Page 316 – NYFA

What Would You Bring to the New York Film Academy Café?

We at the New York Film Academy understand that creativity works in many forms. As such, we’ve decided to open up the brainstorming of the new New York Film Academy café in New York City to the world. Located on the busy corner of Lexington Ave. and 24th street, NYFA has ambitious hopes for what could become of the café. However, we realize that we may not have all the answers, and so we’re reaching out to you.

If you’re an avid “foodie” with experience in the industry and have a great idea for a unique café, this could be a wonderful opportunity for you to launch your very own creation. Perhaps you have the next “Cronut” or “Ramen Burger.”

If so, please email your resume to [email protected] along with a cover letter that expresses your creativity, unique café idea, and describes a signature dish you would bring to the NYFA Café. If we’re interested in your submission, we will be in touch to discuss it further.

Best of luck. We look forward to reading your entries!

Literary Manager Josh McGuire Drops Knowledge on Business of Screenwriting Class

On August 12th, Underground Management‘s Literary Manager Josh McGuire joined New York Film Academy Los Angeles‘ Business of Screenwriting class, dispensing pearls of wisdom for NYFA‘s next generation of emerging screenwriters from his invaluable representational perspective.

On how he ended up in Los Angeles — McGuire explained he followed his gut. He was studying to be a lawyer, but he dreaded the work and had a crisis of what he should do. “The only thing I ever really loved were movies and TV shows”, McGuire explained, “I grew up on the classics — Goonies, Jaws, Indiana Jones. I wanted to be a part of that world.” With no connections in Hollywood, McGuire decided to quit law. He left the east coast and moved to Los Angeles.

Reading the back pages of the Hollywood Reporter, McGuire founded a job opening for a location manager for an independent movie. He talked his way into the position and thus began his entertainment career. However, he quickly learned the stress of being in on-set production wasn’t for him either – “it almost gave me an ulcer.” But it was at a party where he met his later business collaborator, Trevor Engleson, that he became intrigued by literary management.

McGuire eventually landed a desk working for a manager at Washington Square Arts, a literary and talent management company in New York and Los Angeles. It was there McGuire found his niche for what he loved to do — developing material with writers. Before long, McGuire was discovering and signing his own clients. And ready to venture out into having his own business, he remembered his inspirational meeting with Engleson. He reached back out to Engleson with his new plan, and they talked about potentially working together. He’s been working with Engleson at Underground ever since.

McGuire answered a variety of student’s questions about how he advises his own writer clients. “Let me think about that,” McGuire explained, “is a phrase every writer needs to learn when they’re getting notes from a studio or producer.” “It’s not just to show that you can be flexible as a writer,” McGuire clarified, “it’s the truth — you DO need to think about it — so you can figure out the note behind the note and find a great way to fix it.”

Answering questions about the types of studio notes his clients receive, McGuire explains they come in all shapes and sizes, “from a machete to a scalpel,” McGuire elaborated, “but if you want your project to move forward, you need to address them. This business is unbelievably collaborative. Get used to it.” McGuire continued his discussion of working with buyers (financiers and studios), by explaining that often he reverse-engineers the process, by targeting places and sometimes even re-shaping material somewhat after finding out what they’re looking for first. “Why wouldn’t I make their job easier for them by giving them what they want?”

It’s certainly worked out so far, as McGuire has sold countless TV and film projects around town from his growing list of talented writers, including Ronnie Christensen (PASSENGERS), Jason Micallef (BUTTER), and Andrew Goldberg (FAMILY GUY). He also has moved into producing, where he’s an exec producer on the upcoming OUTPOST 37 and INCARNATE. He has BUDDYMOON in development with Universal and the TV show BASTARDS with 20th Century Fox.

To close, McGuire offered his final piece of advice for writers coming fresh out of school, “Assistants — make friends with as many as you can. Today’s assistants are tomorrow’s execs, and will eventually run this town. And so much of all this depends upon the close relationships that you build.”

‘Red Like Snow’ Now Playing at Brick House Theatre in N. Hollywood

Come out and support New York Film Academy graduates as they put on a new play, Red Like Snow, which is running now through September 14th at the Brick House Theatre in North Hollywood. Set in modern day, Red Like Snow is a dark thriller that takes place three days into a five-day climb on Mount Rainier, Washington. The story follows seven ice climbers, including Alex, the young, new, hotshot climber, Monica, the veteran climber who has become a celebrity in the field, two frat boys, a young couple new to the sport, and their travel guide, who survive a fall, high in the mountains, only to be trapped at the bottom of a very dangerous cave after falling through the ice. With the elements at their back, it doesn’t take long for them to realize that there is more to fear than a lack of food, warmth and water.

NYFA cast and crew members:

Aerial Segard (Actor, Co-Writer, Co-Producer)
Christen (Briele) Stroehlein (Actor)
Ioanna (Meli) Sourmeli-Terzopoulou (Actor)
Nicholas Rose (Director, Co-Writer, Co-Producer)

General admissions tickets can be purchased for $15 cash at the door or online here.

Students may purchase tickets for $8 cash at the door (must show NYFA ID).

We hope to see you there!

Acting Alumni Spotlight: Mia Ella Jordan Stars in ‘Basketball Girlfriend’

Within two months of graduating from New York Film Academy’s One-Year Acting for Film Conservatory, Mia Ella Jordan was cast in the feature film, Basketball Girlfriend, which is now available to rent on RedBox. She was also in Jez Dior’s music video, Who Drank My Whiskey, which, at one point in time earlier this year, was the #1 song trending on Twitter. Aside from those two projects, she was the lead actress in the short, I-589, which premiered at the LA Indie Film Festival.

Hailing from Santiago de Chile, Mia had originally auditioned with Basketball Girlfriend director Jean-Claude La Marre for another project and, some time later, he called her in to audition for the role of Jenny and cast her that day. This is fairly common in the industry, so don’t get too discouraged when you don’t land the initial audition. Maintain strong relationships with directors and casting directors.

Mia had been working in theatre for quite a while and while she loved it, her heart was in film. After attending an international school fair in Santiago, she was drawn to NYFA. Mia felt the Acting for Film courses were the perfect compliment to her previous acting training in theatre.

“The Meisner technique has been the most useful to me in terms of auditioning and being on-set,” said Mia. “I’ve heard from a lot of actors and even some agents that Meisner doesn’t help in auditions, but to me listening is everything because it sustains my being in the present and so it instills me in my truth.”

Mia eventually hopes to reach a point in her career where she can choose specific roles that truly resonate with her. As an actress, she believes she has a wonderful responsibility with the audience and wants to honor it by creating and being a part of projects that truly inspire and make a difference.

Recently, Mia finished acting in another music video for Jez Dior’s single, Clean Me Up. She’s also finishing up filming a short film, I Forgot You Were Here, where she plays a blind woman in a troubled relationship. “I love it because it’s not moral and I believe art never should be,” she says.

Check out Mia Ella Jordan in Jez Dior’s Who Drank My Whiskey.

Producer John Zaozirny Joins Business of Screenwriting Class

On August 5th, film and TV producer John Zaozirny sat down with New York Film Academy’s Business of Screenwriting class to discuss advice he could offer writers, tips on breaking into the business, and his own perspective on what it takes to succeed.

Zaozirny spoke first of his early days interning at Miramax, while still a student in Manhattan, and then later at Village Roadshow Pictures in Los Angeles. “I’m Canadian, so I knew the challenges facing foreigners looking to break into Hollywood”, Zaozirny shared. “My goal was to beef up my resume as much as I could early on, so I’d have a real shot. Internships also gave me a network, which helped put me on a path towards eventually getting a job…”

That first opportunity came when Zaozirny landed a development desk working for the President of Production at Appian Way, Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company. “One of the most important things I learnt working at a star-driven company is that so many movies get made simply because movie stars want to be in them,” Zaozirny explained. “That’s the difference between a movie in theaters and a script sitting on the shelf. So, write a script that a star actually wants to star in. Make your protagonist, love interest, and antagonist’s roles as dynamic and interesting as you can.”

After Appian Way, John went on to work for screenwriter Andrew Marlowe (AIR FORCE ONE, HOLLOW MAN), and illuminated students on the responsibilities of being a screenwriter’s assistant — including doing copious research, proofreading, and also being a fly on the wall to the creative process. “It was a rare, invaluable experience, which I’ll always be grateful for.” From there, Zaozirny landed as a writer’s assistant on ABC’s Castle and explained to students the different ways one can break into TV, as he sees it. He also shared what a writer’s assistant does day-in and day-out and the fast-paced reality of working on a network TV procedural.

In 2010, Zaozirny launched his own production company, Bellevue Productions, after realizing he was growing more interested in producing than writing. “As a writer, you should be churning out three new pieces of material a year. I realized I wasn’t doing that, but I also had far more ideas than three that I wanted to be a part of and build from the ground up.” It was a smart bet. Since then, Bellevue has set up numerous projects at the studios, including Cristo at Warner Bros., Capsule at Fox, and Warden and New Line Cinema, as well as numerous other projects with financiers. Bellevue also got its first movie made last year, a found-footage horror movie entitled The Operator, which is currently in post-production.

These days, Zaozirny continues to develop projects from the ground-up, working collaboratively with established and up-and-coming writers helping crack their stories in the room. After discussing this creative process, Zaozirny closed by emphasizing the most important element he looks for when beginning the journey with a new piece of material — “Concept”, Zaozirny proclaimed, “is honestly most of the battle. Having a great concept with a fascinating protagonist that offers maximum conflict — given the idea. You have to remember no one gets in trouble for saying no, for passing, so you need to have a piece of material that’s conceptually undeniable.”

Film Finance Expert John Hadity Speaks with NYFA Producing Students

John Hadity, the renown film finance expert, recently spent time with New York Film Academy‘s Producing students at the Battery Park New York City campus this month. An Industry Speaker in the Producing Program’s Film Finance series, John shared the latest developments in various areas, including: tax schemes, equity financing, and bank loans. Currently, John is the Executive Vice President for Entertainment Partners Financial Solutions. Over the course of his career, John has worked with a diverse group of film companies including twelve years as the Executive Vice President of Motion Picture & Television Production Finance for Miramax Films. He is also on the Executive Board of the Producers Guild of America. His expertise has established John as one of the first “go to guys” in the world of film finance, a fact not unrecognized by NYFA Producing students!

Good Samaritans Jump into Action in Los Angeles

New York Film Academy students are often told to find compelling film stories in the news, but it’s rare when our students become the news. Two days ago, while walking down a Hollywood street, two 4th semester NYFA AFA Acting students, Mario Lozano and Kelly Auble, heard screaming coming from a nearby hotel. A mother and her two children were drowning in the hotel pool. A third and fourth child stood by the pool, screaming. Without hesitation, both NYFA students went into action.

“I believe Kelly jumped into the pool and helped pull out the bodies and administered CPR,” said NYFA Instructor, Brian Beery. “Mario stood by and protected the kids and the father, who later returned to the hotel.”

It’s wonderful hearing about how heroic our students can be! You can see Mario and Kelly in this KTLA video news clip below.

Screenwriter John Glosser Joins NYFA’s Business of Screenwriting Class

On July 29th, Black List screenwriter John Glosser joined New York Film Academy’s Business of Screenwriting class to discuss breaking into Hollywood, his life as a writer, and his unique perspective on the film industry.

“If you’re not addicted to doing this, don’t do it,” Glosser advised, “Seriously, it has to be addiction because it’s just such a difficult career to break into. You have to want it as bad as an aspiring athlete wants to become a professional.”

Glosser spoke about his early days working on-set as a Unit Production Manager on such horror films as Splinter and about first getting repped. “I went backwards; I got my agent and then my manager, but it all comes down to relationships. In the end, a friend of a friend is what got my script in front of the right people.”

That script was The Broken, which not only placed on the 2012 Blacklist, but got Sam Worthington attached to produce and Nicolas Cage attached to star. The crime drama tells the story of a farmer in 1967, grieving for his murdered son, who discovers a suspicious cover-up on the part of a corrupt sheriff.

Glosser went on to speak about his experiences developing projects with various A-list directors and producers since The Broken hit the town, but closed with his belief about the most fundamental thing in this business —

“Voice”, Glosser affirmed, “is the most important attribute as a writer you can look to build. You all have one, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. You need to cultivate that voice… I don’t care if you write a story about an Elf living in Tokyo who drinks tea and falls in love with a flower. If you have a voice, people will notice.”

Desperate Housewives’ Zane Huett Speaks at NYFA Los Angeles

New York Film Academy Los Angeles students recently had the pleasure of speaking with actor Zane Huett from the hit T.V. series, Desperate Housewives. Huett played (Golden Globe Winner & Academy Award Nominated Actress) Felicity Huffman’s son “Parker Scavo” as a series regular for five years. We talked to a packed room of NYFA students comprised of teen camp acting and filmmaking students. The audience was first treated to a highlight reel of Zane Huett, showing clips from Desperate Housewives to his most current feature films such as Dear Lemon Lima, starring alongside Academy Award-Winning actress Melissa Leo, to his most current web series project, Blooob. Our young students were enlightened with Zane’s experience, having stared in the business at a young age of 4 years old. It’s hard to imagine being on a hit show at such an early age! We also discussed certain tips and advice he received while working alongside award-winning actresses such as Melissa Leo and Felicity Huffman.

Throughout the Q & A, students were able to ask Zane Huett questions from tips to getting an agent to any pitfalls or highlights of childhood stardom. In addition to his acting, Huett plays bass and sings in his new band, The Boulevards.

After the Q & A session, he was delighted to spend time, take photos and sign autographs with some of the NYFA students who were also fans of his work.