BRIAN CUNNINGHAM

MANAGING PARTNER + SCREENWRITER

Brian Cunningham is a Houston, TX native and a Nikki Pederson Talent alumni. After completing his training at NPT, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in screenwriting. Brian has worked as a writer and production manager for multiple production companies, including Echobend Pictures and Supply&Demand. Having worked on large scale productions and pitched to Studios and Streamers such as Tubi and Netflix, Brian’s knowledge of the industry has been an asset in writing our comedic scenes each year for our annual invitational showcase in Los Angeles. He has proven to be a talented coach and director for our team.

RAINI RODRIGUEZ 

ACTING COACH - HOLLYWOOD TV + FILM ACTOR

Raini is a Bryan, Texas Native is also a Nikki Pederson Talent Alumni and an award winning Hollywood actress. She is best known for her roles as Trish in the Disney Channel original series Austin & Ally and Maya Blart in the films Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2. She has also appeared in an episode of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and on the Disney XD show I'm in the Band. She played Tess in the 2011 film Prom and won Best Young Television Actress at the 2013 Imagen Awards.



Her vast knowledge within the television and film industry makes her a perfect fit for our LA Invitational Coaching team.

EMILY CUNNINGHAM

ACTING COACH - Acting I or II All Ages

A native Houstonian, Emily has called Los Angeles home for the last 12 years. She studied theatre at Texas Tech University before making the move out West. She studied tv/film acting/auditioning with Stan Kirsch Studios and Leslie Kahn. Her first film credit was opposite Sean William Scott in Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach (2009). In addition to pursuing tv/film Emily has worked commercially & performed in numerous theatrical productions across Texas and California.Favorite credits include, HurlyBurly (Donna), The Man Who Came to Dinner (Lorraine Sheldon), Come Back Little Sheba (Marie Buckholder). She worked in commercial casting for Stuart Stone Casting and for the last 8 years Emily has been working as a musical theatre director for the Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts in Beverly Hills, teaching music, dance & acting to kids of all ages. She is thrilled to be joining the NPT Network team and bring a little piece of LA back to Texas!

GREG WISE

ACTING COACH - Acting II - 18+

Greg Wise is Professor of Theatre & Film at Blinn College Bryan Campus since 2004. Since 2009, he has produced 54productions, directed 36 shows and teaches Acting I & II, Theatre Appreciation, Film Appreciation, and Voice for the Theatre (Voice & Diction). He has an extensive career in live Theatre regionally: most recently as Ben in Lisa D'Amour's Detroit at TheatreWorks in Colorado Springs, CO; also at Alley Theatre, Zilker Outdoor Musicals, Shakespeare in the Park, Hyde Park Theatre, Generations Theatre, Classical Theatre Company, and Stages Repertory Theatre. Film work includes the award-winning An Ordinary Family, Independent Spirit nominated Chalk, and the feature film Parkland. Industrial work includes the Simon Says series with Living Security out of Austin, TX. He has continued studies in NYC at Michael Howard Studios with Patsy Rodenburg's Shakespeare Intensives, as well as the Alexander Technique. He is a frequent guest artist with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra where he lends his talents in narrative collaborations such as the recent Prokofiev's Peter & The Wolf, as well as The Bremen Town Musicians; additionally, The Soldier's Tale by Igor Stravinsky, Follow the Drinking Gourd, an anthem of former slaves in the American South, revised by Jonathan McNair with The Marion Anderson String Quartet and many more. He is a graduate with an M.F.A. in Theatre from University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in Communications from Austin College, Sherman, Texas.

CALEE CHADWICK

ACTING COACH - Acting I or II 18 and Under

Calee Chadwick is a Bryan, Texas native, NPT alumni, and delighted to be back in the NPT orbit. After completing the NPT course, Calee moved back to Texas to raise her son and complete her bachelor's degree in English. For the last 5 years, she has used her acting abilities to teach reading and writing to middle schoolers. Calee is thrilled to bring her acting past and her teaching present together to support actors' growth and success at NPT and beyond. 

DANI DAVIS

STYLIST + TALENT SCOUT

Dani Davis is a former model with over 20 years experience in the modeling and talent industry. Out of her passion for helping educated and develop models, Davis is also an award winning Makeup Artist and has worked alongside some of the world's leading photographers.  We are proud to have Dani’s styling and image consulting as part of our program each year at NPT.  She travels with our team to Los Angeles each year during Showcase season to style and consult with our LA Invitational Team.  Her positive attitude along with her extensive knowledge as a stylist has been such an asset to our team. 

Meet our Founder

NIKKI PEDERSON

FOUNDER OF NIKKI PEDERSON TALENT

Nikki Pederson is the CEO of Nikki Pederson Talent and serves as the Networks Executive Director. With over 20 years of experience discovering some of the industries leading actors and models, Pederson has managed to establish tremendous relationships within both the entertainment and fashion industry.