O Positive Nabs SNL Shorts Director Amber Schaefer

Renowned production company O Positive Films, a go-to for some of the industry’s funniest work, welcomes comedy director/writer Amber Schaefer for commercial representation. Schaefer is known for her irreverent tone and distinctively stylized short films, sketches and commercials. Her first work with O Positive is The Job for Native’s playful Holiday campaign via M/H. She also works as one of SNL’s short film directors, where she most recently directed New Cast Advice and Pinx Period Underwear ft. Amy Schumer. And her award-winning short film NYC Tips and Tricks (2022), as funny as it is poignant, distinctively captures the cultural zeitgeist and pokes fun of influencer culture.

“I started watching Amber’s sly weirdo hilarious Instagram posts a few years ago and didn’t even make the connection that she made ads,” said David Shane, Director, O Positive. “She has that rare thing we’re always trying to find — a real authentic voice.  Smart and smartly funny and 15 degrees off center. And for all the beautiful absurdism, she always finds the vulnerable humanity in the characters. We’re so lucky to have her with us.”

“I was always a huge fan of David Shane and everything O Positive,” Schaefer said. “When I met the team for the first time I was in shock: not only are they the best in the biz but they are all genuinely really good people with huge hearts. I feel incredibly lucky to be represented by the best comedy focused commercial production company in the world.” 

Schaefer, who grew up in Vermont and Oregon in a hippie family, started her career as a line producer, while also acting and copywriting for brands. She has an extensive network in the New York and L.A. comedy scenes, which grew from her sketch and improv experience as well as directing Jimmy Kimmel Live, Funny Or Die and College Humor, in addition to her own comedic shorts. She currently directs the pre-taped films at Saturday Night Live.

Schaefer brings a strong comedy writing background for punch-ups and story to her work. She finds inspiration in everything from observing the ways people talk, dress and decorate their homes to watching classic films from Wilder, Antonioni and Cassavetes and watching bad television and Tiktok’s.

One of her greatest strengths is a strong rapport working with talent on performance, as seen in commercials she’s directed for Dos Equis, Geico, Smartfood, Coach and many others. “Being alive doesn’t last long,” Schaefer surmised. “I want to make great work with talented people, but I want to have fun doing it, too.”