This fall, we have some fresh faces in the School of TFMA, so we wanted to give you a formal introduction to the incredible faculty joining us this year!

NEW THEATER FACULTY: 

Shannon Murphy 

Shannon Murphy is a dance artist/educator. She received her MFA in Dance from University of the Arts and is one of 10 English-speaking faculty for the Franklin Method Institute, specializing in Franklin Method for dance. Her choreographies span contemporary concert dance, musical theater, improvisational scores, and performance art. She joined Temple University in the fall of 2021 as an adjunct professor, and is now serving as an assistant professor!  

She teaches in many places, including Drexel University, Stockton University, and UArts, where she is the Curricular Head of Body Pathways, developing programs to reduce injury and support healing for dancers. Through practice and performance she creates invitations for gathering practicing complexity, differentiation, and resilience.  

NEW FILM AND MEDIA ARTS FACULTY

Micah Magee 

Active in pirate radio and print journalism, Micah took a Fulbright journalism fellowship to Berlin in 2001, where she studied film directing at the national German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB). Her first feature, "Petting Zoo", produced with the support of the NYFA, NYSCA, MBB and The Austin Film Society, premiered at the Berlinale in 2015 and won over ten international awards. When asked what brought her to Temple, she said, "The students! Having taught all over the world, I can say that the diversity, tenacity and passion of Temple students is absolutely exceptional." She mainly teaches narrative filmmaking, and is focusing this semester on mise-en-scene. 

Todd Chandler 

Todd Chandler is a filmmaker, artist, and educator whose work explores American rituals, landscapes, and systems of power. His work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, Field of Vision, International Documentary Association, Doc Society, and ITVS, among others. He was one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, a fellow at the Sundance Non-Fiction Director’s Residency, and a Points North Fellow. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Creative Capital award, and the Hot Docs International Emerging Filmmaker award. At Temple, he's teaching Editing Film and Video and Advanced Editing / Digital Post-Production.  

"I’ve been familiar with the Department of Film and Media Arts for a while." He told us, "the student and faculty work coming out of the program is world class. It’s a supportive community of makers and thinkers— which is exactly where I want to be. And as a documentary filmmaker, I’m excited about the growing doc scene in Philly." 

Jennifer Schneider 

Jen Schneider is a writer, director, and cinematographer whose visual work has screened at such venues as Cannes, Sundance, and Cameraimage. Jen received her MFA from Temple, and is back teaching Lighting for Film & Video, Filmmaking, and a Cinematography Master Class. A longtime member of the International Camera Guild Local 600, she was honored with their “Emerging Cinematographer Award” in 2017. "The department has changed quite a bit!" She noted, "the concentrations seem like a game-changer. I'm excited to get started and work with the students." 

We're so excited to have this talented group of artists and professionals join our faculty and share what they know with our students. Be on the lookout for what they teach next!