Mary McDermott

Biography

A seasoned teacher of film, Mary is thrilled to be part of DeSales’ vibrant TV/film community, working with students and colleagues who inspire her every day. She is also delighted to be faculty advisor to the DeSales University Film Festival (DUFF).

Recently, Mary co-launched “The SoPA Pod,” a collaboration among faculty members of DeSales University's School of Performing Arts. Mary’s work has screened and placed in multiple festivals. Her feature-length MFA thesis script was a top ten finalist in the Slamdance Screenplay Competition. She co-wrote the documentary "What Will Become of Us" (Ayanian and Myers), which has aired on PBS stations and in film festivals, as well as the documentary "Whatever Dreams They Had" (Ayanian and Myers), streaming on PBS and winner of an L.A. Press Club SoCal Journalism Award. Her latest feature fiction script has placed in WeSecreenplay Feature Lab, BlueCat Screenplay Competition, Filmmatic Inroads Competition, and Austin Film Festival.

Mary holds a BA in History from Villanova University, an MFA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University, and an MA in English from West Chester University. As part of her PhD dissertation on filmmaking, editing, and narrative in Clemson University’s Rhetoric, Communications, and Information Design program (RCID), Mary is working on a semi-autobiographical interactive short, “Focal Aware.”