MENTORS & GUEST SPEAKERS

ROB SPERA has an extensive background in film, television, and theatre. His feature film work includes The Sweet Life, starring Chris Messina and Abigail Spencer. Television credits include episodic work on Supernatural, Criminal Minds, Suspect Behavior, and Army Wives. Mr. Spera’s theatre credits include numerous productions in the United States and abroad. During four seasons as Resident Director at the Tony award-winning Actors Theatre of Louisville, he directed over seventy-five productions.

His play Tracks enjoyed a successful run in Los Angeles, where it was hailed as “Chilling” by Variety, “Haunting long after leaving the theatre” by the Daily News, and “a comic horrific dance of death...In a world somewhere between Samuel Beckett and Full Metal Jacket” by The Los Angeles Times. He is currently on the faculty at the American Film Institute, where he has been instrumental in shaping the directing curriculum for the past twenty years. His published works include Actors Write For Actors, Encore, and the play The Field, which is available at Samuel French and other bookstores. Most recently, his book A Film/TV Director’s Field Manual was released in January 2025.