Ari Shapiro

Ari is a writer, filmmaker, and producer whose work has spanned everything from HBO Max and Discovery+ to sketch comedy and kids’ YouTube hits. His short films have won awards at festivals like Austin Film Festival, and his screenwriting has been recognized by the Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Humanitas Awards. He’s produced for brands like TikTok and NERF and directed celebrities such as Nastya Radzinskaya from Like Nastya, YouTube’s top kids’ show. A recovering actor, Ari made the leap from Off-Broadway to filmmaking through the comedy collective Means Of Productions. He now freelances across film and TV, and he recently finished his MFA in Film at Columbia University, where he earned Faculty Honors for screenwriting. He is sometimes obsessed with turtles, Jesse Plemons, and the Green Bay Packers.