A native San Franciscan, Erika Birdsley is a screenwriter, actress, novelist, and filmmaker.
 
Erika is a filmmaker member of the San Francisco Film Society as well as a member of the California Writer’s Group in Marin.  
 
EDUCATION
Erika holds a JD from Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, where her coursework emphasized criminal trial advocacy. She also holds a B.A. in clinical psychology as well as a minor in Social Science from San Jose State University in California.
 
Additionally, in the Pacific Northwest she was employed as a public defender where she successfully defended both adult and juvenile clients in jury trials as well as criminal appeals and then briefly had a private criminal defense practice of her own, when she decided to dedicate her time to filmmaking and writing.
 
Erika’s screenwriting studies were conducted under the following:

• Richard Walter, the Screenwriting Faculty Chairman in the Department of Film and Television at UCLA
  

• James Dallesandro, screenwriter and bay area author of the novel 1906
  

• San Jose State University, Department of Radio, Television and Film
  

Erika’s acting studies were conducted under the following:

• Billie Shepard, All in One Training, San Jose Repertory Theatre, San Jose, California
  

• West Valley College, Theatrical Department, Saratoga, California
  

• John Robert Powers, Modeling and Finishing School, San Jose, California
  
  

Erika’s acting experience is as follows:

• CORPORATE FILM: Acuson Corporation, Principal actress (physician)
  

• DRAMATIC EXPERIENCE: The Days of Wine and Roses, Directed by Jim Smith
  

• COMMERCIALS: TCI Cablevision, Computer Training Academy, and Marin IPA
  

Erika’s filmmaking studies were conducted under the following:

• San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking
  

• Film Arts Foundation, San Francisco, California (now merged with the San Francisco Film Society)

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