Hester Schell

Hester is the author of CASTING REVALED: A Guide for Film Directors, from Michael Wiese Productions, the world leader in DIY film guide books. She is a SAG and AFTRA member with nearly 30 years experience working in theatre, film, television, voice over, commercial and industrial markets, from acting to writing to producing. She's worked on high budget A list Hollywood features and low budget non-union independents. She's also worked as an art director and script supervisor. She completed a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing and worked as a college professor until 2001, finding that higher education can be an oxymoron in the California community college system, but that's another lifetime.

Most recently, Hester directed a staged reading of her short film COLONY COLLPASE at the 1st San Francisco Green Film Festival. Her comedy short, JUST UNDER A MILLION premiered at the Beverly Hills Hi-Definition Festival in December 2007. She participated in the 2008 San Francisco 48 Hour Film Festival as producer and director on STUNT HUSBAND. I 2009, she performed the role of the doctor in Liam Creigton's JULIE, JULIE which won the audience award for best short at the Rochester International Film Festival. JULIE JULIE also played the Boston International Film Festival. She can be seen on TV every holiday season in IT NEARLY WASN'T CHRISTMAS starring Charles Durning as Santa, and as Yvonne in NORA'S CHRISTMAS GIFT.

Before joining the faculty at Film Acting Bay Area, Hester taught for the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking and was adjunct faculty at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California. Prior teaching engagements include tenured professor of theatre and director of the theatre department at de Anza College in Cupertino, California, teaching Acting, Camera Acting, Intro. to Theatre, Actors' Ensemble and producing the college productions, including a year running the Foothill Conservatory at Foothill College, in the same district. She produced and directed the live comedy broadcast, A LAUGHING MATTER for De Anza Television.

Favorite milestones of her academic career include participating in the International Children's Theatre Festival in Moscow, Russia in 1990, and teaching theatre at the University of London during fall semester 2000.

In 2003, Hester finished her first documentary, BLANKETS FOR AFGHANISTAN for the American Friends Service Committee, and secured distribution through FREE SPEECH TV on the DISH Satellite Network. She directed, produced, co-wrote and edited this 20 minute documentary. Other film credits include Kari Nevil's Your Guardian, starring Irene Bedard; assistant director on Robert Pickett's A Divine Madness, based on Chekov's A Cherry Orchard.

Professional stage directing credits include: Harold Pinter's BETRAYAL for Coelacanth Theatricals' debut production; OEDIPUS REX for the Annual Utah Greek Theatre Festival; Noel Coward's BLITHE SPIRIT; Jane Chamber's MY BLUE HEAVEN,for the Portland Women's Theatre Collective.

Miss Schell won acting awards for the Oregon premieres of Sam Shepard's BURIED CHILD, J.F. Noonan's A COUPLE WHITE CHICKS SITTIN' AROUND TALKING, and Alan Ayckbourn's RELATIVELY SPEAKING.

Hester completed the Master of Fine Arts degree in directing from the University of Utah; Bachelor of Arts in Theatre at Portland (OR) State University; Associate of Arts at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, and completed conservatory training from the Trinity Square Repertory Conservatory in Providence, Rhode Island.

Hester works in both Boston area and San Francisco, where she continues on as CEO and publisher of the Internet service magazine, Bay Area Casting News.

Hester is listed at IMDb and at LinkedIN.com