The eldest daughter of New York entertainment lawyer Barry Gutterman,
Samantha was introduced to the movies at an early age by family friend
and Gutterman client, George A. Romero. Throughout her childhood, the
legendary horror director fueled Gutterman's emerging passion,
mesmerizing her with the madness of sets like Monkey Shines (1988), The
Dark Half (1993) and_Bruiser (2000)_.
After leaving New York at the age of 18 to attend McGill University in
Montreal, Samantha crossed paths with an enthusiastic young filmmaker
named Gavin Heffernan. The two paired together during their last two
years of University to create Expiration (2003), an independent feature
called "Frequently stunning" by Variety and "The first major work of
the DV New Wave" by The Film Journal. A surprise hit with crowds and
critics, the microbudget film went on to win the Grand Jury Prize for
Best Feature Film at the 2004 Canadian Filmmakers' Festival.
Since moving to Los Angeles in the Spring of 2004, Samantha has been
working harder than ever. She served as an assistant to Steven Sunshine
on Extra, produced Joseph Campanale's Sven Stromson Blue and worked for
Jeff Kwatinetz at the renowned artist management group, The Firm. She
is currently at the Disney Channel working in the Original Movies
department and developing some projects in her spare
time.
