​Rory O’Neill Schmitt, PhD has written five nonfiction books, published by Arcadia Publishing: Navajo and Hopi Art in Arizona (2016), and co-authored with Dr. Rosary O’Neill: New Orleans Voodoo: A Cultural History (2019), Edgar Degas in New Orleans (2023), Kate Chopin in New Orleans (2024), and The Haunted Guide to New Orleans (2025). A Visiting Fulbright Scholar (2024-2027), she leads faculty development at the University of Southern California and served as Vice President of USC Staff Assembly. 

A filmmaker, Rory is an Executive Producer for The Long Long Night series (Duplass Brothers Productions), starring Mark Duplass and Barret O’Brien, and guest starring Karen Pittman, which was featured at the Tribeca Festival (2023) and SXSW (2024). The Long Long Night is streaming on the Kinema platform (2025). Rory’s next film, “The Elegant Dead: Trapped with Dolls,” starring Melissa Farley and Kelly Lind, is inspired by her upcoming book, The Haunted Guide to New Orleans. The team includes Samantha Bringas, Oley Sassone, and Bob Foster. 
Rory is co-writing and producing the Franco-Italian series, Edgar Degas: The Impressionable Years, with Dr. Rosary O’Neill and Carol Bidault de L’Isle (Serein Productions, France). Her 2023 book, Kate Chopin in New Orleans, is being optioned as a film by Powerful Productions, LLC. Rory’s first short film she produced, Garden District, starring Bryan Batt, won global awards for best short film, best director, best actor, best actress, best supporting actor, best set design, and best editing (2021-2023). 

She has been honored by the French Consulate of New Orleans (2025), the Consul General of Ireland in Austin (2025), and has received repeated invitations from Tribeca’s Creators Market in NYC (2023, 2024), the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Annaghmakerrig, Ireland (2024, 2025), the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris (2023, 2025), and the Foyer International d’Accueil in Paris (2024, 2025). She has led lectures and presentations at the New Orleans Museum of Fine Art, Pitot House, Arizona State Art Museum, and Desert View Theatre. Her poem, “Naked Mermaid Talks to God” was a finalist in the Faulkner Society Wisdom Creative Writing Competition (2024).