Life & Work with Offir Mashiah of West Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Offir Mashiah.

Hi Offir, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story in LA began eight years ago, when I first moved to the U.S. with a student visa and a dream. I earned certificates in Acting and Directing from UCLA, fell in love, got heartbroken, then fell in love again and got married. I was in my twenties in a new country, and every bit of life felt invigorating.

During those early years, I performed in multiple short films and genuinely loved the work, but I still had this persistent feeling that something was missing. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

Then I graduated right as COVID-19 happened.

Trying to remain a creative artist in isolation forced me to look inward. I escaped into worlds of my own imagination, wrote, and returned to my childhood passion for drawing. I was determined to focus on acting and auditioning, even though, deep down, I was longing for a career that could somehow combine all of the things I loved: comedy, writing, drawing, storytelling, and performing.

Eventually, comedy became a much bigger part of my life. I began studying and performing improv at UCB, and then wrote, produced, and acted in Joan & Samuel: A Tale of Gaslighting and Independence, a comedy sketch about a medieval woman who gets ghosted by her ex, starring Charlie Hoffman and directed by Karissa McKinney. The sketch went on to win six Best Sketch/Comedy awards and reach more than 300,000 views on Instagram.

Joan & Samuel was a hands-on sketch that showed me I could be a writer-actor and reach an audience by combining everything I love. I even painted a poster with chalk.

At the same time, another unexpected creative home opened up for me.
In 2025, I joined Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum as a repertory actor in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Through Shakespeare, I found this wonderful local community of classical actors and artists, and through Theatricum’s incredible creative community, I met my current writing partner, Tim Willard.

Together, we’re now developing a project I’m incredibly excited about: Catfished by NASA. It’s a sci-fi micro-comedy series about Jenny, an alien who leaves her fiancé at the altar to pursue her lover on Earth, unaware that she has been catfished by NASA and that danger awaits her. It’s a grounded comedy inside a completely ridiculous sci-fi predicament, which is exactly the kind of storytelling I love. The sci-fi gives us permission to make that journey absurd, heightened, and visually imaginative, while the comedy and relationships keep it human.

Jenny is searching for love and belonging on Earth. Don’t we all?

Alongside developing the series, I’ve continued performing. At Theatricum Botanicum, I currently play Dora in Noël Coward’s Waiting in the Wings, a hilarious play and cast that have grown very dear to my heart. In film, I recently starred in Haim, a surreal and poignant short film about motherhood directed by Daria Libinzon, which is currently on the festival circuit, and had its worldwide premiere at the Beverly Hills Film Festival.

For a long time, I thought I had to figure out which box I belonged in. Now, I think the fact that I never quite fit into one might have been the point. In my own journey to LA, my “new planet”, I’ve had to let go of definitions, and simply create.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth road? Ha! I wish it was. That said, it hasn’t been all bad either. The good memories make it worthwhile.

I think being a storyteller and artist boils down to two main challenges.

The first: FUNDING! Oh my, if only a couple million dollars fell from the sky. I honestly believe people should be compensated for their talent, time, and energy even if it’s a small amount. Finding creative solutions and ways to support not just the projects, but the other artists working on them, is something I work through every day in my career. That said, there is always a way to make things. We just need to be creative and flexible.

So, if you are reading this and want to invest, PLEASE REACH OUT!

The second is my inner dialogue. Fear of failure, perfectionism, unrealistic expectations, shame, and insecurities. Sometimes those can become the biggest creative blockers. We truly are our worst critics. It absolutely sucks sometimes.

I do have a way of dealing with the existential threat of being an artist that somehow works for me. I believe in daily practice. I journal, meet weekly with friends, and treat my inner child to fun, inspiring activities. Anything that helps me tackle those demons and keep creating.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I write. I act. I produce. Sometimes I also draw. An artist? Yes. An artist. I enjoy world-building, love co-creating with other artists, and the best thing is when it makes people laugh.

I specialize in the silly and the absurd, but with a grounded, deeper message. Taking everyday issues and heightening them into fantastical, otherworldly settings.

Something starts as an idea, and then takes off. Just the other day, I was talking to my writing partner, Tim, about how incredible that moment is when, while writing a story, you stop inventing and start discovering, uncovering. When the characters take off and dictate who they are to you, rather than the other way around.

That’s what I do.

Outside of my creative work, I work as a Project Coordinator for a consulting company that specializes in competitive grants from the National Science Foundation. It’s very different work, but it supports me and teaches me a lot about what it takes to make a project happen.

I am most proud of staying consistent. We’ve been working on Catfished by NASA for over eight months. It’s been quite a journey, and not without challenges. At one point, we had 50 pages written and decided to scrap them and go back to the drawing board, re-outlining the entire story. But not giving up. Yes, that’s the biggest accomplishment.

What makes you happy?
I’ll try not to sound cliché, but the morning breeze coming through the window as the sun lightly shines through the blinds.

My dog, Bella, especially when she makes funny faces and perks up her ear every time she hears a familiar word. Her favorite is “treat.” Shocker.

My gorgeous nephew, my parents, my sisters, who are incredible artists themselves and inspire me every day, my friends, my god-nieces, and my partner in life, who’s always supportive.

Laughter, in all its forms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://offirmash.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mashoffir/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594067161600
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/offir-mashiah/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Mashoffir

Image Credits
Joan & Samuel Poste

Joan & Samuel Cover, by Offir Mashiah

Susan Angelo and Offir Mashiah in Waiting in the Wings, by Noël Coward. Photo by Will Geer Thatricum Botanicum

Offir Mashiah and Charlie Hoffman, photo by Film Festival Circuit

BTS of Joan & Samuel

BTS from Haim photo by Anton M

Table Read of original Script

Headshot by Nogen Beck

Black Jacket photos: photographed by Krishna Adoni Wearing Mashiiah

BTS from Joan & Samual: A Tale of Gaslighting and Independence

Red Carpet photo by Beverly Hills Film Festival