Akiva Schaffer
Encyclopedia
Akiva Schaffer is an American writer for Saturday Night Live
, a film director
, songwriter
, and a member of The Lonely Island
, a sketch-comedy troupe that first found success on the Internet, which includes SNL cast member Andy Samberg
and SNL writer Jorma Taccone
. He majored in film at University of California, Santa Cruz
.
. He was the director of '"Lazy Sunday
", "I Just Had Sex
", "Natalie's Rap", "Dick in a Box
", "Peyton Manning for the United Way", "Iran So Far", "Jizz in My Pants
", "Boombox
", and sang with Samberg and T-Pain
in "I'm on a Boat
". He also sang in "The Creep
" with Samberg and Taccone.
On the Internet, Schaffer directed The Lonely Island
's The 'Bu, the group's record-breaking contribution to Channel 101
, which was parody of The OC and also starred Sarah Chalke
(Roseanne
, Scrubs
) as Melissa, as well as Samberg and Taccone. Schaffer has also contributed to several other Channel 101
productions as part of The Lonely Island
.
Schaffer has directed four music videos for the band We Are Scientists
and one for Eagles of Death Metal
. Schaffer also directed and acted in the film Hot Rod
, starring Andy Samberg
, Jorma Taccone
, Bill Hader
, Danny McBride
, Isla Fisher
, Ian McShane
and Sissy Spacek
, which was produced by SNL's Lorne Michaels
. Schaffer was on hiatus from Saturday Night Live from January until March to do prep work on The Adventurer's Handbook starring Jonah Hill
, Jason Segel
, and Jason Schwartzman
. Hill and writing partner, Max Winkler, wrote the script. The film was put on hiatus which allowed Schaffer to return to SNL. Schaffer was credited as an Executive Producer on the recently released film Macgruber
. The film was co-written and directed by Jorma Taccone
. Other songs include "Jack Sparrow" in The Lonely Island
's new album Turtleneck & Chain
.
After cowriting the MTV Movie Awards
for two years with his Lonely Island collaborators, Schaffer returned in 2009 to help co-produce the show which was hosted by Andy Samberg
.
Schaffer is currently working on his second feature film directorial project Neighborhood Watch which is slated for a July 27, 2012 release.
". He was nominated for an Emmy for the song, "Motherlover." He was featured in People Magazine's Sexiest Bachelor with Andy Samberg
, as Sexiest Best Friends. He has also won two Writers Guild of America Award
and a Peabody Award
for his work on Saturday Night Live
. The Lonely Island
was nominated in 2009 for a People's Choice Award and a Grammy Award
.
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, a film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and a member of The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island is an American comedy troupe composed of Akiva "Kiv" Schaffer, Jorma "Jorm" Taccone, and David Andrew "Andy" Samberg, best known for their comedic music. Originally from Berkeley, California, the group is currently based in New York City. The group broke out due to their...
, a sketch-comedy troupe that first found success on the Internet, which includes SNL cast member Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg
David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
and SNL writer Jorma Taccone
Jorma Taccone
Jorma Christopher Taccone is an American comedy writer-actor-director. Taccone is one third of the sketch comedy troupe The Lonely Island along with childhood friends Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer...
. He majored in film at University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
.
Career
Akiva directs, co-writes, and edits the majority of the SNL Digital ShortsSNL Digital Shorts
An SNL Digital Short is one in a series of comedic and often musical video shorts created for airing on NBC's Saturday Night Live, generally produced and written by The Lonely Island , though originated by Adam McKay, in collaboration with SNL hosts, writers, and cast members...
. He was the director of '"Lazy Sunday
Lazy Sunday
"Lazy Sunday" is a song and short video by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, released on December 17, 2005, broadcast on Saturday Night Live as the second Digital Short...
", "I Just Had Sex
I Just Had Sex
"I Just Had Sex" is a song by comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island featuring R&B singer Akon and produced by DJ Frank E. It was released as the first single from The Lonely Island's second album, Turtleneck & Chain, released in May 2011...
", "Natalie's Rap", "Dick in a Box
Dick in a Box
"Dick in a Box" is a song by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island featuring singer Justin Timberlake. The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live as an SNL Digital Short on December 16, 2006...
", "Peyton Manning for the United Way", "Iran So Far", "Jizz in My Pants
Jizz in My Pants
"Jizz in My Pants" is a SNL Digital Short which aired on Saturday Night Live on December 6, 2008 and YouTube on the same day. It serves as the music video for the first single from The Lonely Island's debut album, Incredibad...
", "Boombox
Boombox
Boombox is a colloquial expression for a portable cassette or CD player. Other terms known are ghetto blaster, jambox, or radio-cassette. It is a device capable of receiving radio stations and playing recorded music , usually at relatively high volume...
", and sang with Samberg and T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
in "I'm on a Boat
I'm on a Boat
"I'm on a Boat" is a single from The Lonely Island's debut album Incredibad. It was also featured as a Saturday Night Live Digital Short. The song features R&B singer T-Pain. The song, produced by Wyshmaster, is a parody of many rap video clichés. The music video reached number one on YouTube in...
". He also sang in "The Creep
The Creep (song)
"The Creep" is a song by American comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island, released as the second single from their second studio album Turtleneck & Chain. It features rapper Nicki Minaj. Filmmaker John Waters also gives the introduction to the song. He is credited as a featured artist on the album,...
" with Samberg and Taccone.
On the Internet, Schaffer directed The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island is an American comedy troupe composed of Akiva "Kiv" Schaffer, Jorma "Jorm" Taccone, and David Andrew "Andy" Samberg, best known for their comedic music. Originally from Berkeley, California, the group is currently based in New York City. The group broke out due to their...
's The 'Bu, the group's record-breaking contribution to Channel 101
Channel 101
Channel 101 is a non-profit short film festival in Los Angeles, which also has a sister festival in NYC, Channel 101: NY. Channel 101 is a creation of Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab in which participants submit a short film in the format of a pilot under five minutes in length...
, which was parody of The OC and also starred Sarah Chalke
Sarah Chalke
Sarah Chalke is a Canadian-American actress known for portraying Dr. Elliot Reid on the NBC/ABC comedy Scrubs, "Second Becky" Conner Healy on Roseanne, and Stella Zinman in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother...
(Roseanne
Roseanne (TV series)
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
, Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
) as Melissa, as well as Samberg and Taccone. Schaffer has also contributed to several other Channel 101
Channel 101
Channel 101 is a non-profit short film festival in Los Angeles, which also has a sister festival in NYC, Channel 101: NY. Channel 101 is a creation of Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab in which participants submit a short film in the format of a pilot under five minutes in length...
productions as part of The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island is an American comedy troupe composed of Akiva "Kiv" Schaffer, Jorma "Jorm" Taccone, and David Andrew "Andy" Samberg, best known for their comedic music. Originally from Berkeley, California, the group is currently based in New York City. The group broke out due to their...
.
Schaffer has directed four music videos for the band We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists is a New York-based indie rock band that formed in Berkeley, California in 2000. Originally formed of Keith Murray on drums, Chris Cain playing bass guitar and Scott Lamb providing vocals and guitar, before Michael Tapper became drummer and Keith became vocalist and guitarist...
and one for Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998 by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme. Despite their band name, Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band. Hughes stated that a friend was introducing Josh Homme to the death metal genre...
. Schaffer also directed and acted in the film Hot Rod
Hot Rod (film)
The soundtrack was composed by ex-Yes guitarist, Trevor Rabin. Several songs by the Swedish rock band Europe are in the movie, including "Cherokee" and "Rock the Night." The full trailer contains three Swedish rock band songs, Europe's "Cherokee" and "The Final Countdown," and The Hives' "See...
, starring Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg
David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
, Jorma Taccone
Jorma Taccone
Jorma Christopher Taccone is an American comedy writer-actor-director. Taccone is one third of the sketch comedy troupe The Lonely Island along with childhood friends Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer...
, Bill Hader
Bill Hader
William "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
, Danny McBride
Danny McBride
Danny McBride is an American actor and screenwriter. McBride is best-known for co-writing the Underworld film series.- External links :...
, Isla Fisher
Isla Fisher
Isla Lang Fisher is an actress and author. She began acting on Australian television, on the short-lived soap opera Paradise Beach before playing Shannon Reed on the soap opera Home and Away...
, Ian McShane
Ian McShane
Ian David McShane is an English actor, director, producer, voice artist, and comedian.Despite appearing in numerous films, McShane is best known for his television roles, particularly the BBC's Lovejoy and HBO's Western drama Deadwood...
and Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek is an American actress and singer. She came to international prominence for her for role as Carrie White in Brian De Palma's 1976 horror film Carrie for which she earned her first Academy Award nomination...
, which was produced by SNL's Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels, CM is a Canadian-American television producer, writer, and comedian best known for creating and producing Saturday Night Live and producing the various film and TV projects that spun off from it.-Early life:...
. Schaffer was on hiatus from Saturday Night Live from January until March to do prep work on The Adventurer's Handbook starring Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill Feldstein , known professionally as Jonah Hill, is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, and comedian. Hill is best known roles for his roles in Superbad, Knocked Up, and Get Him to the Greek. He made his theatrical debut in I Heart Huckabees, alongside Jason Schwartzman and Dustin...
, Jason Segel
Jason Segel
Jason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
, and Jason Schwartzman
Jason Schwartzman
Jason Francesco Schwartzman is an American actor and musician. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Rushmore, Spun, I Heart Huckabees, Shopgirl, Marie Antoinette, The Darjeeling Limited, Funny People, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World...
. Hill and writing partner, Max Winkler, wrote the script. The film was put on hiatus which allowed Schaffer to return to SNL. Schaffer was credited as an Executive Producer on the recently released film Macgruber
MacGruber
MacGruber was a recurring sketch on the NBC television series Saturday Night Live, first appearing on the show in January 2007. The sketch stars Will Forte as special operations agent MacGruber, who is tasked in each episode with deactivating a ticking bomb but becomes distracted by personal...
. The film was co-written and directed by Jorma Taccone
Jorma Taccone
Jorma Christopher Taccone is an American comedy writer-actor-director. Taccone is one third of the sketch comedy troupe The Lonely Island along with childhood friends Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer...
. Other songs include "Jack Sparrow" in The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island is an American comedy troupe composed of Akiva "Kiv" Schaffer, Jorma "Jorm" Taccone, and David Andrew "Andy" Samberg, best known for their comedic music. Originally from Berkeley, California, the group is currently based in New York City. The group broke out due to their...
's new album Turtleneck & Chain
Turtleneck & Chain
Turtleneck & Chain is the second studio album of the American comedy troupe The Lonely Island, whose members are Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone. The album was released May 10, 2011, on Universal Republic Records. Many of the songs on the album debuted on Saturday Night Live as SNL...
.
After cowriting the MTV Movie Awards
MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...
for two years with his Lonely Island collaborators, Schaffer returned in 2009 to help co-produce the show which was hosted by Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg
David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
.
Schaffer is currently working on his second feature film directorial project Neighborhood Watch which is slated for a July 27, 2012 release.
Awards
In 2007, Schaffer won an Emmy for his participation in the production of "Dick in a BoxDick in a Box
"Dick in a Box" is a song by American comedy troupe The Lonely Island featuring singer Justin Timberlake. The song and music video debuted on Saturday Night Live as an SNL Digital Short on December 16, 2006...
". He was nominated for an Emmy for the song, "Motherlover." He was featured in People Magazine's Sexiest Bachelor with Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg
David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
, as Sexiest Best Friends. He has also won two Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
and a Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
for his work on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island is an American comedy troupe composed of Akiva "Kiv" Schaffer, Jorma "Jorm" Taccone, and David Andrew "Andy" Samberg, best known for their comedic music. Originally from Berkeley, California, the group is currently based in New York City. The group broke out due to their...
was nominated in 2009 for a People's Choice Award and a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
.