Andrew Laurich’s origin story starts in a high school acting class, where a report on Spielberg turned into a DIY film made on Steven Spielberg’s Director’s Chair CD-ROM game. The class lost their minds. Andrew found his fix. He’s been chasing that reaction ever since.

After studying screenwriting at a certain “unnamed prestigious university” (he’s not saying which—sports rivalries ruin lives), Andrew went straight into directing. His first professional gig? A self-funded, stop-motion spec ad of cell phones having sex. (Yes, really.) He made it, pitched it, and politely demanded $1,500 for the brand to use it. They said yes. A director was born.

Since then, Andrew’s helmed award-winning and recognized work for brands like McDonald’s, Mercedes, General Mills, Fat Tire, and Craig’s Investments (no, that’s not an offshoot of Craigslist). His political ad for Win America Back PAC exploded across Twitter days before the 2020 election, pulling in 5 million views in 48 hours and snagging a Webby nomination for Best Viral Video.

He’s won at AICP, been shortlisted at Cannes, and made grown men squirm with his Sundance-nominated short A Reasonable Request—a film about a son asking his dad for… well, let’s just say it’s not safe for brunch. The film became a Vimeo Staff Pick, played at SXSW and Sundance, and landed on just about every “Best Shorts” list that matters.

Andrew is currently developing two feature films, and somehow still finds time to live in North Hollywood, where he recently changed his HVAC filter and briefly considered writing a memoir about it.