Faculty Directory

Lisa Shreve

Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lisa Shreve has edited and produced over one hundred television documentaries, narrative films, and shorts of various genres. She has worked with such figures as Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Mike Wallace, Peter Jennings, and Michael Bay among others. Lisa earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film from NYU Tisch School of the Arts where Martin Scorsese was her professor. Prior to her filmmaking career, she acted in Off-Off Broadway theatre, worked as a still photographer, and sang backup in “The Stilettos”, a seventies New York rock group. Recent projects include producer/editor on the independent documentary Miracle on 42nd Street, winner of the 2020 New York Regional Emmy Award for Best Documentary. She was Associate Producer and Consulting Editor on Created Equal: Clarence Thomas In His Own Words, a feature-length documentary that premiered in theatres nationwide and aired on PBS in 2020. Lisa also teaches documentary editing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and the History and Theory of Film Editing at New York Film Academy.

Nicholas Sienkiewicz

Nick Sienkiewicz is a New York City based conductor and scholar. Nick received his Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Indiana University, and received his undergraduate degrees in voice and biochemistry from Western Michigan University. He studied conducting with Chris Albanese, Betsy Burleigh, Dominick DiOrio, Kimberly Dunn Adams, Walter Huff, Austin McWilliams, and Ted Sperling.

With significant experience in music direction, Nick’s proficiency behind the keyboard and at the podium has led him to working at several regional theatres including Farmers Alley Theatre, The Barn Theatre, and Timberlake Playhouse. Nick works actively as a keyboard programmer, with memorable projects including SpongeBob SquarePants, and the amateur premiere of The Other Josh Cohen. Nick made his NYC Music Directing debut in 2023 with “Live, Laugh, Lie” at the NYFA and has served as the music assistant for several NYC workshops including Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical.

Nick’s research has led to presentations at national and international conferences including the College Music Society, the European Association for Music in Schools, and the American Choral Director’s Association. As an author, Nick has three published articles, currently within Choral Journal and Choral Scholar.

Fred Silverman

Fred Silverman is an award-winning journalist and communications specialist. He has an extensive background in producing news programs, non-fiction documentaries, and other information-based television programming for national and cable broadcast networks.

Silverman has produced documentaries, television series, and specials for networks including A&E, Discovery Channel, and History Channel. He was a regular contributing producer for the Fox program, America’s Most Wanted. He has produced live and taped television in 34 states and 10 countries.

He has won several prestigious awards including five regional Emmy Awards, the Alfred I. DuPont Award, and the Peabody Award.

Silverman is now offering his expertise to the next generation of journalism and communications students. He teaches in the Broadcast Journalism program at the New York Film Academy. He has also taught as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of Journalism, the University of Miami’s School of Communications, and Barry University’s Department of Communications. His expertise includes multi-platform Journalism, film, social media, and podcasts. He is a frequent guest lecturer on topics that include effective oral and written communications, TV production, and trends in journalism.

Alex Simmons Screenwriting Instructor

Alex Simmons is an award-winning freelance writer, writing coach/teacher, and creative arts consultant.  He’s written for Disney Books, Penguin-Random House, and Marvel/DC/Archie Comics. Simmons is the creator of the acclaimed adventure book series Blackjack. He’s also developed scripts for plays, teleplays, documentaries, interactive live shows, and animation projects.  Simmons has taught creative arts masterclasses for students and educators in the US, West Indies, Africa, and Europe. He’s taught screenwriting at the New York Film Academy.  Simmons has been a guest speaker, served on numerous arts and education panels, delivered lectures on children’s entertainment mediums, and on empowering young people through the arts. He founded the annual family event, Kids Comic Con, and three comic arts exhibits, which have traveled abroad.

Matthew Singletary Acting for Film Instructor

Matthew Singletary is a freelance director of theatre and film currently residing in Los Angeles. He has directed over 70 plays at theaters in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and all over the United States. His short films have been seen at festivals across the country and internationally. ​Considered an “actors’ director,” Matthew has a passion for new play development. He has directed over 20 new plays for the American stage and worked with numerous playwrights in developing their plays from inception through staged readings and finally full production. For three years, Matthew served as a Festival Producer for The Road Theatre Company’s Summer Playwrights Festival in Los Angeles – the largest new play reading series in the country. He received a BA in Theatre from Alma College (MI) and an MFA in Directing from The Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University (NJ). During his career, he has taught at colleges in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan, Texas and California. He is currently a faculty member at The New York Film Academy in Burbank and at El Camino College in Los Angeles, CA.​

Nan Siribunlue

Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Nan has decades of experience in the industry starting early in Hollywood as a PA and continuing on to various roles as a Producer’s Assistant in development, production coordination for commercials, and writer, director and producer on various Music Videos and content for the web.

She earned her BA in Cinema, Television, Arts at the California State University of Northridge, emphasizing in Screenwriting and Television Production. Following that she studied Improv and Comedy Sketch Writing at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade in Los Angeles. She was then accepted as a fellow at the American Film Institute Conservatory where she earned her MFA in Screenwriting.

Nan joined the NYFA team in the summer of 2019 as the Filmmaking Department Coordinator and started teaching Screenwriting that fall. She teaches BFA, MA, AFA and One Year classes for the Los Angeles Campus.

Nick Sivakumaran Senior Directing Instructor

MFA in Film Production, USC School of Cinema/TV; BA in Biology and Psychology, University of Rochester. Writer/Director of award-winning short film, “Diwali.” Screened at over 30 international film festivals, a recipient of a Director’s Guild of America Student Film Award and invited to the 2002 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Kodak Emerging Filmmaker Showcase. Also won commercial contests for clients, Chevrolet and Lifestyles Condoms and recently wrote a stage musical that had a six-week run in Hollywood.

Gerald Slota

GERALD SLOTA is a fine artist and photographer who has been widely exhibited across the US and abroad. He has had solo shows at the George Eastman House in Rochester, NY, and Langhans Galerie in Prague, Czech Republic, as well as been shown at Recontres D’ Arles in Arles, France. Slota has had multiple solo exhibits at Ricco/Maresca Gallery in NYC and is represented by the Robert Berman Gallery in Los Angeles. His images have appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times Magazine, Vice, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Harper’s, and Scientific America, as well as in BOMB, Artforum, ARTNEWS, Art in America, and Aperture. He has lectured at many institutions such as the International Center for Photography (ICP). Gerald Slota has garnered many awards including a Polaroid 20”x24” Grant, a MacDowell Artist Residency, and a Mid-Atlantic Fellowship Grant in 2001, 2009 and 2021.

Bear Smith

Bear is a graduate of CUNY-Queens College where he earned his Master of Library Science and his Certificate in Archives and Preservation of Cultural Materials. Professionally, his focus has been on specialty metadata & cataloging for archives and academic libraries. He has worked with the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and the CUNY-Queens College Library previously. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and their rescue dogs.

Dave Solomon

DAVE SOLOMON is an award-winning New York-based writer and director working in both theatre and film. Recent stage credits include directing the first national tour of TOOTSIE THE MUSICAL and PUMP UP THE VOLUME (MTFest London). He also directed a unique cinematic-theatrical hybrid production of Adam Gwon’s ORDINARY DAYS for Pittsburgh Playhouse, that he co-conceived with Emmy-winning designer Jason Ardizzone-West (“Jesus Christ Superstar Live”). He wrote and directed the award-winning short film PHOTO OP (starring Randy Harrison) and his upcoming film BRENDA & BILLY AND THE POTHOS PLANT (starring Santino Fontana and Sarah Stiles) will have its world premiere in Summer 2023. Solomon also assisted Bill Condon on the films MR. HOLMES and DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and served as Condon’s Associate Director on the revised production of SIDE SHOW on Broadway, at La Jolla Playhouse and the Kennedy Center. Solomon has also been an Associate Director to Joe Mantello and Scott Ellis, and has worked on fourteen Broadway productions including TOOTSIE, MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, 9 TO 5, PAL JOEY SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (2008), THE RITZ, CURTAINS, MARIO CANTONE’S LAUGH WHORE and ASSASSINS. He was an Associate Producer and Assistant Director on “A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE” and his play, MARGARET AND CRAIG, premiered at NY Stage and Film and was also seen as part of The New Group New Works starring Mario Cantone and Marin Ireland. Additional stage credits include THE DODGERS (Hudson Theatre, LA), THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG (Le Petit, NOLA), MARRYING MEG (NYMF) and SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR (with John Bolton and Eve Plumb). He has been a resident artist at SPACE on Ryder Farm and is a graduate of Vassar College.

Yoselin Solórzano

Yoselin Solórzano is an Ecuadorian filmmaker based in South Florida. She holds a Master’s Degree in Producing form New York Film Academy. Yoselin has more than 10 years of working in the Ecuadorian television industry where she has functioned as a Content Producer and as First Assistant Director for unscripted and scripted shows. After moving to Miami, she currently teaches several producing courses for the filmmaking department and filmcraft courses for the acting for film department of NYFA Miami.

Sue Jin Song

MFA in Acting, NYU/Tisch
A “Usual Suspect” at New York Theater Workshop, where she worked with Van Lier playwrights on developing new work. She has acted in theaters in New York City and regionally around the country, including world premieres written by Paula Vogel and Velina Hasu Houston. Film/TV credits include New Amsterdam, Generat+ion, Law & Order, Won’t Back Down, and Someone Like You. Sue Jin also wrote and acted in a one woman play Children of Medea, which was awarded “Best of DC Fringe” and was subsequently produced by Constellation Theatre. For the Screenwriting Department in LA, she teaches Acting as part of the Script To Screen course. In the Producing Department, she teaches Acting for Producers. In the Filmmaking Department, she teaches Acting for Filmmakers.

Samantha Soule

Samantha Soule is a filmmaker and actress. She directed Midday Black Midnight Blue, Birdwatching starring Amanda Seyfried, Taffeta, Shed, and Telling Time. As an actress, she can currently be seen in Outer Banks, Godless, Tales Of The City, Queen’s Gambit, and Martin Scorcese’s The Irishman on Netflix and City On A Hill for Showtime. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School.

Diana Stanich

ABPhD, Capella University; MBA, University of La Verne; MA in Physical Education/Health, California State University, Long Beach; BS in Kinesiology, University of California, Los Angeles. Professor of Kinesiology/Dance, Santa Clarita Community College District.

Maria Stanisheva

Maria Stanisheva is a film director/producer and founder of ANIMADOCS (www.animadocs.com) . She focuses on social-issue documentaries, independent animation and experimenting with mixed genres. The animated-documentary FATHER which she produced in 2012 was screened at over 100 film festivals and awarded 28 times, including the Golden Dove for Animated Film at DOK Leipzig Festival. Her 2016 animated campaign “Together to End Male Guardianship” commissioned by Human Rights Watch Saudi Arabia, was seen by over 10 million people, brought factual legislative change to the country and got featured in the New York Times and Euronews. She is currently working on Finding Home – an animated documentary series and interactive art installation that tell the stories of climate refugees from around the world.

Maria has worked as an external expert for the Robert Bosch Foundation (Berlinale film festival), Documentary Campus Masterschool (CPH:DOX, Sheffield Doc Fest), NEW INC (NEW MUSEUM, NYC) and EURIMAGES. She gives regular master-classes in “Animation for Documentary Film“ at NYFA, Oxford Brookes and the Central European University (Vienna). In addition, she does Pitch trainings based on personal experience presenting projects at Berlinale, Stuttgart Film Fest, Clermont Ferrand, Hot Docs, Sunny Side of the Doc, IDFA etc.

Liz Stanton Acting for Film Instructor

Liz Stanton teaches Acting (Meisner), Voice & Movement, and Improvisation at the New York Film Academy. As an actor, singer, sound designer, composer, director, and teacher, she is a multifaceted theatre artist. She is the Theatrical Development Producer for Convergences Theatre Collective. She has performed in numerous professional productions in New York City, regionally and internationally (England and India). Her opera, based on The Bacchae, was featured as a work in development at the EstroGenius Festival. She has created award-winning devised theatre pieces, composes music for theatrical sound designs, and teaches physically embodied acting and voice. Liz received her MFA in Theatre: Contemporary Performance from Naropa University. One of her most recent projects is The Woman Who Was Me – a play for one woman. The show was nominated for five Innovative Theatre Awards, including for Outstanding Solo Performer.