Sam Esmail

Writer-producer Sam Esmail created the cyberpunk thriller series "Mr. Robot" (USA Network, 2015-), which won over critics and audiences alike with its paranoid tone and prescient depiction of an underground society of hackers with access to private, government and corporate secrets. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, Esmail studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before earning his master's degree from the American Film Institute Conservatory. He relocated to Hollywood in the late 2000s and worked in post-production, most notably for "HBO First Look" (1992-) while writing screenplays. Two of these scripts - "Sequels, Remakes & Adaptations" and "Norm the Movie" - were included on the Black List, which compiled unproduced screenplays that caught the attention of production companies and financiers. Esmail made his feature film debut as writer and director on "Comet" (2014), an offbeat look at a lengthy relationship between two mismatched individuals. The following year, Esmail ventured into television with "Mr. Robot," a critically acclaimed psychological drama-thriller about an mentally unstable young man who joins a group of anarchist computer hackers. "Mr. Robot" was so well received by critics during early previews that USA renewed the series for a second season before its first season had aired on television.