Courtney Williams is a writer-director-producer pursuing stories that stretch our feelings and ideas about gender roles, social conventions, and the unseen world.

After graduating Harvard with honors in western philosophy, Courtney made her way through New York City as a roller-skating waitress, training with The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, the Moscow Art theatre School and Shakespeare master teacher, Patsy Rodenburg. Falling in love with all things film, she jumped behind the camera and came up in physical production as a first assistant director, imbibing the entrepreneurial spirit on indie films and commercials. Courtney has since combined her dramatic training with her practiced understanding of production logistics, to work in story development and to create original digital content. Her collaborative work has been considered at HBO, Lionsgate, Black Label and CBS Sports Network, and picked up by Discovery and TLC.

At OSF, Courtney teamed up with the Innovation & Strategy Department as the Film Producing Partner for the festival’s inaugural Theatre on Film series. She is a producer on Ash Land and a writer-producer on You Go Girl! which premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2022 and on The New Yorker screening room as part of Black History Month, sponsored by Audible. Courtney is currently using her producing and storytelling skills as a Project Manager in the OSF Development Department. 

Courtney has taught film production at Southern Oregon University’s Digital Cinema Program and served as a board member of the Oregon Media Production Association and Film Southern Oregon. She was honored with OMPA’s Service & Inspiration Award in 2023.

Courtney’s upcoming short film, Ready When You Are, was awarded fiscal sponsorship by PAM CUT, Portland Art Museum – Center for an Untold Tomorrow.