With more that two decades of experience as a film editor, Samantha MacAdam is a Guyanese-Canadian director and award-winning screenwriter, dubbed by Playback as One to Watch.

Sam’s career began in film editing, where she honed her skill for timing and pacing—an invaluable asset in her directing work. Over the past decade, she has directed numerous pilots, television series, films, and commercials. Her credits include CTV and Crave’s Shelved, a comedy from showrunner Anthony Q. Farrell (The Office), produced by Colin Brunton (Schitt's Creek). She also directed four record-breaking episodes of the Canadian classic comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and Fashionably in Love, a romantic comedy TV movie for Reel One Entertainment, which earned her a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Direction.

Most recently, Sam directed a thriller/drama TV movie for A&E and Lifetime, as well as a romantic comedy book adaptation, Savvy Sheldon, starring Amber Riley (GLEE), with Neshama Entertainment, Bell Media, Centinel, The CW, and Fox Studios.

A lover of bold, old-school comedy, Sam has been honing her comedic sweet spot: smart, edgy, and genuinely funny—without crossing too many lines. Her original comedic voice is rooted in sharp timing, authentic characters, and emotional honesty. That voice shines through in projects like Gourmade, a dark comedy short about a woman who turns her heartbreak into a twisted culinary revenge. Gourmade premiered at HollyShorts (an Oscar®-qualifying festival), was an official selection at Tokyo Lift-Off, and a finalist in the Stage 32 Short Film Program, among other festivals.

Sam’s standout comedy work includes the CBC Juno Awards commercial campaign starring Simu Liu, which she co-wrote and directed. The spots earned two PROMAX Award nominations: Best Director and Best in Live Events. Her short film Prom Night—which she wrote, co-edited, and directed—premiered at Just For Laughs in Kevin Hart’s LOL Showcase, where it was a top-five finalist out of 650 films and won Audience Favorite. She is currently developing Prom Night into a feature. The Director’s Cut of Prom Night was recently selected as the winner of the Stage 32 2025 Short Film Program and will open the HollyShorts Film Festival at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Sam’s more dramatic work includes The Horrible History of Harriet Jones, a psychological thriller/horror short film based on true crime events in Guyana, which she wrote and directed. The short film was acquired by Terror Films for an anthology series and screened in Hollywood as part of HollyShorts’ monthly series. Sam is currently developing it into a feature film, with story consulting by Jeff Howard (The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, Oculus).

Her work has received numerous spotlights, and she is an alumna of programs such as Women in the Director's Chair: Story & Leadership, the Toronto International Film Festival’s Big Pitch event, and Warner Bros. Access x Canadian Academy Director’s Program.

Sam has always been a fan of popcorn and blockbuster movies and continues to follow her passion for writing and directing commercially viable stories with universal themes and messages.