NYFA
Faculty Directory

Faculty Directory

Jonathan Appell

Sound instructor Jonathan Appell has had an unusually diverse career. His work can be heard on TV shows like Ed and The Dana Carvey Show; movies like First Wives Club and Coyote Ugly; recordings by legendary artists like Carole King, Bette Midler, Billy Porter, and Grover Washington, Jr.; anime cartoons like The Gokusen and Shura No Toki; and literally hundreds of television and radio commercials – including several for which he also provided the voiceover (we said he’s diverse!).

In addition to his ongoing freelance audio work, Jonathan has also been teaching for the last 15 years. Beyond his impressive resume, his credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Audio Technology Instruction from SUNY Empire State College, an AVID Certified Pro Tools Instructor, a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS), and an active member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES).

David Armstrong

David A. Armstrong has more than 35 years of film industry experience and holds an MFA in Cinematography from the prestigious American Film Institute (AFI) and a BFA from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Starting as a camera assistant, he has risen through the ranks to become a cinematographer. He has over 100 feature film and television productions to his credit.

He is the first recipient of the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) Student Heritage Award, and his AFI short film John received the Student Academy Award Gold and the AFI’s Franklin J. Schafer Award. He served as director of photography for James Wan (The Conjuring, Aquaman) on the Saw film franchise (Saw I-VI). As a key team member of the Saw franchise, he helped to create the Guinness Book of World Record for largest-grossing horror film franchise in history.

Armstrong also directs feature films, and has directed actors including Forest Whitaker, Ray Liotta, Peter Stormare, Common, Justin Chatwin, Stephen Lang, Michael Chiklis, Nikki Reed, and Martin Csokas. His most recent feature, The Assassin’s Code, a neo-noir thriller starring Peter Stormare (Fargo) and Justin Chatwin (Shameless), premiered at the 42nd Cleveland International Film Festival in April 2018, with theatrical release by Gravitas Venture and VOD in May 2018.

Patrice DeGraff Arenas

Patrice DeGraff Arenas hails from Miami, Florida where her love of theater was encouraged by her mom, a former drama teacher and administrator in MDCPS. She received a BFA from Florida State and MFA in Performance from The University of Pittsburgh. She is a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA and UTD. Theater highlights include Skeleton Crew, at Gablestage directed Edson Jean, Gidion’s Knot, Tempest and The Rant at New Theater, directed by Ricky J. Martinez, In Darfur at Mosiac, directed by Richard Jay Simon, Working at San Diego Rep, directed by Sam Woodhouse and Hair at the Wadsworth CA, directed by Arthur Seidelman. Film roles include,The Jackson’s an American Dream (ABC) and Exit. Directing achievements include I Know What I Am and I’m Not What You Call Me, a staged reading at the Adrienne Arsht Center. When not performing, she can be found teaching Voice and Speech and Advanced Acting Technique at New York Film Academy South Beach as well as the Department Chair, Fine Arts at American High (MDCPS). Performing is a dance that affords many partners, contributing different styles that enhance the choreography of life’s joys and sorrows. I am grateful to my loving tribe which includes family, friends, students’ former and present.

Robert Aronowitz

Robert Aronowitz is a New York City based SAG-AFTRA Stunt Performer, Fight/Intimacy Coordinator, Actor, and Certified Combat Instructor. Robert is the Co-Founder of Neutral Chaos a company that offers choreographic solutions, private combat instruction, and masterclass training opportunities in the greater New York City area. Robert is also the founding coordinator of a 3-day stage and screen stunt workshop, “The Tourist Trap” held annually in Orlando, Florida.

Andy Ashcraft

BA in Graphic Design, UCLA

Andy is the founder of Giantsdance Games. He has held game design positions at Sony Computer Entertainment of America (working on God of War and God of War II), Electronic Arts, THQ, Disney Mobile, Disney Consumer Products, and THQ.

Arsenio Assin

Arsenio G. Assin received his BFA from City College of New York’s Picker Institute in Film and Media Studies. Afterward, he worked for several years in various genres in New York, including music videos, documentaries, commercials, industrials, ENG., and independent shorts and features in the different crew departments, such as a key grip, sound, electrician, AC, production design and eventually DOP. His work history has ranged from work for bigger productions, such as an AC for the New York second unit crew of Stanley Kubrick’s last film, Eyes Wide Shut, to smaller productions of independent companies such as cult favorite Troma Entertainment’s feature films Citizen Toxie and Poultrygeist. As a cinematographer, his work in indie films, The Viscous Circle and Sad Spanish Song has been accepted in several festivals as well as had a theatrical release. His longtime collaboration with director Preston Miller has seen his work in the micro-budget film Jones, reviewed by Amy Taubin in Film Comment as “a find.” He believes that it was these varied work experiences that gave him insight into the challenges that face new and upcoming filmmakers.

Gregory Ballesteros

Gregory Ballesteros is an experienced entertainment marketing professional with over a decade of experience within marketing and distribution for global theatrical marketing campaigns. Ballesteros worked with Warner Bros. Discovery and AMC Theatres in a variety of different capacities ranging from film programming, exhibitor marketing and distribution. Throughout his tenure Ballesteros partnered with the major film studios like Disney, Universal Pictures, 20th Century Studios, Paramount, and SONY along with other studios like Lionsgate Films, A24, and Amazon Studios. His interests include finding opportunities for the entertainment industry to evolve through social media, new technology and innovations.

Peter Baloff

Peter Baloff has written and produced movies and television shows for most of the major studios and directed hundreds of national commercials.

After winning the Norman Lear Award for Playwriting and the David Library Award for Playwriting, Peter moved to Los Angeles to write for film and TV. Over the past 25 years Peter has sold over a dozen screenplays (6 produced) and worked on numerous network television shows. Peter’s screenplay Quicksand; No Escape (Universal) won the Writers Foundation Award for Best Screenplay. His screenplay, The Undertaker was cited by the Writers Guild of America, West as one of the top ten unproduced comedies.

Peter taught Screenwriting for the prestigious U.C.L.A. Writers’ Program and currently teaches Screenwriting at New York Film Academy. Over the years he has served as an adjudicator for the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival, which cultivates nurturing mentorships between entertainment professionals and college students. In addition, Peter has served as a guest artist at numerous well-known film festivals across the country.

Peter earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Florida where he received the Presidential Recognition Award and recently was honored with the Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award.

Blanche Baker

Blanche Baker is an actress of stage, screen and television. After attending Wellesley College, Blanche made her television debut in the miniseries Holocaust, for which she won an Emmy Award. Her feature films include Sixteen Candles, The Handmaid’s Tale with Robert Duvall, Raw Deal with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Kevin Bacon HBO film Taking Chance. She was part of the Yale Repertory Theatre and Anna Sokolow’s dance troupe. Her theatre roles include Steel Magnolias and Edward Albee’s Lolita with Donald Sutherland. Blanche is Senior Faculty at the New York Film Academy where she teaches in both the Acting and Musical Theatre Departments. She wrote and directed the award-winning short films Streetwrite and Make America Safe.

Lane Barden

Lane Barden is an architecture photographer with a fine arts background. His client list includes major national and international firms such as A.C. Martin, Harley Ellis Devereaux, Atelier Jean Nouvel (Paris) Audi Bank of Beirut and Coop Himmelblau. His work is included in the collections of The Getty Research Institute at the Getty Center, The Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and The Los Angeles County Museum of Fine Arts.

Lane has taught at the Art Center College of Design and the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles. In 2015 he was a guest lecturer at the Annenberg Space for Photography. He holds an M.A. and an M.F.A. from the University of New Mexico.

Thomas Barnes

An award-winning writer and director, Thomas Barnes’ films have screened internationally at dozens of film festivals and prestigious venues such as the Director’s guild of America. When the short film ‘Porgies & Bass’ screened on the Omeleto channel Youtube in 2018-2019, it garnered over 1.2 million views. His latest short film is ‘Hafus in Love’ (2020). A feature version of the film is planned for 2021. As well as narrative shorts, he has directed multiple music videos and commercials in Asia, Europe, and USA. These include spots for Coke and M&M and music videos for Rod Stewart, Keke Palmer, and Chinese superstars Faye Wong and Andy Lau. As a Senior Producer at MTV Asia, he was one of the core production team, shooting shows with MTV VJs and artists such as Radiohead, Bon Jovi, Chris Isaak, Peter Gabriel, and Bryan Adams. Thomas is originally from Hong Kong, of mixed Anglo-Chinese heritage. He has a BA in English Lit from London University and teaches directing craft at New York Film Academy.

Bob Barth

Bob Barth is a versatile entertainment industry professional with over two decades of experience spanning screenwriting, television production, and broadcasting. An AFI Conservatory MFA graduate, he has worked extensively with Berlanti Productions on acclaimed series including Doom Patrol, where he served as script coordinator and freelance writer. Currently, Barth hosts “Bob Barth’s One Night Stand” on WFMU, featuring interviews with notable guests including Tim Robbins, Margaret Cho, They Might Be Giants, and The Avett Brothers. His 20-year New York theater career complements his behind-the-scenes expertise. A WGA, IATSE, and AEA member, Barth’s screenplay “Theatre Kids” received Honorable Mention at Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards. He previously programmed the Warwick Film Society. This marks his second summer teaching at the New York Film Academy.

Ashley Bank

BA in Film, NYU. Graduate of The Second City Conservatory
Ashley has been working in the entertainment industry for virtually her entire life. She’s worked as an actress, stand-up comedian, producer, and writer. As an actress Ashley has appeared in over 40 commercials, and has guest stared on TV shows like Family Ties, My Two Dads, Frasier, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She’s also appeared in numerous TV Movies, working with greats like Henry Winkler, Dolly Parton, and Raquel Welch, as well as the feature film The Monster Squad. She also worked as a producer for CBS News/48 Hours, and later for CBS News’ documentary department, working on documentaries for The History Channel, The Food Network, A&E, Discovery, and ESPN. She is a graduate of New York University, with a BA in Film, Journalism, & Political Science. She is also a graduate of The Second City Conservatory. For the Screenwriting Department in Los Angeles, she teaches The Business of Screenwriting, The Art of The Pitch, Acting as part of the Script To Screen course, and Scene Study. For the Producing Department in Los Angeles, she teaches Producing Documentaries, and in the Filmmaking Department she teaches Advanced Producing.

Austin Basis

AUSTIN BASIS is an actor/writer/producer with a BA in Theatre from Binghamton University. and an MFA in Acting from The Actors Studio Drama School. He’s also a lifetime member of The Actors Studio, where he’s had the privilege of working with Al Pacino, Faye Dunaway, Barbara Bain & Estelle Parsons.

Austin was a recurring character in the final season of the Emmy-winning show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and is most known for his role as J.T. Forbes on the People’s Choice Award winning series Beauty And The Beast. He was also a series regular on The CW drama Life Unexpected. Austin has shared the screen with Viola Davis, Larry David, Claire Danes, Harvey Keitel, Sandra Oh, Vincent D’Onofrio and Austin Butler. His TV credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, Homeland, How To Get Away With Murder, Lucifer, Little Fires Everywhere, Winning Time, Supernatural, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and LAW & ORDER: Criminal Intent. Film credits include J. Edgar (directed by Clint Eastwood), The Other End of the Line, My Sassy Girl, American Zombie, Boxboarders!, Re-Cut, Dead End Drive, Dorian Blues, and First Oscar. Recent film projects include Kanashimi, The Last Take, Daruma and Mimics, which will be released in theatres early next year.

Austin co-created and performed in an improv/sketch comedy show called Mmm… Comedy in NYC, and has continued to develop ideas with his production company “Behind the Bag!” Productions, through which he executive-produced the short film The Fear We Share – a film he also wrote & starred in. He’s currently in pre-production on his next project, SEIZURE – a horror story about diabetes. Austin also released a podcast in 2021 called ActorSpeak.

In addition to NYFA, Austin has taught acting at Arizona Actors Academy, with Coaching By Camille, and at the Raue Center School for the Arts. He’s also been an adjunct professor at Southeast Missouri State University and a guest-lecturer at Mizzou.

Piero Basso, AIC Chair of Cinematography

Born in northern Italy and based in NYC, Piero Basso graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Cinema, from the University of Turin. In a career spanning over 25 years, Basso has photographed 17 feature films, and TV series, along with numerous documentaries, short films, music videos and commercials.

His work has been honored at some of the most prestigious film festivals around the globe, including Venice (Una Famiglia, Competition), Locarno (Seven Acts of Mercy, Competition), Cannes (Darker than Midnight, Semaine de la Critique), Berlin (Dafne, Panorama, Fipresci Award as Best Feature Film and Canone Effimero at the Forum in 2025, Special Mention of the Documentary Award Jury), Turin (Santina, Competition), Oberhausen (Zakaria, Competition), Clermont-Ferrant, Busan, Huesca, Marrakech, Santa Barbara, and several others. He recently received a Best Cinematography Award at the 23rd Beverly Hills Film Festival. In 2009, he was invited to join the AIC, the exclusive Italian Association of Cinematographers and he is a member of the International Cinematographers Guild.

Iain Batchelor

Iain is a professional actor with over 12 years of experience across various sectors of the performing arts, both in his native United Kingdom and the United States. A graduate of the world-renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), his theatre work has seen him appear on world-renowned stages such as the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company and his on-camera work have seen him feature in Oscar and Emmy-nominated TV and Film projects, such as Wolf Hall and Allied.

Iain’s coaching work while in the US has seen him help students attain places at esteemed colleges across the country, and he is delighted to now be working with the students at NYFA!

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