Sam Auster was born in the vibrant city of Chicago, where he spent his childhood surrounded by his close-knit Sicilian-Jewish family. After completing his education at the University of Wisconsin, he went on to attend the prestigious Columbia College Film School, where he honed his skills in the art of filmmaking.
Sam's professional journey began with his work in news broadcasting, shooting for NBC and CNN in Chicago. He then transitioned to feature films, writing and directing three films: "The Return of Joe Rich" (2013),a dark comedy about a young man seeking redemption by joining the Mafia; "The Rape of Eden", a futuristic action-adventure film released by West Side Studios; and "Screen Test", a teen sex comedy that was theatrically released by CineTel and shipped a record number of units.
In addition to his work in feature films, Sam has also directed a pilot for the Dove Soap "Real Beauty" documentary campaign and has written and shot promos for ABC-TV's prime-time lineup. He has won multiple Echo awards for his commercial work and has recently directed Betty White fighting Zombies for an AARP web campaign.
Sam's impressive commercial portfolio includes work for a range of clients, including Burger King, Chevy Trucks, Skechers USA, LowerMyBills.com, and Carbite Golf. He also directed "Stick Figure", an animated spot for FreeCreditReport.com, which aired during the 2003 Super Bowl.
On the literary side, Sam has written screenplays for Ed Asner's Quince Productions, Edge Films, and Mustang Pictures. One of his screenplays, "Birthday", written with "JOE RICH" DP Lance Catania, is currently in pre-production.
Sam's early start in comedy began with writing and directing sketch comedy at the Robert Hartung Theater in Hollywood and the Up Front Comedy Club in Santa Monica.
