Filmmaker — Professor — Screenwriter

Scott Aaron Hartmann is an award‑winning filmmaker and storyteller whose work in narrative cinema directly fuels his passion as a film production professor. For more than a decade, he has taught and mentored filmmakers across the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, using his own creative practice to model the discipline, curiosity, and collaborative spirit required to bring stories to life.

Scott holds an MFA in Directing from Chapman University and has served in leadership roles at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi, and Paris. His teaching is grounded in the belief that filmmaking is learned through doing—by shaping a story from concept to screen—and he brings that philosophy into every classroom, guiding students through the full creative process with clarity, rigor, and empathy.

An enrolled member of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, Scott is committed to expanding Native and underrepresented voices in film. His award‑winning short films explore themes of identity and community, and his students’ work has earned recognition at festivals worldwide. He continues to develop new creative projects for stage and screen, keeping his artistic practice active so his teaching remains honest, current, and deeply connected to the craft.