Lara Shapiro is a writer and director in film, TV and commercials; with multiple projects in development. Her work as a writer includes the FX drama THE AMERICANS, the EPIX spy drama BERLIN STATION, and the YouTube Premium drama IMPULSE. Her work as a director includes an episode of the USA drama ROYAL PAINS, the feature film LABOR PAINS, and numerous commercial campaigns including Verizon, Prudential and L’Oréal. Her narrative short films were shown at the Sundance and New York Film Festivals, she was a fellow at the Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab, and she received a Sloan Foundation Filmmakers Award to write the drama TALKING BOOK. She received her MFA in filmmaking from Columbia University.
RECENT WORK:
2016/17 — STORY EDITOR, BERLIN STATION (EPIX/Anonymous Content, drama), starring Richard Armitage, Rhys Ifans, Richard Jenkins, Keke Palmer and Ashley Judd. Wrote episode 2.7 “Right Of Way.”
2015 – DIRECTOR ROYAL PAINS (USA, drama), episode 7.7 “Lama Trauma” starring Mark Feuerstein and Paulo Costanzo.
2014/15: STAFF WRITER, THE AMERICANS (FX, drama), starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys. Wrote episode 3.7, “Walter Taffet.”
JANUARY 2006 – Present COMMMERCIAL DIRECTOR – Directed over 200 television commercial campaigns with a cumulative budget in excess of $70M. Campaigns include Verizon, Prudential, L’Oréal, Kraft, LG Phones. Directed talent including: Bono, Edward Norton, Matt Damon, Liev Schreiber, Kevin Hart, James Earl Jones, Marc Anthony and Don Cheadle.
2009 DIRECTOR AND CO-WRITER, LABOR PAINS.
Produced by Nu Image / Millennium Films. Aired on ABC Family. Starring Cheryl Hines, Chris Parnell, Luke Kirby, Janeane Garofalo and Lindsay Lohan. 10M budget.
AWARDS AND HONORS:
Writer’s Guild Of America, East, Council Member (elected position). October 2012 – October 2014.
DGA, Women’s Steering Committee (Appointed position). January, 2012-present.
Commercials short-listed for Cannes Lions several times. Other awards include Creative Arts, Silver and Bronze Clio HC Awards.
Fellow at the Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab.
New York State Council of the Arts Filmmaker Grant.
Fellow at the MacDowell Colony.
Awarded the Sloan Foundation Filmmaker Grant at the Tribeca Film Institute to write original screenplay TALKING BOOK.
Wrote and directed short films that played at the Sundance Film Festival and the New York Film Festival, among others.
EDUCATION & TRAINING:
MFA, in filmmaking, Columbia University, New York, NY.
BA, with honors, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
SHORT FILMS
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTShort subject documentary, 10 mins, a portrait of a news story unfolding in Southern Ethiopia through the eyes of the western journalists covering the region.
Directed by Lara Shapiro.
TIPPEDShort film, 90 seconds, sponsored by the Gap,
shown at the Sundance Film Festival, among others.
Written and Directed by Lara Shapiro.
CRAWLShort film, 6 mins, shown at the New York Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival among others.
Written and Directed by Lara Shapiro, Produced by Lisa Cholodenko.
COMMERCIALS – PARTIAL LIST
Verizon, L’Oréal, LG phones, Kraft, Mcdonalds, Prudential, NASCAR, The NFL, I Love NY, Independent Film Channel, Flumist, the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation, ONE.ORG, Humane Society, Johnson & Johnson, Chex, Etsy, Baskin Robbins, First National Bank, Time Warner, Cartoon Network, Freshdirect, Stand Up To Cancer, Kellogg’s and The Global Fund, the Safeway Foundation
WORKED WITH THE FOLLOWING TALENT
Bono, Edward Norton, Matt Damon, Don Cheedle, Liev Schreiber, Kevin Hart, James Earl Jones, Janeanne Garafolo, Lili Taylor, Marc Anthony, Chris Parnell, Cheryl Hines, Jim Gaffigan.