Sam Esmail

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Sam Esmail
Esmail in March 2016
Born (1977-09-17) September 17, 1977 (age 46)
EducationNew York University (BA)
Dartmouth College
American Film Institute (MFA)
Occupations
  • Director
  • producer
  • writer
Years active2004–present
Notable workMr. Robot
Homecoming
Comet
Spouse
(m. 2017)
Children2

Sam Esmail (born September 17, 1977)

The Resort
(2022).

Esmail's work often centers on the themes of alienation, technology, and American society.

Early life and education

Esmail was born to

Muslim.[1]

When he was five years old,[9] his family moved to South Carolina and then to Charlotte, North Carolina.[10][11] As a child, Esmail was very interested in technology. He acquired his first computer when he was nine and began computer programming a few years later.[9] He attended high school in Summerville, South Carolina, where he faced racism. He said, "I used to hold Stanley Kubrick film festivals at my house in high school. These are not cool things. Back in my day, those are things that you would get beaten up for ... When you're a funny-looking Egyptian growing up in Jersey and South Carolina, it kind of gets rough."[9][12] The family eventually moved back to Sewell, New Jersey, where Esmail graduated from Washington Township High School in 1995.[11][13]

Esmail attended

Tisch School of the Arts.[15][16] While attending the school, Esmail worked in its computer lab before being put on academic probation for hacking emails there.[17][10]

After graduating he briefly worked for an internet start-up, before founding his own ISP software company called Portal Vision.[5] At age 20, he raised US$6 million in venture capital funding during the dot-com boom but the software quickly became outdated when broadband internet began replacing dial-up.[14] He left his position as president and chief technology officer to briefly attend Dartmouth College's creative writing program.[5]

Esmail moved to Los Angeles in 2001 where he attended the AFI Conservatory.[4][18] He graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in directing in 2004.[4][19]

Career

2004–2014: Early career and Comet

After graduating the AFI Conservatory in 2004, Esmail struggled to find work and held odd jobs. He worked as an assistant film editor for a few years and was eventually able to establish a career as a

A&E documentary The Battle for Late Night.[24]

When not working as a full-time editor, Esmail worked on writing screenplays.

Black List, a yearly survey of over six hundred production companies and film executives of the "most liked" motion picture screenplays not yet produced.[18] After this, he was able to find representation in Hollywood and began working more as a screenwriter;[25] he wrote another screenplay that also landed on the Black List the following year and co-wrote the horror film Mockingbird with writer Bryan Bertino, which was released in 2014.[14]

He wrote seriously for years before stopping to focus on his passion, directing. He began writing his own feature-length directorial debut, Comet, which was released by IFC Films in 2014.[26] Comet premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and had a limited box office release.[5]

2014–2020: Mr. Robot and Homecoming

Mr. Robot