Meet the New NYWIFT Board Member: Toni R. Isreal
This month, NYWIFT announced the results of our latest Board Elections. This included the election of new board member Toni Isreal! Toni has been a NYWIFT member for over five years and we are thrilled to have her join our leadership team. Isreal is no stranger to arts and entertainment. The former accounting specialist sought and secured key apprenticeship opportunities to thrive from her greatest interests in film, television, and theater, leading to decades of experience in group sales and brand management. Isreal is the Founder of REALEMN Productions, Broadway and Touring with a focus on partnerships, marketing, PR, and producing.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Colleen Hughes
Welcome to NYWIFT, Colleen Hughes! As an intimacy director and coordinator, Colleen brings a trauma-informed and human-first approach to scenes of simulated sex, nudity, and hyperexposure. Through her collaboration with trusted colleagues, she is at the vanguard of a movement to bring increased agency and transparency to the entertainment industry. She has collaborated with artists from around the globe, including Maya Hawke on the official music video for “Thérèse,” with over 5 million views on YouTube (also available on Apple Music); Samantha Shay at Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch in Germany; and immersive work with Virgin Atlantic’s cruise line in the Mediterranean, and Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More in NYC. Colleen is part of a team of thought leaders in the field of consent and intimacy work. As Director of Core Training at Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC), Colleen led the development of the company’s groundbreaking Consent-Forward Artist training program. She is currently working on a book entitled A Volunteer from the Audience: Consent Work in Interactive Performance that examines the role of agency in immersive performance.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Eileen Wolter
Welcome to NYWIFT, Eileen Wolter! After working as a motion picture lit assistant at CAA, working on the Universal lot, and writing lots of coverage in LA, Eileen brings her creativity to us in New York! She holds a BA in Art History & Film from Vassar College, studied acting as The Atlantic Theater Company and The Actors Studio/The New School, and studied writing at UCLA, NYU, Sundance Collab, Stowe Story Labs, and NJ Play Lab. Eileen tells us about her fascinating family history, covering Fashion Week for Comedy Central in 1993, and attending SNL dress rehearsals.
READ MOREBroadway’s Hit Show: MJ The Musical
NYWIFT blogger Tammy Reese shares her thoughts on the smash hit Broadway show, MJ The Musical.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Christine Toy Johnson
You might recognize NYC-based artist Christine from the stage, the page, or the screen. She played Diane over one thousand times in the first national tour of the musical Come from Away. Other roles span from Sherry Yang in the Netflix Marvel series Iron Fist to Maria in West Side Story. She hosts The Dramatists Guild’s Talkback podcast, where she shines a spotlight on conversations about equality and inclusion. She also participated in The Writers Lab 2016, the screenwriting program co-produced by NYWIFT. Read more about artists she admires, advocacy for other artists, and new movie musical here!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Deniz Cam
After a career as a journalist for Forbes magazine, Deniz is taking her skills as a storyteller the world of film and TV. She is on the research team for The Problem with Jon Stewart on Apple TV+, a talk show about current events including climate change, the economy, and foreign policy. She is also writing and acting in a live reading of her pilot, 60 Days, about a Turkish immigrant who must get married in 60 days to keep her visa status after quitting her job. Deniz tells us about her love of New York, being an immigrant from Istanbul, and her Carrie Bradshaw moment seeing her cover story on a billboard on Fifth Avenue.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Alfreda Howard
Welcome to NYWIFT, hair & makeup artist Alfreda Howard! Fre Howard is the proud owner of Faces By Fre, LLC, Makeup Artistry and is on the Board of Directors of Philadelphia WIFT. Her most recent credits include Makeup Department Head for Netflix’s "Free Meek", Season 13 of "Mystery Science Theatre 3000," and national commercials including a Smartwater spot with Pete Davidson. She has also designed makeup and wigs for several operas! Howard spoke to us about special effects makeup, advocacy & education, and how the pandemic shaped her career.
READ MORENYWIFT Women’s History Month Spotlight: Leah Curney
We continue to celebrate our creative members who are making innovative impacts through entertainment, media, film, and television, with a special spotlight our NYWIFT Women Crush Wednesdays Podcast team members. Today writer, director, producer and performer Leah Curney discusses her latest short film, her introduction to NYWIFT through the New Works Lab, women's history inspirations and more.
READ MORENYWIFT Black History Month Spotlight: Brianna Seagraves
Happy Black History Month! At NYWIFT we are celebrating the Black creators and artists in our membership, while honoring Black culture & cinema throughout history. Today’s spotlight is on our member Brianna Seagraves, an actress, writer, and award-winning producer. Brianna shares her acting inspirations and her directorial debut at the Billie Holiday Theater.
READ MOREState of the Industry: A Conversation of Lydia Darly of the Nova Frontier Film Festival and Lab
The voices of Black, Middle Eastern, and Latinx artists have long been marginalized. But at Nova Frontier Film Festival and Lab, they take center stage. Actor, filmmaker, writer, producer, and film programmer Lydia Darly discusses why she co-founded the festival (where NYWIFT is proud to present an Outstanding Female Content Creator Award), and what she hopes to see from the 2020 edition which, like so many recent events, is going virtual.
READ MOREState of the Industry: A Conversation with Ariel Wan of the Michigan Theater Foundation
Ariel Wan, Director of Programming, Marketing and Sales at the Michigan Theater Foundation offers insight into how local art house theaters have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis, and what they are doing in order to survive.
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Deadline Extended, Diversity Matters, Broadway Exclusion
Deadline Extended: We have extended the deadline for submissions to The Writers Lab this year. Women over 40, you now have until 11:59 PM EST on March 5th to send us your scripts! Diversity Matters: As hoped, Marvel’s Black Panther had a wildly successful opening weekend – proof that gender and racial diversity can and...
READ MOREA Review of “Honour: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan” by NYWIFT Member Gaudys Laxury
Gaudys Laxury shares her thoughts on fellow NYWIFT member Dipti Mehta's one-woman show "Honour: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan," now playing at the New York International Fringe Festival. "Honour" offers a fun and poignant look at the exotic, dangerous life of Mumbai's real-life brothels and why they exist.
READ MOREWEEKLY ROUNDUP: FUNNY BUSINESS, AGEISM & ACTION
Image via The Hollywood Reporter Even when discussing sexism, racism & death threats these women are still “effin” funny! Watching the 2015 Tony Nominees “In Performance” will put you in a great mood. (VIDEO) Freelancers Union founder Sara Horowitz has “commandments” to thrive in today’s new economy. This ageism chart supports what Maggie Gyllenhaal and thousands...
READ MOREWEEKLY ROUNDUP
Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith Photo Copyright: ITV VIA DIGITAL SPY Downton’s Laura Carmichael (Edith) discusses her character’s happiness. $250 + Makeup Artist Robin Mathews = Dallas Buyers Club Oscar Nom. Have a Theater degree? Hollywood may be the perfect next step. These TEN new grants from Tribeca Film Institute are much appreciated! 2013 Scientific & Technical Oscars were awarded. All...
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