Scott Essman

Biography

Scott Essman is the Creative Director of Visionary Media, A Multimedia Organization first
created in New York in 1988 and reformed in Los Angeles in 1995. He has taught mass
media, filmmaking, screenwriting, directing, and digital video editing at the University of La
Verne, The Art Institute of California, California Polytechnic State University, Pomona,
Santiago Canyon College, and Bradley University for their ‘Hollywood Semester.’ Mr.
Essman has been writing and producing projects about motion picture craftsmanship and
Hollywood history since the 1980s. In 1996, he created his first special live event, a tribute
to the greatest living makeup artist of his time, Dick Smith. He is also the creator of many
subsequent tributes programs such as tributes to: John Chambers and Planet of the Apes;
The Wizard of Oz in concert with Warner Bros Studios; Jack Pierce—The Man Behind The
Monsters, concerning Universal Pictures’ monster maker; silent film star Lon Chaney at
Universal Studios' CityWalk; and the Westmores of Hollywood at the first Monsterpalooza
convention. Since 2002, he has also created numerous DVD documentaries and video
interviews for Universal Studios Home Entertainment, including featurettes for Van Helsing,
Dawn of the Dead, and The Chronicles of Riddick. He also published seven issues of Directed
By Magazine which highlighted feature film directors and their craft. In 2008, Mr. Essman
won a Rondo Award for Best Feature Film Commentary for his work on the Legacy Set of
Universal Studios Home Entertainment's The Mummy (1932 version). Working for the
American Cinema Editors, Below the Line News, MovieMaker, Cinefex, Variety, The Los
Angeles Times, and many other print outlets and websites, Mr. Essman has also published
over 1200 articles about people who work behind-the-scenes in movies. Mr. Essman wrote
and directed the narrative short film Ten Men on the Field in spring 2011, which was
selected for screening at The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York for
its baseball film festival. Next, he directed the short film Potluck in summer and fall 2011.
In winter 2012, he wrote and directed the short Trane and Miles which was completed in
2013 and played at several short film festivals, winning an award of merit at the Best Shorts
Competition and the audience choice award at the 909 Film Festival. Since that time, Mr.
Essman has hosted the appearances of dozens of Hollywood filmmakers, including Adam
Rifkin, Fred Dekker, Mark Verheiden, David Franzoni, Richard Donner and many more at a
variety of universities plus events including 2013’s Pitchfest and conventions, including
Monsterpalooza and the ShowBiz Expo. Mr. Essman is now planning his first feature film.