Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul

A native Angeleno, Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul is a director whose roots in Hollywood began with her first job as a film projectionist. Her love of cinematic storytelling led her to USC film school where she discovered the magic of editing and developed skills that would lead to an 18 year career in TV post production. Working alongside powerhouse Showrunners such as Greg Berlanti, Kevin Williamson, Shonda Rhimes, Allan Heinberg and Aaron Sorkin, Charissa's editing credits include "The Following," "The Newsroom" and "Doom Patrol." Her love of photography (the ability to visually tell a story in a single frame) combined with her fluency of filmic language and craft of performance have given way to her inevitable true calling: directing. In 2016, Charissa took a break from editing to shadow directors on the TV shows "Major Crimes" (TNT), "Conviction" (ABC), "The Catch" (ABC) and "Time After Time" (ABC) to enrich her craft and learn firsthand from working directors. A year later, Charissa directed and executive produced her debut short film, "Playing It Straight," a lighthearted dramedy that was an Official Selection of the 2018 Cinequest Film & VR Festival in Silicon Valley. Charissa's 2nd short, "LA Hustle," was part of The Alliance Of Women Directors Shoot 'Em Up Female Filmmaker Series, where she was selected as a director to adapt a true story of a fellow AWD filmmaker. "Post Sentence," Charissa's latest short, premiered at the 2021 Cleveland International Film Festival and won the "Best Women's Short Award." Her short films rendered her a finalist in the 2018-2020 Disney ABC Directing Program, a participant in the 2018 Sony Pictures Television Diverse Directors Program & 2019 Warner Bros Television Directors' Workshop. Charissa's episodic television directorial debut was the Season 2 Midseason Finale of "God Friended Me" (CBS) and she recently directed an episode of "Good Trouble" (Freeform). She is repped by Circle of Confusion.