Faculty
Professional screenwriter and co-founder of the Zaki Gordon Institute, Dan Gordon, has been the screenwriting instructor at the film school since its inception. He travels from Los Angeles, weekly, to teach at the Zaki Gordon Institute and also finds time to teach at the Columbia, UCLA and USC film programs.
As a master storyteller, Dan creates indelible characters and relationships, which have afforded actors the opportunity to play some of their most unforgettable roles. From Kevin Bacon’s haunting portrayal of Henry Young in Murder in the First to Kevin Costner’s darkly heroic lawman in Wyatt Earp, from Aiden Quinn’s conflicted spy in The Assignment to Denzel Washington’s towering portrayal of Rubin Carter in The Hurricane. Gordon’s characters are marked by their struggle to maintain their humanity in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Dan Gordon graduated UCLA as a film and television major and later served as a Sergeant in the Israeli Army. His film credits include: Tank, Gulag, Passenger 57, Wyatt Earp, Murder in the First, The Assignment, The Hurricane, Celestine Prophecy, and Expecting Mary as well as the upcoming Mafia Cop. He is, in addition, the author of five novels. He has been a member of the Directors Guild of America since 1985.
Jeremy Hawkes
Jeremy Hawkes attended the Zaki Gordon Institute for Independent Filmmaking over ten years ago. After graduating from the film school, he went to work on the Northern Arizona NBC affiliate as a commercial videographer and floor director for news. Later, Hawkes returned to ZGI, but this time as an instructor in the Narrative and Documentary programs. Additionally, Hawkes has worked on numerous independent film projects as a producer, cinematographer, and gaffer/grip. Some of his credits include producer and executive producer on the feature-length documentary Reality Check and cinematographer on award-winning Kiddush Hashem.
Bryan Reinhart teaches documentary filmmaking, as well as master seminars in editing with Final Cut Pro. An active editor and documentarian, he finds it just as important to take the time to teach.
A native of Northwest Indiana, Reinhart was raised in a theatrical family and was on stage at the age of six. By the age of 13 he was making short films. He worked in the entertainment industry in a variety of positions including producer, director, and editor for both film and television.
Reinhart’s first Hollywood experience was producing a documentary on the feature film Hoosiers. Reinhart went from film to television and produced the nationally televised American Highways for Public Television. In the 1980’s, Reinhart started his own television production company and produced corporate and industrial projects for Fortune 500 companies as well as documentaries. Several of his documentaries were aired nationally on public television. Classroom Under The Canopy, filmed in Costa Rica, was produced in cooperation with Indiana University and the Indianapolis Zoo. The Eyes of Nepal aired in Australia and the US.
Adjunct Faculty
Daniel Dubiecki
Daniel Dubiecki produced his first feature film, Waiting For Mo, at the tender age of 18 with Zaki Gordon. Since then, Daniel has produced countless award-winning short films directed by Jason Reitman. In all, he has produced over 20 shorts and five features, which have played at over 100 film festivals, winning over 30 awards around the world, including at Sundance, Aspen Shortsfest, Toronto, Cannes, LA Film Festival, New Directors/New Films (MOMA), ShortShorts (Tokyo), Edinburgh, Melbourne, Sydney, and US Comedy Arts.
Since 2000, Dubiecki has also produced many award-winning commercials through Tate USA for clients such as Heineken, Honda, BMW, Wal*Mart, GM, Nintendo, Kyocera, Time Warner, and Miller Lite.
Dubiecki produced the 2006 feature film Thank You For Smoking. Directed by his partner Reitman, the film was purchased by Fox Searchlight at the Toronto Film Festival and went on to to earn many accolades including a Golden Globe nomination in 2007 for Best Comedy.
Dubiecki and Reitman partnered to develop their own production company, Hard C, based at Fox Searchlight. Dubiecki produced Juno, directed by Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Juno received the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for or won an additional 50+ awards!
Dubiecki and Reitman had great success with their film, Up in the Air, starring George Clooney. Nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award in 2010. Dubiecki has a myriad of films in various stages of production.
Stephan Schultze
An active industry professional, both as a writer and cinematographer, Stephan Schultze was the former director of the Zaki Gordon Institute. Schultze was instrumental in the development and oversight of the film school for its first ten years.
Stephan Schultze began his career in advertising, before moving to Los Angeles in 1989 to pursue a career in the film industry. Once in Hollywood, he worked his way up through the ranks, while learning the craft from the best, including projects directed by James Cameron and Ron Underwood. Schultze has worked in every aspect of the industry including major motion pictures (The Abyss, Tremors, Henson Productions), television (Drew Carey Show, HBO, Showtime), music videos, commercials, industrial videos and countless independent films. As a cinematographer he has worked with all media formats, including 70mm, and High Definition.
Schultze’s credits include The Lesser Evil, an independent film he co-authored and co-produced with Jeremy Levine (MGM).
Serah D’Laine
She has been lighting up the small screen and stealing the show by making appearances on everything from General Hospital to Jake in Progress & Cold Case. However, she’s no stranger to the silver screen. You may remember her starring in the lead role of Wild Things 3 as Marie Clifton or more recently as zombie Cara in Flight of the Living Dead. Soon, we’ll see more leading performances in films such as Redefining Lovewith Jodie Sweetin and The Rig, as well as supporting roles inKnuckle Draggers, William Malone’s Parasomnia and more recently Fight or Flight staring Jason London.
However, setting her sights higher, she is quickly moving her way up the creative side and behind the camera. Starting a new decade, possibilities are infinite. While still acting, she is broadening her experience in many angles to obtain her goals of producing, writing and eventually directing. Serah has already begun her transition into the Production side as well as getting her hands dirty working with the crew. Adding to her credits, she has so far been an Assoc. Prod. as well as obtaining a Production Coordinator Credit working her way up on an internship for the film Rain from Stars. She has also gained wardrobe experience working as an assistant stylist on numerous projects. Some of which include the music videos for The Bird & The Bee and The Spill Canvas. Shorty after, she gained the position of Costume Designer in the film Fight or Flight along with the supporting role of Carol.
Zirque has been a bass player and freelance musician since 1988. While he studied with Bassist Rufis Reid he worked extensively in the New York area where he performed and/or recorded with many jazz artists such as; Brad Meldeau, Eric Alexander, Buddy Montgomery, and Cedar Walton.
Zirque was the recipient of the Milt Hinton Jazz Award in 1990, and a guest performer at the International Society of Bassists Convention and the JVC Jazz Festival. He also played as Assistant Principle Bassist for the Wayne Chamber Orchestra 1988-1991.
Since moving to Sedona in 1992, Zirque has toured Germany, Greece, Morocco, Spain and the United States with guitarists Ralf Illenberger, Chris Spheris and Stanley Jordan. Locally, Zirque has performed with jazz artists Stanley Jordan and Saxophonist Lee Konitz. He has recorded with Native American flute musician R. Carlos Naki, and enjoys performing with Guitarist William Eaton. In 2002 , he graduated from NAU while studying under bassist Joel DiBartolo.
Today, Zirque is the Director of Music and Arts Department Chair at Verde Valley School and teaches sound design as adjunct faculty for the Zaki Gordon Institute.
Dan Helberg is Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs for Shed Media US, the American division of one of the United Kingdom’s leading producers of scripted and non-scripted television programming. Formerly known as Ricochet, Shed Media entered the American market with the ABC series Supernanny and has since become a top supplier of unscripted programming to cable and broadcast networks.
Dan recently joined Shed from The Weinstein Company where he handled all business and legal affairs related to the development, production and distribution of the company’s television programming, and the distribution of their feature films on television and video-on-demand platforms. Prior to The Weinstein Company Helberg rose from serving as a production attorney on programs such as The Man Show to run business and legal affairs for Stone Stanley Entertainment and its successor Stone & Company Entertainment.
A graduate of Northwestern University, Dan began his career as an account executive for advertising firms in Chicago, before attending the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television. While earning his Masters of Fine Arts, Helberg produced award-winning shorts, including two films selected for screening over consecutive years at the Sundance Film Festival.
After graduating from USC, Dan served as a production manager and line producer on independent feature films, commercials and industrials, before receiving his legal degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. While in law school, Helberg also worked in the business and legal affairs departments of the William Morris Agency, Motown Records, and Roger Corman’s Concorde-New Horizons.
Following graduation from Loyola, Helberg produced his first feature film, The Lesser Evil, which was released by MGM. He then joined Tomorrow Film Corporation where he was Vice President, Production, producing independent features for the production and sales company.
Dan is an Adjunct Professor at the Zaki Gordon Institute, in Sedona Arizona, where he teaches emerging filmmakers about the business of filmmaking. He also serves on the Planning Committee for University of Southern California’s annual Institute on Entertainment Law and Business, and on the Advisory Board and Public Relations Committee for the Venice Family Clinic, one of the nation’s largest free health clinics.
Nelson has taught and coached actors in Los Angeles for over 25 years. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild. He has performed in film, television and on stage, and has directed for stage and prime-time television. Nelson’s Hollywood coaching clients include Sela Ward, co-starring in this season’s CSI NY on CBS; Eva Longoria of ABC’sDesperate Housewives; Rebecca Budig, star of ABC’s Daytime Drama All My Children; Tamara Taylor, co-star of Fox’s hit showBones, Stephen Collins of this season’s new sci-fi drama for ABC, No Ordinary Family; and Lindsay Haun, who guest-stars this season on HBO’s True Blood. Nelson is a college guest instructor, and teaches Film Acting and Directing Actors at film schools and seminars. He is the author of the audio course in acting “The Impersonal Actor” – which is recommended course material at colleges and universities; and has recently completed a college course textbook in film acting.
Acting Coach Shawn Nelson
Johnson is an active industry professional as a cinematographer, visual effects specialist and editor. He has owned and operated his own production company, Micah Johnson Productions, LLC, for more than 10 years.
Micah Johnson began his career as a grip working for Steve David Productions, Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona. He then went on to build several television/recording studios across the United States. He has worked in every aspect of the industry including independent films, music videos, commercials, industrial videos and television.
