IN THIS SECTION
Faculty
Due to the nature of the film and television industry, this list of instructors and lecture titles is subject to adjustment, even after the program begins.
DAN ATTIAS (DIRECTING Actors)
Dan has worked as a director in the film and television industry since 1984. As a director of series television, he has received the Directors Guild of America award for outstanding direction of dramatic television for The Wire and has been nominated for episodes of The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Homeland, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He has received Emmy Award nominations for his comedy direction on Entourage and continues to work on some of the most celebrated American television shows, just having served as Producer/Director on the upcoming 2nd season of HULU’s Tell Me Lies. His other credits include The Americans, Deadwood, True Blood, Lost, Big Love, The Killing, True Detective, The Walking Dead, Bloodline, Friday Night Lights, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Billions, and The Boys.
Dan started his career by studying acting, then worked as an assistant director on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Airplane!, One From the Heart, and several other feature films. He has taught acting and directing workshops in the United States and has conducted master classes in Italy, Greece, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada. He has also mentored many young directors, several of whom have gone on to successful careers in television. Dan has shared his thoughts on directing with his recently published book, “Directing Great Television: Inside TV’s New Golden Age,” available on Amazon.
NIGEL BELLIS (Hostile Filming Environments, Dramatizations and True Crime)
Nigel trained as a newspaper journalist in the UK before moving into radio and TV news for ITV, the BBC, and SKY. He became Head of Features at Granada TV, then shifted to documentary producing and directing. In 2003 he moved to the US to produce a crime-based secret camera series Caught for Court TV. Since then, Nigel has produced, directed or been an episode writer on a wide range of TV shows, with a focus on true crime series.
Selected Credits: Guns for Malta – WW2 Siege documentary, Last Post on the River Kwai – Allied prisoners on the “Death Railway”; Royal TV Society Best Documentary winner, Wicked Attraction – 4 seasons as showrunner on the true crime series, Tonight (ITV) - Producing and directing hard-hitting overseas current affairs reports, Mysteries at the Museum; Monsters Inside Me – Recreations Director, Surviving R. Kelly – Writer, The Red Scarf (The Walter Bodlander Story) – WW2 feature documentary; multiple international awards.
ALEJANDRO BRUGUéS (Directing a Horror Scene—Blood Will Always Go Wrong)
Alejandro is an acclaimed Argentinian-Cuban director and writer known for cult horror-comedies like Juan of the Dead, blending genres with Cuban culture, and has directed segments for major horror anthologies such as ABCs of Death 2, Nightmare Cinema, and Hulu's Into the Dark, establishing himself as a prominent voice in modern horror from his base in Los Angeles.
KRISTOPHER CARTER (Scoring for Film and Television)
An Emmy Award-winning composer/pianist, Kristopher has contributed scores to some of the most recognizable cinematic properties for over 25 years. He began his career as one of the youngest composers to work for Warner Bros, scoring his first episode of Batman: The Animated Series at the age of 22. He received an Emmy Award for Batman Beyond, as well as seven other Emmy nominations and four Annie Award nominations. His newest animated film is WB’s Babylon 5: The Road Home, a new story set in the universe of the beloved 90s sci-fi series and co-composed with his frequent collaborators Lolita Ritmanis and Michael McCuistion. He also has written music for award-winning feature films including sci-fi mystery Yesterday Was A Lie, which won a Gold Medal for the Best Use of Music in a Feature Film at the Park City Film Music Festival. He composed music for Universal/Chiller TV’s SiREN, the third installment of the V|H|S horror anthology, indie horror favorites Dance of the Dead and The Other Side, and co-composed the Primetime Emmy-nominated musical “Mayhem of the Music Meister,” starring Neil Patrick Harris.
The music videos for two of his works for piano and orchestra (which he also directed), Autumn Ruminations and Boreal Twilight, each won two Bronze Telly Awards. Boreal Twilight is wrapping up a festival run as an official selection in the online screenings of the Seattle Film Festival and won awards at the Montreal Independent Film Festival, Indie Short Fest, Venice Shorts and the Arthouse Festival of Beverly Hills. His music has been featured at the Hollywood Bowl by conductor John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. As conductor, he recently appeared at the Krakow Film Music Festival in Poland and the Fimucité Film Music Festival in Tenerife, Spain, conducting his music. In the record world, he is the producer/composer of EDM project The Kr Protocol. He was named Commissioning Composer of the Year by the Texas Music Teachers Association and also received a fellowship to Robert Redford’s Sundance Composers Institute. He served as the first Composer-In-Residence of the Bel Canto Northwest Opera Festival and has given clinics on film composition at such prestigious schools as USC, UCLA, Columbia College Chicago, Univ. of North Carolina School of the Arts, Univ. of Texas at Austin, Chapman University, Hong Kong Baptist University and more.
CATHERINE DENT (WORKING WITH ACTORS, and Acting for Directors)
Catherine is an award winning director/producer and actress best known for her seven-season run as the tough but vulnerable cop, Officer Dani Sofer, on the Golden Globe/Emmy winning drama, The Shield. Flms include: Candy Cane Lane and Moving On as well as, Blonde, Nobodyʼs Fool, The Majestic, Auto Focus, and 21 Grams. She has appeared in hundreds of popular TV shows such as The Sopranos, Marvelʼs Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., 9-1-1, Dave, Lucifer, and multiple Law and Orders.
Catherine is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and the AFI Directing Workshop for Women. Her short films have screened at festivals world-wide and garnered top prizes.
An avid reader, world traveler, and exercise junkie, Ms. Dent is married to Peter Eliasberg, Chief Counsel for The ACLU of Southern California. They live in Los Angeles with their son, Oliver.
MARCO FARGNOLI (The Director of Photography)
Marco is a Los Angeles-based cinematographer and director, primarily working in scripted narrative television. He began his career in the midwest, working as a camera assistant for feature films shooting on location before relocating to LA in the late 90’s. He made his way up the union ladder, working as an AC and camera operator on HBO shows such as Six Feet Under, Entourage, Carnival and Big Love.
After shooting a number of indie features, he segued into television with six seasons of the Emmy-winning cult comedy series Childrens Hospital. Other shows include six seasons of Hulu’s The Mindy Project, five seasons of Hulu’s Good Trouble, the Netflix feature comedy Senior Year (w/Rebel Wilson), and the Netflix/Maria Bamford comedy series Lady Dynamite. He recently wrapped up production on the upcoming Netlfix/Mindy Kaling comedy series Running Point (w/Kate Hudson), loosely based on Jeannie Buss and the LA Lakers and slated for a January 2025 release.
He is a member of the International Cinematographers Guild and the Directors Guild of America, and has taught workshops and seminars at UCLA, Wright State University, and Moorpark College. Other projects include AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, Filmmakers Alliance, and the Make a Film Foundation (working with directors such as Catherine Hardwicke and Sam Raimi). He enjoys working with both established and emerging directors, and loves the intensely collaborative nature of film production - a ragtag group of artisans and craftspeople all working together to tell the same story. He has been known to get quite sappy on this last point.
ELISABETH FIES (The Horrors of Directing a Low Budget Horror Film)
Elisabeth is an award-winning director/producer/writer with a long history of making indie movies, and a passion for genre films. She learned to run & gun as a teen with her Bolex Super 8. As an undergraduate at UCLA, Fies moonlighted as the first stuntwoman to portray monsters on the hit show, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.” After graduation, she directed two seasons of her grant-funded public access television show, “Kids Know it All.”
Elisabeth became an associate producer on “Conventioneers,” winner of the Spirit Award in the John Cassavetes category. The feature had a theatrical release and was made for only 15k. The experience galvanized her to write, produce, direct, and star in “The Commune,” which won Best International Picture at the Bram Stoker International Film Festival. The horror feature earned Elisabeth a coveted director’s seat at the notorious Masters of Horror Dinners where she swapped stories with icons like Craven, Tarantino, and Romero. Her directing peers have called her work raw, transgressive, and incendiary. Creative Screenwriting Magazine declared “All she needs (to make a movie) is a typewriter.” With a budget of $100 and a mere 2 hours of production with a crew of two, “Scrutinize” won the Audience Award at Lady Filmmakers, beating a competitor’s film made for 50k. Fies was subsequently requested to direct an Emmy award-winning actor in Lady Filmmaker’s first Script 2 Screen fellowship. The film so impressed Marion Rosenberg (co-founder of BAFTA LA) that she helped to fund future fellowships for women.
As a passionate voice for inclusion and equity in the industry, Fies co-founded and programmed the Bleedfest Film Festival which showcased over 100 genre movies by female filmmakers. She continues to make microbudget films and has two horror features in post-production. Elisabeth earned her B.A from UCLA, her M.A. from The New School, and is an alumna of the UCLA School of TFT’s Professional Program in Screenwriting. She is an educator who has taught film and television in universities for decades. Elisabeth loves imparting lessons on structure, tone, and purpose, and inspiring her students to greenlight their own microbudget feature films.
ALLEN FISCHER (Agents, Managers, and Lawyers – What Representation Does)
Allen is a partner at Artists First, a top-tier management and production company. After graduating from the prestigious Wharton School at the Universal of Pennsylvania, Allen started his career at Creative Artists Agency and transitioned into the growing field of management and production in 2000. Allen is a committee member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Representation Peer Group and a member of BAFTA. He represents some of the business's premier writing and directing talent. Director clients include Jon M. Chu (WICKED, WICKED: FOR GOOD, CRAZY RICH ASIANS, IN THE HEIGHTS), Nick Murphy (UNTAMED, DARK MATTER, FOR ALL MANKIND), Mike Tiddes (upcoming SCARY MOVIE 6, NAKED, SEXTUPLETS), Alex Hardcastle (SENIOR YEAR), Richie Keen (GHOSTS, BUMPER IN BERLIN, IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA), Sylvain White (THE BOYS, THE TERMINAL LIST, UMBRELLA ACADEMY, FARGO), Amanda Lipitz (FOUND, STEP), Doug Pray (LOVE LIZZO, HOME, DEFIANT ONES), Ari Sandel (THE DUFF, WHEN WE FIRST MET), Dan Attias (MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, THE AMERICANS, WALKING DEAD, HOMELAND), and Tim Hill (THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN, WAR WITH GRANPA, HOP). Allen also has clients who excel in writing and directing, such as Jeff Wadlow (upcoming DEVIL’S MOUTH, FANTASY ISLAND, KICK ASS 2, TRUTH OR DARE), Tom Shadyac (ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE, THE NUTTY PROFESSOR, LIAR LIAR, BRUCE ALMIGHTY, EVAN ALMIGHTY), Rich Tanne (CHEMICAL HEARTS), Alexis Jacknow (CLOCK), and Peter Hutchings (WHICH BRINGS ME TO YOU, THE HATING GAME, CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?). Television writer clients include Alissa Nutting (upcoming THE OFF WEEKS, TEENAGE EUTHANASIA, MADE FOR LOVE), Patrick Somerville (STATION 11, MADE FOR LOVE, MANIAC), Jonathan Wilson (THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER, THE CROWN), David Hancock (HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, THE CROWN), and Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer, the Emmy-winning writing duo for TRINKETS on Netflix. His clients have been involved in such TV shows as: BILLIONS, JUST ADD MAGIC, MODERN FAMILY, SUCCESSION and many more. Currently, Allen is producing the upcoming series THE OFF WEEKS, starring Ben Stiller and Jessica Chastain for Apple. Allen previously produced THE SEA OF TREES, directed by Gus van Sant and starring Matthew McConaughey which was released in 2015. Allen is attached to produce numerous features at every major studio and is responsible for selling many scripts and pitches every year. Artists First has offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago and is one of the largest management companies in the business.
TIMOTHY GOOD (POST PRODUCTION EDITING)
Timothy is an Emmy and ACE Award winning film editor, producer, director and educator. He hails from Oak Park, Illinois - the location of many Frank Lloyd Wright homes which inspired him to build models as a child leading to a career in building film and television stories. He attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois majoring in Radio/TV/Film. He has edited a wide variety of TV series including THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY, THE RESIDENT, FRINGE, THE O.C. and the original GOSSIP GIRL. He also co-edited the feature film DEAD MAN DOWN directed by Niels Arden Oplev (THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO) and was an editor on UCLA alumnus Dustin Lance Black’s LGBTQ+ miniseries WHEN WE RISE. He was a visiting lecturer at the UCLA Graduate School for Film and Television and taught creative editing to directors and cinematographers for 15 years. He is a big believer in mentorship, and all of his past assistant editors have gone on to become editors in their own right, including EMILY MENDEZ, his current co-editor for the HBO series THE LAST OF US for which they won the 2023 Emmy for Best Edited Drama Series for the first season. He also won the 2024 ACE Eddie Award for Best Drama Series for the episode featuring the characters of Bill and Frank.
TAD GRIFFITH (The Stunt Coordinator)
Tad has been performing since the age of 5. Widely considered the greatest trick rider in the world at his prime, he has performed in and/or directed over 30,000 live-shows. He made his way to Hollywood after doubling Antonio Banderas in The Mask of Zorro. From there he mastered other forms of stunt-work, winning World Taurus Stunt Awards for his work in fire and driving sequences. Tad utilizes his massive breadth of experience to craft great stunts with top-notch safety.
SHEILA HANAHAN-TAYLOR (Envisioning Your Career, and Working Creatively With a Producer)
Shelia is the founder of Practical Pictures, a Production Company specializing in studio pictures with a global appeal. Known as a cradle-to-grave producer, Sheila’s skill set includes story development, marketplace analysis, fundraising and budgeting, on-set creative producing, and editing room savvy. Sheila has been involved with numerous studio franchises including Universal’s American Pie and New Line’s Final Destination 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Sheila also recently produced Breaking In, starring Gabrielle Union, and the Australian-set family film Oddball. In total, the films Sheila worked on as an executive or a producer have grossed over $2 billion dollars in World Wide Box Office, from a total production cost of $448 million. Prior to establishing Practical Pictures, Sheila was a Senior Executive at Zide/Perry Entertainment, a production company and management firm known for grooming young screenwriters. During her 6 years at Zide/Perry she was responsible for the development and coaching on some of the industry’s highest-profile pitches and spec scripts, leading to numerous sales including an unestablished writer’s idea to Touchstone Pictures for $1 Million. Prior to Zide/Perry, Sheila worked for Steppenwolf Theatre, writer/director Garry Marshall, and Oscar Nominees Gil Netter and the Zucker Brothers, developing such films as My Best Friend's Wedding. Sheila also sits on numerous film boards and teaches at Universities around the globe. From 2000 to 2008 Sheila was a visiting associate professor for UCLA’s graduate Producers Program, teaching core curriculum and serving as thesis chair. Sheila currently works with Film Independent, Carnegie Mellon, Pixar, USC’s Stark School, Columbia College Chicago L.A. and Fox Studios. At Fox, Sheila develops TV pilots with their Writers Intensive Program and films with their Global Directors Initiative.
MATT HANDY (INDIE CASE STUDY)
Matt is a director, writer, and producer based in Los Angeles, California. While a successful financial software engineer and entrepreneur, a life changing experience reminded him to follow his bliss and rekindled his love for filmmaking. After many award-winning short films, Matt co-wrote and co-produced “Where Are You?” starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and shot by Academy Award Nominee Dante Spinotti. Matt wrote, produced, and directed “Out of Time,” an independent science-fiction action film with nearly 5 million views on Amazon Prime. He loves telling stories grounded in hope and redemption, frequently weaving in elements from his technology background and his ten years as a reserve Police Officer in Canada. Matt is a graduate of the American Film Institute.
DALLAS KING (Get Your Movie Made with Pitch Decks, Looks Books and Trailers)
Dallas first won the award for Outstanding Directing from the Directors Guild of America (DGA) while gaining his Master's in Film Directing at UCLA. This propelled him to shoot his first feature right after graduating, and since then is best known for producing the award-winning documentary, THE BILL MURRAY EXPERIENCE. In 2025, he directed the vampire thriller SWAP, released in the U.S. and worldwide by Epic Pictures. His upcoming feature, COLLEGE OF THE DEAD, starring Shawn Christian, is set for its theatrical release in 2026. Dallas wrote the feature film documentary, I LOVE YOU MY NARCISSIST, that is set to be released in Europe this summer. Next, Dallas is gearing up to direct the horror film PURR in Bali, Indonesia.
Dallas specializes in international productions, having been tapped by Crunchyroll of Japan, the makers of ONE PIECE & DRAGON BALL Z, to direct and write the feature web series, BWFC. He then produced the feature film OH BOY! for China, and after directed and produced the Japanese feature documentary BEHIND KARATE KILL. Following this, he directed and produced the feature film INK & RAIN, which premiered in Beijing, and is exclusively available on China's largest web network, iQiYi. Most recently, Dallas served as the US producer for the highest-grossing film in China’s history, THE BATTLE AT LAKE CHANGJIN.
His directing has earned Dallas the MPAA Award, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Award, The Caucus Foundation Award for Directing, a three-time winner of the NHFA Arts Award for Directing, plus a NHF McNamara Grant recipient, and a nomination for an African Movie Academy Award for his film, LITTLE SOLDIER.
Christine Lakin (Shot Listing and Pivoting: A Crash Course in TV Directing)
Atlanta native Christine spent most of her formative years on a set, having been a professional actor in over 200 episodes of television. In the three decades since, she has expanded her resume, transitioning her career titles to include director, writer and producer.
Christine had her Network directing debut on ABC’s The Goldbergs and has since directed over 20 episodes of television for ABC, Apple+ and Disney, including such shows as Schooled and Emmy winning High School Musical, The Musical, The Series.
She served as Co-Executive Producer and star of the partially scripted comedy Hollywood Darlings for the Pop Network, (2 seasons). Before that, she sold her own digital short form show Lovin’ Lakin to Hulu, after winning best web series pilot at NYTVF, which she also wrote, starred and directed several episodes of.
She has shot for Funny or Die, as well as the music video M-O-T-H-E-R for Jersey Boys star Joseph Leo Bwarie, whose song was featured in Garry Marshall’s Mother’s Day. She directed two seasons of the digital series Poolside, and her recent short The Hole Truth recently won at Le Femme Film Fest. She is currently in prep on her first feature, I Won’t Dance which is slated to begin production in Fall 2026.
Christine is also a nominated choreographer, having served as the resident choreographer for all 10 seasons of The Goldbergs. Additional choreography credits include Unstable (Netflix), Westworld (HBO), Schooled (ABC), We Are Men (CBS), Liv and Maddie (Disney),True Blood (HBO), Breaking In (FOX), 90210 (FOX), Parental Guidance (Disney) and You Again (Disney), among others.
Christine is the creator of the hit storytelling show, Worst Ever, which ran to sold-out crowds around Los Angeles and New York before being developed and sold as a series with Thank You Brain Productions. It was turned into successful podcast found on Apple and iTunes. Additionally, she has sold scripted content to MTV, Hulu, and has developed with Whoopi, Inc., Campanario and Warner Horizon.
Lakin is a UCLA alumni with a BA in Communications. Go Bruins!
Neil Landau (Story Structure for Film and Television)
Neil is an award-winning screenwriter, creative producer, author, and professor of Screenwriting in the MFA in Film, Television & Digital Media Program at the University of Georgia. His writing and producing credits include the cult teen comedy Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991) and the 2024 remake. His latest movie, Idols, premiered in January 2026, with Landau as Co-Executive Producer (for 4 Cats Pictures/Warner Bros.). In active development: Flinch, with DGA Award-winning director Allison Liddi-Brown (Transparent, Friday Night Lights, Grey’s Anatomy) attached to direct, and The Frank Factor, for RBL Entertainment.
His animated movie credits include Tad, the Lost Explorer from Paramount, for which he earned a Spanish Academy “Goya” Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (2014); Tad2 (Tadeo Jones and the Secret of King Midas), from Paramount, and Tad3 (Tadeo Jones and the Emerald Tablet) from Paramount. He also co-wrote the Goya-award-winning animated feature Capture the Flag (Paramount) and served as Co-EP on Mummies for Warner Bros. (2023), and head writer and co-EP on Finnick (Golden Eagle Award winner, 2022) from Petersburg Animation Studio; Sheep & Wolves (Cristal nominee, Annecy International Animated Film Festival, 2016) for Wizart Animation Studios. He’s also credited as co-writer/co-EP on the Gaudi and Goya Award-nominated Buffalo Kids (for 4 Cats Pictures/A3 Artresmedia/Warner Bros.); and co-writer/co-EP on Dreams for 4 Cats Pictures and Warner Bros.
Neil’s TV credits include Melrose Place, The Magnificent Seven, Doogie Howser, M.D., The Secret World of Alex Mack, Twice in a Lifetime, and MTV's Undressed. He’s currently working on adapting the forthcoming novel, SMOYF, into a half-hour dramedy. Neil served as an Assistant Dean of Special Projects at UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television and Co-Director of UCLA’s MFA Screenwriting Program/Writing for TV track for many years; in 2021, he was awarded UCLA TFT’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Neil served two terms on the Board of Directors for OUTFEST Los Angeles (2019-23), where he sat on the Screenwriting Lab committee sponsored in part by Netflix. Neil served for several years as Executive Script Consultant for Sony Pictures Television International.
He’s the author of seven books on the film and TV landscape, including the bestsellers 101 Things I Learned in Film School (Putnam/Random House/Crown) and The TV Showrunner’s Roadmap. His latest book, and TV Writing On Demand 2nd edition: What’s Now + What’s Next (Routledge/Taylor & Francis/Focal Press).
Neil’s former students have catapulted to success as writer/producers and showrunners, including Steven Canals (Pose), Francesca Sloane (Mr. & Mrs. Smith), Justin Hillian (The Chi), Kiley Donovan (Grey’s Anatomy), Davita Scarlett (The Good Fight, Evil), Noga Landau (Nancy Drew, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy), Gaia Violo (Absentia, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy), Boey Yeon Kim (Star Trek Discovery, K-Pop Demon Hunters), Marion Dayre (Echo, Better Call Saul), Yvonne Hana Yi (Mr. & Mrs. Smith), Shoshana Sachi (Dead Boy Detectives), and many more.
Deborah Nadoolman Landis (Costume is Character)
Deborah Nadoolman Landis, PhD, costume designer, historian and endowed chair at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television. Landis is the Founding Director of the David C. Copley Center for Costume Design. She received an M.F.A. in costume design from UCLA and a Ph.D. in the history of design from the Royal College of Art, London. Her distinguished career includes Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Trading Places (1983), Three Amigos! (1987), Coming to America (1988), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award, and the groundbreaking music video Michael Jackson’s Thriller (1983). Her costume designs have found their way into the collections of museums including the Smithsonian Museum of American History, the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
A two-term past president of the Costume Designers Guild, Local 892, and a past-Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Landis sits on the board of the National Film Preservation Foundation. She has taught master classes around the world. In 2022, she founded a new platform on costume design in silent films as part of the Cinema Muto film festival in Pordenone, Italy. Landis is the author of six books including Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design, FilmCraft: Costume Design, Hollywood Sketchbook: A Century of Costume Illustration and the catalogue for her landmark exhibition, Hollywood Costume, which she curated at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London in 2012. Landis is the editor-in-chief of the three-volume Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Film and Television Costume Design (2026) and Bloomsbury will be publishing an updated version of her 2007 volume Dressed in 2027.
BRUCE MACWILLIAMS (The Commercial Director)
Bruce (AKA: Brewster) is an award-winning film director that started directing commercials at Biscuit Filmworks. He now works as an independent director at Fast Rocket Films. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America.
Bruce is honored to be featured alongside super star film directors, Fredrik Bond and Daniel Kleinman, in Tom von Logue Newth's excellent book about TV commercial production; The Ad-Makers.
At the start of his directing career, Bruce was selected at the Cannes Film Festival, by the Saatchi & Saatchi Agency as one of the best new commercial directors in the world. Shots Magazine (London), Grand Prix Awards Edition, ranked Bruce the 3rd best new commercial director in the world.
Bruce has now directed more than 100 TV commercials (in America, UK, and Canada) and PSAs (Public service announcements) to bring awareness to horrific conditions in Haiti, Darfur, Uganda, working with many stars including Kobe Bryant, Channing Tatum, James Franco, Ludacris, and Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has also filmed and interviewed: Senator Mitt Romney, and President Barack Obama.
NBC / Universal Studios hired Bruce to write and create a half hour comedy TV series titled, AD DADS. Bruce also directed a commercial campaign for Cox Communications that aired on the Super Bowl and won Bruce a Mark Award for best direction.
Bruce earned his BA studying architecture, photography, and creative writing at Cornell University. He studied filmmaking at Columbia University. He went on to write and direct an independent feature film, The Last Hand, (AKA: After the Game) which was showcased at the Cannes Film Festival. Lions Gate Entertainment distributed The Last Hand domestically and internationally.
Bruce continues to direct commercials, and he recently won a Graphis Gold Award in Advertising Annual for a Mortal Kombat commercial he directed.
Bruce is also currently working to set up two new feature films, Trombone and Lotus. He lives in Santa Monica, California with his wife, Sheila, and son, Weston.
ERIC MARIN (POST PRODUCTION SOUND/SOUND DESIGN)
Eric is a filmmaker and editor with extensive experience in picture editing, sound design and audio mixing. His passion for international cinema, independent film and world cultures has been influenced by his Salvadoran and Canadian heritage along with his work on such films as the Brazilian feature, Vestido de Noiva (Wedding Dress), based on the play by the renowned Brazilian playwright Nelson Rodrigues, Skins, a poignant story of two brothers on the Pine Ridge Reservation based on the novel by Adrian C. Louis, and the documentaries Un Beso a Esa Tierra (A Kiss to This Land) about early 20th century Jewish immigrants to Mexico and Dreams at Sea about Syrian war refugees. Eric’s interest in diverse subjects is further exemplified by his work on the feature documentaries Occupy the Farm about urban farming as a way to combat food scarcity, Breaking the Maya Code about deciphering the Mayan hieroglyph system, Women of Mystery (featuring three leading American female mystery writers), Looking Like the Enemy (about the war experiences of Asian American veterans) and The Art of Observing Life about the founders of the direct cinema movement.
Additionally, Eric’s background in music, has led him to produce, direct, shoot and edit several contemporary music and performance documentaries including Lou Harrison: Cherish, Conserve, Consider, Create and Baschet: The Transfiguration of Daily Life (awarded Best Art Documentary at the Parnu International Documentary Festival 2004 and Grand Prix de la Recherche at the Festival International du Film d’Art, Paris, 2003). His works have been seen on PBS and The Learning Channel and have been screened at festivals and various venues worldwide. Other film awards include the Nissan FOCUS documentary award, the Bronze Apple from the National Education Festival, the CINE Eagle award, and the Western States Regional Media Fellowship.
Eric Marin has been teaching various courses in postproduction and postproduction sound at UCLA since 1997. He is also the recipient of UCLA’s prestigious “Distinguished Teaching Award” for 2007.
PETER MARKHAM (Articulation of Narrative POV, and Designing the Shot)
Peter was Head of Directing at the American Film Institute Conservatory, Los Angeles from 2010 to June 2018. Before that he was Senior Lecturer in Directing (2003-2010) having begun teaching at the Conservatory as adjunct faculty in 2001—a total of 17 years experience in one of the top film schools in the world. He has mentored some 450 new directors, most of whom he selected for the program, many now working as directors but also as writers and producers, a substantial number of whom have achieved outstanding success within the industry, at major festivals across the world, and the Academy. He has also inspired dozens of new filmmakers in AFI’s prestigious Directing Workshop for Women, has given courses for the Rising Voices Program, and is Advisor-in-Residence with Sundance Collab. Prior to his teaching career, Markham directed Second Unit for Martin Scorsese on GANGS OF NEW YORK (Nominated for 9 Academy Awards in 2003, including Best Picture), and for Anthony Minghella on THE ENGLISH PATIENT (Winner, 9 Academy Awards in 1997, including Best Picture). As a director in his own right in the UK, he directed TV drama for the BBC and Granada while his film THE CORMORANT, starring Ralph Fiennes, was nominated for a BAFTA Wales Award. Markham’s first book WHAT’S THE STORY?—THE DIRECTOR MEETS THEIR SCREENPLAY was published by Focal Press/Routledge in September 2020. His second book THE ART OF THE FILMMAKER: THE PRACTICAL AESTHETICS OF THE SCREEN was published by Oxford University Press in October 2023. His third book THE ZEN OF THE DIRECTOR: MIND AND PROCESS FOR THE FILMMAKER was published by Sticking Place Books in November 2025. Born in London, Peter Markham has dual UK/US citizenship.
GABE MICHAEL (AI and the Director)
Gabe is an award-winning AI filmmaker and creative technologist shaping the future of production with AI. He currently serves as Global SVP and Group Executive Producer of AI at Edelman, where he consults internal and external teams, enhances production workflows and explores new creative possibilities with AI.
As an early adopter of AI technology in film, video and creative production, Gabe’s work has earned accolades for ‘Best Odyssey’ at Project Odyssey, ‘Best Character’ and ‘Best Art Direction’ at the Runway Gen:48 AI Film Competitions, leading to his entry into many creative partner programs with top AI video tools.
With extensive experience as a director and producer in the creator economy, Gabe collaborates with top film studios, brands, and digital platforms, and shares his expertise on LinkedIn, YouTube, and in classrooms at UCLA.
CHRIS MODOONO (The Table Read)
Chris has to be among the tallest directors working today. At a towering 6 feet 5 inches, he possesses the unique competitive advantage of being able to spot colleagues in a crowded area quickly. An experienced Writer/Director, Chris’s most recent project was the feature film Tenured which he co-wrote and directed for Fox Digital. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, won the audience award for comedy feature at the Maui Film Festival, and is now on Netflix. He co-wrote and directed the pilot Its A Hit! for The Orchard starring Abby Elliott, Tim Matheson, and Tyler Hilton. In the commercial world Chris worked on Tide’s Super Bowl campaign with Hungry Man Productions, directing several online companion spots. He has also worked with the CBS Early Show, The CBS Evening News, Food Network and HGTV on their promotional campaigns.
MATT NEAPOLITAN (Previsualization for Directors and MOCAP)
Matt is the Cinematography Lead at Naughty Dog. His contributions include the cinematic and narrative elements of games like Uncharted and The Last of Us. Over the years he has developed a broad and deep toolkit in visual storytelling, working as an assistant director, editor, previsualization supervisor, visual effects supervisor, and cinematographer in film, TV, and game industries. His work has earned best of honors from the Oscars, Emmys, Annies, and The Game Awards. He’s also received individual recognition for Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in an Animated Feature for “Rango”, and Outstanding Direction in a Game Cinematic for “The Last of Us Part II.”
Helping others develop and realize their vision is Matt’s professional passion. The introvert in Matt enjoys reading most of all, in particular short stories and books on science or philosophy. The extrovert in him loves bringing people together for board game nights, golf outings, or a night of karaoke. Matt hopes to bring this same sense of play and human connection to his teaching and mentoring.
BRIAN O'KELLEY (The Assistant Director)
Brian has been a DGA Assistant Director for 27 years. He started in independent features, and has served as Key 2nd AD on films by the Coen Brothers, John Sayles, Robert Rodriguez, and Spike Jonze, among others. He became a 1st AD on the ABC series Alias, and has worked primarily in television since, with multiple seasons on the shows Brothers & Sisters and Castle. Most recently, he was the 1st AD of the second season of The AfterParty for Apple.
Brian is a graduate of Duke University and received a MFA in film-video production from the University of Texas at Austin. His student films won several awards, including the Student Emmy Award, and were twice nominated as Student Academy Awards finalists.
When not working as an assistant director, Brian pursues his own projects, in collaboration with his wife, Harri James. Their most recent project is the documentary feature, “O’Kelley Legends: 2e Behind the Scenes.”
KARRI O'REILLY (The Director and the Budget)
Karri has been involved with over 100 features, short films, commercials and television programs during her twenty-seven years in the entertainment industry. She is a member of the PGA and a DGA UPM.
Most recently Karri co-produced the upcoming Ethan Hawke directed Flannery O-Connor biopic Wildcat, starring Maya Hawke, Laura Linney, Steve Zahn, Alessandro Nivalo, Cooper Hoffman and Rafael Casal. Her other co-producing/line producing credits include Sundance Selection Goat and TIFF Selection My Days of Mercy for Killer Films, the Sundance and Independent Spirit Award-winning Give Me Liberty, the Melanie Laurent directed Ben Foster/Elle Fanning starring SXSW Selection Galveston, Donnybrook for producer David Lancaster’s Rumble Films and she served as UPM on the critically acclaimed Todd Haynes film Carol starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. Karri also produced Mariah Carey’s directorial debut A Christmas Melody for Hallmark.
An expert on the practical applications of international and domestic film tax incentives, she lobbied extensively for the Ohio Film Tax Credit, which became part of the State of Ohio Budget in 2009 and which has helped bring millions of dollars of film activity into the state. Karri has successfully handled the rebate preparation, execution and submission for numerous films utilizing incentive programs throughout the US and internationally.
MICHAEL T. PERRY (The Production Designer)
Michael is a production designer best known for his work on the critically acclaimed and award-winning films “It Follows”, “Under the Silver Lake,” and “Promising Young Woman”. He is known for his creative and detailed approach to design with a distinct visual style that complements the film’s overall look and tone, while contributing to the characters and storyline.
After getting his BFA in Theater Design from VCU and his MFA in Sets, Lighting and Costume Design from USC, he entered the film business as a scenic painter, quickly moving up to art director working on projects like the great film “Fabulous Baker Boys” and the series “The Stand”.
In the middle of his career, he started working on commercials and spent 12 years designing hundreds of ads in the US and around the world. But Michael’s passion was always designing films and he had the opportunity to move back into that world with the film “Killer Elite” and then “It Follows”. He continues to design and look for challenges in all genres of films from the recent horror film “Texas Chainsaw” with Legendary Films to the rom com “I Want You Back” for Amazon.
His full list of credits, awards and nominations can be seen on his website www.michaelperrydesign.com, including: Win SDSA for Promising Young Woman, 5 Nominations for Promising Young Woman, 1 Nomination for Under the Silver Lake, Emmy Nomination for The Stand, Win ICAD for best design European Commercial.
ALISSA FERGUSON PHILLIPS (The Call Sheet—A Breakdown of the Crew from Creative to Crafty)
Alissa is a Film and Television Producer as well as a full time Career Instructor in the Department of Cinema Studies at University of Oregon. Some of Phillips’ film producing credits include MONEYBALL, I FEEL PRETTY and DRACULA UNTOLD. Some of Phillips’ streaming credits include Hulu’s “CULTURE SHOCK” and “PURE,” as well as Frank Darabont’s limited series “Mob City.” Prior to University of Oregon, Phillips was an Adjunct Instructor of Film at Portland State University, and Lewis & Clark College. Phillips lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon with her three daughters.
JAMES PONSOLDT (Shooting the Last Minute Script)
James (Director, Writer, Producer) hails from Athens, Georgia. His films, which include The End of the Tour, The Spectacular Now, Summering, and Smashed (among others), have been recognized by the National Board of Review, Sundance Film Festival, and Independent Spirit Awards. He’s directed pilots and executive produced shows such as “Master of None” and “Sorry for Your Loss.” Most recently, Ponsoldt executive produced and directed the pilot and multiple episodes of "Shrinking" for Apple TV as well as Amazon’s series “Daisy Jones & The Six" and "Running Point" for Netflix. He's currently developing his next film.
BILLY RAY (Thinking Visually and Managing the Movie thru Prep, Production, and Post)
Billy wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Captain Phillips, for which he won the WGA award. He also wrote, directed, and executive-produced Showtime's The Comey Rule, which had the biggest debut of any limited series in that network's history. Ray's films as writer, co-writer, or writer-director include The Hunger Games, Richard Jewell, Shattered Glass, and Breach. His current feature projects include 68: the true story of Olympic medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos, and The Silent Wife for Nicole Kidman. Ray is a member of the AMPAS Board of Governors. He believes in democracy, justice, and the Dodgers.
NICOLE RIEGEL (Putting Your Independent Film Together from Script to Financing)
Nicole is film and television Writer-Director. Her 2021 film, Holler, was awarded Variety's 10 Directors To Watch, a Film Independent Spirit Award nominee for Best First Feature and was named one of the Top 10 Independent Films of 2021 by the National Board of Review. Additionally, Holler was an official selection in the SXSW Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Holler was released theatrically nationwide in 2021 by IFC Films. Her film, Dandelion, World Premiered at SXSW. IFC Films released the film nationwide 2024 to critical acclaim. In television, she wrote the drama series Soldier Girls for HBO and Executive Producer Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She is currently writing and directing the drama series, Atonement, with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground, writing and directing the limited drama series, Model, with FX as well as developing her next film.
Nicole's film work has been featured in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Cineaste, Washington Post, Roger Ebert, Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. She was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 Faces of Independent Film and is an alum of the Sundance Feature Film Program. She is a graduate of UCLA Film School.
ADAM RIFKIN (The Chase Scene)
Adam is an award winning filmmaker whose eclectic career ranges from comedies to dramas, and studio films to indies. Most recently, Rifkin wrote, produced and directed THE LAST MOVIE STAR for A24, a poignant drama starring screen legend, Burt Reynolds, in his final performance. Among the other 20 odd movies and TV series Adam’s written and/or directed are: THE DARK BACKWARD, an oddball fairytale about a stand-up comic who grows a 3rd arm, starring Bill Paxton, Wayne Newton, Judd Nelson, Rob Lowe, James Caan and Lara Flynn Boyle, which not only has become a cult classic but was also named one of the top 10 films of its year by The New York Post, THE CHASE, for Fox, an action packed social satire about the media’s bloodthirsty obsession with obtaining exclusive footage, New Line Cinema’s DETROIT ROCK CITY, another bona fide cult classic about 4 teens who go on an Arthurian quest for KISS tickets in 1978, NIGHT AT THE GOLDEN EAGLE, a festival darling about one hot night in a downtown LA crack hotel, LOOK, a searing drama shot entirely from the point of view of the hundreds of surveillance cameras we all live our lives in view of everyday, and GIUSEPPE MAKES A MOVIE, an outrageous yet touching documentary about trailer park filmmaker Giuseppe Andrews. GIUSEPPE MAKES A MOVIE currently holds a coveted 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was recently added to the Criterion Channel. Rifkin has also written many family comedies, including: MOUSEHUNT and SMALL SOLDIERS, both for Dreamworks, UNDERDOG for Disney and ZOOM for Sony.
LOLITA RITMANIS (Scoring for FILM AND TELEVISION)
Lolita is an Emmy® Award winning, 10 time Emmy Award nominated composer and a 2022 Grammy® Award winning music producer for “Women Warriors: The Voices of Change.” In 2023 Lolita reunites with director Dzintars Dreibergs to score feature film: "Escape Net," as well as celebrates the release of Daniel Kreizberg's film: "Tahlequah the Whale: A Dance of Grief," which features music by Lolita. In 2021, Lolita was Oscar® shortlisted for best score for her 70 minute symphonic and choral score for the feature film “Blizzard of Souls,” which earned her numerous awards, including the Society of Composers and Lyricists Award for best score for an independent film, Hollywood Music in Media Award for best score for an international feature film, the Alex North Award for best score, as well as the Golden Microphone Award for best instrumental album, and the Big Christopher (Latvia's equivalent to the Academy Award.)
Lolita is one of the founders of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, serving as president 2016-2018, and a founding member of Dynamic Music Partners. Other career highlights include her original score for “Christmas in Rome” for Hallmark, documentary “Wild Daze” (featuring Jane Goodall), music for the gender parity series “Flip the Script” (starring Lake Bell), as well as continued work alongside her fellow Dynamic Music Partners, Michael McCuistion and Kristopher Carter on fan-favorite productions: “Young Justice,” “Batman: The Killing Joke” (starring Mark Hamill,) “Justice League” (the theme, composed by Lolita, received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination), “Batman Beyond” (Emmy Award Win), “Teen Titans,” “Ben 10,” “Batman: The Animated Series,” as well as the Primetime Emmy Award nominated musical “Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Mayhem of the Music Meister” (starring Neil Patrick Harris.)
Lolita's concert works have been performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Koerner Hall in Toronto, Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, The Krakow International Film Music Festival, Fimucité International Film Music Festival in Tenerife, and Playfest in Ubeda, Spain. Early in her career, Lolita learned from the masters while working for such composing greats as Michael Kamen, Basil Poledouris, Mark Snow and Shirley Walker, among many others. Prior to focusing her career on composition, Lolita was an orchestrator on over 100 films, mini-series and television programs including Lethal Weapon 4, X-Files Movie, and Robin Hood-Prince of Thieves. She received her formal education at the Dick Grove School of Music, specializing in film scoring. Lolita is on faculty at USC's School for Cinematic Arts- Screen Scoring Program, as well as has presented master classes and seminars at Columbia College Chicago -Music Composition for the Screen, MFA, as well as Hong Kong Baptist University Screen Scoring Program. Lolita is member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the Television Academy, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Society of Composers and Lyricists. In 2018 Lolita was honored with the BMI Champion Award, and in 2022 Lolita was honored with the BMI Impact Award. Website: https://www.lolitaritmanis.com/
LAURA SCHIFF (The Casting Session)
Laura is an Emmy and Artios award winning Casting Director.
She began her career as an assistant to legendary low-budget filmmaker and producer Roger Corman, where she learned about every aspect of the film business. Having grown up in New Jersey with a love of theater and actors, and an uncanny ability to remember them, it was working for Roger that she discovered that casting was actually a job and it was there that she had her first taste of it.
She spent the next several years casting low budget movies until making the transition into television, primarily specializing in prestige dramas. She has had the good fortune to work with some of the most well respected creators and showrunners in television, including David E. Kelley, John Wells, Jason Katims and Matthew Weiner. She has been nominated 7 times for the Emmy and has been honored by her peers in the Casting Society of America with 5 Artios award nominations.
Her past credits include Mad Men, The West Wing, Bosch, Turn: Washington’s Spies, The Right Stuff, Outerbanks, Parenthood, and The Romanoffs. Her most recent projects are the Bob Odenkirk starrer Lucky Hank on AMC and the FX miniseries Shogun.
She holds a Bachelor's degree from Stanford University.
JESSICA STEINROCK (Intimacy Coordination)
Jessica is the CEO of Intimacy Directors and Coordinators. Her recent Intimacy Coordination credits include Moxie and Never Have I Ever on Netflix, Animal Kingdom on TNT, and Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu. Originating in improv comedy, her work has expanded to encompass film, opera, improv, devising, still photography, and scripted theatre. She has also extensive experience supporting new and young artists on stage and screen and is passionate about empowering unheard voices and fostering collaboration in new and more effective ways.
John J. Strauss (Development, Sales and Production for Film and TV)
John has been writing and producing television series, feature Films, both live action and computer animated for over thirty years.
John’s credits as a screenwriter include “There's Something About Mary”, “Santa Clause II”, Santa Clause III”, starring Tim Allen and “Free Birds”, a computer animated feature, starring Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson. Box office receipts of the aforementioned films total in excess of a billion dollars internationally.
On the television side, John has been an executive producer/show runner on over ten different television series. His most recent executive producing/writing credits include the Peabody Award winning series, David Makes Man, the Emmy winning computer animated series, Arcane and the Golden Globe winning series, Mozart in the Jungle. He is currently adapting South Korean film, Crying Fist, with Riot Games for television, developing a single camera half hour anime pilot for with Viola Davis’s company, Juvee, and adapting the book series, Rhode Island Red, with Alicia Keys producing.
John is also adapting “There’s Something About Mary” as a Broadway musical with Peter Farrelly, and is on the faculty teaching screen and television writing at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Jann Turner (Guest Directing on an Episodic Drama Series, Shooting the One Hour Drama)
Jann was born in France, raised in South Africa and educated in Britain. She is a dual British and American citizen who now lives in Los Angeles with her two children. She received her bachelor’s degree from Oxford University and her M.F.A at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Her first job in the film industry was receptionist at Working Title Films in London. Throughout her career she has worked as a runner, assistant editor and sound editor.
Jann is a Producing Director and Co-EP on episodes of Jack Ryan Seasons 3 and 4. She also functioned as Producing Director and Co-EP and on the final season of Shondaland’s Scandal.
She has shot episodes of S.W.A.T., Seal Team, 911 - LA, The Resident, For Life, The Code, Filthy Rich, The Last Ship, Scandal, The Catch, Chicago Fire, Grey’s Anatomy, How To Get Away With Murder, Jane The Virgin, Grace and Frankie, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Hard Copy, Isidingo, Zero Tolerance, Mzansi, Complications, The Fosters, Castle, Scorpion, Alpha House, Satisfaction, Virgin River, The Divide, Teen Wolf, The Neighbors, Save Me, The Big C, The Carrie Diaries and Emily Owens MD.
Jann’s feature films are White Wedding and Paradise Stop.
Outside of narrative television, Jann was on-air producer for SABC TV&’s Truth Commission Special Report and has made documentaries for C4UK and eTV South Africa. Her published novels are Home Is Where You Find It, Heartland and Southern Cross.
Evette Vargas (SHOOTING THE PROOF OF CONCEPT)
Evette is an award-winning writer, director, and producer, featured in Forbes and named by the New York Times as an “Artist to Watch.” Evette has produced digital content for Amazon, MTV, Bravo, DirectTV, Vivendi; and interactive media for Fast And Furious, Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Madonna, Wu-Tang Clan, Activision, Electronic Arts, among others. Evette also executive produced, wrote and directed her digital series, Dark Prophet, starring Henry Rollins, which was in contention for two Emmys.
Evette is the Co-Founder of Indigo Reign Films, a media production company focused on telling multicultural genre stories with social impact. Recently, Evette served as the showrunner and writer of the writer’s room for a new AAA narrative videogame and she’s currently writing/producing a European co-production feature film. Evette wrote, directed, and produced her award-winning proof-of-concept short, Confessions, including the Audience Award at Cannes, which she is bringing to television. Evette has also developed a series for Shout! Factory, wrote the feature film, Rapping with Shakespeare, for Reyes King Productions, and sold her drama series, Muses, to TNT Super Deluxe. In addition, Evette has served as the TV Development Executive at Hidden Empire Film Group for two years, building out their slate. Evette has written, directed, and produced over fifteen award-winning shorts, episodes, and projects, as well as been hired to direct a digital series.
A proud member of the Writers Guild of America, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and Producers Guild of America, Evette was born in the Bronx and learned to tell stories at the dinner table with her Puerto Rican family, where the imagination ruled. Evette collects action figures, typewriters, and shoes; has past lives as a DJ, a fashion designer; and is a recovering New York City advertising Art Director. Evette earned her BFA in Film and Television from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and her MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA.
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