Samson Mesele
- Producer
Samson Mesele is an attorney, a venture capitalist, and a producer of independent films. A first-generation American from Ethiopia, Samson is inspired by the freedoms that enable creative expression in the United States, and he has been a longtime admirer of the film community in New York City, where he resides.
Samson has thus far served as an executive producer of two films: The Strawberry Jam (2023), starring Julian Morris (The Morning Show; New Girl) and Kathy Searle (NCIS: Hawaii; Love in Kilnerry), which went on to win the Chicago Arthouse Charlie Chaplin award for best short film of the year. His second film, The Folly of Paris, Or, the Original Snub (2024), starred Tony-nominated Christopher Sieber and Tara Westwood (The Grudge; Fleishman Is in Trouble) and is at the start of its 2024 festival run. For Folly, Samson joined the film's cast and crew for multiple days of filming and delighted in being a "utility player" on set.
Samson has made financial contributions to film development and production, and he has advised startups in the film ecosystem on fundraising. He has been attending independent film festivals for two years and is enthusiastic about connecting with and supporting filmmakers from diverse backgrounds.
In his career, Samson has worked as an attorney in the Corporate Department of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where he advised on M&A transactions having an aggregate value greater than $300 billion. He is currently a Partner and the General Counsel of Union Square Ventures, whose portfolio companies have included Twitter, Etsy, Coinbase, Duolingo, Stack Overflow, MongoDB, and Carta. Samson works frequently with technology companies.
Samson has thus far served as an executive producer of two films: The Strawberry Jam (2023), starring Julian Morris (The Morning Show; New Girl) and Kathy Searle (NCIS: Hawaii; Love in Kilnerry), which went on to win the Chicago Arthouse Charlie Chaplin award for best short film of the year. His second film, The Folly of Paris, Or, the Original Snub (2024), starred Tony-nominated Christopher Sieber and Tara Westwood (The Grudge; Fleishman Is in Trouble) and is at the start of its 2024 festival run. For Folly, Samson joined the film's cast and crew for multiple days of filming and delighted in being a "utility player" on set.
Samson has made financial contributions to film development and production, and he has advised startups in the film ecosystem on fundraising. He has been attending independent film festivals for two years and is enthusiastic about connecting with and supporting filmmakers from diverse backgrounds.
In his career, Samson has worked as an attorney in the Corporate Department of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where he advised on M&A transactions having an aggregate value greater than $300 billion. He is currently a Partner and the General Counsel of Union Square Ventures, whose portfolio companies have included Twitter, Etsy, Coinbase, Duolingo, Stack Overflow, MongoDB, and Carta. Samson works frequently with technology companies.