Spring 2026 Instructors

Billboard Women In Music 2020 Executive of the Year, Brianna Agyemang, is a dynamic force in the music industry known for her purposeful and compassionate approach. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she began her career at Roc Nation, where she excelled in digital marketing and artist management.

Co-founding The Brownies, a sought-after community collective, she expanded her influence in event coordination and community building. Joining Atlantic Records in 2017 as Senior Director of Marketing, she played a pivotal role in projects like Nipsey Hussle's Grammy-nominated Victory Lap and Janelle Monáe's Dirty Computer, as well as helping Nigerian superstar Burna Boy, become a globally recognized name.

In 2020, Brianna took on a leadership role at Apple's Platoon, overseeing the global marketing and streaming partnership teams. Notably, she co-founded #TheShowMustBePaused movement, catalyzing industry-wide change and commitments of nearly half a billion dollars to racial justice.

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is a prolific showrunner, screenwriter, and playwright with extensive experience across television, film, and theater, currently serving as the Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics. 

A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, he is best known for revitalizing the Archie brand for modern audiences, most notably developing and showrunning the long-running hit series Riverdale for The CW, as well as creating the Netflix original Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and the HBO Max horror-drama Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. His television career further includes writing and producing roles on the Golden Globe-winning Glee and HBO’s acclaimed Big Love, while his film credits include screenplays for the 2013 remake of Carrie and The Town That Dreaded Sundown. 

Beyond the screen, Aguirre-Sacasa has significant theatrical experience, having written the book for the Broadway musical American Psycho and co-written Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, alongside numerous original plays produced at major venues like Steppenwolf and the Manhattan Theatre Club.

Rikke Alderson is a global marketing leader and educator focused on creating transparent, human-centered digital systems that drive growth and build trust. She has led omni-channel transformation for brands such as The Hershey Company, Capital Group, and Nogin SmartCommerce, and advises organizations on ethical AI, e-commerce, and marketing performance.

At NYU Los Angeles, she teaches Digital Business Strategy, where she brings together platform economics, technology ethics, and practical case studies from her work with global brands and startups across the U.S. and Europe. She earned her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Originally from Houston, Texas, Alysia Anderson is General Counsel and Head of Business Affairs at the Academy Award nominated studio Ventureland and the world-renowned production company, PRETTYBIRD.

 After graduating with a degree in Film & Television from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Alysia graduated from SMU Dedman School of law and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment law. 

Alysia also proudly sits on the board of Made In Her Image and artworxLA. Before nesting at PRETTYBIRD, Alysia worked for industry giants like WME, Fox, BET, and Disney.

Crystal Boyd is a writer, executive producer, and TV creator that has sold four comedy pilots to Warner Brothers and SONY, as part of the woman-comedy trio, The Downtown Girls. They are currently developing an animated comedy series entitled SERVICE ANIMALS with Warner Bros. Animation and Gaspin Media, about the day to day lives of three service animals.

Most recently, they developed a single-camera comedy entitled BLACK GIRL MAGIC for NBC, with Sony Pictures Television, Gabrielle Union and ATYPICAL's Robia Rashid. Previously, they sold DOWNTOWN GIRLS the comedy pilot to Warner Brothers and TBS, with Elizabeth Banks attached as executive producer. Crystal is a Tisch alum.

In January 2021, Kenny Christmas was named General Counsel for MRC, a diversified global entertainment company with divisions including Television, Live & Alternative, Film, and Non-Fiction, as well as joint ventures in data and publishing. In the newly established role, Christmas oversees all corporate affairs for the leading independent entertainment company and its expansive partnerships and investments. Christmas works closely with the company’s business affairs teams across the content divisions and with the corporate team involved in mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Christmas is an entertainment industry veteran with a long career spanning positions at well-known studios, production companies, and law firms. Christmas most recently served as Of Counsel at boutique entertainment law firm Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano. Previously he served as Executive Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs at MarVista Entertainment, a global independent studio that creates, acquires and distributes more than 60 movies a year. He also worked at Lionsgate Television as Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs in the company’s fast-growing television division. He held various other positions throughout his career including serving as a business and legal consultant at The Tyra Banks Company, outside legal counsel for A&E Networks, working with Vincent D’Onofrio in a production company, as General Counsel/Head of Business Affairs at Edmonds Entertainment and at Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, et. al, a leading talent firm in Beverly Hills. He started his career at O’Melveny & Meyers representing major studios, networks, production companies, entertainment lenders and bond companies in complex, cutting-edge transactions. A graduate of Yale Law School and Stanford University, the San Jose native has two children and lives in Los Angeles.

In Rancho Cucamonga, CA (yes, that’s a real place), Chris learned how to make films as a child by forcing his siblings to act in parody rap videos. His passion for storytelling, music, and off-color comedy has led to his previous work as a freelance music journalist, and Video Producer at GQ and Apple. His work has been supported by the Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation, Issa Rae's Short Film Sundays, the Middlebury Script Lab, MTV, and BET. In 2021 and 2022, he was selected as an SFFILM Filmhouse Resident to develop his feature film “Rolling Stone”, which was selected for the SFFILM Rainin Grant in Spring 2020. He holds an M.A in Arts Politics from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, in addition to a B.F.A in Film and Television from Tisch. His short film “Terminally Ill” is a Vimeo Staff Pick, and won the Audience Award and Oscar-qualifying Jury Award for Comedy at Aspen Shortsfest, and a silver screen Young Director Award for Creative Use of Sound. “Terminally Ill” is a proof of concept for his feature film “Fonzel and Gloria”, which received the Rainin Grant for Development in 2024.

Mia is originally from New Orleans and has been a writer for the mobile gaming industry since 2014. She has an M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition from LSU and an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from UCLA.

Jess is a producer, writer, director and actress, known for her work on personal stories about hope, human resilience and fighting for truth. She has partnered with director Brad Furman on multiple projects, including the original screenplay Tin Soldier, starring Jamie Foxx, Robert De Niro, Rita Ora and Scott Eastwood; City of Lies starring Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker (about the Rampart Scandal and the unsolved murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG); The Infiltrator, starring Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo and Diane Kruger; as well as the event music videos What Do You Mean from artist Justin Bieber; and Neverland from the Broadway play of the same name by artist Zendaya. In addition to producing, Jess directed second-unit photography on these features.

Jess directed the pilot for MTV's blockbuster series MTV:Investigates, as well as creating 2020: Rise, chronicling the empowering journey of the female gymnasts in the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal as they trained for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Jess started her career as a filmmaker in high school, when she was accepted to the Los Angeles Film Festival for her short film Priceless. She went on to graduate magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with an honors degree in neuroscience and a minor in film, as well as captaining the UPENN Women's gymnastics team to Ivy League and ECAC Conference championship titles. She was a Scholastic All American, Letter Winner and First Team All ECAC. After college in Philadelphia, she was a newspaper journalist and managing editor, before earning two master's degrees from NYU, an MFA in filmmaking and an MBA in finance.

She lives, works, writes and directs in LA.

Bonnie Greenberg has been at the forefront of entertainment integrating music and film for over two decades. She has been integrally involved with over 80 films, from independent projects such as HAIRSPRAY and MENACE II SOCIETY to major blockbusters including MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING and SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE.

She has produced or executive produced numerous gold and platinum soundtrack albums and received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Album for her work on THE BEST MAN. In 2015, she co-produced and was the executive music producer of the documentary THE HUNTING GROUND, addressing sexual assault on college campuses. Most recently, she was executive music producer for the Academy Award nominated documentary, RBG. Greenberg is an adjunct professor at the MEIM graduate program at Carnegie Mellon. She is a member of the Recording, Television and Motion Picture Academies and one of the founding members of the Guild of Music Supervisors. She holds a J.D. in Entertainment Law from Southwestern Law School, an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Antioch College, and a B.A. from the University of Denver.

Sam Kolodezh's received his PhD in Drama from the University of California, Irvine in 2019. He has taught theater history, communication, and writing at UCI, UCSD, CSUN, and various other local southern California institutions. He has authored or co-authored several chapters and articles on Shakespeare, adaptation, and intermedial theatre. His research interests include character studies, temporality, global adaptation, performance philosophy, and intermediality. In particular, his research focuses on the boundaries between character and subjectivity in contemporary and historical media. Alongside his pedagogical and scholarly work, Sam is also an associate producer with Transversal Theater Company and has worked on theatre productions around the world.

Marina Litvinsky is a professor, researcher and activist. She has a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Marina’s research focuses on community activism to resist the changes of gentrification and how residents’ consumption of media, or lack thereof, might help or hinder that. She has worked with and conducted research in various Los Angeles communities to better understand the residents’ perspectives of gentrification and its social and cultural effects. Prior to her Ph.D. work, Marina worked in communication for human rights organizations in Los Angeles, New York and Germany. Originally from Ukraine, she has traveled independently to over 40 countries.

Michelle Marks is a highly accomplished and innovative global entertainment marketing executive with a successful history of achievement within the Motion Picture and Television Industries. She serves as brand ambassador and team leader, constantly striving to find innovative ways to produce engaging content for audiences on all platforms. Michelle has proven success in maximizing content exposure, driving revenue growth, and consistently achieving award-winning results. Global campaigns include content from a variety of genres, which has deeply impacted and permeated pop culture, including: Bohemian Rhapsody, Deadpool, Hidden Figures, The Greatest Showman, Alien, Kingsman, and Logan. Developed inventive campaigns opening some of the biggest franchise films of all time, including: Ghostbusters, X-Men, Ice Age, Planet of the Apes, and Avatar.

She is currently an Adjunct Professor for the USC SCA Peter Stark MFA program and is CMO of Highest Marks, Inc., a creative and content distribution consultancy dedicated to identifying and maximizing platforms for pop cultural brands and political campaigns.

She has a BS in Television, Radio and Film Management from the Syracuse University, Newhouse School of Public Communications. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

Valerie Stern enjoys a multifaceted career as a classical pianist, pop songwriter, arranger, and educator. As a soloist, Dr. Stern’s programs often feature works by underrepresented composers in the classical canon, as well as genre crossovers and contemporary music. Recent recital engagements have highlighted music by Los Angeles composers, folk traditions, and Hip Hop influences. In 2023 she appeared as one of six pianists performing live at WWE’s WrestleMania, and premiered Roland’s 50th Anniversary digital concept piano at the CES conference in Las Vegas.

Her recordings are featured in the Amazon thriller Nocturne (2020), where she also acted as piano hand double for actresses Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria) and Madison Iseman (Jumanji). Dr. Stern performed for The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience in 2022, a live immersive production inspired by the Netflix series Bridgerton.

A Los Angeles native, she earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from UCLA in 2021 with Inna Faliks, following a master’s degree in Piano Performance at USC’s Thornton School of Music with Kevin Fitz-Gerald, where she graduated summa cum laude. Earlier in her career, she was a prizewinner in the Carmel Music Society Piano Competition, the New West Symphony Discovery Artists Competition, and the Torrance Symphony Concerto Competition.

Beyond classical performance, Dr. Stern co-founded the Japanese-American pop duo Layla Lane, with whom she has co-written songs for Coca-Cola commercials, toured internationally, and appeared on Japanese television. In 2018, the duo performed the national anthems of the U.S. and Japan at Dodger Stadium’s annual Japan Night. Their debut album was released on the Japanese major label Avex.

Dr. Stern is currently the Music Department Chair at California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA), an annual residential program for high school students. She has also served on the music faculty at UCLA, Long Beach City College, and El Camino College.

She is currently an Adjunct Professor for the USC SCA Peter Stark MFA program and is CMO of Highest Marks, Inc., a creative and content distribution consultancy dedicated to identifying and maximizing platforms for pop cultural brands and political campaigns.

She has a BS in Television, Radio and Film Management from the Syracuse University, Newhouse School of Public Communications. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

A former cultural anthropologist (focus in East Asia, Latin America, and the Afro Diaspora), Jalen Young, is a screenwriter, researcher, and horror fanatic with a passion for film and television. Jalen received his Master’s of Science from Columbia University, and completed his MFA from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. He values looking through the world through lenses outside of the mainstream.

In 2020, Jalen's short film script, "Boo Hag or Shadow Man" won in competition, and was subsequently produced. Once completed, the film Boo Hag or Shadow Man was selected to premiere at the International Horror Festival 2021 as well as the 30th Annual Pan African Film Festival 2022. Boo Hag or Shadowman aired on FOX’s FOX SOUL SCREENING ROOM with Vivica Fox, where Jalen Young was interviewed by Vivica Fox. Boo Hag or Shadowman has most recently been picked up by AspireTV where it will air on their Urban Indie Film Block for the next 3 years.