Biography
Television Academy member Danielle Stallings is a prolific filmmaker and educator who's directly supervised the production of over 800 short films. She currently serves as residential faculty at the Scottsdale School of Film+Theatre. Her work in Hollywood bridges the gap between creative production and industry infrastructure, having held managerial positions in legal and business affairs at SAG/AFTRA, Turner Networks, Sony Pictures Television, and two elite entertainment law firms. She also sat on the AMPTP legal committee for four years as liaison for TNT/TBS.
Stallings’ directorial achievements include the 35mm short Haunted Planet, which won numerous awards and laurels worldwide and held its world premiere at the Seattle Cinerama for the Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival (a collaboration between SIFF and MoPOP). Her earlier 16mm short, Porn Queen of the '70s, was honored by the DGA. Stallings' expertise is backed by an MFA in Film Production from Loyola Marymount University, studying under the mentorship of Warren Sherlock, as well as a professional apprenticeship with Stephen Book (teaching partner of Viola Spolin). She's also the creator/producer of the Two Hour Film Challenge™ and a graduate of the Second City (Chicago) writing program, the Second City Conservatory (LA), and the Westside Comedy Theater’s improv program.
Professor Stallings' career began on the stage, gaining a broad foundation in the arts from a young age. At 15, she danced en pointe with Ballet Pacifica and both performed and worked technical theater at the Laguna Moulton Playhouse. By 17, she was performing Holst’s The Planets as part of the UCI Wind Ensemble, and at 19, she joined Actors’ Equity, performing Off-Broadway in a Shakespeare adaptation.
This early immersion led to a BFA in Acting from USC, where she studied under W. Duncan Ross (formerly of the Old Vic) and Herbert Shore (formerly of the Berliner Ensemble). Stallings’ diverse performance credits range from an onscreen scene with Diane Keaton and the European premiere of Chicago as June; to playing Airie in the bluegrass musical The Robber Bridegroom; the lead role of Mrs. Markham in the British farce Move Over Mrs. Markham; and midnight performances of Dracula in Edinburgh with the legendary John Blankenchip. Whether behind the camera or on the stage, her career remains rooted in the rigorous technical and creative discipline she began cultivating as a teenager.
Professional Memberships: The Television Academy (TV Executives Peer Group); Actors Equity Association; Alliance of Women Directors.