USC - MISC TEAM
MICHAEL TAYLOR
Michael Taylor has 35 years experience in the media and entertainment industry and served as Chair of Film and Television Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts for 10 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
mitaylor@cinema.usc.edu
DJ Johnson
DJ Johnson, MFA, is Associate Professor of Practice in the Division of Media Arts + Practice at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. He is a filmmaker and educator with over twenty years of experience in media education, specializing in media strategies for social change. DJ serves as Associate Director of Critical Media Project, a media education initiative at the intersection of critical pedagogy and critical media literacy.
He is the Curriculum Designer of Imagining Equity, a film and media arts social justice curriculum for high school students. Imagining Equity will be implemented in U.S. high schools nationwide in 2024. DJ has worked with filmmaker and artist communities, educational institutions, and governmental agencies internationally to design media education curricula and implement media production training programs.
Since 2016, DJ has served as a film expert with the American Film Showcase (AFS) — the premier American film diplomacy program of the U.S. State Department. As an AFS expert, DJ has designed and conducted workshops for media communities in Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania, Senegal, Ukraine, and Timor-Leste.
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.
MARK J. SANCHEZ
Mark J. Sanchez is the eldest of three sons and grew up in working class family residing in Southern California with two very loving and hard working first generation Mexican-American parents. Always encouraging of his hyper imagination as a child, Mark decided to apply to the The USC School of Cinematic Arts with their continued support to further cultivate relationships with like minded individuals and explore his artistic background in a collaborative academic space.
He has always had an interest in telling stories that promote social change and is currently Directing a Thesis Documentary at USC about the epidemic of mass shootings in The United States.