USC - MISC TEAM
MICHAEL TAYLOR
Michael Taylor is a veteran film producer and studio executive in the media and entertainment industry and served as Chair of film and Television Production at USC’s School of cinematic Arts for ten years. Currently he serves as Executive Director of USC’s Media Institute for Social Change and maintains an active career as a Producer of theatrical and television films within the studio system and the independent film arena.
Mr. Taylor’s credits include Last Embrace, Bottle Rocket, Phenomenon, The Hi-Line, Instinct, The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper, Mrs. Munck, Princess of Thieves, Phenomenon II, The Commuters, and Copying Beethoven.
Among other honors, Taylor is the recipient of an Emmy Award, the National Board of Review Award, the Fourteenth Annual Genesis Award for Outstanding Feature Film, the Santa Clarita International Film Award for best Tele-Feature, the Variety/EDI $100 Million Award and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Executive Director and Founder, USC Media Institute for Social Change at USC School of Cinematic Arts
mjtaylor@usc.edu
PABLO FRASCONI
Pablo Frasconi is an independent filmmaker and Professor of Practice at the USC School of Cinematic Arts where he is Director of Graduate Production and teaches Editing, Creating Poetic Cinema, and Nature, Design, and Media. He has worked with the Poetry Foundation and the Motion Poems Project to mentor student adaptations of poetry; taught the USC-YouTube Creator Institute; presented Annenberg seminars in Transmedia and Political Engagement; Mindfulness, Meditation, in the Creative Process; and, Outrage and Empathy in Creating Media. He has worked with the American Civil Liberties Union; Asia Society; and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
His work has been featured on national PBS broadcasts; at MoMA, NYC; SFMOMA; the Dia Art Foundation; and Beyond Baroque, Los Angeles; in The New York Times, Filmmaker Magazine, and Wired Magazine. He recently published Creating Experimental Documentary Films: Theory and Practice Beyond Convention (Routledge, 2025), and is co-author of Handbook of Using Virtual Exchange Across Disciplines: Building Global Citizens from Home (Springer, 2027).
Director, USC Media Institute for Social Change at USC School of Cinematic Arts
pfrasconi@cinema.usc.edu
Cedric Berry
Cedric Berry is a multitalented artist, University Administrator, and entrepreneur. He is currently serving as the Assistant Chair of the Division of Film and Television at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He balances his role as an educator, his real estate holdings, and his musical performances with a commitment to fostering meaningful social impact through his work.
As an award winning bass-baritone opera singer Cedric has performed with The Los Angeles Opera, The Industry Opera, The Long Beach Opera, The Chicago Opera Theater and internationally at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland and the Banlieues Blues Festival in France. His performances have been featured with renowned orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Pacific Symphony, The Santa Fe Symphony, and The Telemann Chamber Orchestra of Japan. His work as an opera singer has been deeply influenced by social change, notably for the world premiere of the “Central Park Five” which won the Pulitzer Prize in music, and for Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha” which was awarded Best Production of an Opera at the Broadway World Toronto Awards.
EMMA DAVIS WILLIAMS
Emma is an accomplished editor, director, and producer with over 10 years of experience across narrative, documentary, and branded content. She has crafted national ad campaigns for brands including Twilio, Adobe, and The Adventure Challenge. Emma produced and edited the short film Elias, which won the Audience Award at the 2026 USC Asian Pacific Film Festival, and she produced USC’s inaugural capstone documentary series, Still Here Still Queer. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Photography from Drexel University and her photography has been published by platforms such as Photographer’s Forum Best of Photography Annual and The Daily Yonder.
Emma was also a co-host, producer, and editor of Woman Being, a Signal Award-winning post-evangelical podcast told from a feminine perspective. The podcast has garnered over 150,000 plays across platforms and has been featured in the syllabus for Rhetoric 2 at UC Berkeley.
She is based in Los Angeles and pursuing an MFA in Film & Television Production at the University of Southern California. While at USC, she serves as a Student Assistant for the Media Institute for Social Change, where she helped organize the institute's first film festival, a Lead Tech at the Post Production Facilities, and the Student Coordinator for the Industry Mentors Program.
KENDYL POWELL
Kendyl is currently in her third semester of the Film & Television Production MFA program at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, where she focuses on Producing, Directing, and Writing, with a growing interest in cinematography and sound as she continues to expand her creative toolkit..
Originally from Hollywood, Florida, she moved to Los Angeles at age 10 to pursue acting and dance, experiences that continue to inform her approach to performance and storytelling. Kendyl’s work is rooted in character-driven narratives that explore human connection across mediums, including film & performance.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from Emerson College, where she developed a strong foundation in crafting clear, intentional messaging for specific audiences. This background informs her filmmaking, which aims to create emotionally resonant and accessible stories.
Through her work, Kendyl seeks to challenge perspectives and contribute to meaningful cultural conversations, with the goal of creating lasting impact through her storytelling; one film at a time.
JOHN BERARDO
After winning a student Emmy for technical achievement in 2005 for a local public service announcement, John Berardo ventured to California to begin his career as a director. Before starting the Cinema Production MFA program at USC, John graduated Magna Cum Laude from UCLA with a BA in Theatre directing and playwriting.
During his time at USC, John has directed, written, and produced projects for CBS, Disney, Vimeo, Armani, a fresh artist Subway web series, and for various non-profit organizations.
John recently directed Strings, produced by James Franco as part of a feature anthology, and The Labyrinth which released in 2017. After graduating USC, John co-founded the production company, Shatterproof Films, which is currently writing, directing, and producing media content with plans for television and feature development and production. He is currently preparing for the feature film Dembanger, based on USCMISC’s short film he wrote and directed while at USC.
DESA PHILADELPHIA
Desa Philadelphia is a writer, communication strategist, and journalist. She is head writer/editor at The USC School of Cinematic Arts, responsible for producing communication and development materials about the storied institution¹s 90 year history and innovative curriculum.
She began her career at the PBS NewsHour and Time magazine, covering several beats including politics, education policy, business trends and entertainment. She has also provided analysis on politics and entertainment for regional and national television and radio programs, on networks that include NPR, PBS and MSNBC. She is also a founding partner of Language Fish LLC, a communication consulting and translation services firm.
Desa is a graduate of City College of New York (CUNY), where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature; and The University of Southern California, where she earned a Master's in Public Diplomacy. She is the author of 111 Shops in Los Angeles That You Must Not Miss: An exploration of the city’s history and personality through the lens of its retail culture.
Rishi Chitkara
Rishi Chitkara is a writer/director pursuing his MFA in film production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Rishi has developed a deep interest in storytelling and technology. He holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois and has a decade of experience in finance. Most recently he was Vice President at BlackRock, where he led their Digital Assets Lab in New York City.
In addition to his technical background, Rishi studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. His dedication to the craft earned him the Meritorious Achievement in Acting from the State of New York in 2018, and in 2022 his short film, Like Brothers, won him the Best Debut Filmmaker award at the Cuckoo International Film Festival.
Rishi strives to create narrative films that reflect contemporary realities. He thrilled to be the lead SA for MISC and strongly believes in the role of media as a tool for change.