Actor-comedian Andy Assaf and writer-producer Samantha Shier are rising stars who are recognized for – and connected by – their work on What We Do in the Shadows. Assaf, a seasoned Second City improviser, and Shier, a writer whose credits include English Teacher, have each forged distinct and individual paths in comedy. And now together, they’re setting their sights on new opportunities that promise to build on their unique creative and personal partnership.
Their journey together began on a dating app—a modern love story with an undead twist. Shier was working as a producer and then a writer on What We Do in the Shadows, FX’s Toronto-produced hit series about a group of Staten Island vampires and their human familiar. “I’m an actor and comedian and a huge fan of the show,” shares Assaf, “so I auditioned for it a few times each season, hoping for even a small role. When we met online, she said she’d seen my audition tapes, and was one of the people who helped decide which actors got approval. I thought, ‘That’s very funny,’ and things took off from there.”
Shier remembers the coincidence as an event with office-wide significance. “I’m one of the two producers who decided which actors would play the smaller roles,” she says. “Andy was always our top choice when we needed a Canadian actor. We loved him, but he usually auditioned for roles that ended up going to bigger names, like Fred Armisen.” When they matched on the dating app, Shier couldn’t resist showing her casting team. And when they met, she smiles, “I told Andy, ‘I’ve seen every single one of your auditions.’ I think that helped me win him over!” For his part, Assaf laughs, “I often joke that the best role I got was being Sam’s boyfriend”.
As it happens, in Shadows’ final season, a bigger role in the show also came up, “and since Sam knew my background in improv and sketch from Second City, she helped the producers see my potential. So finally, I got the part! And it was a recurring role.” And for Assaf, the experience was very much worth the wait: “Working with the Shadows cast and all these great guest stars was surreal. Many of them were people I looked up to early in my career, so sharing scenes and improvising with them felt like stepping into a dream.”
At the same time, Shier has been on her own journey from production assistant to producer-writer, and this has yielded exciting opportunities in the writers’ room. Recently, she contributed to English Teacher, an FX comedy streaming since September. Starring Brian Jordan Alvarez, the show follows an openly gay teacher in a conservative town as he navigates relationships, work, and social media’s impact on high school life. “It’s funny, but also looks at serious issues, with a cast of really funny comedians,” Shier explains.
For both, comedy has always been a calling marked by pivotal moments that validated their paths. Assaf recalls a sold-out Fringe show in Montreal, a “fun cop drama procedural improv” where he felt a genuine connection with the audience. “I remember thinking, ‘This could be more than a hobby. I’m actually good at this, and people are enjoying it,’” he recalls. And ever since, “whenever I come home after a great show, I’ll tell Sam, ‘We’re going to be famous!’—it’s like I’m buzzing.” For Shier, her transformational moment was her first experience in an American writers’ room on Shadows: “I went from being an office PA to being around writers my age and veterans who’d written for shows like Frasier. They were so talented and brilliant, and seeing them work gave me a new standard to aim for.”
To realize their ambitions and potential, both have now set their sights on the United States, where comedy and scripted TV offer broader opportunities. “I know a lot of actors who’ve made the jump because in Canada, you eventually reach the point where the bigger parts become limited,” says Assaf. And for Shier, the move to the U.S. is essential to her career growth. “Most of my connections are with American shows, and I have more job opportunities in the States than I do here. There just aren’t as many writers’ rooms in Canada.” Yet the visa process has proven unexpectedly complex. “We’ve been working with a lawyer for about six months,” says Assaf. “It requires press articles, letters of recommendation, and job offers in the U.S.—so it’s not easy.”
Ultimately, their perfectly aligned aspiration – and the focus of their energy and effort — is to take their success in Canada across borders in the world of television comedy: “I want to work on half-hour comedies forever!” says Shier. “Those writers’ rooms have been where I’ve made my closest friends and work family.” Assaf is hungry to be on camera in such shows: “Working on Shadows was a dream job—I feel sitcoms are where my sensibility is strongest,” he adds, noting again that the opportunity to collaborate with comedy legends has been a cherished high point of such work to date.
In the meantime, whether Assaf is performing improv on Second City’s Mainstage or Shier is writing for FX’s latest comedies, the duo are fully prepared for larger platforms – and are continuing to grow their capabilities. And if the story of how their partnership came about is any indicator, the creative journey ahead is predestined to be both surprising and entertaining.
“This conversation feels exactly like what we need as we work on our visa applications,” says Assaf as we close our discussion. Shier nods in agreement. “We’re the visionary writer and comedian that the U.S. needs!”
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine, 2024
