Motion Pictures & Television Faculty

Position: Part-Time Instructor

Education:
Bachelor of Arts, Williams College (Williamstown, Massachusetts, Political Science)

Industry Credits:

• Volunteer Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Professional/Volunteer Mediator

Position: Instructor and Production Design Lead Faculty

Education:
Bachelor of Arts, University of California Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California, Sociology)

Industry Credit:
With a career in filmmaking spanning 5 decades (40 years and counting), I bring my professional experience into the classroom to expose students to the wonderful world of the Art Department and Visual Storytelling. Many of my former students are actively working in the Industry on numerous projects in a variety of roles.

Education: Master of Fine Arts, Academy of Art University (San Francisco, California, Motion Pictures Cinematography)

Austin Briggs, MFA Cinematography,  Academy of Art University Alumni, has been instructing college/university filmmaking for over 12 years. Austin has freelancing video editing experience with Pravda Creative in Seattle, Wa editing video commercial spots for Microsoft, and video production freelancing commercial spots for Brighthouse/Comcast, as well as serving as a Videographer/Editor for Department of Education at FSU Learning System Institute.

Education:

• MFA Motion Pictures & Television, Editing Major – Academy of Art University (2014 – 2018)
• BFA Fine Arts, Mixed Media Major – UNEARTE (2007 – 2012)

Industry Credits:

• 2023 – Edited award-winning unscripted Sports Series “Like A Girl”.
• 2022 – Received two Best Editing Awards for the music video “Summer Fog”.
• 2018 – Edited the award-winning short film “Fish Out Of Water”.
• 2011 – Screened my first Directed/Edited Short Film “L’âme Jaune” (Yellow Soul) at the French Festival in the Pedagogical College of Caracas-Venezuela.
• 2011 – Had my video performance “Cuida” (Care) shown at the Contemporary Art Museum Sofía Imber, Caracas-Venezuela.

Position: Instructor for Graduate and Undergraduates in WRI

Education:
Master of Fine Arts, American Film Institute (Los Angeles, California, Screenwriting)

Industry Credit:

• Instructor of Native American Television Lab
• Co-chair of AFI Alumni Network
• Volunteer for a not-for-profit animal rescue
• Associate director of Indian screenwriting lab with Ford Foundation and Netflix India
• Winner of William J. Fadiman Screenwriting Fellowship
• Winner of Writers Room Ready Television Writing Award
• Author of Dramturgical Protocol on Ibsen’s When We Dead Awaken
• Planting a California native plant garden to support birds and pollinators

Position: Teaching Directing

Industry Credit:
Mr Dougherty’s career as a professional actor and director spans over 40 years. As an actor he has had reoccurring and guest star roles in many classic television shows such as Happy Days, Monk, Bones, Wings, The Drew Carey Show, The Middle and on and on. He recently guest starred on the Emmy nominated sitcom The Ms Pat Show. He had a major role in the feature film Beautiful starring Minnie Driver directed by Sally Field. Along the way Mr. Dougherty has directed independent film as well as worked as a cinematographer. He is married to Emmy winning director Mary Lou Belli. They have two grown children, one an actor and the other an art gallery director in New York City.

Position: Part time Professor MPT

Education:
Bachelor of Arts, University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California, Cinema and Television Production)

Industry Credit:

• Raise Hell: The Life & Times Of Molly Ivins (Producer-Director-Writer) Documentary Feature
• World Premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival
• Won the Audience award at SXSW and won numerous awards at other festivals; Distributed by Magnolia Pictures with an 18+ week run across America from Alabama to Alaska; Premiered in the UK and Ireland in 2020
• In 2022, RAISE HELL was selected as one of the 213 Best Movies Directed by Women in the 21st Century by Rotten Tomatoes to commemorate Women’s History month
• Currently streaming on MAX
• Previous award-winning films include Jackson Browne: Going Home, (Cable Ace-Award), Ted Hawkins Amazing Grace, (Rose D’Or Special Jury Prize) and the provocative docu-series, Addicted, (Prism Award)
• Created What We Carry, an ongoing multi-media series dedicated to preserving Holocaust survivors’ stories; Premiered at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles; Presented at the 2014 International Conference in Holocaust Education at Yad Vashem in Israel and housed in the Permanent collection

Education: Master of Fine Arts, Academy of Art University (San Francisco, California, Acting)

Tommy Harkness was born and raised in the Bay Area. He is a multi-faceted artist – he acts, directs, writes for the screen and stage, creates electronic music and is an abstract painter.

In recognition of his work as a filmmaker, his films have played at local film festivals, including “Isabelle’s Dream” which won the audience award for Best Local Featurette at the Another Hole in the Head Film Festival in San Francisco (2024).

As a painter, he has had multiple exhibitions of his work in San Francisco, including an exclusive show at Laszlo SF with his frequent collaborator Joel Gerhardson in October of 2022.

Tommy lives in the Mission district of San Francisco and has a BFA and MFA in Acting from the Academy of Art. When not being creative, he spends his time obsessing over his cat Chloe.

Education:

• Bachelor of Fine Arts, Howard University (Washington, District of Columbia, Theater Arts)
• Studied /worked closely with Joseph Chaikin, Joe Papp, Liz Swados, Ntozake Shange, Laurie Carlos, and Ellen Stewart

Awards:

• Academy Award nomination: live action short film “ Tuesday Morning Ride” ( writer/director)
• WGA nominee for longform TV movie: “SURVIVING COMPTON…”
• Gracie Award, screenwriting “ SURVIVING COMPTON…”
• NAACP award ( writer) nominee for  live action short: “TAKE THE LEAD”

Partial Credit:

• Writer/Director/ Producer  “ EMPIRE” tv series, three seasons
• Writer limited series: ‘WHEN WE RISE” ( episode one)
• Director: feature: “SEARCHING FOR NEVERLAND”
• Writer, feature “TAKE THE LEAD”
• Writer/ Director :  indy feature : “FREEDOM HAIR”
• Director: feature:  “RUNAWAY ISLAND”
• Writer: feature “ SURVIVING COMPTON, DRE, SUGE, AND MICHEL’E”
• Writer/ director   short flm: “TUESDAY MORNING RIDE”

Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Ithaca College (Ithaca, New York, Theater Arts)

• In 2009, Founded Social Media Darling Productions, known for Bringing the Social to production, taking projects and their social media from inception to premiere and beyond.
• Media Producer for the award-winning RAISE HELL: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins 
• Media Producer for Netflix original documentary FEMINISTS: What Were They Thinking?
• Media Producer for NC Heikin’s recently released Life & Life
• Media Producer The Manhattan Transfer Story (in production)
• Media Producer NEVER LET ANYONE STEAL YOUR DREAMS – The Sammy Nestico Story (in production)
• Media Producer fThe Spice Girls of Rajasthan (in production
• Media Producer WAY COOL WORLD Animated series (in production)
• I successfully built social media communities for diverse clients, from films to authors and TV shows.
• The best advice I have ever received: Never refuse a breath mint.

Position:Adjunct Professor

Education:
Juris Doctor, New York University (New York, New York, Law)

Industry Credit:

• Senior Vice President, Showtime Networks, Inc.
• Founding Team — Epix Network (now MGM+)

Position: P-T Instructor Academy of Art University, WRI Department

Education:
Bachelor of Arts, Darlington College of Arts (Devon, United Kingdom, Theater Language )

Industry Credit:

• Establishment of a Community Theatre Company in Salford, UK
• which celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2023
• Living in Yemen and learning Arabic which has inspired many of my theatre pieces and screenplays.
• Short films selected for major Intl. Film Festivals and the Q and A sessions in many languages. Truly film is a global connector!
• Setting up and building a boutique sales agency based in Italy and Los Angeles and bringing together talent from many countries and cultures.

Position: Part Time Instructor / Cinematography

Education:
Bachelor of Arts, Autonoma de Occidente University (CALI, Colombia, Journalism )

Industry Credit:

• Cinematographer Member of the Local 600 International Cinematographer Guild
• Active Member of the ADFC, Colombian Society of Cinematographers
• Active part in the World Wide Collective @Sporas: Artisans For a Change
• Member of the ARRAY Crew community
• Rosco Lighting Ambassador
• ARRI Mini LF Website reviews
• Brazil, 2013 Winner Golden Kikito Latin Film Competition – Best Cinematography (Longa Metragem em 35mm, Latinos – Melhor Fotografia) “Chasing Fireflies”
• Spain, Huelva. 2013 Winner Silver Colon Best Cinematography “Chasing Fireflies”
• 2017 Nominee Premios Macondo Best Cinematography “Destinos”
• 2013 Nominee Premios Macondo Best Cinematography “Chasing Fireflies”
• 2023/2024 Sundance speaker and panel moderator, Latinos in Hollywood

Position: Adjunct Instructor

Education:
Master of Fine Arts, Academy of Art University (San Francisco, California, Motion Pictures & Television)

Industry Credits:

• My thesis project at Academy Art University Crossroads has played at film festivals in the states and overseas winning/capturing Best Film and Best Director awards.
• Judge for Cannes Diversity Film Festival
• Program Chair for media at a university in Atlanta
• Member of IATSE for 15 years
• “A Family on Edge” a feature film I directed in undergraduate school.

Education:
Master of Fine Arts, Howard University (Washington, District of Columbia, Broadcast Production)

Position: Instructor and Course Author

Education:
Bachelor of Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts (New York, New York, Film and Video)

Industry Credits:
I began my career making the jump from Photoshop artist to film colorist and editor, working in documentary television and feature films.

Working in independent film in NYC, I produced movie trailers and EPKs for about two dozen titles. My resume has 30+ film and television credits across the field of post-production.

I am currently a video producer at University of California’s Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. There, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to collaborate on projects with such luminaries as Werner Herzog, Walter Murch, Errol Morris, and Joel Coen.

Position: Part-time instructor

Education:
Master of Fine Arts, University of California Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California, Theater Directing)

Industry Credit:
Freelance Director

Recent Direction includes:

• Fun Home at 42nd St.Moon
• Disbelief at Playground
• World Premiere of The Lady Scribblers at CMT

Regional Premieres include:

• The Cake at NCTC
• Actually at Aurora Theatre Company
• When We Were Young and Unafraid at CMT SF
• Bright Shining Sea at Playground
• The Thrush and the Woodpecker at CMT
• The Dragon Play at Impact Theatre
• What Every Girl Should Know at Impact Theatre
• Hunter/Gatherers at Thick House
• Glickman Award for Best Premiere of a Play in the Bay Area, 2006

Upcoming Projects include:

• Natural Shocks for Playground
• The Gulf for NCTC
• She is a proud Company member of Playground
• An Associate Member of The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers Union

Position: Instructor

Education:
Bachelor of Arts, Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Radio, Television-Film)

Industry Credits:

• Commercial advertising and marketing for Nike Apple, Google, Visa, Nissan, Subaru, Infiniti, HP, Yahoo, and many others.
• Broadcast ad spots for Nike for the 1996 Super Bowl on NBC.
• Emmy Award for 2002 Salt Lake Olympics with NBC.
• Broadcast programming for NBC, ABC, FoxSports, ESPN, NFL Films, and The Discovery Channel.
• Several independent feature and documentary film projects which went on to great success on the festival circuit, including Sundance and The Heartland Film Festival
• Also an avid city and landscape still photographer, with several gallery shows in the SF Bay Area.

Position: Instructor School of Motion Pictures and Television

Education:
Master of Fine Arts, Mills College (Oakland, California, Video and Intermedia)

Industry Credits:
My music videos, commercials, and independent shorts have collectively received over 25 million views online.

I’ve had more than 20 pieces shown in over 100 exhibitions and screenings in galleries, museums, and film festivals in 17 countries around the world, including 4 solo gallery shows.

I’ve been the recipient of the Franklin Furnace Fund Award, the Murphy and Cadogan Award, first place in the Flourish Oakland Art Awards, and the Herringer Family Award for Excellence in Art, as well as winning jury prizes at multiple festivals.

Quotes: “Everything should be as simple as possible but not simpler.”

Industry Credit:
10 + yrs. of Movement Specialist