actor Archives - New York Women in Film & TelevisionNew York Women in Film & Television

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Jayson Simba

Welcome to NYWIFT, Jayson Simba! Jayson Simba is a Cuban-American actor, director, writer, and producer who hails from Forest Hills, Queens. After attending LaGuardia H.S. of Performing Arts, Jayson enrolled at the Acting Studio NYC, where he studied the Meisner Technique under renowned acting teacher James Price. As an actor, Jayson has starred in over 40 films and television roles. In 2002, Jayson founded One Man Show Productions to help produce the work of independent filmmakers and writers. In 2007, he was hired to write and direct his first feature film, What Matters Most. As an independent filmmaker with 15 films under his belt, Jayson founded Festival of Cinema NYC with the aim of giving emerging filmmakers a platform to showcase their work to further their careers. Jason discusses his experiences as a filmmaker and the foundations of the Festival of Cinema NYC.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Hayley Pace

Today, we’re thrilled to shine a spotlight on new NYWIFT member Hayley Pace, an award-winning production designer and actor whose unique blend of skills and passions continues to inspire us! Hayley Pace hails from Toronto, Ontario. They are known for their work on Schitt’s Creek (CBC), In The Dark (CW), and The Expanse (Amazon Prime). In addition to their on-screen work, Hayley has self-produced original projects through their experimental marching band theatre company, The Teeny Tiny Music Show, and has designed for numerous film, TV, and theatre productions across Canada. A graduate of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and York University’s BFA in Devised Theatre & Design, Hayley brings a dynamic and multidisciplinary approach to their artistry. We caught up with Hayley to discuss their career, their creative journey, and what brought them to NYWIFT.

NYWIFT at Tribeca 2025: In Conversation with Eileen Zyko Wolter

Please meet NYWIFT Member Eileen Zyko Wolter, a creator, writer, and actress whose journey has taken her from a Connecticut childhood shaped by a first-generation Muslim Albanian father and a mother descended from the Revolutionary War and Salem Witch Trials to the set of Queens of the Dead, premiering at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. With a background in art history and film from Vassar College and training from The Atlantic Theater Company, The Actors Studio, and The Beverly Hills Playhouse, Eileen brings a unique blend of intellect, passion, and grit to every role. In this interview, Eileen shares what it was like to portray a zombie in Tina Romero’s thrilling directorial debut, her lifelong dream of joining SAG-AFTRA, and her love for the NYWIFT community that helped reignite her acting ambitions.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Melissa Roxburgh

Welcome to NYWIFT, Melissa Roxburgh! Melissa Roxburgh is a Sagittarian (12/10/92), actress and Canadian. Her parents moved to Canada from the United States and founded a church in Vancouver. Roxburgh is the second oldest of four children; she has two sisters and one younger brother. While pursuing acting roles in Vancouver, Roxburgh studied communications at Simon Fraser University. She is an alumna of the William Esper Studio. Roxburgh landed her first major role in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules and has worked steadily in television and film. She is currently portraying Rebecca "Bex" Henderson, an FBI Special Agent, in The Hunting Party, a procedural crime drama on NBC. Melissa spoke to us about her creative journey, family roots, favorite actors, and her directing dreams.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Herrana Addisu

Welcome to NYWIFT, Herrana Addisu! Herrana Addisu is a multi-disciplinary artist and social impact strategist. Her family's journey to the United States and her personal experience growing up in Ethiopia and immigrating to the U.S. have shaped her career in human rights. She works to uplift marginalized communities through advocacy initiatives, research, and programming. She incorporates her expertise in various human rights issues into her artistry through Chucha Studios LLC, a creative production agency that aims to reduce social disparities within marginalized communities by connecting the art of visual storytelling with systemic change. NYWIFT was proud to present Herrana with the NYWIFT Award for Excellence in Short Film Directing at the 2024 UrbanWorld Film Festival for her short film The River this past Fall. She spoke to us about her short film, upcoming projects, and what types of creative work resonate with her most.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Melanie Fox

Let's give a warm welcome to new NYWIFT member, Melanie Fox! Melanie Fox is a linguist who turned her passion for accents, dialects, presentations, and language learning into a thriving coaching business. Melanie empowers actors and public figures to speak clear, confident English through accent reduction, interview and presentation training. She also trains actors to master authentic English and Spanish dialects. She is a paid public speaker who helps her audiences "Hack into Language" and hosts a new podcast, "Hack That Accent." Melanie holds a Masters of Science degree in Linguistics from Georgetown University. She credits a lot of her inspiration to two semesters studying abroad at la Universidad de Salamanca in Spain. In our interview, she discusses how her work as a dialect coach spans multiple industries, her coaching success stories, and how she encourages clients to maintain their cultural authenticity while adjusting their presentation to match their business goals.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Stephanie Mishelle Ard

Welcome to NYWIFT, Stephanie Mishelle Ard! Stephanie Mishelle Ard is a Texas-born, Brooklyn-based, multi-hyphenate storyteller, who works both in-front-of and behind the camera. Her work as a Director, Producer, Writer, and Actress spans narrative film, unscripted series, documentary, music videos, and branded content. Her debut short film, That Day, premiered at Berlinale 2016 and her most recent work, Shelly Belly, had its New York premiere at the Greenwich Village Film Festival this past November. In Stephanie's branded work, she has had had the opportunity to work with major brands and entertainment clients like HBO Max, DC Comics, State Farm, Travel Channel, and Warner Bros. Stephanie’s highest career aim is to tell impactful stories that unify us around the human spirit and spread empathy, while continuing to create opportunities for women and underrepresented groups to work in this industry and tell their stories through film and television. In addition to creating film magic, Stephanie loves to spend her time cooking, doing home-improvement DIY activities or crafts, and snuggling her cat Swayze (that is, when Swayze allows the snuggles 😼). Get to know her in our latest interview!

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Emily Bennett

Welcome our new NYWIFT member, Emily Bennett! Writer/Director Emily Bennett is an Academy-recognized screenwriter and award-winning director, notably winning a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for her debut horror/thriller Alone With You. Her films have screened at festivals such as Sitges, Fantasia, Fantastic Fest, Brooklyn Horror and BIFAN. Bennett's debut feature Alone With You was produced with Andrew Corkin’s and Theo James’ Untapped Productions (Martha Marcy May Marlene) and premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2021. As an actress, audiences can see Bennett in Chris Stuckmann’s NEON acquired debut feature film Shelby Oaks, produced by horror legend Mike Flanagan. Bennett is repped by Antonio D’Intino at Spectrevision and former CAA agent/entertainment lawyer Marc Von Arx of Nelson Davis LLP. Emily sat down with us to discuss her directing philosophy and her love of genre.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Elba Sette-Camara

Let’s give a warm welcome to our new member, Elba Sette-Camara. Elba Sette-Camara is an accomplished actor, writer, and psychotherapist, celebrated for her compelling storytelling and dedication to portraying resilient women who have triumphed against the odds. Trained at the prestigious Actors Studio Drama School, Elba’s acting journey has seen her collaborate with iconic directors like Spike Lee and Luc Besson. With over 15 years as a practicing psychotherapist, she brings a deep understanding of human nature to her work, both on screen and on the page. A proud new member of New York Women in Film & Television, Elba continues to inspire through her multifaceted career in the arts and mental health.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Katharine Chin

Mic up. Headphones on. Press record for Chapter 1: NYWIFT’s Newest Member. We’re pleased to welcome Katharine Chin to the NYWIFT community! Katharine is an actor, writer, and audiobook narrator who has worked on numerous audiobooks for Harper Collins, Penguin Random House and more. As an actor and writer, her career spans television, film and theater. She’s a founding member of The Nobodies Collective, which offers a space to nurture new work for the stage and screen. Read our interview with Katharine to learn more about her creative journey, what it’s like recording audiobooks, and her advice for other artists.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Eli Zavala

Welcome to NYWIFT, Eli Zavala! Eli is focused on bringing better representation, and fighting misrepresentations, of minorities on the screen. She founded La Filmadora (NY) and Numina (Mx), is part of the shorts team at Tribeca & AFI Fest, is the Festivals Commissioner & Producers Liaison of The Independent Film Industry Convergence of Mexico and Latin America, and is the Executive Programming Director at Latitudes Cinema, a NY microcinema.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Ashley Pickett

Welcome to NYWIFT, Ashley Pickett! Known for her dynamic roles on screen, Ashley is an actress expanding her creative horizons into screenwriting. Her latest project is a short form series delving into the complexities of women navigating the dating pool. Ashley describes herself as a warrior with a tender heart, embodying a blend of resilience and adaptability. Her storytelling is inspired by personal experiences and a deep understanding of human emotions, aiming to capture authentic narratives that resonate with audiences. Continue reading to dive into how acting influences her writing, as well as more on her short form series, The Serial Dater.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Sarah D. Ceballos

Welcome to NYWIFT, Sarah D. Ceballos! Sarah is a producer, writer, and an award-winning actress from McAllen, Texas. She is third generation Mexican-American and is fluent in Spanish. She holds her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and routinely conducts research geared toward understanding what can prohibit advancement opportunities for people of color in the workplace. Sarah considers herself the curious type. She is always asking herself, “How can I help?" Read more about her creative journey here!

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Candece Tarpley

Welcome to NYWIFT, Candece Tarpley! Candece Tarpley, of Sissipahaw/Tuscarora/Tsalagi descent, is a World Champion Powwow dancer, an actress and a poet-storyteller-playwright who has been writing since childhood. Holding her heritage close, she's been a featured performer nationwide, weaving her crafts with the patrons of the Public Library of Boulder Colorado; Middlebury College in Vermont; Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts; the Pequot Museum in Connecticut; the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Natural History in New York City, as well as other creative venues. Candece spoke to us about how her Indigenous heritage influences her work, the response to her television series, and her next major projects.

NYWIFT Member Spotlight: Sweta Keswani

Meet NYWIFT Member Sweta Keswani! After starring in some critically acclaimed and hugely popular prime time television series in India which made Sweta Keswani a household name, she moved to New York in 2010 for love. She was seen on The Blacklist with James Spader, was recurring on New Amsterdam and AMC’s supernatural thriller Nos4a2. She had a fun role on Apple TV’s dark anthology series Roar and Mayim Bialik’s first directorial feature, As They Made Us, with Dustin Hoffman and Candice Bergen last year. Sweta also appears in The Beanie Bubble, which was released late July in theatres and globally on Apple TV. Sweta continues to hone her craft as an actor, whether it’s being in a stage combat or acting class, working on plays locally, or helping with R&D and as social media consultant for the Remarkable Women docuseries.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Derya Celikkol

Welcome to NYWIFT, Derya Celikkol! A proud graduate of the Experimental Theatre Wing at Tisch Schools of the Arts, Derya Celikkol is a Turkish filmmaker who lives in New York City and has contributed her extraordinary artistry to numerous projects. In addition to acting and production designing, Celikkol has directed and produced films, some of which have been showcased and won awards at film festivals worldwide.

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Chloë Levine

Welcome to NYWIFT, new member Chloë Levine! Chloë is an award-winning filmmaker who has worked as an actress, director, screenwriter, and producer. Learn more about Chloë as we discuss her 2014 debut short that earned praise at a well-known film festival, some of the screen goddesses that served as her muses during her earlier years, and the wide range of projects she has contributed to artistically, in addition to other fun topics!

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Arielle Duran

Let’s welcome new member Arielle Duran to NYWIFT! Having been raised in Ridgewood, Queens, Arielle Duran is a proud New Yorker and versatile storyteller of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent. Since graduating from the University of South Florida's Zimmerman School, where she studied broadcasting and production, Arielle’s theatrical talents have been showcased in notable television shows such as The Calling and American Rust, among other projects. In addition to acting, Arielle is currently pursuing screenwriting as a graduate student at the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. Arielle spoke to us about her New York roots, storytelling, and honing her craft.

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