1. Bio
–
February
2016
Writer,
Director
and
Producer
Brian
Ackley
studied
film
production
at
Brooklyn
College
where
he
excelled
at
Cinematography
and
Directing
under
the
tutelage
of
Professors
Bill
Hornsby
and
Robert
Tutak,
respectively.
In
addition
to
his
credited
roles
on
various
student
projects
as
Director
of
Photography,
Gaffer,
Grip,
Actor,
Prop
Master,
Co-­‐Writer,
Script
Supervisor,
Producer,
and
Production
Assistant,
Brian
has
written,
directed,
edited,
produced
and
acted
in
several
short
films
of
his
own;
most
notably,
the
pre-­‐Faculty
Selected
crime-­‐fiction-­‐comedy,
Hostage
Person,
and
the
Faculty
Selected
feminist-­‐inspired
melodrama,
La
Fleure
Sans
Vie.
Brian
became
a
video
instructor
for
an
after
school
program
in
Far
Rockaway,
NY
where
he
developed
lesson
plans
in
screenwriting,
editing
and
video
production
for
grades
K-­‐5.
Brian
also
wrote,
produced,
directed,
and
edited
a
number
of
short
subject
videos
starring
elementary
students
for
the
program.
In
2008,
Brian
made
his
feature
film
acting
debut
in
2008's
Cookies
&
Cream,
directed
by
Princeton
Holt,
which
Brian
also
produced
with
One
Way
or
Another
Productions.
Later
that
year
Brian
directed
his
first
feature,
the
award-­‐winning,
critically
acclaimed
Uptown,
which
he
co-­‐wrote
and
also
produced.
During
this
time
Brian
free-­‐lanced
as
a
videographer
and
editor
for
Sing
2
School
and
joined
PFI
Media,
a
NYC-­‐based
media
and
production
company
specializing
in
sports
entertainment
and
commercial
marketing,
as
a
writer
and
creative
consultant.
In
2010,
Brian
co-­‐produced
and
assisted
editing
on
the
award-­‐winning
One
Way
short,
Miranda.
Also
that
year,
Brian
teamed
with
the
NYC-­‐based
non-­‐profit
Windows
of
Opportunity
–
WOO
Films
to
produce
the
short
documentary,
Rethinking
Beauty.
Brian
remained
with
WOO
Films
becoming
its
first
Program
Director,
responsible
for
overseeing
media
projects
that
celebrate
youth
empowerment.
For
the
proceeding
three
years
he
produced
their
annual
awards
show,
which
is
a
fundraiser
that
showcases
films
that
bring
awareness
to
youth
issues
in
a
positive
way.
Brian
wrote,
directed,
starred
in
ad
produced
with
WOO
Films
the
short
film,
Rendering
Hogs,
a
reworking
of
the
opening
scene
of
Reservoir
Dogs
where
the
characters
discuss
bullying
instead
of
tipping.
2010
was
the
year
Brian
moved
to
St.
Louis
to
be
with
his
future
wife,
Karen.
He
found
employment
with
the
Webster
Groves
School
District
as
an
after
school
facilitator.
Over
the
next
several
years,
Brian
would
substantially
help
to
elevate
the
Adventure
Club
program
by
developing
and
facilitating
a
wide
variety
of
events
and
activities.
In
addition
to
encouraging
youth
empowerment
through
student-­‐led
classes,
Brian
offered
lessons
in
Video
Production,
Film
Theory,
Improv,
Journalism,
Sketch
Comedy,
Photography,
and
Computer
Science.
Brian
and
another
associate
led
a
team
of
students
to
self-­‐publish
the
paperback,
How
To
Create
Comic
Book
Characters—a
district
first.
Brian
also
conceived
and
ran
the
first
district
e-­‐
Magazine,
designed
to
share
pictures,
video
and
stories
of
Adventure
Club’s
many
activities,
events
and
field
trips.
Brian
received
two
grant
awards
through
the
district
for
proposals
that
he
wrote:
$4000
for
Empowering
Young
Filmmakers,
a
program
that
gave
students
the
opportunity
to
make
short
films
about
social
issues,

2. (which
culminated
in
a
kid-­‐hosted
award-­‐show
style
showcase)
and
$900
for
Jr.
Journalism:
Broadcast
News,
where
students
research,
write,
and
report
on
news
from
the
district.
While
in
the
district,
Brian
took
to
volunteering
for
the
annual
“Avery
Play,”
a
67-­‐
year
tradition
that
raises
money
for
the
Avery
Elementary
PTO.
Brian
wrote
and
directed
three
full-­‐length
comedies
for
the
organization,
and
performed
in
two.
During
this
time,
with
the
purchase
of
a
Panasonic
prosumer
camera,
Brian
and
his
wife
began
offering
freelance
video
and
editing
services,
mostly
capturing
staged
plays
with
high
quality
sound.
In
2014,
Brian
completed
his
second
feature
film
as
a
writer/director,
the
science
fiction
drama
Alienated,
starring
Taylor
Negron,
George
Katt
and
Jen
Burry.
It’s
gone
on
to
win
several
acting,
directing
and
technical
awards,
even
being
picked
up
for
distribution
by
Gravitas
Ventures
(VOD)
and
Maverick
Entertainment
(DVD),
with
an
expected
release
in
late
March
of
2016.
Brian
is
currently
shopping
around
a
play
adaptation
of
the
screenplay.
As
the
head
of
Development
at
One
Way
or
Another
Productions,
he
looks
at
every
significant
piece
of
material
that
his
company
considers
producing.
He
helps
shape
the
material
if
it’s
not
ready
to
be
produced,
and
he
generates
material
specific
for
One
Way’s
needs,
which
is
how
Alienated
was
written.
Brian
is
a
prolific
screenwriter,
having
completed
10
feature
length
screenplays
in
the
6
years
he’s
lived
in
St.
Louis,
some
of
them
commissioned
work.
Brian
lives
in
Florida
now,
with
his
wife
and
dog.
They
are
saving
to
buy
a
camper
in
which
they
will
spend
the
following
few
years
exploring
the
western
United
States,
eventually,
perhaps,
settling
into
some
small,
self-­‐sustainable
hippie
town.