Omid Abrams

Multitalented writer/actor/director Omid Abrams was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada but raised in Orange County, California since the age of 2. He originally aspired to be a journalist, however turned away from it due to the politicization of the news media. Then, at the age of 11, he discovered screenwriting and wrote his first feature screenplay, a 93-page action film which he called "Absolutely terrible, but nevertheless a necessity to [his] path to becoming a screenwriter". By the time he turned 17, he had already had 24 completed feature screenplays under his belt and even had 2 of them optioned by independent production companies. In 2015, he was hired by Hollyhood Productions to write the comedy screenplay, "Washed Up", which is planned for release sometime in early 2016. During his senior year in high school, Abrams wrote, directed, and starred in his first "real" short film, shooting it in guerrilla style during lunch hours over the course of two weeks. The short was called "The Limit" and caused a great deal of controversy due to its ending, which involved the main character carrying out a school shooting. Nevertheless, it gained the acclaim of Youtube audiences despite nearly causing its young director to be expelled from the school. His third short film was "Life as a Platypus", an absurdist comedy that took cues from classic plays such as "Waiting for Godot" and "The Zoo Story" and also starred Clayton Wilson. The film allowed Abrams to show off his comedic and improvisational chops, something audiences saw none of in his raw and intense performances in his 2 previous shorts. The effort paid off when a local theatre director saw the crude short film and offered him the role of Franz Liebkind in a production of "The Producers". Abrams' self-proclaimed turning point was his fourth short film "Neighborhood Watch", which was loosely based on the true story of the death of Trayvon Martin. Following a grueling 3 years of post production due to an inability to secure funds and actors, he finally shot the film during the Summer of 2015 with a budget of $200, a major fall from the planned $15,000 budget. Despite this, the short became his most critically-praised work yet, with his understated yet tour-de-force performance as Doug O'Connell gaining significant acclaim. Critics compared his turn as the emotionally troubled neighborhood watch captain to Robert De Niro's performance in "Taxi Driver". However, the short film's controversial material resulted in it being rejected by every film festival it was submitted to. Despite building a reputation as a method actor who delivers intense performances as often-troubled individuals, the people Abrams has worked with over the years have nothing but pleasant words to say about his work ethic, calling him incredibly friendly and soft-spoken.