Sammy Barnathan is a key character in "Synecdoche, New York," which was written and directed by Charlie Kaufman. In the interview excerpt below, Kaufman suggests that there is meaning behind the name:

"That character's name is maybe something someone will pick up on, maybe someone won't."

I'm one of the people who is not picking up on the name, so does anyone know what is significant about the character name Sammy Barnathan?