Joseph McNamara Hefner is an actor, filmmaker, journalist, and playwright who grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, and Southern Pines, NC.​
 

His one-act play Agency received the 2018 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Original Short Script, and his nonfiction pieces covering the abuse crisis at his college alma mater have been published in An Injustice! and OnStage Blog. His short film Command These Stones screened as an official selection at the 2025 Jersey Devil Film Festival and was recognized for accomplishments in acting and cinematography at the SCC Fine Arts 16th Annual Autumn Shorts Film Festival. He is also the creator, producer and host of the upcoming web docuseries True Crime Recovery. As an actor, his credits include Command These Stones and the upcoming feature film De Novo.