Instructors

Filmmaker Emily Cohen Ibañez pairs lyricism with social activism in her work, advocating for labor and environmental justice. Her feature documentary, FRUITS OF LABOR, about a teenage farm and factory worker, had its World Premiere at SXSW 2021 and broadcast on PBS POV | American Documentary. Cohen Ibañez works as a one-woman band to directing a 10-person team on set. She has taught at NYU, CUNY, UC Santa Cruz, and the Latino Film Institute. She has completed two feature films, eight short films, and published nine written essays. Her films have screened at SXSW, Black Star, Ambulante, and SFFILM International [...]

Vatsala Goel is a San Francisco-based DP specializing in documentary, narrative, and brand films. Her work has premiered at Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca, earning a Peabody Award nomination, an Oscar shortlist, and an NAACP Image Award. Featured on Netflix, HBO, and Amazon, she has taught at SFSU, led workshops at CDWC and IWCC, and is an ASC Vision Mentorship honoree. Born in Kolkata, India, she holds an MFA from the FTII, India. Vatsala has collaborated on films that have premiered at major US festivals like Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca, earning accolades including a Peabody Award nomination, an Oscar shortlist, and [...]

Stan has been teaching at BAVC since 2018, when he retired as a digital/semiconductor electronics engineer. As a sound engineer, he has been a production sound mixer and a postproduction sound designer on over a hundred short films, thanks to his longtime collaboration with the Scary Cow filmmaking collaborative. He has also contributed to award-winning TV shows and documentary/profile shorts as a producer, shooter, and editor. Stan has been recognized for his public access video productions five times by the Association for Community Media (Western Region) and at the national level. His film audio work has been recognized in several [...]

Ken Schneider, ACE, is a Peabody winning producer and editor who believes in the power of film to affect hearts and minds. Ken has edited over 40 feature-length documentaries, focusing on war and peace, human rights, artists’ lives, American history, and contemporary social issues. Ken co-edited the Oscar-nominated Regret To Inform, a film the New York Times described as “unforgettable … exquisitely filmed, edited and scored.” Ken has professed Films he edited have won primetime and documentary Emmys, three Peabodys, a Columbia-Dupont, IDA (International Documentary Association) awards, an Indie Spirit, top awards at Sundance, other major festival awards, and have [...]

Jes Rowe joined BAVC Media in January 2020. Prior to this, Jes attended college for both audio production and engineering. She later combined that knowledge with her passion for film, and merging these mediums brought a whole new life to her creative expression. Jes has now been working as a freelance filmmaker for over 13 years and is driven by the desire to connect to the world through media. Over the past 13 years, Jes has established herself as a filmmaker, contributing to various sectors, including non-profit organizations like BAVC Media. As a business owner, Jes has successfully managed her [...]

Jonathan is a producer, director, writer and editor. His experience in the field and the studio covers a wide range of content from films, commercials, web videos and broadcast television. Jonathan began teaching at BAVC in 2003 after becoming Avid certified to teach Media Composer. From there he became Apple certified to teach Final Cut Pro. Since then he's taught other post-production classes including Intro to Premiere Pro. Jonathan developed and produced the Comcast/NBC cable television show CHN-NOW, a regional news and current affairs show told in a documentary format. His short comedy film, Back Issues, premiered as an official [...]

Doug Garth Williams is an award-winning writer, director and animator. With an MFA in Art he has many years of experience as an educator having taught semester classes at multiple universities and BAVC classes since 2012. His focus at BAVC is primarily on motion graphics and visual effects and he’s been using Adobe programs such as After Effects professionally since 2000. Doug’s music videos, commercials, and shorts have garnered over 25 million views online. He's had 20+ pieces shown in over 100 exhibitions worldwide, including solo shows in NY and CA. Awards include the Franklin Furnace Fund, Murphy + Cadogan [...]