Megan Kiefer

Class of 1993

Walk into Touchstone Community School and you’ll see the hallways festooned with children’s art. A class may be acting out stories they wrote, while middle-school students edit their video documentary. A Spanish song rings from the integrated arts room.

A passion for the arts is a hallmark of Touchstone, which Megan Kiefer, who graduated from Polly Brown’s sixth-grade class in 1993, has carried into her career as a filmmaker, producer and director, and founder of Take Two Film Academy for kids and teens in New York City.

“Touchstone was great because I had the ability to be creative and attack whatever I was interested in,” said Megan. “I came away with an excitement about learning.”

Megan attended middle and high school in the Lincoln-Sudbury school district, and enrolled in George Washington University before graduating from Tufts University. She’s currently pursuing an MBA at Babson College.

Megan’s artistic path led her to New York City after graduating from Tufts, where she worked on and off Broadway as assistant director for shows such as “Wicked,” “The Thing About Men,” and “The King of Mackie Street.” A largely self-taught filmmaker, Kiefer sold her first film, “Get on the Limo,” to the Documentary Film Channel in 2007. She’s explored the commercial side of media entertainment through work at New England Cable News and Comedy Central Home Entertainment.

In April 2009, Megan opened Take Two Film Academy with filmmaker Matthew Makar, sharing her dedication to all aspects of filmmaking and acting, from creating original stories to completing a short film. Touchstone, she said, inspired her creativity and ability to tell stories, and provided a sense of community which she wants to recreate in her film school.

“I loved the chorus, the singing, and all the plays we did at Touchstone,” Megan said. The “Voyage of the Mimi” project in Polly’s class and doing an archaeological dig with Kate Keller’s class were other highlights.

Ever the entrepreneur, Megan recalled setting up a business with friends on the Touchstone playground, in which acorns were used as currency for items she made at home. “I remember Mr. Z. (former Head of School Dick Zajchowski) coming out and talking to us about hoarding,” she laughed. “I continue to try to create value out of things.”

Megan said, “I feel like I got a lot out of the creative process at Touchstone. That’s taken me further in what I do with my time now.”