Faculty - NFI

About
Why NFI
Academics
- Programs
  - Cinema Production Diploma
  - Acting For The Camera
- Short Courses & Workshops
  - Summer Film Camp
Admissions
Potential Students
Hire a Grad
Blogs
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Apply

About
Why NFI
Academics
- Programs
  - Cinema Production Diploma
  - Acting For The Camera
- Short Courses & Workshops
  - Summer Film Camp
Admissions
Potential Students
Hire a Grad
Blogs
Request Info
Apply

The NFI Team

The Nashville Film Institute, we are surrounded by wonderful, supportive team of faculty and staff. Together, we seek to fulfill our mission:

“To train students for careers in the film industry.”

Micah Ellars

Micah Ellars has many years of experience in nearly every department and position there is in the film and commercial industry. He has produced commercials and corporate documentaries as well as the occasional music video. He also serves as an acting coach and has clients starring in Hollywood features. He is in pre-production on various feature projects.
In the classroom he has a unique approach. While Micah believes that a practical, hands-on education is the best way to pursue the technical skills of filmmaking, he thinks personal development is the most important ingredient for a successful life. He challenges the students to articulate their goals in writing and this approach has helped to launch several careers, even before some students have graduated.
Micah Ellars is a graduate of West Virginia State University with a degree in mass communications with an emphasis on film.

Evan Schmitt

Evan Schmitt is a Chicago and Los Angeles comedy writer, screenwriter, and creative director with a background in TV/film development and management. Over the years, Evan has written and produced live shows for The Second City in Chicago and is a two-time Emmy scholarship winner from the National Academy of Television Arts and Science. Her previous companies include Balance Pictures, PMG, Creative Content, and most recently, Reel Bear Media, and Confidential Cartoon Studios. Evan calls the world of independent filmmaking home and has collaborated on multiple award-winning projects from short films to large studio productions. Evan is a respected instructor with Roadmap Writers in Los Angeles and her lecture, How to Write Female Characters, has been presented at Columbia University in New York. Evan is thrilled to join the faculty at NFI and help the new generation of screenwriters find and perfect their voice as storytellers.

James Riley

James Riley is an international and multicultural Screenwriter and Creative Producer. He has lived and worked in five different countries. He received his M.Litt in International Relations from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, UK and his MFA in Writing for Screen and Television from Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. James has taken notes on all his scripts from seasoned Hollywood screenwriters, including Simpsons’ writers, Emmy Winners, and Steven Spielberg-produced writers. He was Teaching Assistant for A-List Hollywood Director Joe Sargent in his Directing Workshop and has worked on set as Assistant Director and Production Manager on award-winning film projects in Hollywood and Europe. He was Press Producer and Book Producer / Translator and received Music and Soundtrack credits on an award-winning German feature-length film. The film received funding from the Bavarian Government and product placement from BMW; it screened theatrically in Germany and had two select US screenings in New York City and Los Angeles. James is attached as Main Screenwriter and Creative Producer on seven feature-length films with Producers in Hollywood and Germany.

Doug DeAngelis

Doug DeAngelis began his professional career at age eighteen, as a multi-platinum engineer, programmer, and mixer. His studio credits featured thirty-one Billboard Dance Charts #1 singles with artists including Nine Inch Nails, Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, No Doubt, and Babyface.

After twelve years in the record industry, he relocated to Los Angeles and shifted his focus to film and television music. He is a BMI Award winning composer and music supervisor, whose credits include top rated primetime network dramas, comedies, feature films, reality TV, awards shows, sports themes, and talk shows.

Vincent Riotta

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Honors Diploma and The Ronson , Vanbrugh and Patrick Crean prizes. Best Actor Award at the Barcelona Film Festival. Vincent has successfully pursued a career in acting, directing, writing and has an extensive career as an acting teacher, spanning 36 years in three different countries; England, U.S.A and Italy.
He has worked as an actor with many esteemed movie directors ranging from Ron Howard, Paul Haggis, Christopher Nolan and Peter Greenaway , Zack Sneider, Jose Padilha, Bille August and most recently filmed The Pope with Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce directed by Fernando Mereilles and he has just returned from Belgrade where he played the role of the celebrated Italian Scientist , Luigi Crocco in the Bollywood Film ‘Rocketry, The Nambi Effect’ about the Indian Scientific genius, Nambi Narayanan, directed by and starring Madhavan ( Maddy ), and the Indian superstar, Shah Rukh Khan. Among some of the wonderful actors he has worked with are;, Tom Hanks, Hilary Swank, Chris Hemsworth, Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Day Lewis and Penelope Cruz, Diane Lane, Mila Kunis, Nicholas Cage, Antonio Banderas, Sofia Loren, Susan Sarandon, James Mason.
His TV career stretches from work on the BBC and ITV in the UK, RAI and MEDIASET in ITALY to Netflix and HBO in the USA. Most recently the HALLMARK remake of the classic Audrey Hepburn movie, Roman Holiday, renamed Rome in Love.
As an acting teacher, he founded the Hollywood Blvd Acting School in Hollywood, California where he was artistic director for four years.

A full biography is available on IMDB.COM.

Amanda Abicalaffe

Amanda Abicalaffe is an award-winning Brazilian director, producer, and casting director living in Nashville, TN. Since graduating from university with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications & Advertising, Amanda has lived in New York City and Paris where she attended top film schools and directed multiple short films, documentaries, and music videos.

Amanda moved to Los Angeles in 2015 after being accepted into the high ranked MFA Film & TV Production program at Loyola Marymount University.

Her thesis film “Feet of Fire” has won 12 awards and has been recognized in more than 20 film festivals around the world.

Amanda’s background in theater ignited her casting director career. She has casted multiple independent projects, as well as music videos produced by Bad Robot Productions, RadicalMedia, and WarnerMedia.

Recently, Amanda relocated to Nashville and is focused on writing and producing independent short films and features as well as working in Development & Production at Riverside Entertainment.

Monty Miranda

Miranda has led and taught film and acting workshops and lecture spots at the University of Colorado, Syracuse University, Colorado Institute of Art, The Colorado Film School, Acting for Film and TV Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Theater of the Arts in Hollywood, California. Miranda has been a regular guest judge at a variety of Actors Showcases in and around Los Angeles, California.

Given his diverse body of work Miranda has found himself directing talented studied actors such as, John Heard, Daryl Hannah, Keith Szarabajka, Noah Wyle, Sharon Gless, and Danny Trejo as well as new green actors – or professional athletes, musicians and politicians such as Palma Violets, John Mayer, Steve Jordan, New Order, Matthew Sweet, John Hickenlooper, Devotchka, Spike Lee, Tony Hawk and Anthony Davis. The constant for Miranda is pulling great performances out of both the studied and the raw to help tell the best story. with motion pictures.

Guest Instructors

Aravind Kamalanathan

Education:

Cinematography Graduate from MGR Film & TV from Institute of Tamilnadu, India. (1986)
Assistant to DOP Waltar Lassaly BSC (1987)

Notable Works:

30+ years Experience in the Indian Film Industry
As DOP for Nine Feature Films
As DOP for 200+ TVC and documentary films incl India’s 1st TVC on the Star TV network (1989)
Pioneer for Drone filming in India (1999)
Consultant to Center for UAV Research (Anna University) Chennai, Rotary Division

Favorite quote:

“Nothing lasts Forever… not even your problems”. – Charlie Chaplin

Piece of advice for students:

In this ever changing world of cinema….
Keep yourself updated
Humility is a Great Virtue, Be a Team Player
Knowledge is Power….
Experience is the Greatest Teacher….
Move with Confidence the world is waiting for YOU !

Aravind Kamalanathan-IMDB

Adam G. Simon

Adam G. Simon is a Los Angeles born actor and writer for television and film. He is known for his work as the writer of POINT BLANK (2019) an action thriller for Gaumont Films, Warparty, and Netflix, based on Fred Cavaye’s Action Thriller, “A Bout Portant”. The film was directed by Joe Lynch and stars Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo, Marcia Gay Harden, Teyonah Paris & Boris McGiver.
Adam also penned the original screenplay for MAN DOWN (2015) an action thriller directed by Dito Montiel which stars Shia LaBeouf, Gary Oldman, Jai Courtney, Kate Mara & Clifton Collins Jr. In 2017 Adam and Filmmaker Joe Carnahan co-wrote a re-imagining of the popular cult film THE RAID by Gareth Evans. Prior to his current work, Adam started his professional career acting while working as a bodyguard and protection specialist.
In 2012 Adam went to work as a Sales Producer for Cameron/Pace Group LLC in Burbank California (founded by director James Cameron and cinematographer Vince Pace). Shortly thereafter, he wrote and produced Synapse, a film where he also played the lead.Adam is an advocate for the homeless having being homeless himself while writing MAN DOWN and speaks as an advocate for homeless veterans and survivors of abuse.
Adam G. Simon on IMDB