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NYFA Blogs

	10/30/2025 The Top 50 Film Schools of 2025 This year marks the 10th time TheWrap has ranked the top 50 U.S. film schools and the second year we’ve partnered with the data research company Screen Engine/ASI to implement a data-driven ranking system.
	10/29/2024 NYFA Alumni Trevor Newlin Interview – How a theater kid from East Texas became a monster When actor and Kilgore native Trevor Newlin moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, he was originally angling for gigs doing voiceover work. But with his 6-foot-7 frame, Newlin stood out above the rest – literally – and soon found a niche playing monsters.
	09/18/2025 The incomparable….Eric Conner Mention Eric Conner’s name in Burbank and inevitably you will get a smile. He is down to earth, personable and his energy, passion and wit imbues all he does for the Burbank arts community.
	06/10/2025 Animation & Visual Effects. Is It the Right Career For You? Matt Galuppo is currently the Chair of Media Arts at New York Film Academy’s LA Campus. He has been working in entertainment for over 10 years, beginning his career as an intern on Inception.
	07/17/2025 Historic Win for NYFA Alum at Tribeca Film Festival: Mohamed Diab and Sarah Goher’s Happy Birthday Sweeps Three Awards Happy Birthday, co-written and produced by NYFA alum and board member Mohamed Diab and his wife, director and co-writer, Sarah Goher, became the first Egyptian film to win three major awards at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival.
	08/12/2025 The Cinematography of ‘The Gilded Age’ Brings the Old World Crashing Into the New Cinematographer Manuel Billeter tells IndieWire about expanding the scale and scope of the HBO series. The trick to making “The Gilded Age” even more transporting, according to cinematographer Manuel Billeter, has been to enhance our perspective both outwards and inwards.
	07/16/2025 From ‘Awkward Black Girl’ to Mogul: Inside Issa Rae’s $20M Net Worth and Business Empire Issa Rae is one of the most influential creators of this generation. She made her mark on different platforms, from YouTube to HBO, by telling stories that reflect the real and often hilarious lives of Black women.
	09/11/2024 Billeter Welcomed as New ASC Member The immersive communal experience of watching films in the cinema inspired Swiss-born Manuel Billeter, ASC to pursue a career in cinematography, driven by his admiration for filmmakers such as Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini and Bernardo Bertolucci.
	05/11/2025 Emmy Winner Blanche Baker On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career in TV and Film Blanche Baker’s 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.
	04/30/2025 They shot their movie in 7 days for $7,000. They’re bringing it to theaters themselves When filmmaker Joe Burke talks about his microbudget indie film “Burt,” he can’t stop saying the word “magic.”
	05/17/2025 Navigating the Future of Media Arts How are AI, diversity, and liberal arts reshaping the future of animation, visual effects, and game design careers?
	04/28/2025 Screenwriter Career. Is It Right For You? On this episode of the Unboxing Careers Podcast, Greg Zakowicz unboxes a career as a screenwriter with Randall Dottin.
	04/22/2025 New York Film Academy in Los Angeles Offers Summer Camps, Programs New York Film Academy in Los Angeles is hosting several summer camps for teenagers and kids, providing practical training in disciplines within the film, media and performing arts industries.

	09/24/2025 40 Year Old Filmmaker Gives Advice To His 20 Year Old Self – Joe Burke Joe Burke is an indie filmmaker and actor best known for his new award-winning movie Burt, Four Dogs, Another Cancer Movie, House Sitting and more.
	01/20/2025 Day I Realized That CGI Was Taking Over Hollywood – Craig Caton-Largent With over 40 years in the film industry, Craig Caton-Largent is a legendary visual effects artist and the current Chair of 3D Animation & VFX at New York Film Academy (NYFA) Los Angeles.
	10/03/2025 Inside the New York Film Academy \| How NYFA Shapes the Next Generation of Actors In this exclusive episode of the Ehsan Adouane Podcast, tech creator and educational YouTuber Ehsan Adouane travels to Manhattan to train in acting at the iconic New York Film Academy.
	08/20/2025 If You Want A Better Acting Performance Focus On These Two Things – Lynda Goodfriend Lynda Goodfriend is the Creative Director for Acting for Film at New York Film Academy (NYFA) Los Angeles.
	08/06/2025 What Do Managers Look For In An Actor? – Lynda Goodfriend In this interview, Film Courage speaks with Creative Director for Acting for Film at New York Film Academy Los Angeles Lynda Goodfriend about what talent managers want.
	06/22/2025 Pro Cinematographer On The Best Way To Learn Lighting – Suki Medencevic Suki was born in Derventa, Bosnia and Herzegovina. While in high school he became interested in still photography but his real involvement in film started when he was accepted at The National Film School for Dramatic Arts, FDU, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
	07/01/2024 Kristy Cates on WICKED, the Tony Awards, & more Kristy Cates is a professional actress who’s based in New York City. She made her Broadway debut in the original cast of the smash hit, WICKED, as the understudy to Idina Menzel, and can be heard on the iconic cast recording.
	08/05/2025 Best Movies To Watch To Learn The Craft Of Filmmaking – Craig Caton-Largent In this interview, Film Courage speaks with New York Film Academy visual effects artist and current Chair of 3D Animation & VFX Craig Caton-Largent on movies filmmakers should watch.
	11/13/2024 How The Dinosaurs In Jurassic Park Were Created – Craig Caton-Largent With over 40 years in the film industry, Craig Caton-Largent is a legendary visual effects artist and the current Chair of 3D Animation & VFX at New York Film Academy (NYFA) Los Angeles.
	03/12/2025 What Beginning Cinematographers Should Know As They Get Started – Suki Medencevic, ASC Suki was born in Derventa, Bosnia and Herzegovina. While in high school he became interested in still photography but his real involvement in film started when he was accepted at The National Film School for Dramatic Arts, FDU, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
	01/29/2025 What Does Conflict In Every Scene REALLY Mean? – Eric Conner Eric has taught hundreds of aspiring storytellers at the New York Film Academy (LA), the Writer’s Store, the Animation Guild and Starcoach – China.
	02/19/2025 Proven Strategies To Help Writers Generate Story Ideas – Eric Conner Eric Conner has taught hundreds of aspiring storytellers at the New York Film Academy (LA), the Writer’s Store, the Animation Guild and Starcoach – China.

	08/12/2025 Ep 253: From Sixteen Candles to Social Films: A Talk with Blanche Baker This podcast episode features a conversation with actress and director Blanche Baker, who discusses her career, her notable roles, and her passion for making films that address social issues.
	10/06/2025 *Forget Hollywood: Here’s How to Get Your Film Seen (w/ Joe Burke) EXPLICIT LANGUAGE** On this episode of In Love with the Process, host Mike Pecci sits down with filmmaker Joe Burke to dive deep into how he made his feature film Burt on a micro-budget of just seven thousand dollars.
	03/10/2025 Craig Caton: How 1 Film Changed The VFX Industry Forever In this episode, Jamie sits down with Craig Caton-Largent, VFX artist and Chair of 3D Animation & VFX at the New York Film Academy (NYFA) Los Angeles, to discuss his incredible 45-year career in the VFX industry.
	10/25/2025 Communication and the Power of Improv with Lynda Goodfriend Ever wonder how improv can change your life? In this HRchat episode Lynda Goodfriend joins Bill Banham to unpack the magic of acting and improv classes and how lessons can be taken into the office.
	08/18/2025 New York Film Academy Veteran On the Move This episode of Veteran On the Move features Chris Moore, Director of Veteran Services at the New York Film Academy (NYFA) and a retired Command Sergeant Major.
	02/24/2025 Scene to Song Episode 119: Elphaba’s Journey in Wicked In this episode, actress, Chair of Performing Arts at New York Film Academy, and original Wicked cast member Kristy Cates discusses Elphaba’s journey in Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s 2003 musical Wicked.
	01/10/2025 What Hollywood Isn’t Telling YOU About Film School – with Michael Young⁠, President, & ⁠Sonny Calderon⁠, VP of Academic Affairs, ⁠New York Film Academy⁠ YOUR guests are Michael Young, President, & Sonny Calderon, VP of Academic Affairs, New York Film Academy
	02/11/2025 Lizzie Gottlieb School of Doc In this episode, Lizzie Gottlieb shares her journey from theater directing to documentary filmmaking, discussing the challenges she encountered along the way.
	03/27/2025 New York Film Academy’s Lynda Goodfriend On “Happy Days” & More — “Paltrocast” Exclusive New York Film Academy — commonly known as NYFA — was founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, executive producer of 1990’s The Hunt For Red October, as an alternative to traditional university-based film schools.