BETHANY ROONEY began her directing career on the 1980s iconic television show, St. Elsewhere, where she served as Associate Producer. She has directed more than 150 episodes of prime-time network shows, including Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Castle, and Private Practice. For cable television, she has directed In Plain Sight, Weeds, and Drop Dead Diva.
Bethany has also directed eight television movies, including three Danielle Steel adaptations for NBC. She has directed Oscar winners and contenders Denzel Washington, Hilary Swank, Mary Tyler Moore, Angela Bassett, George Clooney, Alfre Woodard, Felicity Huffman, Sally Field, and Robert Downey, Jr., among many others.
Bethany graduated from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, earning a masters’ degree. She has taught directing at UCLA Extension as well as numerous acting workshops in the Los Angeles area, most recently through Steppenwolf Theatre West. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and has served on several committees for the Directors Guild of America.
MARY LOU BELLI is an Emmy Award–winning producer, writer, and director with more than 100 episodes of television to her credit. Most recently, she directed Monk, starring Emmy Award–winner Tony Shalhoub and The Wizards of Waverly Place on the Disney Channel. On the CW, Mary Lou directed the hit show Girlfriends for seven consecutive seasons as well as its spin-off The Game.
Mary Lou directed Living with Fran starring Fran Drescher, Misconceptions starring Jane Leeves, and Eve starring hip-hop artist Eve, as well as The Hughleys, Charles in Charge, Major Dad, and Sister, Sister. Mary Lou received BET nominations for directing Girlfriends and One on One as well as a Prism Award for Girlfriends.
Mary Lou earned her BA in theatre from Penn State and lectures frequently throughout film school and universities such as the American Film Institute, NYU, Northwestern, the University of Connecticut, and many more.
She is the coauthor of two additional books: The Sitcom Career Book and Acting for Young Actors and has been a panelist for Women in Film, the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.