Tim McCusker worked his way through a variety of production positions while writing, producing and directing a series of short 16mm films which screened at numerous film festivals and on IFC.

In 2000, his third short film, Napoleons, was named Best Film in the "Best of The Twin Cities" issue of City Pages. Also in 2000, McCusker was cited as one of City Pages Artists Of The Year.

In addition to the short films, McCusker has directed commercials, corporate videos, and the nationally syndicated children's science show Algo's Factory. He's written two feature scripts: Sidetracked, a family drama set in St. Paul, and The Harvesting, a horror film involving a Haitian legend and the Underground Railroad. Sidetracked was awarded a Blockbuster/ McKnight Film Development award in 1997.

The Last Word is his first feature.

Filmography:

Short films:
Point Barrow, Alaska, writer, director, 1992
Winter, writer, director, 1995
Napoleons, writer, director, producer, 2000

Feature:
The Last Word: director, exec. producer, 2003

Sam Magavern's writing has appeared in some of the nation's premiere literary magazines, including The Paris Review, The Partisan Review, and Poetry.

In 2002, he published Ooh La La, which may be the world's first novel with a musical soundtrack. It consists of a CD-ROM, in which songs play while the reader scrolls through the text and a set of original photographs. The music was composed and recorded live by Matt Wilson and John Munson, who also star and supply the music for The Last Word. The novel centers on the friendship of the narrator, a graduate student and music aficionado, with the bass player in an alternative band on the verge of making it big. The Star Tribune praised its "multifaceted artistic punch," describing it as "like a Nick Hornby novel, except the music is more a character and less an opportunity to show off the writer's record collection."

Magavern is also a long-time public interest lawyer, currently serving as the public policy advocate for the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis. Born and raised in Buffalo, he graduated from Harvard College (where he roomed with collaborator Matt Wilson) and UCLA Law School.

The Last Word is his first screenplay.