Jeff Ayars

Last updated
Jeff Ayars
Born
Media, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Education Cornell University and University of Pennsylvania
Occupation(s)Filmmaker and actor
Known forCannibal Milkshake
Notable workPhiladelphia, Ti Amo (2011)
An Auteur Is Born (Comedy Central) (2019)
This Is Our Home (2019), FBI: International

Jeff Ayars is an American filmmaker and actor known for writing, directing, and performing in the comedy duo Cannibal Milkshake alongside Dan Rosen. He is also known for the film Philadelphia, Ti Amo (2011) starring Rebecca Rittenhouse, [1] his Tribeca Film Festival selection The Snapstory, his acting in FBI: International and his horror feature This Is Our Home. [2]

Contents

Education

Ayars grew up in Media, Pennsylvania, where he attended Penncrest High School and was one of 595 students in the country to receive a national writing award from the NCTE during his senior year. [3] Ayars went on to attend Cornell University from 2008 to 2013, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. [4] [5] [6] During his time at Cornell, Ayars produced videos for The Cornell Daily Sun and other companies and campus organizations. While on a brief hiatus from Cornell, Ayars studied creative writing at The University of Pennsylvania, where he published a satire of Franz Kafka. [7] Ayars' film and pop-culture thesis was an exploration of personas in film using Ryan Gosling quotations. [8]

Career

As a child, Ayars was in two television commercials for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993 and 1994. His father, NBC Sports executive and Emmy Award winner Robert Ayars, [9] who at the time worked for the PRISM television network, shot and directed the commercials. [10]

Ayars has gone on to act, produce, direct, edit, and write for various forms of media such as online content, film, television, documentary, short film, and commercial. [10]

Cannibal Milkshake

Cannibal Milkshake is a comedy partnership between Jeff Ayars and his Cornell University classmate Dan Rosen. The duo produces, writes, directs, edits, and acts in their videos, and are frequent contributors to The New Yorker . [11] Ayars and Rosen's sketches have also been featured by CollegeHumor, Funny or Die, Comedy Central, Fortune Magazine , and Elizabeth Banks' WhoHaHa network. Their work is largely tech-world satire and movie parodies, notably featuring Ayars performing as a crazed Bradley Cooper, Oscar Awards-hungry Leonardo DiCaprio, finance-bro Ryan Gosling, and James Bond as a stressed-out dad. [12] Ayars and Rosen have also performed live at New York City venues like the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre [13] and The People's Improv Theater, where Ayars performed live [14] with actor Richard Kind and comedian Judy Gold in 2021. [15]

Film

Ayars' first short film during college starred Rebecca Rittenhouse and went on to screen at the Philadelphia Film Festival. [16] [1] His work has subsequently been featured at the NYC Web Fest, New York City Independent Film Festival, Manhattan Film Festival, New Filmmakers Los Angeles, Cinequest Film Festival, The Lower East Side Film Festival, [17] and the Tribeca Film Festival. [18] [10] [19]

Ayars produced and starred in the 2019 psychological thriller feature, This Is Our Home. Written by Rob Harmon and directed by long-time friend and collaborator Omri Dorani, the film co-stars Simone Policano and tells the story of a struggling couple on a weekend away that takes a turn with the arrival of a mysterious child. [20] The film was executive produced by former Paramount Pictures executive Inga Vainshtein Smith, known for Hardcore Henry .

The subject of mental health is an important theme in Ayars' work. [21] He was one of 75 creators selected to attend the Kindred Mind Matters mental health summit sponsored by HBO. [22]

Ayars is developing a romantic comedy feature film GOLD BOY that deals with the subject of mental health and is inspired by his own struggles at Cornell University. [23] The film pitch was a finalist in the Yes, And Laughter Lab initiative to combine comedy and social justice sponsored by Comedy Central. [24]

Television

Since 2013, Ayars has worked at Comcast NBCUniversal, and is currently working as a writer and producer for Morning Joe on MSNBC. [25] [26] He previously worked producing EPKs and promos for NBCUniversal.

In 2022, Ayars made his network television debut as a guest star on Dick Wolf's CBS procedural FBI: International. 

Ayars has also starred in national television commercials, including a campaign for the Ad Council. [27] He starred as Thomas Jefferson in the 2022 Super Bowl ad for Clickup project management software. [28]

Filmography

YearTitleTypeDirectorWriterEditorProducerExecutive producerActorOtherNotes
2011Philadelphia, Ti AmoShortYesYesYesYesYesYesAs Michael
2012QuantumShortNoYesNoNoNoYesAs Tyler
2013Coming 2getherShortYesYesYesYesYesYesAs Bradley
2013Christopher WalkenomaShortYesYesYesYesYesYesAs Jeffrey
2013A Guilty ManShortNoNoNoNoNoYesAs Dean
2014MacGuffinVideo shortYesYesYesYesYesYesAs Jeffrey the Small-Town-Multi-Billionaire
2015IsolationShortNoNoNoNoNoYesAs Eric
2015Pound: The Woof Dawg StoryShortYesYesYesYesYesYesAs Woof Dawg
2015Je Suis CharlieVideo shortYesYesYesNoYesYesAs Eric
2016Two Girls One ShowDigital seriesYesNoNoNoYesYesAs Sassy bartender
2016Ghost FriendTV PilotYesNoYesYesYesNo
2017The New Yorker: Shorts & MurmursTV seriesYesYesYesYesYesYesAs Millennial hoarder, Intern Maht, Startup founder
2017Hashtag FireworksVideo shortYesYesYesNoYesYesAs guy who hates fireworks
2017The Notebook SnapstoryVideo shortYesYesYesYesYesYesAs Ryan Gosling
2017To My SonShortNoYesNoYesNoYes
2017AssholesNoNoNoYesNoNoassociate producer
2017NY NY LandVideo shortYesYesYesYesYesYesAs Finance Bro Gosling
2018I, NancyVideo shortYesYesYesYesNoYesAs Campbell's Soup Director
2018Masterclass: Marvel CGI ActingShortYesYesYesYesNoYesAs Chris Evans
2018Go Tell Your FathersShortNoNoNoYesNoNoassociate producer
2019All Hail BethTV seriesNoNoNoNoNoYesAs Holden Hans
2019DiagnosisShortYesNoYesYesNoNo
2019Final CallbackShortYesYesYesYesYesYesAs angry auditioner
2019Dorris 85ShortNoNoNoNoYesNo
2019On the RocksShortYesNoYesYesNoNo
2019DTFTV mini seriesYesNoYesYesNoNo
2019This Is Our HomeNoNoNoYesNoYesAs Cory
2019An Auteur Is BornShortYesYesYesNoNoYesAs Bradley Cooper
2020Borderline CoffeeShortYesNoYesYesNoNo
2020NeverthelessDocumentaryNoNoNoYesNoNoassociate producer
2021ActorsNoNoNoYesNoNoassociate producer
2021International FallsNoNoNoNoYesNo
2021Rifkin on Rifkin: Private Confessions of a Serial KillerTV specialNoNoNoNoNoYesJoel Rifkin
2021Being George Lucas: A Connor Ratliff StoryDocumentaryNoNoNoNoYesNoexecutive producerpost-production
2021No DyeShortNoNoNoYesNoYesAs Pat
2022FBI: InternationalTV seriesNoNoNoNoNoYesAs Henry Martin
2019-2022Morning JoeTV seriesNoNoNoYesNoNofield producer507 episodes
TBDImposter SyndromeDocumentaryYesYesNoYesNoNofilming
TBDThe Abaddon PitNoNoNoNoNoYesAs Dave
TBDMental Health and Horror: A DocumentaryDocumentaryNoNoNoYesNoNoassociate producerfilming
TBDWhat Are We?NoNoNoNoNoYes
TBDSuperniggaShortNoNoNoYesNoNoassociate producercompleted
TBDTrustShortNoNoNoYesNoYescompleted

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trey Parker</span> American actor, animator, and filmmaker (born 1969)

Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, and musician. He is best known for co-creating South Park and The Book of Mormon (2011) with his creative partner Matt Stone. Parker was interested in film and music as a child and at high school and attended the University of Colorado Boulder, where he met Stone. The two collaborated on various short films and co-starred in Parker’s feature-length musical Cannibal! The Musical (1993).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane West</span> American actor, singer and songwriter

Shannon Bruce Snaith, better known as Shane West, is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He is known for his portrayal of Eli Sammler in the ABC family drama Once and Again, Landon Carter in A Walk to Remember, Dr. Ray Barnett in the NBC medical drama ER, Michael Bishop in The CW spy drama Nikita and in the WGN fantasy adventure historical drama Salem as John Alden. West received critical acclaim for his performance portraying Darby Crash in the biopic What We Do Is Secret.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tribeca Festival</span> Annual film festival held in New York, US

The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2002 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. Until 2020, the festival was known as the Tribeca Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Lieberstein</span> American actor and screenwriter

Paul Bevan Lieberstein is an American actor, screenwriter, television director and television producer. A Primetime Emmy Award winner, he is best known as a writer, executive producer, and supporting cast member Toby Flenderson on the NBC sitcom The Office. He served as the series' showrunner from seasons five to eight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Harmon</span> American screenwriter (born 1973)

Daniel James Harmon is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC sitcom Community (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast Harmontown (2012–2019), co-creator of the Adult Swim animated sitcom Rick and Morty (2013–present) and its subsequent franchise along with Justin Roiland, and co-founder of the alternative television network and website Channel 101 along with Rob Schrab, and creator of Fox animated sitcom Krapopolis (2023-present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Fogler</span> American actor, comedian and writer (born 1976)

Daniel Kevin Fogler is an American actor, comedian and writer. He has appeared in films including Balls of Fury, Good Luck Chuck, the Fantastic Beasts film series and has done voice acting for Kung Fu Panda, Horton Hears a Who!, and Mars Needs Moms. He also appeared on The Walking Dead as Luke and played Francis Ford Coppola in miniseries, The Offer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Airplane Productions</span> Defunct American television production company

Little Airplane Productions was an American television production company co-founded by Josh Selig and Lori Shaer in 1999. The company produced Oobi for Noggin, Wonder Pets! for Nickelodeon, and 3rd & Bird for the BBC. It also released independent short films. In 2017, the company was bought by the Belgian-based Studio 100, which entered a co-production agreement to create the comedy series Doctor Space with Little Airplane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Dunye</span> Liberian-American actress and director

Cheryl Dunye is a Liberian-American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and actress. Dunye's work often concerns themes of race, sexuality, and gender, particularly issues relating to black lesbians. She is known as the first out black lesbian to ever direct a feature film with her 1996 film The Watermelon Woman. She runs the production company Jingletown Films based in Oakland, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoe Lister-Jones</span> American actress and screenwriter

Zoe Lister-Jones is an American actress and filmmaker who co-starred as Jen Collins Short in the CBS sitcom Life in Pieces from 2015 to 2019. She is also known for her roles in the television shows Delocated (2009–2010), Whitney (2011–2013), and New Girl (2015). Lister-Jones made her directorial debut with the 2017 comedy-drama film Band Aid. In 2020, she wrote and directed the horror film The Craft: Legacy. During the Covid-19 pandemic she co-wrote and co-directed the comedy-drama film How It Ends (2021) with Daryl Wein. In 2023 she produced, wrote, directed, and starred in the comedy series Slip for The Roku Channel, with Dakota Johnson as executive producer under her TeaTime Pictures banner. On December 5, 2023, it was announced that Slip was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aubrey Plaza</span> American actress and producer (born 1984)

Aubrey Christina Plaza is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began acting in local theater productions as a teenager and performed improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. After graduating from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Plaza made her feature film debut in Mystery Team (2009) and gained wide recognition for her role as April Ludgate on the NBC political satire sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Gillan</span> Scottish actress and filmmaker (born 1987)

Karen Sheila Gillan is a Scottish actress and filmmaker. She gained recognition for her work in British film and television, particularly for playing Amy Pond, a primary companion to the Eleventh Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who (2010–2013). Her early film roles include the thriller Outcast (2010) and romantic comedy Not Another Happy Ending (2013). She also worked on the stage while in Britain, appearing in John Osborne's play Inadmissible Evidence (2011).

James Michael Spione is an American director, producer, writer and editor of both documentary and fiction films. Early on in his career, he developed a reputation for suspenseful dramatic shorts; his later career, however, has been marked by a new focus on short and feature-length documentaries for both theatrical release and public television broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Healy (actor)</span> American film and television actor (born 1971)

Pat Healy is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles in Magnolia, Better Call Saul, Great World of Sound,Compliance, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Station 19, in which he was upgraded to the main cast in 2022. He directed his first feature film, Take Me, in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion Stokes</span> American librarian and archivist (1929–2012)

Marion Marguerite Stokes was an American access television producer, businesswoman, investor, civil rights demonstrator, activist, librarian, and archivist, especially known for archiving hundreds of thousands of hours of television news footage spanning 35 years, from 1977 until her death in 2012, at which time she had been operating nine properties and three storage units. According to The Los Angeles Review of Books review of the 2019 documentary film Recorder, Stokes's massive project of recording the 24-hour news cycle "makes a compelling case for the significance of guerrilla archiving."

Molly Driscoll Hawkey is an American actress, photographer, and comedian. She portrayed Lacey Wilcox in the horror comedy Brain Blockers (2007), Molly in the drama Higher Ground (2011), and voiced Orro Oxslayer in the fantasy video game Guild Wars 2 (2012). In 2016, she became known for editing herself into episodes of The Bachelor, which she made into a web series titled Molly on The Bachelor.

<i>Command and Control</i> (film) 2016 American film

Command and Control is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Robert Kenner and based on the 2013 non-fiction book of the same name by Eric Schlosser. It was released initially in the United States at the Tribeca Film Festival and then in the United Kingdom at the Sheffield Doc/Fest on June 11, 2016. It is based on the 1980 Damascus Titan missile explosion in Damascus, Arkansas between September 18–19, 1980. The film aired on the PBS network series American Experience on January 10, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Mason</span> American artist

Rachel Mason is an American filmmaker whose work includes performance art, music, films and multimedia projects.

<i>Brothers by Blood</i> American 2020 crime drama film

Brothers by Blood is a 2020 crime drama film written, directed, and produced by Jeremie Guez, based on the 1991 novel Brotherly Love by Pete Dexter. It stars Matthias Schoenaerts, Joel Kinnaman, Maika Monroe, Paul Schneider, Nicholas Crovetti and Ryan Phillippe.

Television Event is a 2020 American-Australian documentary film, directed and produced by Jeff Daniels. It follows the making and release of The Day After, a film directed by Nicholas Meyer, which revolved around a nuclear war and was controversial upon release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant Pictures</span> American film distribution company

Giant Pictures is an American independent film distribution company founded by Nick Savva and Jeff Stabenau with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. The company releases feature films, documentaries and series on streaming platforms, with an emphasis on flexibility and customization for filmmakers. Giant Pictures owns and operates specialty theatrical label, Drafthouse Films. Giant is the distribution and technology partner of the Tribeca Festival.

References

  1. 1 2 Love in Philadelphia. Cornell University. 2011-10-31. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  2. ↑ "This Is Our Home Review". That Moment In. 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  3. ↑ School Notes. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Molly Messersmith, Jeffrey Ayars, and Da Ying: Inapprorpiation". Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. May 20, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Ayars '13 not horsing around in 'Revenant' parody". Cornell Chronicle. February 29, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  6. ↑ Stein, Jeff (February 26, 2015). "Cornell grads' 'American Sniper' parody makes national news". The Ithaca Voice. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  7. ↑ University of Pennsylvania
  8. ↑ Molly Messersmith, Jeffrey Ayars, and Da Ying: Inapprorpiation. Cornell Architecture Art Planning. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  9. ↑ Rockets, Astros Find New Home With Comcast SportsNet Houston. Sportsvideo. 2012-09-28. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Biography. IMDb. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  11. ↑ Jeff Ayars. The New Yorker . Accessed June 22, 2020.
  12. ↑ Domanico, Anthony (2015-11-11). "James Bond faces his toughest challenge yet: Being a dad". CNET. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  13. ↑ Cannibal Milkshake. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  14. ↑ Cristi, A. A. "Photos: Richard Kind And Judy Gold Featured In Live-Reading Of New Indie Film VOICES". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  15. ↑ "Jeff Ayars & Dan Rosen: "Cannibal Milkshake"". Best New York Comedy. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  16. ↑ Dan Gross: Wendy Williams speaks out. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  17. ↑ "This Is Our Home". The Lower East Side Film Festival. 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  18. ↑ Tribeca Film Festival. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Full Line-Up Announced for BROOKLYN HORROR FILM FESTIVAL". Dead Central. 14 September 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  20. ↑ This Is Our Home (2019). Accessed June 22, 2020.
  21. ↑ Borderline Coffee. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  22. ↑ HBO Partners With Social Impact Organization Kindred For Mental Health Event. Deadline. June 19, 2019. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  23. ↑ No superpowers, just spandex: the other half of my story. Medium. Jul 14, 2019. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  24. ↑ 2019 winners. Yes, And Laughter Lab. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  25. ↑ 17 states submit proposals to host Hyperloop certification center. Morning Joe on MSNBC. Accessed June 22, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Jeff Ayars". Muckrack. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Drug-Impaired Driving Prevention". Ad Council. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  28. ↑ Fleming, Jameson (February 3, 2022). "How ClickUp Created Its First Super Bowl Ad" . Retrieved 2022-05-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.