Nicole Riegel-Cobb joined the faculty of Kenyon College in 2026 and teaches in the Department of Film. She is the writer/director of the critically acclaimed feature films "Holler" and "Dandelion," and her work focuses on systems of class. Both had nationwide theatrical releases from IFC Films and world premiered at major festivals such as Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and SXSW. Her TV and feature writing includes screenplays for HBO, FX, Emmy-winning actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Oscar-winning actor Anne Hathaway, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Focus Features, among others. 

Riegel-Cobb has received Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch Award, an Independent Spirit Award nomination, National Board of Review Award, and she has been profiled and reviewed in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Los Angeles Times, and Filmmaker Magazine, among others. She is a member of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. 

Riegel-Cobb holds a B.A. in motion picture history, theory and criticism. She received her M.F.A. in screenwriting for film and television from UCLA.

Areas of Expertise

Directing, narrative feature screenwriting, writing for television, women in cinema

Courses Recently Taught

In this course, we consider the collaborative nature of filmmaking and how its various crafts combine to tell stories with perhaps the greatest mass appeal of any artistic medium. We explore dramatic narrative structure, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing and film genres as they have been used and advanced in the history of cinema. In addition to regular class meetings, attendance at weekly film showings is required. This course includes an introduction to film production in which students are expected to write, direct and film short projects in collaboration with their classmates. This course is ideal for first-year students. No prerequisite. Generally offered once a year.