Star Trek: First Contact

Michael Westmore is a scion of the famed Westmore makeup dynasty dating back to Hollywood’s golden age. Starting in 1917, virtually every major studio’s makeup department was supervised by a member of the Westmore family. Michael’s own career has not been without its rewards; he has been the recipient of a record forty-two Emmy Nominations, and has been gifted with nine statuettes. The Motion Picture Academy has honored him with four nominations and an Oscar® in 1986 for Mask. While supervising makeup on Star Trek, he turned his attention to writing articles and books on cosmetics and their application. Nor has his impact been confined to the US film industry: Michael’s work on Dasavathaaram (dir. K.S. Ravikumar, India, 2008), starring actor Kamal Haasan in ten different roles—each requiring protheses—was celebrated for its highly technical achievements and brilliance. Michael is now penning his biography, which includes an account of the wonderful years he spent with the faces of Elizabeth Taylor, Robert DeNiro, Bette Davis and Sylvester Stallone.

Matthew Ryan is Director of the Pollock Theater, where he pioneered the Pollock Theater Internship, which offers students the opportunity to develop professional production skills through hands-on experience. Ryan created and hosts the Script to Screen series, which has welcomed prestigious guests like writer/director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash), screenwriter Vanessa Taylor (The Shape of Water), writer/producer/director David Mandel (VEEP), actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus (VEEP) and actor Kevin Costner (Hidden Figures).