Professional Directions: Film and TV Event Series
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Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, 220, Tompkins
Join PMA for a series of four Professional Directions events, on October 8, October 15, November 5, and November 12, from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, in Room 220, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Guest speakers will join virtually on Zoom and will include film and television editor Luke Pebler, documentarian and television director Rachel Raimist, Ph.D., casting director Henry Russell Bergstein '98, and television critic Maureen "Mo" Ryan. Free and open to the public. No registration required. -- Professional Directions with Luke Pebler: Conversations with a Working Editor of ABC's High Potential and Where'd You Go, Bernadette Thursday, October 8, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm, Room 220 Join us for a conversation with film and television editor Luke Pebler as he tells us how he got his start and offers advice and stories for those interesting in breaking into the creative parts of Hollywood. Luke Pebler grew up in Wisconsin and studied at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, where he discovered a passion for film editing. After almost a decade working in Hollywood series television, he relocated to Texas in 2015, where he has expanded into the independent feature and documentary worlds. His credits included ABC's High Potential and multiple Richard Linklater films. He lives in Austin with his wife and cat. -- Professional Directions with Rachel Raimist, Ph.D.: Journeywoman Tales Inside and Out of Hollywood from a TV Director with a Ph.D. Thursday, October 15, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Room 220 Rachel Raimist, Ph.D. is a tenured professor, a documentarian, a television director and so much more. Join us for a conversation with Dr. Raimist as she shares how she got her start, reconnected with Hollywood after working in academia for nearly a decade, and becoming a lauded advocate for women in her industry. Dr. Rachel Raimist is the Morgan Woodward Endowed Distinguished Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. A trailblazing television director whose work centers on smart women, messy families and the magical reality of adolescence, Dr. Raimist's credits span drama, comedy, action, musicals, science fiction and fantasy. She has brought her distinctive voice to series including Elsbeth (CBS), Bel-Air (Peacock), The Spiderwick Chronicles (Roku), Sex Life (Netflix) and Wu-Tang: An American Saga (Hulu), among others. At the Directors Guild of America (DGA), Dr. Raimist made history as the first woman appointed Co-Chair of the Special Projects Committee. A passionate advocate for equity and representation, she co-founded the DGA’s annual Women’s Day and leads initiatives spotlighting groundbreaking, diverse directors. Raimist's origin story as a filmmaker is shared in the award-winning documentary TEENAGE WASTELAND which streams on Netflix. Dr. Raimist has taught for Sundance, Netflix, African Creative Television, Tyler Perry Studios and the Latino Film Institute. She serves on the Advisory Board of Kōawa Studios at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. She has taught filmmaking, feminism and storytelling at more than 30 colleges and universities and has filmed and taught in more than 20 countries. -- Professional Directions with Henry Russell Bergstein '98: Finding Types: The Work of Casting Directors Thursday, November 5, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Room 220 Join us for a conversation with casting director and Cornell alum Henry Russell Bergstein ‘98 as he shares his story of breaking into the business of casting as he continuously navigates the ebbs and flows of a volatile Hollywood. During our time together, Bergstein will also offer advice for aspiring media makers, actors, and casting directors-in-training. Henry Russell Bergstein is an Emmy-nominated and Artios Award-winning bicoastal casting director who proudly shares an Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award with long-time casting partner, Allison Estrin. As an independent casting director, Bergstein worked on series including HBO Max’s The Other Two, HBO’s Succession, Netflix’s Inventing Ann