Our Staff

JOHN D’AQUINO 

PRESIDENT, TEACHER, & COACH 

Book Private Session with John 

 Veteran actor and master teacher John D’Aquino (SWAT, Cory in the House, Shake it Up, CSI, NCIS, Hannah Montana, Seinfeld) starred in six TV series and recurred and guest starred on dozens of other popular shows. His love for performing is surpassed only by his love for teaching, a love inspired by his mentor, teacher and friend, Charles Nelson Riley, who instilled in his students a passion for helping actors create dynamic performances by reaching deep into the human spirit.

John has helped several of his clients find success in projects such as Drama Club, Bunk’d, All That, Legion, The Thundermans, The Marksman, No God Nick, Splitting Up Together, Fuller House, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Power Rangers, SWAT, Bizaardvark, Diary Of A Female President, General Hospital, and many more. IMDB

SHANE BRADY 

VOICEOVER TEACHER & COACH 

Book Private Session with Shane 

Shane Brady hails from Palm Harbor, FL and is a graduate of Florida State University. He is an avid hockey player and guitarist. Shane is a magician member of the Academy of Magical Arts at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA.  TV credits include Ballers, HBO. Liza on Demand, YOUTUBE PREMIUM. Kickin’ It, DISNEY XD. The Crazy Ones, CBS. To Tell The Truth, ABC. Go On, NBC. FILM credits include: Doctor Sleep, The Endless, Tone-Deaf, Synchronic, and Spring.

VOICE OVER credits include: Mcdonalds. Loot Crate. Verizon Fios. Toyota. Macys. Stafford Jewelers. Trader Joes. K-Mart. Rainbow Six: Seige. Sunset Overdrive and more. IMDB

Michelle Gilliam 

IMPROV TEACHER

Michelle Gilliam is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and recently relocated to Los Angeles, CA. Michelle has over 20 years of experience as an improviser, actor, host, voice actor, and is the Owner and Artistic Director of Improv MKE, an improv comedy school and theater based online, currently serving the world. She has been involved in improv comedy and applied improv for over 20 years, through studying, performing, coaching, teaching, directing, as well as leading corporate teams and various university departments to success by helping them to harness the power of improv as a tool and resource for creativity, empowerment, communication, fun and much more.

Michelle has had the opportunity to teach, coach and perform with people all over the world in Improv. She has students from: Scotland, Liverpool, Nottingham, Chester, London, India, Africa, Singapore, The Philippines, Norway, Copenhagen, Canada, Lithuania, New Zealand, and the list goes on. She currently teaches for improv MKE, The World’s Greatest Improv School, and guest teaches at various theaters online, in person (with proper safety protocols), around the country and the world, and is excited to be part of the AW team! 

CARMEN SCOTT 

ON-CAMERA TEACHER / COACH

Book Private with Carmen 

Carmen Scott is an actress, improviser, and producer. She is passionate about the use of meditation/yoga and improv as tools to enhance the human experience, and the power of storytelling to influence culture.  She can be seen at Second City in Hollywood, performing with long-form team, Stick Pics, and performing short-form with Free Range Comedy SoCal.  Her commercial credits include Pie Five Pizza and Ally Bank.  Razor Tongue, a web-series she produced and acted in with Now>Ever Productions, recently screened at Frameline, Outfest, & Inside Out film festivals.  She is currently working on a documentary titled, 1946. For some of her original comedy content & character work, check out her YouTube Channel:  CarmenScottShow. IMDB

EMILY REAS 

PRODUCTION & OFFICE MANAGER & COACH 

Book Private with Emily 

Originally from Plano, Texas, Emily moved to LA after she graduated with a BFA in Acting from Texas State University. She’s worked as a Producer and UPM for several years, creating a wide variety of content. Previously, she worked at the non-profit The Actors’ Gang as an associate member and teacher in their Education Department. Emily is also a member of Women in Film and has participated in their Peer Mentoring Program. She is one of the co-founders of her production company  Blind Salamander Films. IMDB

SPENCER FRANKEBERGER 

GUEST-TEACHER

Spencer Frankeberger is an actor, award-winning director and producer, and an improviser. He is a graduate of iO West, Second City Hollywood, UCB, and ComedySportz LA. He is also a board-certified music therapist and a tour guide on the World Famous Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood and currently performs with the immersive companies Secret Library and Dainty Dames Events. He has an MFA in Film Production from Florida State University. He is a huge theme park enthusiast with a theme park podcast called Theoretical Thrills (IG/TikTok: @spencer101f; www.spencerfrankeberger.com) IMDB

Ryan Ackelsberg

IN HOUSE DEMO REEL EDITOR,  DP, and GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Ryan Ackelsberg is our in-house cinematographer, editor, and graphic designer. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch Film program, he has shot and edited several independent film projects, both short-form and feature-length. His work has been featured at a variety of festivals including the 2017 Sundance Film Festival (Hardware, Dir. Stephen Jacobson). IMDB