MIGUEL PARGA

I’ve been in the business for 25 years.

 

I started while still in college as a teacher’s assistant for the NYU acting program at Tisch.

 

After graduating in 1994 I started working the overnight shift for ABC News, building graphics for them. I spent eight years with ABC and was involved with the production of thousands of hours of live television. I was fortunate enough to cover one of the most dramatic decades in news: The Impeachment of President Clinton, The Millennium, Lady Diana, JFK Jr, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, The 2000 Election, the fall of the Soviet Union and of course, 9/11.

 

For my work on the Millennium Celebration I won an Emmy and a DuPont Award. For the first 100 hours of 9/11 coverage I won a Peabody Award.

 

In 2003 I moved to LA where I started translating commercials for NBC and Telemundo. I’ve produced or directed over 35 spots. Clients include: Pepsi, Canon, Hechts, Fisher Price, Bud Lite, Verizon, Asian World of Martial Arts, The People Choice Awards and others.

 

Josh Oppenheimer (Sahara & A Sound of Thunder) gave me my first job as a feature writer in LA. I wrote a romantic comedy for him and had scripts optioned by Julia Pierrepont and Rodney Wilson. I’ve written or have worked on over 20 feature length scrips.

 

In 2007 I moved back to New York and started teaching at the New York Film Academy. I teach acting, directing, writing and editing. I was also the director for the Summer Programs at Harvard in 2010-12 and Mumbai India 2011.

 

I’ve directed 21 short films. Some of them have been in festivals all over the US.

 

My first novel Blood Laws was published in 2013 by Anaphora Literary Press. It is now available on Kindle and the iBook Store.

 

A new book on Filmmaking: 10 LESSONS THEY WON'T TEACH YOU IN FILM SCHOOL is forthcoming in 2017.

 

I’m a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild and Actors Equity Association.

 

I’m also a martial artist with two black belts and 30 years of experience. I was National Kung Fu Champion in 2001.