Joe Nussbaum
Born: 1973
Where: Rochester, New York, USA
The director first gained attention for his short film George Lucas in Love with attracted an audience of millions on the internet.
A graduate of the film school at the University of Southern California, Nussbaum's first jobs included writing and producing movie trailers.
"If I can continue to make comedies with heart, with real relationships and characters that people care about I will be very happy."
The seven-minute George Lucas in Love - broadly spoofing Shakespeare in Love - was eventually released on DVD and sold 75,000 copies.
Its success paved the way for a successful career in commercials however for the next eight years he was attached to a number of projects that never took off.
However, in 2004 he made his feature debut, the teen comedy Sleepover with Alexa Vega and Jane Lynch.
