Swenson began his Hollywood career as an office production assistant on the 1995 made-for-TV movie Wounded Heart, which starred Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan actress Bibi Besch. He then worked as Art Department Coordinator on the 1996 TV movie Beastmaster: The Eye of Braxus, directed by Gabrielle Beaumont and featuring Star Trek alumni Tony Todd, Patrick Kilpatrick, David Warner, and Olaf Pooley.