About
Colleen McGregor (née O'Halloran) holds an MFA in film production from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and a BA in writing from Georgetown University. She is a director and writer with a deep passion for human rights, strong diverse characters, and the aesthetic world of film, which she believes transports the viewer into grasping the intangible truths of the story.
She is the Founder of The Greenprint, a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to use education and game platforms to co-create our futures. The Greenprint has created a virtual game to transform how communities tackle global challenges. This virtual planning and organizing tool gives real people in real communities with real land the power to envision and co-create sustainable and equitable neighborhoods. The Greenprint was selected in the global cohort of five projects by the Co-Creation Studio at MIT Open Doc Lab for WORLDING 2023, a leading research and development incubator. It explores an emergent field of climate futures with interdisciplinary teams made up of storytellers, land use planners, and creative technologists who use speculative modeling and game engine technologies. Colleen also spoke on the panel: Expanding Human Connection Through Art & Technology at NYU's 2023 New Now Summit. She is also producing and writing a docuseries, 'Land Games' about land rights issues, food sovereignty, and who has the power to create our shared futures.
Alongside her film and media projects, Colleen is a Professor of documentary and digital film production at Fullerton College. Formerly, she was the lead creative producer for 'World in a Cell/Inner Space' an immersive art-science research project at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts World Building Media Lab led by renowned world-builder and production designer Alex McDowell and in collaboration with The Bridge Institute.
In 2021, she directed several video series with major athletes (Ibtihaj Muhammad, Chiney Ogumike, and Liz Cambage) for Togethxr a brand and media site that elevates women's voices and tells their stories co-founded by Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird. She also recently directed a short documentary, ‘Pump Life’ about the challenges three working mothers face breast pumping at their workplace and the transformations they underwent in early motherhood. In 2018, she co-produced 'Target Zero,' a documentary series that shows the challenge and emotional complexity of the fight to control HIV infection. It features real-life patient stories, state-of-the-art molecular animations, and interviews with medical professionals and scientists.
In 2008, Colleen directed, produced, shot, and edited a feature documentary called, ‘From the Mouthpiece on Back,’ about a teenage brass band from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The film is narrated by award-winning actress Kerry Washington and premiered at AFI Dallas, Frame Documentary Festival, and NOLA Human Rights Film Festival.
She also co-wrote the feature, “The Mad Whale’, for USC’s collaboration with Elysium Bandini Studios starring Summer Phoenix, Camilla Belle, Dominic Rains, and James Franco streaming on Apple TV, Peacock and Amazon. Colleen is currently looking for producing partners and funding for her first independent feature, a teen dramedy: Gothland. Her USC thesis is a second completed feature-length script, 'No Ordinary Love' which is currently available for option.
Colleen’s directing and storytelling is deeply influenced by her love of art. She has worked as a production designer/art director on two features: ‘Love Wild - A Mary Pickford Manifesto’ and ‘The Mad Whale’. She production designed the Vogue Short, 'Australian Psycho' with actress and Covergirl Margot Robbie. She designed two award-winning shorts that are currently in the film festival circuit: ‘Only Light’ and ‘Somewhere the King’. Colleen also production-designed two Sloan Projects: ‘Spark’ and ‘True Colors’. ‘Spark’ went on to air on HBO. She also won the honor of 'Best Production Designer' at USC’s First Film Festival.