Faculty and Staff

Milton Riess

Professor of Film Production 

Milton Riess is currently Professor of Film Production at Santa Fe Community College. His 30 years of production experience include Producer, Writer, Director, Lighting Director, Technical Director, Photo Journalist and Actor. He recently moved to Santa Fe from Los Angeles where he worked for NBC/Universal, E! Network, Style Network among other companies. Mostly recently he was creator, writer and executive producer of a pilot for a science fiction TV series, “The Kammler Code.” 

Jessi Walsh

Full time Faculty

Jessi T Walsh teaches Production Design/Art Dept and Video Production courses in the Film Department at SFCC. 

I am an Interdisciplinary Artist who works in visual, sensory/sonic, and earthen artforms. My formative practice encompasses drawing, printmaking, photography, installation, metals, and sculpture, which I studied at Florida State University, earning a BFA in Studio Arts in 1996. Filmmaking, sound art, writing, and performance art more formally emerged while in grad school at Columbia College Chicago in the 2000s. I have exhibited, performed, and screened my work across the US, and in Europe and México. I have been teaching most all realms of artmaking and arts-integrated processes to students K-12, College, and Adult since Y2K. 

My crew and build shop experience in spectacle and puppet theatre led me to working on set for low-budget, no-budget, and award-winning indie films and preposterous B-movies as a one-person Art Dept and Production Designer, specializing in vegan gore, as well as being set photographer. I co-produced a DIY horror-comedie film festival which ran for 9 glorious years in Chicago. When you find amazing collaborators, the path of filmmaking builds itself.

I encourage my students to investigate filmmaking as an interdisciplinary process and an expansive container for all the collective experience they bring with them. Film is a place where everything and everyone belongs; no skill, curiosity, nor experiment is irrelevant. Ask me how I know.

TJ Jones

Thomas Jones (TJ) 

Adjunct Faculty

TJ Jones is a Graduate od the SFCC Film Program and has worked for several years in the Film and Television industry in NM providing Lighting, Electrical and Grip Equipment at MBS Equipment Company, where started as a Warehouse Associate, working his way up to Warehouse Foreman, and finally to Rental Agent.

He also works as a Comedian, Event Promoter, and DJ in Santa Fe.

He has been an Instructor at the SFCC Film School for over 3 Years and Teaches the Film Crew 1 Lab and the Advanced Grip Class.

Scott Milder

Adjunct Faculty

Scott Milder was born and raised in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He began writing at an early age, publishing short fiction in various indie horror magazines while attending college in Alamosa, CO. He graduated in 2000, after which he spent a semester teaching college English and then a year working as a technical writer at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

He went back to school in 2002, where he switched his focus from prose fiction to screenwriting and film production. He has a B.A. in English from Adams State College in Alamosa, CO, as well as a B.A. in Media Arts from the University of New Mexico (2004) and an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from Boston University (2007).

Jason Goodyear 

Adjunct Faculty

Jason Goodyear is a composer, filmsound editor/mixer, recordist, performer, teacher, and Ableton Certified Trainer who has worked with music and sound for over 30 years. He has experience in a variety of fields including film and video, voiceover and podcast, studio recording, music composition and performance, and multimedia art installation and performance.

He has designed and taught classes covering topics such as filmsound, audio production and engineering, audio mixing and mastering, field recording, and the integration of software, streaming content, and hardware control into live performance. He holds a degree in anthropology and this study, particularly the practice of ethnographic interviewing, informs his creative work.

Jon Trujillo

Adjunct Faculty

Jon Trujillo is an audio engineer, teacher, and drummer with over 30 years of experience in music. He has worked on music, film, and theater projects for Netflix, Tyler Mane, Dad's Garage, Meow Wolf, Chik-fil-A, Deloitte, Michael Tilson Thomas, New World Symphony, Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, stephaniesǐd, O'Brother, ot~un~et~ir, Grant Green Jr., Bernard Purdie, Toubab Krewe, Morris Pleasure, Florida Georgia Line, CNN, Zaphica, Clap the Houses Dark, as well as many others. 

After spending 10 years working in studios in Atlanta, GA, he is glad to be back in his hometown in Santa Fe. Jon is excited to teach and share his experiential knowledge with students at SFCC.

Melanie Faye Harris

Adjunct Faculty

Motion Pictures & Television | MA

As a multidisciplinary artist, Melanie is a storyteller at heart. Between her love of directing, acting, or exploring her inner life by gluing tiny words onto photographs, Melanie is a firm believer that stories carry emotional weight and reveal hidden truths about ourselves.

With over ten years experience, Melanie has worked on various feature films and reality television shows, such as HGTV’s Fixer Upper. While living in Santa Fe, she also filmed and produced various content for Meow Wolf's Las Vegas exhibition called Omega Mart. 

Melanie's commitment to fostering a love for storytelling and cinematic expression knows no bounds. Whether guiding aspiring filmmakers in college or inspiring the imaginations of middle school students, she shares her expertise with passion and dedication, shaping the storytellers of tomorrow at every stage of their journey.

Melanie’s work has been published in Wild Roof Journal.

Morse Bicknell 

Adjunct Faculty

Morse Bicknell has worked in the film and television industry for many years, and has taught classes in acting, directing, and film studies at private schools and at the university level. He has an MFA in Filmmaking and Producing and a BA in Theater, as well as a BA in Philosophy/English.

Morse is a working actor and member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity, with several dozen film and television credits. His writing and directing work has been selected for film festivals in the US and abroad, and he is currently developing a feature film to be shot in New Mexico. When not involved in filmmaking, Morse works extensively as a professional musician.