ABOUT
I’m an Emmy-nominated director, producer, and writer who specializes in bringing humor to serious topics. For two decades, I worked in late-night comedy, including 12 years at The Daily Show, where I was a senior producer. When my train broke down in Montana on a cross-country trip, I killed time at the local bar/ bank/ barber shop (why choose?). When the sheriff found out I was a producer at The Daily Show, he put me behind the bar and took my photo for the local paper
My first feature film, TWISTED: A Balloonamentary, is a lighthearted look at the world’s premier balloon-twisting convention. It premiered at South by Southwest, and The Hollywood Reporter hailed it as a “thoroughly winning feature.” It was on this project that I learned a cardinal rule: You have not properly marketed a film until your likeness has been recreated with balloons.
Tickling Giants, my feature about comedy during the Arab Spring, was called a “first-rate documentary” by The New York Times and Variety hailed it as “an ebullient ode to freedom.” The film reached the number one documentary spot on iTunes and holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. While filming, we endured bomb threats, a crew member being beaten for his footage, and surprisingly potent chopped liver.
How Saba Kept Singing, my film about a Holocaust survivor with an unsolved mystery, was nominated for an Emmy and was executive produced by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton. I met the stars of this film when I was in nursery school, which should serve as a warning to all documentary subjects: I play the long game.
Stop the Ignorance: The Beauty That Is New Jersey, a short I directed for high school classrooms, is a free tool used by teachers who want to employ humor as a starting point for discussions about prejudice. Most importantly, I was finally able to take a public stand against all those who ignorantly trash the holy land (New Jersey).
As a kid, I used to hear my rabbi say, “Prayer doesn’t change things. Prayer changes people. People change things.” As I’m not super religious, I’ve adapted that idea into my philosophy on comedy and hard situations. Comedy doesn’t change a damn thing. But jokes can create intimacy, allow space for empathy, and help people take in challenging information. And people can change things.
I can talk backwards, have a remarkable fake sneeze, and once grew an entire human being inside of my body.