Lorene Scafaria

Actress and filmmaker Lorene Scafaria wrote the winningly offbeat romantic comedy "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" (2008), which led to directorial assignments on such equally unique dramas as "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" (2009) and "The Meddler" (2015). Born May 1, 1979 in Holmdel Township, New Jersey, Scafaria first experimented with writing fiction as a grade school student, when she penned reports for entirely fictitious books in order to win certificates to a pizza restaurant. She began acting in high school, and dovetailed her interests by writing and producing her first play at the age of 17. She briefly attended Lafayette College in Pennsylvania before financial concerns forced her to transfer to Montclair State University, where she studied playwriting. After graduation, Scafaria wrote and performed in plays in New York until earning her first break when an agent for ICM urged her to move to Los Angeles after reading her script. There, she co-wrote a children's fantasy film script, "Legend Has It," with her roommate, Bryan Sipe, which was optioned but left unmade by Revolution Studios. In 2005, she was hired to write an adaptation of the novel Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which was produced in 2008 with Michael Cera and Kat Dennings as the leads. The following year, Scafaria wrote and directed the offbeat romantic comedy "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" (2009), with Steve Carell and Keira Knightley as two lost individuals who find each other shortly before a meteor will destroy the Earth. She kept busy between film assignments by writing and directing for series like "New Girl" (Fox, 2011- ) and "Ben and Kate" (Fox, 2012-13) before returning to features with "The Meddler" (2015), with Susan Sarandon and Rose Byrne as a mother and daughter contending with enormous changes in their lives.