BYFA

INSTRUCTORS And ASSISTANTS

Cieara Adams is a Baltimore City native and graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts.  She is a practicing photographer/filmmaker and is seeking training to master her craft.  Her work focuses on social issues in underserved and underprivileged communities.

Rafael Alvarez has been writing about Baltimore for nearly forty years, while taking thousands of pictures with disposable cameras.  A former City Desk reporter for The Baltimore Sun, Alvarez wrote for the HBO drama The Wire, and has published ten books.  Educated in Catholic schools, he is a lifelong resident of Baltimore.  

Ricardo Amparo is a Baltimore City native who practices filmmaking and photography.  He is currently working towards an Associate's Degree at Baltimore City Community College.  He hopes to refine his own his skills in media while teaching others.

David J. Anderson is a photographer, cinematographer, and editor originally from Franklin Township, NJ, now studying at Morgan State University. He hopes to continue his film ventures in Baltimore while helping those in his field.

Gwyneth Anderson is an animator and visual artist exploring themes of invisibility and perception. She has exhibited in galleries, festivals, forests, and vacant lots throughout the US and internationally. She recently moved to Baltimore from Chicago, where she was a teaching artist with the Museum of Contemporary Art and Columbia College. 

Rodolfo (Rudy) Avila is a freshman at Johns Hopkins University. He plans on majoring in public health or humanities, and following the pre-med track due to his desire to help others in any way possible!

Sabi Baibussinov is a first-year graduate student at Johns Hopkins University and a former journalist from Astana, Kazakhstan. He loves travel, tennis, documentary films, hiking, and cooking.

Alessandra Bautze is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, where she majored in writing and in film and media studies. She also holds an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from The University of Texas at Austin. She believes in the power of language to connect communities.

Malkah Bell is a graduate of Morgan State University's SWAN (Screenwriting & Animation) program, receiving her BFA in Television and Media Writing.  Since childhood she has had a love for writing and uses film as a her canvas to tell moving stories.

Kathleen Beller started acting in television and film at age 14. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the film Promises In the Dark and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Dale Beran is a writer and artist living in Baltimore, MD. His latest book, It Came from Something Awful, is forthcoming from St. Martin's Press in August 2019. He teaches writing and animation at Morgan State University. 

Phyllis Berger is a fine arts photographer and founder of the photography program in the Center for Visual Arts at Johns Hopkins University.  She also developed the JHU photography program in Ireland and has lectured in such diverse places as Croatia, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, and the Galapagos Islands.

Precious Blake is a community arts organizer and illustrator.  She received her BFA in Illustration with a concentration in Printmaking from MICA.  She is dedicated to serving underrepresented artists in Baltimore through community programming, event organizing, and advocating for equitable access to arts education.

Jha’Neal Blue, a Frostburg State University graduate from Baltimore, works as Media Specialist and Film Arts Instructor for Root Branch Media Group. An actress and photographer, she also writes for screen and stage.

Maya Bond is a Loyola University Maryland graduate with a degree in Communications and Photography.  She is currently a host for We Won't Keep Quiet, a podcast highlighting how the 2016 presidential election has impacted women of color.

Sabrina Bouarour is a lecturer and PhD candidate in film and media studies from La Sorbonne-Nouvelle in Paris. She is currently making a documentary about the Baltimore uprising.  

Sakinah Bowman is an undergraduate in Morgan State University’s Screenwriting and Animation (SWAN) program with a special concentration in editing.   She mastered Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 in order to create her own visuals for her poetry and narrative works.

Lucy Bucknell teaches screenwriting and film studies in the Film and Media Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University.  She is the founding director of Writing Outside the Fence, a writing program for returning citizens and their extended community.

Karter Burnett is an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University, where he is studying philosophy and theatre. His background includes poetry, activism, and storytelling. He is dedicated to serving underrepresented artists in Baltimore and beyond through community-building initiatives. 

Maya Bussey is currently working towards her Bachelor's of Science in the Department of Biology at Johns Hopkins University. She is interested in medicine, specifically maternal and pediatric health, and she hopes to help people in underserved communities learn about their individual rights when it comes to health and medicine.

Karen Campbell is a seasoned television journalist who has worked in front of and behind the camera. She has reported on stories in Baltimore; Washington, DC; Virginia; and Pennsylvania.

Chris Caputo is a senior studying natural sciences and film and media studies at Johns Hopkins University.  He is a photographer for The Johns Hopkins News-Letter with an interest in healthcare and short film making.

Danielle Carter, a Baltimore native, is a recent Morgan State University graduate.  She studied Multi-Platform Production and hopes to become a producer.  She is eager to share all that she has learned with up-and-coming filmmakers. 

Irene Chen is a graduate student studying marketing in Johns Hopkins University. She is passionate about capturing moments through her lens. She wants to be the eye to the world.

André Chung is an award-winning photojournalist and portrait photographer.  He has created images for a wide range of publications, and was one of a select group of photojournalists chosen in 2009 and 2013 to work on Barack Obama: The Official Inaugural Book.  His photographs are part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Helena Chung is a senior studying in the Writing Seminars and the Film and Media Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University. After graduating, she hopes to pursue an MFA in poetry and eventually work at a nonprofit.

Taelor Clay, a Morgan State University graduate, is an independent film producer and screenwriter, largely focused on stories that address and attempt to heal infighting in struggling communities. 

Alisha Mona'e Coates graduated from Morgan State University with a B.S in Multi-Platform Media Production.  A BYFA participant since 2016, she started her photography career at Edmondson Westside, and hopes to eventually open an art/photography studio.

Charles Cohen's most recent documentary film is The Crooked Tune, an Old Time Fiddler in a Modern World.  He holds an MFA in Film and Digital Media from American University and has written for The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post, and Baltimore City Paper.

Ellie Cohen is a rising senior film major at Baltimore School for the Arts.

Faith Couch is a fine art photographer, educator, and curator whose work illuminates the Black memory landscape. Her photographs have been exhibited domestically and internationally, and her editorial work has appeared in the WSJ, NYT, and elsewhere. She is a 2021 Forbes Magazine 30 under 30: Art and Style honoree. 

Brittany Crissman is a senior at Towson University, where she's pursuing a degree in Communications with a Mass  Communication Studies minor.  She is the community service chair of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Towson chapter, and will be a social justice facilitator in fall of 2018.

Elijah Davis is a digital media artist who hails from the dead steel city of Youngstown, Ohio. Her work focuses on aspects of surveillance, personal trauma, and nostalgia. She is currently working towards her MFA in UMBC’s IMDA program.

Taylor Daynes lives and teaches in Baltimore City. She earned her MFA in poetry from Johns Hopkins and is currently pursuing ordination in the Episcopal Church. She hopes to focus her future ministry on the arts and community engagement.

John D'cruz is a freshman at Johns Hopkins University majoring in film and media studies. Over the last two years, he has worked as a videographer for local businesses and most recently completed an internship at ARTS by the People, a nonprofit organization in Morristown, NJ.

Ebony DeGrace is developing her craft as a cinematographer and photographer. She considers herself a cinematic experimentalist and aspires to uplift and uphold the Black experience through conceptualized, outer-worldly visual work.

Zoraida Díaz, a Colombian-born photojournalist, covered some of the most impactful Latin American stories of the 80s and 90s for Reuters.  Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Libération, O Globo, The Guardian, Dagens Nyheter, Clarín, and elsewhere. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore.

Matthew Dillon is a Baltimore-born and based videographer and photographer.  He has worked with Baltimore City Schools, and produces his own creative content.

Michelle Dunn is a video artist/photographer and educator.  She holds an MFA from Towson University and her work has been shown and screened in galleries, contemporary art centers, and as public, urban projections. 

Christina Dunnington is a junior studying Dance Performance and Choreography, along with Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing, at Towson University. She hopes to pursue a career as a professional contemporary ballet dancer.

Sebastian Durfee is an aspiring filmmaker from Shaftsbury, VT.  He is currently a student at Johns Hopkins University and is pursuing degrees in film production and theater arts.

Jared Earley, memory maker, merges penchants for food and film through professional stints and personal indulgences. By day, he toils as a marketing, events, and PR professional. By night/weekend he consults for various film festivals and is the founder of the independent VHS screening series, playbackthetape.

Kiara Eldred is a graduate student in Cellular, Molecular, Developmental Biology and Biophysics (CMDB)  at Johns Hopkins University. Although pursuing a career in science, she has been involved in the arts for ten years with focuses in technical theater and performance dance.

Jalen Eutsey is a poet, freelance sportswriter, amateur photographer, and documentarian from Miami, Florida.  He earned a BA from the University of Miami and an MFA in Poetry from The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. He was a 2018-19 (GBCA) Urban Arts Leadership Fellow.  He now calls Baltimore home.

Jamal Evans teaches in the Interactive Media Production program at Edmondson-Westside High School.  For over fifteen years, he has inspired students to enter the world of media production.  He also has a passion for social media and does freelance photography and video throughout the Baltimore region and beyond. 

David Fakunle, Ph.D. is Co-Founder and CEO of DiscoverME/RecoverME: Enrichment Through the African Oral Tradition. A Baltimore native, David is currently a research fellow at Morgan State University. His career as an African storyteller, African drummer, and researcher operates at the intersection of arts and public health.  

Victor Fink is an independent filmmaker and director of photography based in Baltimore. He is co-owner of the production company MindInMotion and the producer and DP of the 2016 feature film Lotus Eyes.

Karen Fish received a BFA in photography from Arcadia University and a Masters from the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars.  She has published three books of poetry, and her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The American Poetry Review, Poetry, and elsewhere. She teaches at Loyola University.

Dezimond Fisher is an undergraduate at Morgan State University, where he’s studying film and screenwriting in order to create captivating visual narratives.

Chrissy Fitchett, a graduate of MICA, is a practicing photographer and Associate Director for Baltimore Youth Film Arts.  Her work examines family structure, generational knowledge, and issues of political and social marginalization, such as forced migration and gender inequity.

Ceci Freed is a junior Film and Media Studies and Spanish double major at Johns Hopkins.  She is interested in pursuing a career in the television and film industry.

Zoe Friedman is a multimedia installation artist.  She loves to explore, travel, and collaborate, and has created art projects all over the world.  She holds an MFA from MICA and is proud to call Baltimore home.

Stephanie García is an independent journalist who covers labor, housing, climate justice, and education equity. Her work has been published with The Independent, PBS NewsHour, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, AP, USA Today, and The Ground Truth Project. 

Audrey Gatewood is a photographer, director, and facilitator from Baltimore, MD. Their photographic work features elements of fantasy, and is deeply collaborative with the Baltimore arts and LGBTQ community. They are currently working towards a social work degree at University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Danielle Gboizo is a Baltimore native with a strong belief that every person has a story to tell. She'd like to assist the youth of the city in learning to create art to share with the world.  Her video diary Bath Time was a finalist in the 2017 Born in Baltimore Film & Photography Festival.

Jake Golden is a Philadelphia native and a senior Writing Seminars major at Johns Hopkins University.  After graduation, he hopes to pursue a career in screenwriting and film production.

Jason “J” Gray is a director, editor, sound mixer, musical consultant, and DJ.  He has contributed to several feature films in both cinematography and sound, and is currently a multimedia specialist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Multimedia Studios.

Les Gray studies Cinematic Arts at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and hopes to inspire the community that inspired her.

Somer Greer is a writer and photographer who lived in Baltimore for close to a decade, working as a writing instructor at Johns Hopkins University and other schools in the Mid-Atlantic. He now lives on Bayou Vermilion in Lafayette, Louisiana. Currently, he is working on a series of candid photos of Cajun musicians.

Yiran (Eva) Guo is a freelance illustrator and animator originally from the plains of northern China. She is a graduate of the MFA program in Illustration Practice at Maryland Institute College of Art and, in her time in the States, has created award-winning window displays, GIFs, animations, and illustrations.

Liz Guseman is a native of Baltimore who has been a lifelong painter and photographer. She has been focusing on street photography in Baltimore City for the past ten years with the goal of creating an intimate portrait of its people. She has studied with multiple photojournalists and through MICA, Magnum, and Santa Fe Photography workshops.

Ellie Hallenborg is a junior at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Math.  She is an Editor of Photography for The Johns Hopkins News-Letter and makes short films in her spare time.

Jalynn Harris is a poet, educator, press founder, and editor from Woodlawn, the greatest suburb in Baltimore. She earned her M.F.A. from the University of Baltimore. Her first chapbook, Exit Thru the Afro, is a future museum of Black queer artifacts.

Alfonzer Harvin is a graduate of the Screenwriting and Animation program (SWAN) at Morgan State University.  He is Media Specialist and Web Designer at NorthBay Education Inc., and has created animations for Comcast and others.  He is skilled in all phases of production, and believes that knowledge is all we need to change the world. 

Murtaza Hathiyari is pursuing a graduate degree in robotics at Johns Hopkins.  An experimentalist who believes in the power of expression, he is certain everything has an intriguing story behind it to dig into.

Alonzo Hellerbach is a director from Baltimore. Music films he created with artist Jurdan Bryant have received international recognition, including “Words for Thomas”™, which won a UKMVA, and most recently “Story Time”™, for artist Fivio Foreign, which has over 11 million views on YouTube.

Matthew Henry is a police officer with the Baltimore Police Department. He currently serves with the Northern District's Neighborhood Coordination Office. He joined the "Learn it, Shoot it, Share it: The Law" workshop with the hopes of shedding light on some ambiguous legal topics and encouraging participants to look upon police officers as a resource.

Amy Hodges holds a B.A. in Photography from Virginia Intermont College and a Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins. 

Zongyi Hu is a graduate student in the Johns Hopkins University Masters of Arts in Film and Media program.

Jessica Hudgins lives in Baltimore, where she teaches creative writing. She received her MFA from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins.

Dorothy Johns is a proud Baltimore City native. She is the granddaughter of Mildred Allen, the first black female Arabber in Baltimore, and herself worked as an Arabber, maintaining her own stable and advocating for young people to engage in the care of horses. A community leader and activist, she continues to search for new ways to reach Baltimore's youth.

Alexander Johnson was introduced to animation through the Maryland Institute College of Arts – Young Peoples Studio.  He was the first animation student to attend Morgan State University’s Screenwriting and Animation (SWAN) program and is now pursuing an MFA in Computer Animation and Multimedia at the University of Baltimore.

Darian Jones is currently a student at the University of Baltimore, majoring in digital communications with a focus in media design and production. Teaching at Wide Angle Youth Media allows him to work with Baltimore’s future; his goal as a filmmaker and teacher is to help others re-discover their voices. 

Alec Jordan is a Baltimorean and a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University, where he was president of the Dunbar Baldwin Hughes Theatre Company.  He plans to develop his creative skills in order to pursue a career in photography and filmmaking.

Kintsugi Kelley-Chung is an activist at heart, artist by trade, combining social justice with innovative multimedia storytelling. A Columbia, MD, native, Kin’s work focuses on race, immigration, gender and class through music, photo, film, XR, and more.

Anishta Khan is a senior at Johns Hopkins, studying public health and writing, and a France-Merrick Civic Fellow with the Center for Social Concern. She is compelled by place-based storytelling through writing and visual arts. 

Priyanka Kotha is an engineering management graduate student from India who takes comfort in art.  She is obsessed with painting skies and taking pictures, and she enjoys meeting new people.  

Madison Krchnavy is a sophomore at Goucher College studying Media and Communications.  She is currently interning with the Maryland Film Festival and is the president of Goucher's Film Club.

Vibha Sathesh Kumar is a first year graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. She has had a love for art since childhood, and enjoys exploring various mediums to express herself.

Estefany Lara is a Salvadoran-born writer and filmmaker based in Baltimore. She believes in the power of storytelling to connect and honor individual voices.

Jaeyoung Lee has recently moved from biology to The Writing Seminars and the Film and Media Studies Program.  He has spent the last year learning the ropes of digital filmmaking, and hopes to share the knowledge he's gained.

Ava Levine is a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University majoring in international studies. She enjoys embroidering and is looking forward to contributing to the work done at BYFA.

Christian Lewis is currently a student at McDaniel College, studying cinema with a strong focus towards screenwriting. As of now he resides in Baltimore City, a place he hopes to incorporate into his stories.

Yuchen Li is a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University. Pursuing majors in psychology and environmental studies, she hopes to combine her interests and course works towards a career that can benefit society.

Xuanqi Liu is a composer, electronics performer, and improviser.  Active as a collaborative artist, she is pursuing her M.M. in computer music at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.

Jim Mahjoubian, Video Production Coordinator for the Baltimore City Public Schools, believes any young person with an interest in film should be given an opportunity to explore and find their voice. In fifteen years of production and education he's helped many former students move into the industry with passion and integrity.

Dora Malech is an assistant professor in The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University and the author of four books of poetry, most recently Flourish (Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2020). She works with Writers in Baltimore Schools and is passionate about writing, visual art, collaboration, and community.

Ilana Malkin is a Maryland native and a graduate of The Writing Seminars at the Johns Hopkins University. She will attend Georgetown Law in the fall, and hopes to focus on women's rights and advocacy within the Korean American community. 

John Mann is a documentary filmmaker and Senior Lecturer in the Film and Media Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University.  Works include the documentaries Shelter: Conversations with Homeless Men, Nicodemus, and Locust Point; the dance for the camera shorts Breathe In…Breathe Out and It Goes Without Saying; and the recent autobiographical short "if...then...”

Susan Mann is Professor in the Towson University Department of Dance.  She has performed leads in classical ballets and modern dances, and choreographed works for professional companies.  With her husband John Mann, she created the dances for the camera, Do You Like That?, Breathe in…Breathe Out, and It Goes Without Saying, which was named Best Experimental Film in the California International Short Film Festival.

Daniel Matsumoto is a sophomore film and media studies major at Johns Hopkins University.  In addition to working on short film projects, he’s an employee at the Digital Media Center, where he teaches patrons about digital filmmaking and photography.

Will McBride is a rising junior pursuing his BA in film and media studies at Johns Hopkins University. An aspiring songwriter and voice actor, he hopes to create art that not only entertains, but inspires as well.

Brian J. McConnell is a junior at Johns Hopkins University majoring in film & media studies and economics.  He also contributes to the Hopkins film community through Studio North, JHU Film Society, and as a teaching assistant.  He hopes to make movies in the future.

Lukas MacKinney is a filmmaker, sound editor, and educator based in Baltimore. Their creative interests include experimental sound design and film scoring. They especially enjoy creating nontraditional sounds from everyday objects and instruments.

Tatum Marshall is a senior at Johns Hopkins University studying applied mathematics, statistics, and writing. She believes that art is not only a form of self-expression, but a means of activism.

Anthony McKissic is a photojournalist and mixed media artist from Washington D.C.  He also teaches photography in the Baltimore City Public Schools. 

Jonna McKone is a filmmaker, storyteller, journalist, and interdisciplinary researcher.  Her films, photographs, and audio works have been broadcast on public radio and screened and exhibited at galleries and museums, most recently at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C.

Keith Mehlinger is Director of the Digital Media Center and of the Screenwriting and Animation program (SWAN) at Morgan State University.  A producer/writer/director, he produced episodes of the syndicated series, Story of a People, and recently completed a short documentary about parents of sons lost to street violence for the Morgan multimedia project, Mother's Lament.

Sarah Miller is a photographer, raised in Baltimore and currently living and working in New York City. She was selected for participation in the Eddie Adams Workshop in 2018 and has shot for such news outlets as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Michelle Mokaya is a Johns Hopkins University undergraduate in the School of Engineering. Although her concentration is still undecided, she is passionate about using her degree to work on sustainable projects that could help improve the lives of those in marginalized communities.

Willie Moore's animated shorts have garnered awards including, “The Golden Eagle,” “The Paul Robeson Award,” and “The Rose Bud Award.”  His animated feature Bully Situation was released in 2008.  He is currently Professor of Media Arts and Animation at the Art Institute of Philadelphia.

Kerstyn Myers is a member in the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society at UMBC, where she is pursuing computer science. She believes technology and art are the connections to the future.

Rubini Naidu began using the camera to bring awareness to marginalized cultures while studying photography and psychology at Carnegie Mellon.  She has since pursued her interest in India, Kenya, and Uganda.  She works in international women’s empowerment at the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute of Population and Reproductive Health.

Siddhi Nargund is a Johns Hopkins University grad student who indulges in video content writing and creation. She has created YouTube videos and believes in learning through multidisciplinary fields and contemporary methods to make the best of her love for videography.

Terrence Nelson is the managing broadcast producer for the ESPN & Special Olympics broadcast and production partnership. The Morgan State University graduate has worked on projects with major media outlets such as TV One, CNN, NY Daily News, Netflix, NBC, and MTV.

Naomi Nina is an artist from Brooklyn, NY.  She is studying to become a holistic therapist, which will incorporate her first love of poetry and music.  Her work as an activist and an artist led her to call Baltimore her home, and she looks forward to bridging the gap between art and activism in the city of Baltimore. 

Sage Okolo, a student at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, has participated in numerous film theory and production courses throughout her education.  She hopes to pursue a career in editing and television production.  Her collaborative film The New Definition screened at the summer BYFA event on July 30, 2016.

Ayomide Olusina is a Georgia native and an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University.  She is studying natural science and Spanish and does amateur filmmaking on the side. 

Olugbenga Osikomaiya, a Morgan State University graduate, is a freelance cinematographer and photographer who focuses on creating compelling images that also tell a story.  

Gaybriell Paredes is a a Chicago native and graduate of the TV arts program at Columbia College Chicago. Since relocating, she continues her work in post for a D.C. media publication.

Ellie Park is a graduate student in the Johns Hopkins University Film and Media program, studying the craft of screenwriting and visual storytelling.

Katherine Paul is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University Film and Media Studies Program. With a background in fine arts and digital media, she aspires to further pursue her creativities, and broaden and deepen her established expertise. 

Jessica Pettiford is a graduate of the Screenwriting and Animation (SWAN) program at Morgan State University. She hopes to improve her own skills in animation while working with others and helping them learn something new.

Vonnya Pettigrew is CEO of Root Branch Productions & Film Academy.  A writer and filmmaker, she has produced content for a wide range of clients, including the Discovery Channel, Disney, and Starz.

Blayre Pichon is a filmmaker and content producer, and co-owner of Waasi Films. In 2022, she produced her company’s first feature film, Senior, a recipient of a Johns Hopkins Saul Zaentz grant. As both a director of photography and post-production artist, she has shot commercials, music videos, and branded content.

Joey Plaster is a curator and historian living in Baltimore City. He teaches public humanities, performance studies, and oral history in the Program in Museums and Society at Johns Hopkins University.

Xavier Plater is an entrepreneur, film director, and cinematographer with a background in media journalism and photography. He’s currently an undergraduate at the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he studies film/video and entrepreneurship. He is dedicated to impacting communities through the power of storytelling.

Annette Porter is a documentary filmmaker and co-founder, with Helen Morell, of Nylon Films, UK.  Comfortable with her camera in a corporate boardroom or on a high altitude trail in Chile, she produces, directs, and shoots both stills and moving images.

Jimmy Powell, Jr., an alumnus of the Maryland Institute College of Art, is a freelance videographer and editor.  His clients include the NAACP, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, and the University of Maryland Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Caroline Preziosi is a writer and artist from Baltimore. She has spent the last few years writing and teaching, and is currently pursuing an MFA in Writing at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is interested in exploring memory––the imperceptible and transparent moments of recalling image and experience.

Dean Radcliffe-Lynes is an Emmy Award-winning producer of specials and documentaries.  She also produces videos for nonprofit organizations and has extensive experience with content to facilitate prisoner reentry.  Clients include the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Girls Advocacy Project, Inc., and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Gwen Richards is Board Chair of Megaphone Project, Baltimore’s Social Justice Film Producers, and a graduate student in the Maryland Institute College of Art’s Social Design program.  Her background includes broadcast production at WEAA, 88.9FM and WBAL-TV 11 News. She has over ten years of experience in public health leadership and advocacy.

Vanessa Richards is an undergraduate majoring in Film and Media Studies, English, and Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins.  When not writing papers, she enjoys watching movies, listening to almost any genre of music, and attempting to explain what Afrofuturism is to anybody willing to listen.

David Lee Roberts Jr., an award-winning television producer and documentary filmmaker, is Adjunct Professor in the Screenwriting and Animation (SWAN) program at Morgan State University. Television credits include Metro Focus and Oh, Gospel; film credits include Credible Messenger, about juvenile justice reform, and Charm City, about Baltimore community reform and engagement.

Karis Robertson became interested in digital media in childhood, and has pursued her passion through a B.A in Electronic Media and Film from Towson University, and through work on film festivals and production. She is a production assistant for Morning News at Fox45, and plans to use her experiences to create films on the diversity of youth in African American culture.

Renee Ross is an educator, writer, and actress with a passion for film and television. She enjoys the art of storytelling immensely and is currently working on a screenplay, a novel, and a web series.

Justin Ryu, a native of Seoul, South Korea, is a senior at Johns Hopkins University, pursuing a double major in film and media studies and international studies. He is passionate about purposeful filmmaking and hopes to make a mark in the film industry by showcasing unseen stories on the big screen.

Babatunde E. Salaam is a filmmaker, instructor, and program director with Griot’s Eye, a media program in Baltimore serving the cultural and creative needs of urban youth.  He has produced shorts exploring narratives of youth entrepreneurship, education, and the prison industrial complex.

Parisa Saranj was born and raised in the turquoise town of Isfahan, Iran.  She holds a BA in Journalism from University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Goucher College.  She is currently living in Baltimore and working on a memoir.

Stan Saunders is a retired broadcaster for WJZ-TV Baltimore.  He mentors youth in the Baltimore City Public Schools through his nonprofit program, Baltimore Academy of Sports & Entertainment (B.A.S.E.).  He also creates community-impact documentaries, leveraging his more than thirty years telling Baltimore stories. 

Renee Scavone studies film and writing at Johns Hopkins University.  She has found her niche in the school's performing arts and comedy scenes, and hopes to encourage others to do the same.

Emmet Sheehan, a Baltimore City native, has a background in stage and film. He was part of the pilot program that helped launch the film department at Baltimore School for the Arts, and trained at North Carolina School of the Arts Summer Intensive. He is currently working on several short film projects.

Frank (Qiqian) Shi is a Johns Hopkins University undergraduate double majoring in environmental science and economics. He is passionate about delivering the voices of communities through images.

Tavon Shipley is a Baltimore writer and artist whose work often reflects the “charm” of the city. He studied theatre arts, criminal justice, and communications at Community College of Baltimore County.

Essence Smith is the Community Schools Coordinator at Green Street Academy.  She has a passion for empowering today’s youth through education and leadership development.  Essence believes you should be the change you want to see.

Laura Stewart is a fourth-year BFA student at the Maryland Institute College of Art.  She has a passion for education and has taught and assisted in a variety of photography courses and workshops.  She also works with book making, ceramics, drawing, painting, and video in her practice.

Kyle Stine is a lecturer in the Film and Media Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University. He has studied cinema and media on research fellowships at Media@McGill at McGill University in Montreal and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

Dhyaneshswar “Danny” Sudhakar is a film and media graduate student at Johns Hopkins, majoring in writing and sound.  He specializes in directing and editing, and is excited to work with BYFA fellows.

Ras Tre Subira is Founding Director of Griot's Eye and Afrikan Youth Alchemy.

Evelyn Tang is currently a student at Johns Hopkins University, majoring in film and media studies and economics. She believes in the power of media to communicate with the world.

Faith Terry is a senior Writing Seminars student at Johns Hopkins University. After graduation, she plans to pursue an MFA in fiction writing and a career in writing and teaching.

Toroes Thomas, an award-winning filmmaker and co-founder of Waasi Films, draws on his life experiences for inspiration in his work.  His short film The Beach received acclaim at various festivals, and his upcoming feature film Senior is backed by a grant from the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund.

Trevon Tillman is a lifelong Baltimore City resident with a passion for film and documentary.  He graduated from Morgan State University in May of 2011.

Anthony ‘Mwalimu’ Truitt is a media literacy instructor with 18 years experience in Baltimore and his hometown Detroit.  As an independent journalist, producer, and filmmaker, with a background in broadcast news, he strives to share his knowledge with young people for the purpose of developing positive, thoughtful, and intelligent media.

Marc Unger's career as an actor, writer, comedian, and filmmaker spans nearly 30 years. He's headlined many of the top comedy clubs in the country and guest starred on the Emmy winning TV shows Friends and Veep.  His latest project is the award-winning series Thespian, available on Amazon and YouTube. 

Maria Unger is a graduate of Johns Hopkins School of Education. As the producer and co-creator of the Amazon Prime series Thespian, she performs various roles both on set and behind the scenes, including video editing, project planning, script supervision, pre- and post-production operations, and contract management.

Colette Veasey-Cullors is Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies, as well as Professor of photography, at MICA. Her work, which investigates race, class, education, and identity, has been widely exhibited. Her collaborative interest is in social and creative engagement with individuals and communities, particularly those that are underserved and underrepresented. 

Amelia Voos is a filmmaker and multimedia installation artist based in Baltimore. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Intermedia & Digital Arts at UMBC.

William Wagner is a Johns Hopkins University undergraduate studying applied mathematics, environmental studies, and visual art. They are a program assistant for Baltimore Youth Film Arts.

Gillian Waldo is a film major at Johns Hopkins University.  She is interested in pursuing documentary filmmaking.

Connor Wall is an international studies and public health double major at Johns Hopkins with an interest in design and animation. He hopes to practice medicine and shoot films abroad while immersing himself in new cultures.

David Warfield teaches filmmaking and screenwriting at Morgan State University. He has been an AFI Fellow, an advisor to the Sundance Screenwriters Lab in Prague, and a V.P. of Production at Propaganda Films in Hollywood. He has sold scripts to and done assignment work for Warner Brothers, MGM, Sony, and ABC. His films include Linewatch (Sony Pictures, 2008) and the independent feature Rows (2015).  

Erica White, a Baltimore native, has been working with young people for twenty years, helping them turn their energies toward something positive, and supporting them in using their voices in meaningful ways.

Tong Wu studies psychology and piano performance at Johns Hopkins University.  Beyond his studies, he loves to travel, explore, and capture beautiful moments on the journey as a street photographer.

Rex (Youjian) Xiao is a student at Johns Hopkins University majoring in film studies and writing. He uses storytelling to explore himself, the people around him, and the world.

Hannah Yamagata is an undergraduate student at Johns Hopkins University studying biomedical engineering. She is a copy editor of The Hopkins Undergraduate Research Journal and loves dancing and performing in her spare time.

Kobina Yankah is Adjunct Professor of Animation in the Morgan State University Screenwriting and Animation (SWAN) program.   His animations have won numerous awards and his clients include the NBA, New Line Cinema, Cisco Systems, and Chris Rock.  He is the director and animator of the 2014 animated series Kochville.   

Karen Yasinsky is an artist and filmmaker, and Lecturer in the Film and Media Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University. She is a Guggenheim fellow and a fellow of the American Academy in Berlin and the American Academy in Rome. Her work has been widely exhibited both domestically and internationally. She is also a recipient of the Baker Award.

Kyle Yearwood is an award-winning visual artist from Baltimore.  His work has been exhibited at the American Visionary Art Museum and the Museum of the African Diaspora, and has been featured in The Baltimore Sun, Afropunk, Essence, and on ABC2 News.  He was a 2018 Light City Neighborhood Lights grant recipient.

Carlissia Young is the CEO of Midg3t Productionz “Little in Person Big in Video,” specializing in video editing and documentaries.  She is also the Youth Whisperer of Baltimore where she teaches the youth Life Lessons Behind the Lens. 

Daniela Zapata is a neuroscience and French major at Johns Hopkins University.  She is a photographer, working with The News-Letter and with Visual Resources Collections.  She also works independently on shoots for student groups and campus organizations.