Andrew Jay Cohen

Andrew Jay Cohen was an American comedy screenwriter and director who in 2017 directed his debut feature film "The House" (2017). Born and raised in Scarsdale, New York, Cohen grew up in a funny household. His father was quick-witted and hilarious, so young Andrew grew up with a fine appreciation for all things funny. While growing up in suburban Scarsdale, Cohen met a boy named Brendan O'Brien. The two of them shared a love of Eddie Murphy movies, and before long dreamt of having careers as comedy writers in Hollywood. Cohen later left Scarsdale to attend Yale, but after graduation decided to pursue his dream in earnest by relocating to Los Angeles. He immediately took a job at the powerhouse talent agency Creative Artists Agency, where he worked in the business end of show business. Cohen quickly grew bored though, and in the early 2000s he quit CAA to take a job as an assistant to director Adrian Lyne on his 2002 film "Unfaithful." The experience was exhilarating, and once it was up, Cohen made the decision that being on set was where he needed to be. With that in mind, he quickly answered an ad in which a comedy producer was looking for an assistant. When he showed up to the interview he was surprised to learn that the producer just happened to be Judd Apatow, who was at the time producing the 2004 comedy "Anchorman." Cohen got the job and immediately struck up a friendship with Cohen. Before long Apatow was giving him more and more responsibilities, including shooting all of the behind-the-scenes footage for the film. Throughout this entire period, Cohen wrote his own comedy screenplays on the side with his longtime friend Brendan O'Brien. Together, the writing duo had their first major feature film produced in 2014 with the Nicholas Stoller comedy "Neighbors." Then just two years later Cohen and O'Brien wrote the scripts for two major Hollywood comedies: "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising" (2016) and "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates" (2016). Despite making a name for himself as an established comedy screenwriter, Cohen longed to be behind the camera as a director. In 2017 he finally had his chance when he directed Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler in the casino comedy "The House." Cohen also co-wrote the script to that film with his longtime screenwriting partner Brendan O'Brien.