ACE PEOPLE

The Team Behind the CapNY Brand

April 8, 2021 By Maureen Sager

This week, the CapNY Regional Brand Initiative was launched. The ACE team and partners have been at the forefront of this effort for over 5 years, when we first began connecting amazing places and people in all 8 counties of the Capital Region. It’s your stories, conversations and connections that built the CapNY brand. Here’s the ridiculously creative talent that built CapNY:

Rachel Dunn led our very earliest ACE Roundtable discussions in 2018, where we first posed the question, “What is this place, and do you like it here?” Hundreds of people from all 8 counties weighed in, and your outpouring of comments – and love for this place — formed the basis for the CapNY brand. Rachel then envisioned and led the formation of the CapNY brand with our stupendously generous partners, Fingerpaint, Overit and Collectiveffort. You can see the story of the CapNY brand here. The fact that three marketing / branding firms from three different counties worked together with a project manager as talented as Rachel is exactly what makes the Capital Region special. Our depth of talent is remarkable, and it’s why we are truly CAPable of aNYthing.

Gabby Fisher – who is now Associate Director of ACE! – served as Senior Producer of the CapNY website, and will continue to spearhead the social media and newsletter development for the CapNY brand. Gabby managed and oversaw the development of a hundred articles, and worked with dozens of writers, technicians, photographers and more, to give the site its vibrant, authentic feel and sleek, clean look. And, she did all of this in just six months, which is nothing short of amazing. A serial entrepreneur, Gabby’s co-mads (new site coming 4/19) and Capital Heart Connection projects are unmistakable evidence of the power of the next generation of talent in Capital Region. CapNY is designed to shift the region’s focus and power to leaders like Gabby. NOW. Not twenty years from now.

The project leads of our agency partners who gave their hearts to the development of the brand: Patrick Harris and Jamel Mosely (collectiveffort), Bill McEllen and Andy Spitzer (Fingerpaint), Michelle Dinsmore (Overit), and the amazing teams who created soooo many iterations of this brand, to finally arrive at the absolutely perfect one.

Filmmakers Micah Khan and Victoria Diana shot the gorgeous CapNY video, and editor Luke Aker who brought the footage together so beautifully!

Our dozens of talented, up-and-coming writers and collaborators, SEO editor Barbara Price, and our lead technician Rachel Holt of Reach Creative

Photographers Konrad Odhiambo, Ska City Photography, Jay Zhang Photography, and others

Our earliest and strongest advocates, who had the vision to see what we were doing when this was just a kernel of an idea: Jeff Buell of Redburn Development, Dan Nolan of Graypoint LLC, Chet Opalka, and Ellen Sax of MVP Health Care. Hundreds of people helped, but these four people turned the tide and moved mountains for us.

Corey Aldrich of 2440 Design Studio, who has thrown his entire self into every one of our 40+ ACE events. Those events formed heart and soul of what’s culminated in CapNY and so much more ahead.

The ACE partners and the Center for Economic Growth (CEG), for opening doors and supporting our work.

Also. ACE is aware of the inadvertent problems that can occur when a region takes its eye off of the people who live here, and focuses its efforts on attracting and courting outsiders. This was made clear by consultant Meredith Powell during our “Lessons from Austin” event in 2019. Meredith said something that sticks in our heads to this day – “Dance with who brung ya.” In other words, don’t forget the residents who made the region great in the first place. We’re committed to telling ALL of our stories, both new residents and old. Because you built this place. And you’re amazing.

A million thanks to all of you, for showing the world what the Capital Region is made of.

-Maureen Sager, Executive Director, ACE

5 Film Industry Professionals To Watch in CapNY

April 7, 2021 By 518 Film Network

These 5 film industry professionals may not be famous (yet), but they’re making incredible work right here, right now, in the Capital Region.

The Capital Region is just three hours from New York City, a global hub for filmmaking. However, even though the Capital Region regularly hosts television shows and movies, we’re more often sought for cast and crews. This lack of understanding of our depth of talent has hurt our local filmmakers. Often, it drives us to work outside of the area, to New York City, Boston, and even Los Angeles.

Many local filmmakers have chosen to live in the Capital Region despite the challenges. These 5 film industry professionals may not be famous (yet), but they’re making incredible work right here, right now, in the Capital Region.

1. Lakota Ruby-Eck, Cinematographer

Leading off our list of 5 film industry professionals is Lakota Ruby-Eck, an Albany-based director of photography (DP) and assistant camera operator (AC). He became a filmmaker by accident, when he found himself in an advanced video class in high school. Then and there, he fell in love with cinema. After graduation, he attended school for broadcast communications, finding film school was too expensive. Lakota also worked at the Spectrum 8 Theatre in Albany. He would watch and study as many free movies as possible. There, he met other local filmmakers and eventually ended up working on their sets. “Being on set is my favorite thing ever,” he said. “It feels like a family.”

Video games often inspire Lakota’s cinematography. “Video games are now informed by film,” he said. “Even the lighting in games is heavily informed by cinema.” Lakota would love to work on a video game adaptation, especially System Shock of Bioshock. Advising new cinematographers, Lakota says, “Always be prepared to learn. There are so many different kinds of gear and every DP has certain things they like.”

You can contact Lakota and find his work on his website.

2. Victoria Diana, Writer/Director/Comedian

Victoria Diana is a writer, director, and stand-up comedian born and based in Schenectady, NY. She attended SUNY Oswego, planning to study archaeology. She ended up working at the university television station as an anchor and director. Victoria realized she didn’t like the news, but she loved news writing. Eventually, she directed tape sketches and interned in Los Angeles for a summer. There, she edited sizzle reels and did script coverage.

Her career brought her back to Schenectady after college where she worked as a PA on The Pretenders. Later, she found work in New York City, staying with friends or family during gigs. She hoped to move to NYC, until she realized that the high cost of living would keep her from creating her own content. Instead, she moved back to Schenectady and focused on her writing full-time, taking side jobs to pay the bills.

Victoria’s Prizes and Festivals

Victoria’s first film, The Cabinet, is a short horror film that made it into multiple festivals, including the Adirondack Film Festival in Glens Falls.

Recently, Victoria completed her second film, Devour, starring Kelli Barrett (Dickinson, Netflix’s The Punisher) and Andrea Morales (Prodigal Son, The Blacklist, Bull).

Victoria won $40,000 through the Innovation Group of CNY Art’s Short Film Competition Grant. Although the film had to be based in Syracuse, a significant portion of the crew were based in the Capital Region.

You can watch her latest film, The Cabinet, and see some of her comedy on TikTok.

3. Aden Suchak, Writer/Director/Educator

Aden Suchak is the Director of Education at Youth FX. He’s also an independent writer and director. Aden was a born storyteller. He adds, as a kid, “I had no interest in sitting down in one place.” Youth FX was originally a summer camp. There, Aden was given the freedom to make a lot of mistakes. “The thing that made me a filmmaker,” he said, “is the opportunity to do so. Just be a filmmaker, just do it. It should be normalized and have more support.” Aden regularly watches foreign films for inspiration. He explained that many classic films don’t tell modern stories. They don’t tell stories about women or people of color. His favorite filmmaker is Wong Kar-wai. He said, “We need a new visual history to replace the old ones.”

Aden’s Albany-based Filmmaking

Aden recently finished his short film, Driver, with collaborator Mohammed Al Shaneif. Driver centers around a Syrian driver who plans to meet his family in Toronto. The entire cast and crew of the film, other than one person, was based in the Albany area. Aden and Mohammed won a grant from the Scout Film Festival to complete the film. “[I want] to make films about the local community, both set in and also starring people from the area. I feel really connected to a lot of those stories and that’s where a lot of my writing comes from. This film came together through our friendship and our relationship.” Aden says that his first feature will also be shot in Albany.

You can follow Aden on Instagram and see his work on Vimeo.

4. Kenna Hynes, Director/Cinematographer

Kenna is a director and cinematographer who moved to Upstate New York 5 years ago. She originally studied orchestral music performance for the French horn, but later moved to Chicago to study cinematography at Columbia College. Her goal was to become a union camera operator. But, she met a group of musicians, leading her to make tour videos and tour documentaries. Since then, Kenna has joined a few bands and started working on music videos as well. After fatefully meeting members of Chromoscope Pictures at Little Pecks in Troy, Kenna has collaborated with them, directing music videos for local musician, Half Waif.

Many filmmakers say yes to every opportunity, but Kenna explained that being selective is okay. Her advice? “Only work on the projects you want to work on, with the people you want to work with. You don’t have to live in a big city to make amazing art or find people to make art with. Follow a path that works for you.” Kenna’s dream project is to create a narrative feature that’s impactful and uplifts marginalized voices.

You can find more information about Kenna on her website, follow her on Instagram, and see one of her latest videos.

5. Cameron S. Mitchell, Director/Cinematographer

Cameron grew up in Michigan and graduated from Temple University with a degree in film and visual anthropology. Now, he lives in Albany with his three cats, Mickey, Prince, and Nugget. Cameron started working professionally as a swing grip on the series Restaurant Impossible. From there, he worked as a rental technician in New Jersey, networking his way to working on other productions including Molly’s Game, Iron Fist, and The Romanovs.

Accessibility for Actors with Disabilities

Cameron felt naturally attracted to filmmaking. Both of his parents are documentary filmmakers. His interest in telling stories about people with disabilities arises from both his father and sister living with disabilities. His latest film, Co-Op, is about a grocery store robbery that doesn’t go as planned when the thief realizes that many of the shoppers are people with disabilities. Co-Op made it to over a dozen film festivals worldwide, including Slamdance. The film will stream on Hulu.

According to Cameron, casting people with disabilities is not as difficult as top casting directors make it out to be. Cameron often casts people who are non-actors. He says, “How can non-actors become part of a story about themselves?” When it comes to advice, Cameron also attests success to becoming comfortable with failure. “It took me 10 years of sitting back in the DP seat and observing other directors do the thing I wanted because I wanted it to be perfect when I did it.”

You can find out more about Cameron S. Mitchell on his website and watch the trailer for The Co-Op.

Written by: 518 Film Network

Local filmmakers Michelle Polacinski and Micah Khan began the 518 Film Network in the beginning of 2020. 518 Film Network’s mission is to empower and connect the local Capital Region filmmaking community in order to collaborate on new content and inspire outside productions to hire locals when they choose to film in our area. Find out more information on their facebook page.

Jay Zhang Photography: CapNY LGBTQIA+ Entrepreneur

March 23, 2021 By Rio Riera Arbogast

Upon meeting Jay Zhang, I was drawn in by his warm and grounded presence. His company, Jay Zhang Photography, is committed to both outstanding visual representation, as well as community care. As a self identified queer person of color, Jay celebrates a wide spectrum of couples. And, his investment and love of the Capital Region is evident throughout his work. From events by non profits to celebrations of LGBTQIA+ identity, Jay shows what is possible when sincerity meets vision and skill.

Love is Love: Inclusive Wedding Photography

Jay’s engagement and wedding photography cleverly infuses each client’s personality into the documentation of their big day. Just one glance at the “Wedding Blogs” portion of his website shows how he celebrates each couples’ unique chemistry. My favorite examples show elated partners snuggling amidst a backdrop of sun dappled mountain ranges, or blanketed in surrealist fog on the Brooklyn Bridge. Wide smiled nieces affix glistening jewelry onto their auntie’s ready neck; husbands fasten each other’s ties while sharing in an excited kiss. Stop what you’re doing, and take a look at his amazing work!

Community Representation And Healing

Jay is also drawn to local events and projects with a favorable community impact. He has worked for a number of local organizations, including My Brother’s Keeper, Alliance for Positive Health and GLSEN, Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network.

Since 2007, he has documented and celebrated National Coming Out Day (NCOD) through his photos. His 2014 NCOD work, “Color Splash,” features queer community members in animated layered images, their bodies and faces awash in rainbow paint, along with their words of wisdom to fellow queers. His 2015 iteration, “Light The Way,” includes portraits of locals holding sparklers, their faces framed by the text, “You don’t have to come out, but you don’t have to be in the dark alone.”

Jay’s projects celebrate people who embrace being “quirky, weird and full of interesting personality traits.” He believes “everyone is multifaceted, it just depends on how much you want to present.” LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and people of all body types are welcome in front of his camera. “I love the community,” he said, “and I want to provide for it.”

Motivated Living in the Capital Region

Originally from Ridgewood, Queens, Jay arrived in the Capital Region to study architecture at RPI in Troy. School prepared him with strong design skills, which later helped him become a professional photographer. He was first drawn to photography as a financially sustainable career. And, he also enjoyed its potential to show and support people, environments and situations. He draws much inspiration from CapNY’s rich creative ecosystem of fellow artists.

Community based projects, including public statement artwork and grassroots outreach initiatives, have contributed to his ongoing inspiration and experimentation. “There’s a lot of fight here,” he shares. “And a lot of energy for people to do things and participate.” CapNY’s relatively small size and central location also provide opportunity for professional and casual travel. Jay’s leadership extends into local athletics as well. He proudly participates in the city’s LGBTQIA+ soccer organization, Albany Empire Soccer Club, as both player and board member.

Entrepreneurial Advice and Future Visions

As an entrepreneur, Jay encourages others to “keep going, because the hardest part is hitting that wall of doubt.” As for his company’s future plans, Jay sees himself continuing with wedding and event work. He remains especially committed to taking on queer couples as clients. Jay’s passion for nurturing a culture of mutual queer creative support is undeniable. “I can offer a rewarding experience (and) other queer entrepreneurs want to do the same,” he says. “We’re in a similar mindset. We want to build each other up and create community while also offering services for the community.” Jay’s sincere and purposeful application of both skill and talent are a shining example of the creatives who call CapNY their home.

Written by: Rio Riera Arbogast

Rio Riera Arbogast is a freelance writer focused on how creative entrepreneurship impacts the Capital Region’s cultural landscape. You can follow them on Instagram and Twitter at @riorawrites.

Author Noelle Gentile: Advocate, Educate, and Love

March 10, 2021 By upstatecreative

Director, writer, acting coach, and educator Noelle Gentile (age 42) has two remarkable daughters–Isla (age eight) and Lucia a.k.a. “Lulu” (age six). Born and raised in Albany, NY, Noelle spent 13 years in Brooklyn before returning home to Albany with her family after Isla’s birth.

A Family’s Journey

Author Noelle Gentile draws on all her strengths as an advocate and educator supporting her daughters Lucia and Isla, who is autistic and has epilepsy.

Isla’s Diagnosis

Noelle’s daughter Isla was diagnosed with epilepsy in February 2016 and on the autism spectrum in June 2018. (An estimated 30% of people diagnosed with autism have epilepsy, too.) Isla also has global delays. She struggles with side effects from the epilepsy medications. Yet, Isla “deeply connects with other people,” Noelle said. “She has incredible instincts about who other people are.”

It was a long journey. There were several diagnoses, starting with when Isla was 16 months old. An MRI showed non-specific brain damage. Noelle was devastated. “I didn’t understand it,” she said. “I didn’t know what it meant. Both the epilepsy and the autism diagnoses we had to fight for. We were relieved because we had a better picture of what was happening and how to support her.”

Noelle reiterated that a lot of the heartache of having a child with diverse abilities stems from the world falling short of embracing the child with adequate compassion and understanding.

Noelle’s husband has a lot of trauma surrounding Isla’s seizures, and related anxiety. Noelle remarked that it is different for her. She has done a great deal of processing Isla’s journey through her writing and art. Noelle said of herself and her husband, “We understand where each other are, but we’re not fully in the same place.”

Finding Schools and Resources

Noelle described how her family has navigated school, medical, and other systems for Isla’s wellbeing. Noelle said, “I have had to sharpen my tools.” Naturally a people pleaser, she is now less so. “Isla has challenged me to let that part of me go,” Noelle said.

She wishes there had been more resources available at the beginning of her journey through different abilities with Isla. That said, she remembers Isla’s time at The Spotted Zebra Learning Center–an inclusive preschool center in Albany–with gratitude. Noelle is committed to building Isla’s opportunities to flourish, through positive change in the world. “There’s a collective of us that wants to see this change,” Noelle said. Indeed, her dear friend Alyssa said, “Isla doesn’t need to change for the world; the world needs to change for Isla.” Through Make-a-Wish Northeast New York (with help from Make-a-Wish Southern Florida), Isla had her wish to swim with dolphins in Florida beautifully granted. (Make-a-Wish grants the wishes of children with critical illnesses.)

The Story of Two Sisters

In her role as author, Noelle Gentile wrote the children’s book Isla and Lulu from the perspective of Lulu–Isla’s then-four year old sister. Love between sisters personalizes this book’s themes of inclusivity and open dialogue amongst people seeking to embrace those with diverse abilities. Noelle decided to write the book after finding out that Isla was at risk for SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy). Noelle observed that some people were distancing themselves from her family. The book means “to bring people towards us instead of further away.”

Asked about challenges she has overcome as a parent, Noelle remembered a family vacation on Cape Cod. Her two daughters were playing on the beach when two little girls approached Isla. Noelle felt anxious. Often children who approached often left when they realized Isla was different. But the two little girls stayed on and played with Isla. It turned out that they had a classmate with diverse abilities. Perhaps the world is, little by little, changing for the better.

Living Out Loud

As an advocate, Noelle tries not to center on herself as “Isla’s Mom” in the experience. The book Isla and Lulu and the people it can touch play a large part in her advocacy. She is also “gearing up to do speaking” about Isla’s medical experiences.

I asked Noelle what inspires her advocacy work. She spoke of a miscarriage eight years ago, and how she was not encouraged to speak about the experience. “Where’s our story?” she found herself asking. Noelle emphasized how important it is to see yourself reflected in literature, film, TV. It’s important for the world to respect Isla’s journey. “I want my family to be able to live out loud,” Noelle said.

Written by: Effy Redman

Effy Redman is a memoirist, educator, and disability advocate living in Ballston Spa, NY. She has published work in the New York Times, Vice, Ravishly, and Chronogram, among other places. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from CUNY Hunter College.

LIVING ONLINE Series: Raya Malcolm : Actor | Musician | Devising Artist

March 9, 2021 By Corey Aldrich

In the spirit of collaboration and best practice sharing, I thought it would be interesting to share perspectives from our fellow creatives to see how folks are getting along as we all craft new ways to practice our craft. For more on my LIVING ONLINE series, click here.

How did you become interested in being an actor? How long have you been acting in front of a live audience?

I’ve always loved playing pretend, performing, and watching theatre. But on an 8th grade field trip to Washington DC, we saw a production of Macbeth at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre. I remember my theatre director at the time and I basically clung to each other during the whole performance, absolutely riveted. The show ended and I was like, “I want to learn to do THAT.” I’ve been acting in front of a live audience since probably the 2nd grade. Long enough for me to really miss and appreciate it, given the current pandemic circumstances.

Your public facing self is always so vibrant and effervescent, how do you manage to stay so damn perky?

Haha well, thank ya!! Oh gosh, I don’t know. I like people! I like learning about who they are, what they’re working on, what they’re into. It’s exciting to bear witness to people’s experiences. I’m almost always better for it. So, I guess the possibilities and opportunities to connect with others keeps me peppy. And coffee. I really like coffee.

How has the pandemic affected your artistic practice?

It’s allowed me to really slow down and do some much needed self reflection. Grow up a little bit. Take more ownership of who I am and who I want to be, as a person and as an artist. It’s allowed me to till the soil, if you’ll bear with a metaphor. Tear up old roots and weeds and get the ground ready for new artistic projects to develop.

How is this affecting you financially?

It’s been honestly fine for me. I’m very fortunate to be able to live with my folks (I am extremely thankful for them), which has allowed me to save up some money. Having a bit of a cushion opens up possibilities for whatever my next move will be.

What’s your plan for 2021? Working on anything we should know about?

My plan for 2021 is to kick some serious creative butt!! I’m gonna be working a whole bunch with Troy Foundry Theatre (TFT). We’re bringing back the Trojan Alley Series we created last summer and have two new productions in the works (check us out). I’ve also been regularly singing with Emily Curro & Shannon Rafferty (both local creatives & TFT company members); we’re working towards putting together a set list to hopefully debut live at a TFT Alley Series event. If we ever come up with a band name…. And personally at the moment I am getting things together for a solo road trip across the country. Gonna be a nomad for about 5 weeks and get my senses and mind blown by all this country has to offer. Ready to be in awe of absolutely everything.

What advice would you give to other actors struggling with the same challenge right now?

Giving advice…hmm. First, breathe deeply. And find someone to hug. Hugs are great. More hugs. And then check out how other theatres and actors are coping and adapting with the given circumstances. Notice what resonates with you and follow your intuition. Might lead you to new opportunities you didn’t expect, might lead you to want to drive across the country in search of spiritual growth – who knows. Either way, it’s all good. Keep on the path.

A longtime ACE Contributor, Corey works out of Troy, New York. He runs a freelance consultancy for all aspects of brand development and business process management / development. Current projects include cash flow analysis, strategic market planning, 3rd party project oversight, public relations, event planning and front end visual brand design / design-build projects. He has a focus in not-for-profit arts and mission oriented organizations. In his free time he works on honing his craft as a photographer and guitarist. (corey@2440designstudio.com)