Artsday LA Speakers
Immerse yourself in the professional area of your choice by joining our experienced instructors for an introduction to creative writing, design communication arts, entertainments studies, interior design, landscape architecture or screenwriting. Bring your curiosity and questions to the professionals who work in the field of your interest, and who bring their expertise to our courses.
Abe, Calvin
Panel: Session Four: Landscape Architecture's Bright FutureTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Young Hall 2200
Area: Landscape Architecture
Calvin Abe, of ah'be Landscape Architects, brings to the firm over 23 years of professional experience in a wide range of landscape architectural and urban design projects including civic spaces, parks, schools and institutions, single-family and multi-unit housing, and large mixed-use commercial developments, corporate headquarters, and office parks. Calvin is noted for his ability to transform conceptual design ideas into creative and artful built forms. FASLA, BA Art, Landscape Architect
Abercrombie, Barbara
Panel: Discovering the Writer WithinTime: 10:00-11:00 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
Ms. Abercrombie is author of 12 books, including her latest, Courage and Craft: Writing Your Life into Story, published by New World Library this fall. Ms. Abercrombie's personal essays have been published in The Christian Science Monitor, Hemisphere, Los Angeles Times, and Baltimore Sun, among others. She was the recipient of the UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor Award in Creative Writing, 1994.
Adnoff, Karen
Panel: The Design Process and Creativity in the LandscapeTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Young Hall 2200
Area: Landscape Architecture
Karen Adnoff has been a practicing landscape architect and designer for over 18 years. She founded the firm Olea to ensure the highest quality in design and sensitivity towards the natural environment. Her designs have been featured in Sunset Magazine and she has won awards such as the CSU Channel Islands courtyard design competition, and the 'Tribute to Bob Hope' museum and performing arts theatre compex competition. ASLA, BSLA, Landscape Architect
Adnoff, Karen
Panel: The Science of Landscape ArchitectureTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Young Hall 2200
Area: Landscape Architecture
See above Bio, Karen is speaking in multiple sessions for Landscape Architecture.
Alumit, Noel
Panel: Discovering the Writer WithinTime: 10:00-11:00 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
Author of the novels Letters to Montgomery Clift (MacAdam/Cage) and Talking to the Moon (2007). Mr. Alumit's first novel was winner of the Stonewall Book Award (American Library Association), the Violet Quill Award (InsightOut Books), and was a fiction finalist for the PEN Literary Award and the Lambda Literary Award. His work has been published in USA Today, The Advocate, and others.
Arquieta, Perla
Panel: The Science of Landscape ArchitectureTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Young Hall 2200
Area: Landscape Architecture
Perla graduated from the UCLA Extension Landscape Architectural Program in 1998 and received her license in 2001. Fromm 2005 - 2007 she was the project manager at KAA design group, and currently works for the LA County Department of Parks and Recreation. ASLA, Landscape Architect
Balis, Chrysanthy
Panel: Writing Your First Screenplay and the Habits You Need to Do ItTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
MPW, screenwriter; WGA member whose credits include the Paramount release Asylum. Ms. Balis currently has movie projects in development with CBS and USA Networks and has previously written an adapted screenplay for the Zanuck Company/Fox 2000 and a pilot for HBO.
Beach, John
Panel: Generating Ideas and Choosing the Best OnesTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Court of Sciences 76
Area: Design Communications Arts
John Beach Design Group is a full service salon with over 22 years experience in consumer products, branding, logo, and non-profit. Clients in branding and packaging range from Starbucks Coffee Company and Disney Consumer Products to Hillstone Restaurant Group.
Bondanelli, Bruno
Panel: Drawing Space: Communicating Design Ideas with Sketches, Drafting and ComputersTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Court of Sciences 24
Area: Interior Design
AIA, Principal, Bondanelli Design Group, Inc. Mr. Bondanelli is a published architect with extensive experience in residential, planning, commercial and furniture design and a strong advocate of sustainable design.
Border, Duane
Panel: The Design Process and Creativity in the LandscapeTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Young Hall 2200
Area: Landscape Architecture
Duane brings a diverse background in landsape architecture to his role as Senior Associate and Lead Project Designer at Melendrez. His portfolio of experience includes entertainment, retail and hotel and resort design and constuction projects ranging from large-scale community planning and urban infill projects to small-scale garden design. BSLA, Project Designer
Brandli, Jami
Panel: Living Your Life as a WriterTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
MFA, fiction writer, screenwriter, and playwright whose stories have appeared in Other Voices, Memorious, Salt Hill, and other publications. Ms. Brandli, whose plays have been staged at the Kennedy Center and the Boston Center of the Arts, received a Massachusetts Cultural Council playwriting fellowship and won an honorable mention in The Atlantic Monthly short story competition. She is a finalist for the Disney ABC Writing Fellowship
Child, Steve
Panel: Generating Ideas and Choosing the Best OnesTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Court of Sciences 76
Area: Design Communications Arts
Stephen Child received his BFA and MFA in painting and drawing. Between undergraduate and graduate school he worked as a designer and art director in health care advertising. Employed at some of the leading firms as a designer include Paramount Pictures, DZN-The Design Group, 2G Studios, Visible Theory and BLT, some of whose clients include ABC, Warner Bros., Universal, Fox, and Newline Cinema. He is a member of the AIGA education committee and produces a speaker series event every six months for design students in the Los Angeles area called, Inside the Industry.
Comstock, Paul
Panel: Session Four: Landscape Architecture's Bright FutureTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Young Hall 2200
Area: Landscape Architecture
Formerly the Director of Landscape Design for Walt Disney Imagineering, Paul Comstock's landscape design influence spans the globe. He is the head of Comstock Studio, a landscape architecture and planning practice. Currently he is most well known for his work on the arrival plaza for 'urban light', a new LACMA installation. ASLA,BFA,Landscape Architect
Contreras, Ernie
Panel: Writing Your First Screenplay and the Habits You Need to Do ItTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
WGA member whose credits include the HBO drama Walkout and the feature films Fairy Tale: A True Story and The Pagemaster for 20th Century Fox. Mr. Contreras has written and developed scripts for Walt Disney, Sony, Universal, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, DreamWorks, TNT, and Starz/Encore.
Elliot, Greg
Panel: Taking Your Script to the Next LevelTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
WGA member whose credits include Star Trek: Voyager for which he received a Sci-Fi Universe Award nomination. Mr. Elliot was a Story Editor on the WB series Savannah, an Executive Story Editor on the WB series Charmed and wrote for the Disney Channel series In a Heartbeat. He also has optioned feature film screenplays to Warner Bros. Studios and TriStar Pictures.
Escandon, Maria Amparo
Panel: Discovering the Writer WithinTime: 10:00-11:00 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
Ms. Escandón is a bestselling bilingual fiction writer originally from Mexico whose first novel, Esperanza's Box of Saints (Santitos in Spanish), has been translated into 21 languages and made into a Sundance Festival Award-winning film produced by John Sayles. Ms. Escandón's latest novel is González & Daughter Trucking Co. (Three Rivers Press, 2005).
Forster, Rebecca
Panel: Looking Ahead to PublicationTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
MBA, author of 24 novels, including Keeping Counsel and the series books Silent Witness and Hostile Witness. Ms. Forster is a USA Today bestselling author and her most recent book, Priviledged Witness (Signet Books/New American Library), debuted on the Barnes & Noble top-seller list.
Friedman, Amy
Panel: Living Your Life as a WriterTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
MA, writer and editor who has published two books of creative nonfiction, Nothing Sacred: A Conversation with Feminism and Kick the Dog and Shoot the Cat. Ms. Friedman has written for The Boston Globe and Chatelaine, among others. Her syndicated children's column, "Tell Me a Story," is published in more than 150 newspapers internationally.
Friedman, Richard
Panel: The Role of the Director in Filmed EntertainmentTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Boelter Hall 2444
Area: Entertainment Studies
Director, writer, and producer of 10 feature films as well as numerous television movies and one-hour dramas, network specials, and music videos.
Garfinkle, Craig Stuart
Panel: The Importance of Film MusicTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Boelter Hall 2444
Area: Entertainment Studies
Award-winning music producer and Emmy-nominated composer whose recent scores include music for Ghosts Never Sleep and The Office.
Gauthier, Zig
Panel: So You Want to Work in the Entertainment Industry?Time: 10:00-11:00 Room: Boelter Hall 2444
Area: Entertainment Studies
President, Red Varden Studios; founder of Hollywood Mentorship Program, though which he has mentored hundreds of aspiring filmmakers now working full-time in the entertainment industry.
Giglio, Keith
Panel: The Business of Being a ScreenwriterTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
MFA, screenwriter/producer; WGA member who executive produced the Warner Bros. release, A Cinderella Story. Mr. Giglio has projects in development with Paramount Pictures, Steve Golin/Anonymous Entertainment, and Crusader Entertainment and has written screenplays for Warner Bros., Walt Disney Pictures, and Universal Pictures, including projects for Adam Sandler and Bruce Willis.
Gohman, Mitch
Panel: Getting Ready to Design: What You Need in Your Design ToolboxTime: 10:00-11:00 Room: Court of Sciences 76
Area: Design Communications Arts
Director of Design, The Sandbox Canvas. With a Masters of Education focused on Distance Learning, Mitch teaches onground and online classes in the area of web design: Visual and Application [Dreamweaver, Flash, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP and MySQL.
Grazioso, Claudia
Panel: Getting Your Script StartedTime: 10:00-11:00 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
MFA, screenwriter; WGA member whose credits include Are We There Yet?, starring Ice Cube and Nia Long, and Bring It On Again. Ms. Grazioso has written several pilots for ABC and Fox, including Women in Law.
Guerdat, Andrew
Panel: Getting Your Script StartedTime: 10:00-11:00 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
WGA member who has sold feature screenplays to 20th Century Fox, MGM, Walt Disney Studios, and Village Roadshow Productions/Warner Bros. Mr. Guerdat's credits also include movies for Viacom Pictures/Showtime, the Disney Sunday Movie, and NBC. He has worked as a writer/producer on many TV series.
Hertz, David Randall
Panel: Green Interior DesignTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Court of Sciences 24
Area: Interior Design
Principal of SEA, formerly Syndesis, Inc. is the inventor of the material manufacturing process of Syndecrete, the innovative pre-cast lightweight concrete surfacing material.
Jaffe, Daniel M.
Panel: Living Your Life as a WriterTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
MFA, internationally published fiction writer, essayist, and literary translator whose novel, The Limits of Pleasure, was selected by ForeWord Magazine as a Book of the Year Award finalist. Mr. Jaffe compiled and edited With Signs and Wonders: An International Anthology of Jewish Fabulist Fiction. He is the recipient of the UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor Award in Online Writing Education, 2006.
Kann, Rachel
Panel: Discovering the Writer WithinTime: 10:00-11:00 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
Ms. Kann is an award-winning fiction writer and poet whose poetry has appeared in various book anthologies including So Luminous the Wildflowers (Tebot Bach Press), and in compilation CD's. Ms. Kann has peformed her poetry in venues nationwide including Disney's Concert Hall and as part of HBO's Def Poetry Jam, ABC's Eye on L.A. and for several Los Angeles-based slam teams.
Kellard, Phil
Panel: The Business of Being a ScreenwriterTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Writer-director who was executive producer on The Wayans Brothers, Minor Adjustments, and Martin, and who served as senior producer or producer on Doogie Howser, MD; Hooperman; and My Two Dads. Mr. Kellard currently is developing an animated series and has written pilots for AMC, The Disney Channel, Showtime, and The Sci-Fi Channel. He has received an Emmy Award for instructional programming.
Lamont, Sarah
Panel: Getting Ready to Design: What You Need in Your Design ToolboxTime: 10:00-11:00 Room: Court of Sciences 76
Area: Design Communications Arts
Sarah is a senior-level Flash Designer/Developer whose work has appeared in HOW and Print Magazine, and awarded at various AIGA design shows. Her career began 10 years ago in Pittsburgh, PA, where she worked most notably at Wall-to-Wall Studios while on the local AIGA Board. She moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to work for Disney Online and was Manager of Flash/Art Director there. She is involved in the LA chapter of AIGA, and serves as a Programming Director, helping to create and produce design-related events for the membership and local community. She is also a Flash Instructor at UCLA Extension, where she teaches Flash I to college and post-college level students. She recently joined Sapient in October of 2007 as Senior Associate.
Lee, Joanna
Panel: Applying Your Design Skills in the MarketplaceTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Court of Sciences 76
Area: Design Communications Arts
Joanna Lee leads the Hershey|Cause design team. Her forward-thinking style, team approach to design development and ability to anticipate audience reaction in the long-term keeps us on the short list of agencies with consistently brilliant creative. Her work achieves the perfect balance between cutting-edge design and corporate sensibility.
Joanna brings 10 plus years of design experience to the team. She has developed identities and campaigns for a full range of corporate clients including FOX Broadcasting Company, Capstone Studios and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Past employers include Paperworks Studio, Nostrum, and Cal State University Long Beach. Her work has been featured in American Corporate Identity and Creativity 24.
In her current role as design director, she oversees all phases of the graphic design process, from concept to production, ensuring that clients are provided with top creative that firmly establishes an organization's professionalism, points of difference and leadership.
Liu, Aimee
Panel: Looking Ahead to PublicationTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
Ms. Liu's most recent novel is Flash House. Her novel Cloud Mountain was published in more than 10 languages and was a Literary Guild "Super Release"; her first novel, Face, was featured in Barnes & Noble's Discover Great New Writers program. She also is the author of Solitaire, a memoir and Gaining: The Truth about Life after Eating Disorders.
Mandelbaum, Paul
Panel: Looking Ahead to PublicationTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
MFA, whose short stories have appeared in DoubleTake, Glimmer Train, Prairie Schooner, The Massachusetts Review, The Southern Review, and others. Mr. Mandelbaum also has edited two anthologies, First Words and 12 Short Stories and Their Making. He is the author of two novels-in-stories, Garrett in Wedlock (2004) and Adriane on the Edge (2005).
Marquardt, Don
Panel: Introduction to the Profession: What is Landscape Architecture?Time: 10:00-11:00 Room: Young Hall 2200
Area: Landscape Architecture
Don Marquardt has been an instructor in the Landscape Architecture since it began in 1977. In 1999 Don was the recipient of the UCLA Extension's Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award for Landscape Architecture. He is also well known for his one-man dramatic portrayal of America's first landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. ASLA, MA , Landscape Architect (CA 1894)
Mateo, Henry
Panel: Generating Ideas and Choosing the Best OnesTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Court of Sciences 76
Area: Design Communications Arts
As a multi-disciplinary design consultant and senior designer for PCR Services Corporation, Henry Mateo has collaborated and been part of several design studios including RKS Design, Splane Design Associates, DesignWorks USA, Melvin Best & Associates, The Beynon Group, LegalArts, Beth Hakes Interiors, and Helaine Spoor Interiors. Notable clients include: Infinity Speakers, BMW, Honda, Acura, Rain Bird, Ford, and Sega.
Mateo, Henry
Panel: Realizing the Idea: Creating and Manipulating Images to Create Your DesignTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Court of Sciences 76
Area: Design Communications Arts
See above Bio, Henry is chairing multiple sessions for Design Communication Arts
McMahon, Robert
Panel: The Design Process and Creativity in the LandscapeTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Young Hall 2200
Area: Landscape Architecture
As principle of RMA International, Bob McMahon's professional experience extends from California, Nevada, Japan, and Southeast Asia. He has had the opportunity to work on a variety of project types covering conceptual design development, construction administration and observation, creating a strong multi-disciplined background. ASLA, BLA, Landscape Architect
Mernit, Billy
Panel: Taking Your Script to the Next LevelTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
MFA, screenwriter, novelist, and WGA member. Mr. Mernit, a story analyst for Universal Pictures and private script consultant, is the author of Writing the Romantic Comedy (Harper/Collins) and the novel Imagine Me and You (Shaye Areheart/Random House). He was the recipient of the UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor Award in Screenwriting, 2001.
Messer, Chana
Panel: Realizing the Idea: Creating and Manipulating Images to Create Your DesignTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Court of Sciences 76
Area: Design Communications Arts
A fine artist for over 30 years, Chana works in tradition and digital mediums. Corporate clients that include Walt Disney Imagineering, Sony, NBC and Universal. She is an Adobe certified instructor and expert in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Chana has been teaching at UCLA Extension Visual Art since 1990.
Nazemian, Abdi
Panel: Getting Your Script StartedTime: 10:00-11:00 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
WGA member who co-wrote the feature film The Quiet, which was developed at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and was released by Sony Pictures Classic in 2006. He also has co-written two movies for ABC Family as well as screenplays for HBO Films, Paramount, Universal, and Fox Searchlight.
Niad, Wendi
Panel: The Business of Being a ScreenwriterTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Literary and talent manager. Ms. Niad founded Niad Management in 1997 which currently represents writers, directors, and actors. She also formerly worked as an agent at ICM and as a comedy writer.
Nuse, Deland
Panel: Through the Cinematographer's EyeTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Boelter Hall 2444
Area: Entertainment Studies
Cinematographer and director (The Chilling; The Other Bridge) who recently won the Triple Play Award for Cinematography for the film The Showdown.
Oades, Kimo
Panel: Getting Ready to Design: What You Need in Your Design ToolboxTime: 10:00-11:00 Room: Court of Sciences 76
Area: Design Communications Arts
Principal, Visual Alchemy Lab; clients include Hitachi, The Discovery Channel, Quest Productions, Pegasus Learning Company, and the City of Ontario.
Peeples, Quinton
Panel: Taking Your Script to the Next LevelTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Screenwriter-director and WGA member whose current writing projects include Have a Nice Day, starring Billy Crystal for New Line Cinema, and Sugar Rum Cherry for Walt Disney Pictures. Mr. Peeples directed the low-budget film Joyride, starring Tobey Maguire and Benicio Del Toro. His television credits include The Moving of Sophia Myles, The Secret Path, and Heart Full of Rain.
Pickel, James
Panel: Introduction to the Profession: What is Landscape Architecture?Time: 10:00-11:00 Room: Young Hall 2200
Area: Landscape Architecture
Jim, a principle of MIG, Inc., is a licensed landscape architect in California and Texas with experience in park and recreation planning and design, parks and recreation master planning, community facilitation and construction administration. Jim has 27 years of experience in planning and designing a wide range of recreational facilities including sports parks, neighborhood, community, regional, special use parks and aquatic centers. ASLA, BS, Landscape Architect
Pryzgoda, Kathy
Panel: Color, Lighting and Surface MaterialsTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Court of Sciences 24
Area: Interior Design
Lighting designer, currently designs commercial and residential spaces throughout Southern California and is a lighting designer for the Hollywood Bowl and the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Psomas, Stephanie
Panel: Session Four: Landscape Architecture's Bright FutureTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Young Hall 2200
Area: Landscape Architecture
Stephanie Psomas has been with Pamela Burton & Company since 1987. As Vice-President, she heads the firm's project development efforts and also performs the role of Project Director for some of Pamela Burton & Company's major projects. She was responsible for construction documents and construction observation for the Broadway Spring Center/Biddy Mason Park, the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, Colorado Center, Santa Monica with TishmanSpeyer Properties and numerous projects for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. ASLA, BFA, Landscape Architect
Rabkin, William
Panel: Writing Your First Screenplay and the Habits You Need to Do ItTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Writer-producer and WGA member whose numerous credits include Monk, Psych, and Nero Wolfe Mystery. He has served as executive producer on Diagnosis Murder and as supervising producer on SeaQuest 2032, and The Cosby Mysteries.
Reynolds, Patrick
Panel: Introduction to the Profession: What is LAndscape Architecture?Time: 10:00-11:00 Room: Young Hall 2200
Area: Landscape Architecture
Patrick Reynolds graduated from the Landscape Architecture program in 1996. For the past 9 years he was employed by the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation, working in both the Capital Projects and Planning Divisions. He was recently named Instructor of the Year for the Landscape Architecture Program, and Park Manager for Culver City. ASLA, BA, Landscape Architect
Rosenthal, Laurence
Panel: The Business of Being a ScreenwriterTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Independent producer, development executive and WGA member who, as an executive at Woods Entertainment, supervised the development of the feature films Scream, Beautiful Girls, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, Copland, and Citizen Ruth. He also oversaw development of the Showtime original series Beggars and Choosers.
Schapa, Eleanor Schrader
Panel: The Profession of Interior Design TodayTime: 10:00-11:00 Room: Court of Sciences 24
Area: Interior Design
MBA, is an architectural and design historian who does consulting for the design industry as well as historic properties and has served as a Design Review Commissioner for the City of Beverly Hills.
Schnierow, Beth
Panel:Time: 2:30-3:30 Room: Court of Sciences 24
Area: Interior Design
Ms. Schnierow is the principal of SOTA Design and a known specialist in interior and exterior color, materials, finishes and furnishings, her firm’s projects include a broad range of commercial and residential design including corporate offices, new construction and remodel, mixed-use apartment buildings and condos, institutional, restaurants and casinos.
Schrier, Michael
Panel: Color, Lighting and Surface MaterialsTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Court of Sciences 24
Area: Interior Design
Schwaner, Rebecca
Panel: The Science of Landscape ArchitectureTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Young Hall 2200
Area: Landscape Architecture
Rebecca worked for Troller Mayer Associates in Glendale, and is currently with Campbell & Campbell. In both firms she worked in the public and private sectors, on projects including mahor medians and streetscapes, shopping center complexes, reclamation of landfills, public parks, sports fields, university campuses, health care centers, and civic centers. She has also worked on residences addressing: erosion control and slope stabilization, fire-wise design, pools and water features. Associate
Seitz, Laura
Panel: Applying Your Design Skills in the MarketplaceTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Court of Sciences 76
Area: Design Communications Arts
Laura Seitz is an independent marketing consultant. Her career has included time at both agencies and design firms working with clients, and on the client side at Mattel and Epson. She has a diverse background in both 2D and 3D design and production, has served as General Manager of two design firms, and has owned her own design firm specializing in corporate communications. Her strength is in directing large marketing projects, with multiple creative teams. And, as a freelance consultant for over 12 years, business development is a way of life for Laura. Laura teaches a series of business classes for designers at UCLA Extension.
Selbo, Jule
Panel: Taking Your Script to the Next LevelTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
MFA, screenwriter, and WGA member who just completed a feature for the Jim Henson Company. Ms. Selbo has written films for Walt Disney Studios, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Part Deux and Cinderella II. Her other feature credits include Columbia Pictures' Hard Promises, as well as screenplays for Bel Films, Paramount, Universal, and HBO.
Simian, George
Panel: Realizing the Idea: Creating and Manipulating Images to Create Your DesignTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Court of Sciences 76
Area: Design Communications Arts
Having started by teaching photography at Cornell University, George went on to a successful career, for over 25 years, as a frequently-awarded commercial photographer. While still actively working in the commercial world, George is fully immersed in teaching. George was awarded the 2007 Outstanding Instructor in Visual Arts for UCLA Extension Department of the Arts, and also works with Samy's Camera, Panasonic Cameras, and in teaches a class in Bali - sharing his considerable expertise in digital photography and lighting. His work can be seen at http://www.georgesimian.com
Smith, Sherri L.
Panel: Living Your Life as a WriterTime: 2:30-3:30 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
MA, MSBA, award-winning novelist whose book, Lucy the Giant (Random House), was an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. Ms. Smith is the author of Sparrow (2006), chosen as a National Council for the Social Studies/Children's Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. Her forthcoming novel is Hot Sour Salty Sweet (2008).
Suppa, Ron
Panel: Getting Your Script StartedTime: 10:00-11:00 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Writer-producer and WGA member who has produced and/or written 10 feature films, including Paradise Alley and Riding the Edge. He is the author of Real Screenwriting: Strategies and Stories from the Trenches (2006) and is a regular columnist for Creative Screenwriting magazine. He was the recipient of the UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor Award in Screenwriting, 1991.
Webb, Chris
Panel: Writing Your First Screenplay and the Habits You Need to Do ItTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Area: Screenwriting
Screenwriter whose credits include Toy Story II for Pixar Animation Studios, Bruno the Kid: The Animated Movie, and episodes of the television series Duckman. An alumnus of The Second City in Chicago, Mr. Webb has won numerous awards for his satirical short films The Civil War Parody, a satire of the Ken Burns series The Civil War, and Camcorder Blues, a parody of home videos.
Williams, Bett
Panel: Looking Ahead to PublicationTime: 1:15-2:15 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
MA, nonfiction writer and author of the novel Girl Walking Backwards (St. Martin's Press) and the memoir The Wrestling Party. Ms. Williams has written columns and features for such publications as Out Magazine, Frontiers Magazine, and Flaunt Magazine, and her work has been anthologized in Virgin Territory and Userlands, among others.
Wolfson , Steven
Panel: Learning the Art & Craft of StorytellingTime: 11:15-12:15 Room: Court of Sciences 50
Area: Creative Writing
MFA, screenwriter/producer, and WGA member whose feature credits include Dinner and Driving and Gang Tapes. Mr. Wolfson was the co-creator and writer of the Fox 21 pilot Hollywood Vice and currently is writing the feature film Serial for Bruce Willis's Cheyenne Entertainment. He was the recipient of the UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor Award in Screenwriting, 1998.