NYFA
Faculty Directory

Faculty Directory

Bruce MacWilliams

Bruce MacWilliams (AKA: Brewster MacWilliams) is an award-winning film director that started directing commercials at Biscuit Filmworks in 2002. He now works as an independent director at Fast Rocket Films. He is a member of the DGA.

Bruce MacWilliams is honored to be featured alongside super star film directors, Fredrik Bond and Daniel Kleinman, in Tom von Logue Newth’s excellent book about TV commercial production; The Ad-Makers.

At the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, Bruce was selected by the Saatchi & Saatchi Agency as one of the best new commercial directors in the world. In 2004, Shots Magazine (London), Grand Prix Awards Edition, ranked Bruce MacWilliams the 3rd best new commercial director in the world.

Bruce has now directed more than 100 TV commercials (in America, UK, and Canada) and PSAs (Public service announcements) to bring awareness to horrific conditions in Haiti, Darfur, Uganda, working with many stars including Kobe Bryant, Channing Tatum, James Franco, Ludacris, and Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has also filmed and interviewed: Senator Mitt Romney, and President Barack Obama.

In 2006, NBC / Universal Studios hired Bruce MacWilliams to write and create a half hour comedy TV series titled, AD DADS. In 2011, Bruce directed a commercial campaign for Cox Communications that aired on the Super Bowl and won Bruce a Mark Award for best direction.

Bruce MacWilliams earned his BA studying architecture, photography, and creative writing at Cornell University. He studied filmmaking at Columbia University. He went on to write and direct an independent feature film, The Last Hand, (AKA: After the Game) which was showcased at the Cannes Film Festival. Lions Gate Entertainment distributed The Last Hand domestically and internationally in 2000.

David Mager Dean of Faculty Chair of Media Arts

Chair of Photography

Native New Yorker David Mager has worked as a commercial photographer for over 20 years, shooting mostly in the publishing market. Clients have included Disney, DK, Scholastic, Der Speigel, McGraw-Hill, Penguin, Time Out NY, Parents Magazine, and Park Place Magazine, to name a few.

David is an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop Lightroom and has received a Master’s of Professional Studies from the School of Visual Arts as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York University.

For the last 10 years, David has been teaching and sharing his industry experience with students at the New York Film Academy.

T.J. Mannix

T.J. Mannix has been teaching acting and auditioning for the camera and the stage for almost two decades. His former students can be seen on Broadway, in films, and on television as series regulars and guest stars. He is an alumnus of the University of Miami, Florida and has taught master classes across the U.S., Canada, and 14 countries.

T.J. has appeared in 85+ TV and radio commercials and roles on “Law and Order: SVU,” “Law and Order,” “Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” “All My Children,” “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and numerous appearances on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”

He is 24-year veteran improvisor in NYC and Chicago, and has toured with several casts of The Second City/NCL. He was an original cast member and host of the innovative, “NY Times approved,” ”BLANK: the Musical” off-Broadway.

He is the founder of the 12th annual New York Musical Improv Festival http://www.NYMIF.com and is currently touring with the epic one-man improvised musical “LimboLand.” He admits to spending a very dark year working as a Mouseketeer.

Ben Maraniss

Ben has worked extensively with Spaceman Media and Scrollmotion, creating dozens of short films, commercials, and interstitials, for companies such as AMC, Comedy Central, MTV, and Super Deluxe. He received his MFA in Film and Television Writing from the University of Southern California. First Things Last, a narrative iPhone application he co-created at Scrollmotion, was featured at the American Film Institute’s 2009 DigiFest. The International Screenwriters Association named Ben’s one-hour drama Weimar the Pilot Grand Prize winner in the 2015 TRMS competition. Another hour-long drama, Secret & Confidential, was listed on the Tracking Board as one of the 100 best pilots of 2016. Currently, Ben is working with producer Fredrica Drotos on an original series Ivan’s Hammer. His articles on cinema and pop culture have been featured in the N+1 Film Review Supplement.

Peter Marciano Head of Acting

Peter Marciano is a New York-based actor and teacher from Syracuse, NY. He has been teaching at The New York Film Academy since 2015 and currently serves as the Head of Acting for The Professional Conservatory of Musical Theatre and Head of Voice for the Acting For Film program. He is a Designated Linklater Teacher, having studied voice and Shakespeare under master teacher, Kristin Linklater, in Orkney, Scotland. He trained with Louis Colaianni and is a Certified Colaianni Speech Practitioner, specializing in phonetics and dialects. He has most recently performed in St. Lucy of the Eyes, Richard III, If Stars Are Lit, and Twelfth Night. He has taught voice, movement, and acting on three continents, and coached actors appearing on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and National Tours. He is a Co-Founder of Purple Ribbon Shakespeare, a NYC based nonprofit theatre company. He holds an MFA in Acting from The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University.

Zana Marjanović

Zana Marjanović is a Bosnian-American award-winning actress, writer, educator, and producer based in Los Angeles. She studied at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City and holds an MA in Acting from the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo.
Zana gained international recognition for her leading role in Angelina Jolie’s In the Land of Blood and Honey. She has worked in film and television across Europe and the U.S. with acclaimed actors like Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy, and Sean Bean.
With over 15 years of experience teaching acting, she has also produced and written for both film and theater. She is currently developing her solo show.

Marlene Marcos

Marlene Marcos earned her B.F.A. in Theatre from Florida International University and is a National Society of Arts & Letters Acting Award Recipient. She has been working as a professional actress appearing in numerous plays, national commercials, voice-overs, film and tv programs both in English and in Spanish. She has been an educator with the New York Film Academy-Miami, Florida Film Institute, New World School of the Arts and Just The Funny Theatre, where she was a co-owner and former VP of Education. Additionally, Marlene leads and designs workshops in areas of acting, voice-over, improv and public speaking skills. She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA union.

Scott Marshall

BFA in Film, Northwestern University; MFA in Directing, American Film Institute. Music video director for bands including Smash Mouth and Guided By Voices. Directed second unit for Runaway Bride, The Princess Diaries, Valentine’s Day, and New Year’s Eve. His feature debut, Keeping Up With the Steins with Jeremy Piven was released by Disney/Miramax.

Masha Mashkova

Masha began her career at the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute and later as part of the legendary Moscow’s Lenkom Theater. Since 2013, Maria started actively working beyond the borders of Russia and Ukraine, spending a lot of time in Los Angeles and eventually permanently moving there in 2022. Most recently Masha has appeared is several major projects, including the BBC’s 1st season of McMafia, Lady in The Lake with Natalie Portman, a sci-fi ensemble feature I.S.S, alongside Ariana DeBose and Chis Messina, the 4th season of For All Mankind on Apple and Kirill Serebrennikov’s new feature Limonov, The Ballad of Eddie that premiered at 77th Cannes Film Festival. In 2024-25 season Masha has toured US and Europe with her hit one-woman show, Nadezhdiny.

Bart Mastronardi

BA, Hunter College, Film Studies. Cinematographer of commercials and numerous short films along with feature films: The Blood Shed; Crossed; Gallery of Fear: Far Cry From Home and By Her Hand; documentary for Bravo TV Unlocking The Hope, Vidal Sasson; and Shear Genius Season 1 casting NYC. Bart is also the director, cinematographer, writer and producer of the horror feature film Vindication, which is released by RSquared Films.

Jenna Mate Acting for Film Instructor

Jenna Mate is a director, actor, composer/lyricist, and audition coach who has worked extensively both in New York and Los Angeles. She holds a BFA in Acting from Syracuse University, a Masters in Educational Theatre from University of Houston, and an MFA in Directing from Stony Brook University. She was the Associate Producer for the Southampton International Theatre Festival, where her focus was supporting playwrights in the development of new works. Her original musical, ECO, was featured at New York Musical Festival in 2017. Recent directing credits include Lilith in Pisces (NY Summerfest) Art (Guild Hall) and A Steady Rain (Guild Hall.) She aims to create a nurturing, energetic environment where her students can explore and grow.

Dorottya Máthé

Dorottya Máthé [dorottja m’at’e] a native Hungarian is excited to produce narrative and non-fiction films in such a diverse city as New York, where she can pursue cross-cultural collaborations with international cast and crew orchestrating all aspects of the production from conception to completion in her projects.

Her 25+ credits include a female driven adventure-comedy, GOOD EGG with the goal to spark thought-provoking conversations about women’s courageous journey behind their reproductive choices; SHOULD WE KID OR NOT?, an interview-based documentary web series commissioned by PBS; IMPOSSIBLE MONSTERS, a psychological thriller starring Tony Award Winner Santino Fontana; THE INDEPENDENTS, a fictional folk ’n roll fable with Richard Kind and Tony Award Winner Kelli O’Hara in cameo-roles. Dorottya enjoys working across genres and produced an eclectic array of highly visible art projects for various institutions such as the prestigious Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Baryshnikov Arts Center and Here Arts Center.

Dorottya is a member of Women Independent Producers, a worldwide network of female producers, which supports the growth and success of its members. Dorottya has lectured at BMCC and has been a producing instructor for the Documentary Faculty at the New York Film Academy since 2010 mentoring emerging filmmakers. www.dorottyamathe.com

Ruben Mazzoleni

Ruben Mazzoleni is an Italian filmmaker whose work spans independent and studio productions across the U.S. and Europe. With a keen eye for storytelling and a deep understanding of cinematic language, he has established himself as a director and producer capable of crafting powerful, character-driven narratives.

A prolific short film director, Mazzoleni has created several award-winning short films that have been recognized in film festivals worldwide.

Beyond directing, Mazzoleni has been involved in countless productions, from indie gems to large-scale studio projects,
proving his versatility and adaptability in a constantly evolving industry. His collaborations have brought him alongside some of Hollywood’s most legendary actors, including Morgan Freeman (The Minute You Wake Up Dead) and Al Pacino (The Ritual), reinforcing his reputation as a filmmaker who can work at the highest levels of the industry.

Anne McCaffrey

Having spent 35+ years in physical production, I take a very hands-on approach in my teaching methods, creating assignments and materials that are valid for real world application. My lectures are also geared for practical application, and I share them with my students, many of whom are International where English is not their first language. Having lived abroad, I easily relate to my foreign students, and I know how to assist them in my classes. I am very passionate about the Entertainment Industry, and I truly enjoy passing that knowledge on to my students.

Carolyn McDonald

Carolyn McDonald has worked in the publicity division of Warner Bros Television, served as a Creative Executive at Cinecom Entertainment, and served as Exective Vice President of Danny Glover’s Carrie Productions. She was the executive producer on TNT’s Emmy & Image Award-nominated Freedom Song (written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson) and HBO’s American Dream, which featured Wesley Snipes and won 4 Cable Ace Awards and an NAACP Image Award for Best Made-For-TV Movie. McDonald also produced, co-wrote, and directed P.N.O.K., featuring Elle Fanning and co-wrote Return Of The Sweetbirds for 20th Century Fox. She also adapted the book The Color Of Hope for her directing debut. For the Screenwriting Department in LA, she teaches Online Screenwriting, Adaptation, Story Generation, and the Business of Screenwriting.

Gil McDonald

MFA in Screenwriting, American Film Institute; BA in Radio/TV/Film Production, Minor in Psychology, Howard University. Award-winning writer, producer, and director on “Motel Paradise,” a short film selected and screened at the prestigious AFI Theatre.

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