Miles Doleac PhD

Miles Doleac, PhD is an American actor, writer, director, songwriter, and producer, and serves as Chair of Filmmaking at Loyola University New Orleans. He holds a BFA in Drama from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, an MA in History from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a PhD in Ancient History from Tulane University. His scholarly background includes research on late antique social institutions and the publication of In the Footsteps of Alexander: The King Who Conquered the Ancient World (2014), reflecting a foundation in historical inquiry that informs his approach to narrative, ethics, and cultural context in filmmaking.

As a filmmaker, Doleac founded Historia Films in 2013 and has written, directed, produced, and appeared in multiple feature films, including The Historian, The Hollow, Demons, Hallowed Ground, The Dinner Party, Demigod, and Open. His work has screened at juried national film festivals, received multiple jury awards and Best Feature/Best Director/Acting honors, and has achieved limited theatrical release and wide digital distribution. In addition to his directing work, he has appeared in numerous film and television productions, including roles on series such as Watchmen, Lovecraft Country, Treme, American Horror Story, Sleepy Hollow, Roots, and Containment, and feature films including The Magnificent Seven, Don’t Kill It, Renfield (with Nicolas Cage), and The Family Plan (with Mark Wahlberg). He has also served as a producer or co-producer on professionally distributed features, including Lionsgate’s The Devil’s Workshop and Adult Best Friends, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Doleac’s professional practice is closely integrated with his teaching and leadership at Loyola. His experience across development, production, festival exhibition, theatrical release, and digital distribution informs curriculum design in areas such as directing, production, screenwriting, development and distribution, and post-production supervision. He previously served as Executive Director of the FestivalSouth Film Expo (2015–2019), contributing to regional exhibition and festival programming. As department chair, he has led curricular modernization initiatives, secured significant external funding for production infrastructure, cultivated partnerships with regional and national industry organizations, and advanced professional pathways for students through internships, visiting-artist residencies, and public exhibition opportunities. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA, Actors’ Equity Association, the Directors Guild of America, and the Writers Guild of America. His dual background in scholarship and professional filmmaking supports the program’s emphasis on rigorous, practice-based education grounded in historical, cultural, and ethical awareness.