Faculty Bios

We proudly offer the bios of our accomplished teachers.

Max Adams has written scripts for Columbia, Sony, Tri-Star, Hollywood Pictures, Touchstone, Walt Disney Studios, and Universal. She is the author of The New Screenwriter’s Survival Guide (Academy of Film Writing). She has served as a WGA west mentor; lectured at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, Film Arts Foundation, and USC; and taught at the University of Utah and the New York Film Academy. She holds a BFA from the University of Utah.

Laura Cahill wrote the play Hysterical Blindness and adapted it into the film of the same name (HBO), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, a Writers Guild Award, and a Primetime Emmy in Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries/Movie/Dramatic Special. She wrote the pilot and six episodes of the TV series Pornopolis for IFC, and has written pilots for HBO, Touchstone, Paramount, and WB. She adapted the screenplays for What Matters Most, The Down Low, and B Mother (all for Lifetime), and wrote the original screenplays Witness Protection (CBS) and Boston Strangler (USA). Her plays include Sondra (Apothecary Theater Company), Mercy (Vineyard Theatre), Jersey Girls Go to the Park (Urban Empire), and The Way and Stalker (both Naked Angels).

Jason Greiff wrote the feature screenplay The Godparents, which was developed with Universal Studios and Marc Platt Productions. He has produced credits in children’s animation in China and Portugal, and has helped develop shows for Disney Asia and China’s largest media company CCTV. His screenplays have won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, the Lew Wasserman Award for Best Comedy, and a national competition sponsored by the Writers Guild of America. He authored the chapter on Tone/Theme in Gotham’s book Writing Movies (Bloomsbury USA). He has taught at NYU. He holds a BA from SUNY Purchase and an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU/Tisch.

Pamela Harris has had TV pilots packaged with 20th Century Fox and others, and served as a staff writer for Life on the Line, a one-hour drama (Oxygen Network). She wrote the feature screenplay Joyville, which was selected for the Writers Lab, a program sponsored by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Oprah Winfrey, and was a finalist for the WGA/FilmNation Fellowship. She directed and co-wrote a short film, En Route, that screened at many festivals including Soho International, Vermont Music and Film, and Adirondack. Pamela is also an award-winning visual artist and has exhibited extensively. She holds a BFA from the Hartford Art School.

Tommy Jenkins wrote the short film "Come Back to the Five and Dime Buster Keaton, Buster Keaton," which won Best Comedy at the Polo Ralph Lauren/New Line Columbia Film Festival, and his short film "Obit" has been screened at several film festivals. He authored a chapter on Plot in Gotham's book Writing Movies (Bloomsbury USA), and he is the author of Movie Trivia Quiz Book and The TV Trivia Book (Barnes & Noble). He is also the author of the graphic novel Drawing the Vote (Abrams ComicArts). He has taught at Columbia University and Louisburg College. He holds a BA from UNC at Chapel Hill and an MFA in Film from Columbia University.

Doug Katz wrote and directed the award-winning feature film Life in the Food Chain and the children’s video series Alphabet Factory, hosted by NY Times best-selling author Garth Stein. He is producing The Fabian Waltz, an original limited series about George Bernard Shaw. He has taught at St. John’s University. He holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MFA in Screenwriting and Directing from Columbia University.

Lisa Namdar Kaufman wrote the animated feature film Baldy Heights (Bleiberg Entertainment/Pitchipoy Productions), and the TV drama In the Prime of Her Life, which aired on Israel’s public broadcasting station. She has written short films that have been shown at festivals around the world, from the Cannes International Film Festival to the Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival. She has served as story editor on the documentary film 8000 Paper Clips and TV shows in development with Sony, ABC, and Happy Madison. She has taught at Columbia University and the New York Independent Film Workshop. She holds a BA from Brown University and an MFA in Film from Columbia University.

C.C. Webster wrote the feature films Blue Ball, PA; Show & Tell; Little Buffalo, selected for the Writers Lab, a program sponsored by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman; and her feature script Missing won the American Scandinavian Society’s Cultural Grant. She wrote and directed the short films “Tracks,” “Easter,” and “Civil War,” which played at more than fifty film festivals worldwide. She directed the short film “Babies” and produced the short film “Junebug and Hurricane.” She is the founder and artistic director of the Drive-In Film Festival. She has taught at Westchester Community College, Brandeis University, Columbia University, and Sarah Lawrence College. She holds a BA from Brandeis University, an MA from University College London, and an MFA in Directing and Screenwriting from Columbia University.

Jeremy Wechter is the writer and director of the feature film e-Demon, and the short films “Shake Things Up,” “Popcorn,” “Skewed,” “Hand Off,” “Big Decisions,” and “Bad Connection.” He has directed numerous commercials, and written and directed numerous plays, including the Off-Broadway musical Little House on the Ferry, and he served as artistic director for Directors ‘n’ Actors Collaborative. He has taught at the New York Film Academy, 3rd Ward Art Center, and the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. He holds a BFA from NYU.

Paul Zimmerman wrote the feature screenplay A Modern Affair (Columbia Tri-Star). He served as screenwriter-in-residence for Tribe Pictures, has written screenplays for JEM Entertainment and Primusfilms, and he authored the chapter on Character in Gotham's book Writing Movies (Bloomsbury USA). His play Pigs and Bugs was originally presented at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Festival, and his one-person play Reno was presented in New York City at the West Bank Cafe among other venues. He has published fiction in Confrontation Magazine. He has taught at Hofstra University and St. John's University. Paul holds a BA from Bennington College and an MFA in Playwriting from Yale.