Sarah Gertrude Shapiro

Sarah Gertrude Shapiro is best known for going from SXSW to scripted series in less than a year. After taking home honors at SXSW with her short film Sequin Raze, she sold the series UnREAL to Lifetime based on the film, which is now in production at A+E Studios and set to premiere on Lifetime in early 2015. Shapiro co-wrote the pilot with Marti Noxon (Mad Men, Buffy), who also serves as co-creator and executive producer on the series. Shapiro was one of 8 women chosen for AFI's prestigious Directing Workshop for Women in 2013.

Shapiro grew up in Santa Barbara, started writing at five years old, and graduated Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in Fiction Writing and Filmmaking. She came of age in New York indie film, interning first at Killer Films with Christine Vachon, and going on to screen her work at festivals such as New Directors/ New Films MoMA/ Lincoln Center.

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