Matt Miller is a Chicago based director specializing in performance driven narratives and comedy.

Collaborating with the sketch group The Katydids, he co-created and directed the hit web series Teachers which was distributed by The Onion and then picked up as a TV series by TV Land in 2015. The show ran for three seasons and Matt served as executive producer on the sitcom.

A teacher by training, Matt created and led an exclusive characters and impressions workshop in Chicago for many years with the aim of helping Chicago improvisers better prepare for SNL auditions. Notable graduates include Vanessa Bayer, Katie Rich, Alex Moffat, Paul Brittain, and Cecily Strong. He continues to teach on-camera workshops at schools and colleges across the country.

As a commercial director, his recent credits include work for The Hartford, America’s Best Eyeglasses, Crest, Hyundai, Eggo, and Lowe’s. In 2023, his spot for Crumbl Cookies featuring legendary announcer Michael Buffer won a National Gold Addy Award.

An accomplished theatre director as well, Matt’s credits include work with Steppenwolf, Second City Theatricals, Lifeline Theatre, Mary Arrchie Theatre, Playmakers Lab, and The Irish Theatre of Chicago where his 2014 production of The Seafarer won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Ensemble and also garnered him a Best Director nomination.

Matt began his career as a casting director in Chicago; his notable film and TV casting credits include The Weatherman, The Amityville Horror, The Ice Harvest, Stranger Than Fiction, The Wise Kids, The Wire, and Public Enemies.

Stalk him appropriately at mattmillerdirect.com.

Dawn Gray is president of Gray Talent Group, founded in 2008, with offices in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. The mission of Gray Talent Group is to develop actors and take them to the next level of their career. Consequently, Gray actors can be seen nightly on networks and streaming services. There are currently Gray Talent Actors on Broadway, and on the silver screen.

Before becoming an agent, Gray produced the film Stray Dogs. Her other entrepreneurial venture was MOMents, a resource for working mothers. As part of MOMents, Gray produced a radio segment for WMAQ radio, wrote a column for the Chicago Tribune, created a monthly newsletter, ran support groups and gave talks on balancing work and family.

A graduate of Northwestern University, her first job out of college was working in the media as a writer/producer. Later she transitioned into public relations and held management positions at major agencies. Dawn is delighted to pursue her passion of helping actors find success in this wonderful, wacky business.

Rachael Patterson, Director of Acting Studio Chicago since 1995, taught audition technique for film and commercials for thirty-one years. Formerly a partner in Brody/Patterson Casting, she cast numerous films, television pilots, and commercials.

Rachael attended the University of Notre Dame, where she majored in Theatre and Economics. She received her professional actor training at The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. Rachael worked professionally in theatre in the San Francisco Bay Area and at the Denver Center Theatre Company. 

At Acting Studio Chicago, Rachael specializes in teaching on-camera technique for theatrically trained actors. Using the 12 Guideposts delineated by Michael Shurtleff, Rachael emphasizes personalization, relationship, and action in her work. She works to give her students the script analysis skills for film, television, and commercials so that they learn how to work truthfully and with specificity.