Dr. Rachel Raimist is a trailblazing television director and tenured professor of directing whose work centers on smart women, messy families and the magical reality of adolescence. Her directing credits span drama, comedy, action, musicals, science fiction and fantasy. She has brought her distinctive voice to series including Elsbeth (CBS), Bel-Air (Peacock), The Spiderwick Chronicles (Roku), Sex Life (Netflix) and Wu-Tang: An American Saga (Hulu), among others.
At the Directors Guild of America (DGA), Raimist made history as the first woman appointed Co-Chair of the Special Projects Committee by President Lesli Linka Glatter. She has also served as Alternate Co-Chair of the Women’s Steering Committee, Co-Chair of the Disability Committee and Alt. Co-Chair of the Latino Committee. A passionate advocate for equity and representation, Raimist co-founded the DGA’s annual Women’s Day and leads initiatives spotlighting groundbreaking, diverse directors. She continues to champion inclusive storytelling both on screen and behind the camera.
Raimist is the Morgan Woodward Endowed Distinguished Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. She also has taught for Sundance, Netflix, African Creative Television, Tyler Perry Studios, the Latino Film Institute and many colleges and universities. She serves on the Advisory Board of Kōawa Studios at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. She has taught filmmaking, feminism and storytelling at more than 30 colleges and universities and has filmed and taught in more than 20 countries.
Rachel earned her PHD in the Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies at the University of Minnesota where in 2010 the Rachel Raimist Feminist Media Center was named in her honor.
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