NYFA
Faculty Directory

Faculty Directory

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.

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.

Piero Basso, AIC

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.

Leslie Bates

Leslie Bates has an undergraduate degree in Marketing and English Literature from San Diego State University, and a JD from Lincoln Law School. After a stint in Turkey as a contracts attorney, Leslie returned to America to complete an MFA in Screenwriting at the American Film Institute. She has written and produced the dramatic feature, Broken Angel and the documentary, Cesar Chavez, as well as producing countless short films, commercials and live theater. Her other credits include producer of the Istanbul National Ballet production, Agir Roman (East Side Story), at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood.

Brian Beery

Brian is a vested member of the Screen Actor’s Guild due to many years of professional acting work in TV and Film. After working at a literary agency Becsey, Wisdom, Kalajian, Brian became an assistant to Alexander Payne (Election). Brian recommended Sideways to Alexander and the movie became a financial and artistic success, earning Payne an Oscar for his adaptation.

Brian was a medical researcher on the FOX TV series Bones. His medical research was used in several episodes, detailed on their official website and published in hardcover Bones: The Official Guide. Brian worked in Post Production on several feature films and TV shows directed by Spike Lee, M. Night Shyamalan, Tony Scott, Betty Thomas, the Russo brothers, and Jim Burroughs.

Brian earned his MFA in Screenwriting from AFI. Brian won the Ellen Idelson Playwriting Award, the George Mayr Award for Excellence in Screenwriting and the Kodak 35mm Award for his script Speed Dating. Speed Dating competed in film festivals all around the world and was ranked Best of USA by FilmsShort.com. Brian sold and optioned screenplays and was hired to rewrite movies based on the recommendations of Oscar winning filmmakers. Brian directed over 50 industrials and short films.

Mauricio Bellido

Born in Lima – Perú, Mauricio Bellido, formed in Digital Marketing, Video editing and Visual Compositing in Toulouse Lautrec University in Peru, an intensive Filmmaking course in EPIC Institute, granted a “Talents based award” for his documentary “Curandero” to study a “1 Year Conservatory in Filmmaking” in the New York Film Academy, has been working in the Film Industry for the last 6 years, collaborating and directing several narrative and commercial projects for brands
like LOREAL, Pacifico Beer, as well as music videos for artists like Wavy Bagels and MMIH (my mom is here).

Matthew Bellows Acting for Film Instructor

Matthew Bellows is a classically trained actor with an MFA from the prestigious Old Globe. With over 50 current tv and film credits to his name, Matthew’s credits range from the professional stage in Anna Christie, The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure (and more) to Television in The Mandalorian, recurring roles on New Amsterdam and Snowfall, and major roles on FBI International, United States of Al, Brooklyn 99, as well as big studio features, The Gray Man, Captain Marvel and Hereditary to name a few.

Katy Berry

Katy Berry is a New York based comedian, writer, and musical improviser who studied writing at The New School in New York City. Her screenplay POPCORN earned her a place in the 2020 Black List and Women in Film Feature Residency and is now being produced by Gunpowder & Sky, along with her second feature, CLICK CLICK PLAY. Her feature NEG is being produced by Aperture Entertainment. As a musical comedian, Katy has traveled the world at venues including The Kennedy Center, NYC’s Town Hall with David Byrne, and multiple sold-out Edinburgh Fringe Fest runs. In addition to live performances, her original writing and videos have been featured in Vulture, Studio360, Bustle, Chortle, Reductress, The Guardian, the Magnet Comedy Film Festival, NYC Web Fest, Coney Island Film Festival, Chain Film Festival, and more. When not teaching at NYFA, she’s leading the charge as the lead of Brooklyn Comedy Collective’s musical improv program.

Charissa Bertels

CHARISSA BERTELS is a Broadway actress and champion of new musicals. Charissa recently toured the country in the first national tour of If/Then, starring Idina Menzel, La Chanze and Anthony Rapp. She made her Broadway debut in the original Broadway cast of Pasek & Paul’s Tony-nominated musical A Christmas Story, and later reprised her role at Madison Square Garden. As part of the singing ensemble for New York City Center Encores’ productions of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Lady Be Good, her work can be heard on the subsequent cast recordings, featuring Megan Hilty and the legendary Tommy Tune.

Charissa starred to rave reviews in her original one-woman musical, My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend, at Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT), for which she received an IRNE award for Best Solo Performance. Her newest collaboration, The Uncivil Ones (Finalist: Rhinebeck, NextFest @ Latte Da, Live & In Color; Semi-Finalist: NAMT, O’Neill), features unheard female, trans and non-binary voices from the Civil War and garnered the 2019 Special Mention for the Women in Arts & Media Coalition Collaboration Award.

She can be seen in two of NYFA’s original musical films: “Gingerbread House” and “It Is What It Is”.

www.charissa.nyc

Sarah Bierstock

Sarah is the Owner and Creator of Pass the Salt Productions. She is well known for her work as an actor on both stage and television and as a prolific playwright- where she’s been honored to receive multiple awards, commissions, and nominations. She serves as an adjunct professor of Theater at Marymount Manhattan College and is proud to be a part of the New York Film Academy faculty.

Sophia Bilynsky

Sophia is a respected leader in the design world with over 20 years of experience reshaping brand and business strategies across multiple sectors. Known for her innovative thinking, she blends classic design principles with new technologies and contemporary social insights to create branding that truly connects in today’s world. Growing up in Philadelphia to immigrant parents, Sophia weaves together global perspectives on art, identity, and culture to transform everyday ideas into meaningful experiences that speak to diverse clients and students alike. Throughout her career, she’s partnered with major companies, non-profits, and educational institutions to craft unique visual narratives that prioritize sustainability, accessibility, and ethical design—values she believes are crucial for preparing the next generation of creative talent.

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