live music events like Luck Reunion to shine a light on new talent and offer access to and placement on coveted lineups. Southwest expanded its support of creatives to the writing community through the Southwest: Storytellers On The Rise writing contest, and included filmmakers through the adaptation of the story into a short film.
To read the finalist stories and Comiskey’s, please visit the Southwest Airlines profile on Wattpad.
Alone in Tombstone is now available on Southwest’s YouTube Channel and via the free movie offerings onboard Southwest flights beginning June 1.
