Instructors

T.R.I.F.E. has taken a stand by responding to hip hop’s outcry for a new representative. His lyrics are at best a hybrid of savvy punch lines mixed with profound concepts and vivid imagery.
T.R.I.F.E. Will be teaching an introductory class to the world of song writing. Learn how the R&B pro's like Mary J. Blige, Jermaine Dupri, Alicia Keys, and R Kelly make songs that are impossible to forget. Learn how Hip Hop pro's like Nas, Jay-Z, Kayne West, and Eminem make lyrics that make you want to rewind the song and listen again. This course will teach you a brief overview of literary devices and poetic techniques that will make your songs catchy and add longevity to your lyrics.

Vincent Miller

Digital Film Instructor

Vincent Miller is an award winning Art Director in the advertising industry with 15 years experience in art direction and 6 years as graphic designer. After working in the advertising industry for so many years, Vincent decided to pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker. So he went to Lehman College to peruse T.V. Broadcast production. He has worked on several Films, Directed Commercials, Documentaries, Music Videos and Special Events. He also started his own production company called Moflavor Studios specializing in Digital Film and Multimedia production. Vincent is a Film Director, Digital Film Editor, Art Director, Graphic Designer, Screen Writer, Storyboard artist, Singer, Songwriter, Composer, and Musician. He is currently working as the Director of the Digital Film Department at Free Teens USA.

Kurt Garrison

Music Recording Instructor

KURT GARRISON is a musician and songwriter with several years of experience working in a NYC recording studio.
Kurt is currently part of the CultureMachine recording team that visits schools.

Diego Costa is the director/co-founder of culturemachine.com

He’s also a performing singer-songwriter/music producer and has traveled the world performing his songs to audience in Brazil, Philippines, Japan, Korea and USA.

Songwriting Workshop

Music Recording Workshop

PSA Workshop

Jamal Hodge

PSA Instructor

Jamal James Hodge is an award-winning filmmaker with 10 years experience in media production. He has worked as a Director of Photography on independent short films, as a Director on over 13 documentaries and short films as a Cinematographer on Bullets In The Hood, Alize Fashions, Gibbs Fashion Week 2005, and finally as a Documentary Teacher for emotionally disabled youth at the Adolescent Employment and Education Program.

His awards include the Sundance Film Festival 2001: Gen-Y Studio for Achievements in Documentary Filmmaking, San Francisco International Film Festival 2005: Assistant Editor: Gold Spire Award, OFF TO WAR Series, San Francisco International Film Festival 2000: Gold Spire Youth Award, San Francisco International Film Festival 1999: Silver Spire Youth Award, Gibbs Music Video Awards Show 2005: Best of Show Award.

Visual Art Workshop

Keith Simms , aka K.O Simms is an artist with exceptional experience in the disciplines of watercolors, acrylics, pen & inks. He has developed his skills over two decades of on the scene drawing and painting of landscapes, cityscapes and figure drawing/portraits throughout the Atlantic Coastal regions. A designer of graphic communication with knowledge of media applications for television and movies, K.O Simms teaching approaches is absorbed by children and adults with his ability to simplify understanding.

Francisco OrdoÑez

Digital Film Instructor

Born and raised in Queens, New York, FRANCISCO ORDOÑEZ graduated with a B.A. in Sociology from the City University of New York. In May of 2005 he completed his M.F.A. at Columbia University's Film Program, where he was honored as a Film Division Fellow.

To date, Francisco’s Columbia University Thesis Film, “St. Paul”, has been awarded Best Film at the 2005 HBO New York International Latino Film Festival, the Committee Award at the 2005 Miami Short Film Festival, and the IFP Audience Award at the 2005 Columbia University Film Festival. His feature screenplay, ASHER, was selected for the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival All Access Program and is in development with Emmy-nominated DP/Producer Cliff Charles with principal photography expected to begin in Fall of 2008.

Digital Film Workshop

LIVE Webcasting on CultureMachine.TV

Dwight Hawkins

Digital Film Instructor

Dwight Hawkins has been in the media

business for nearly 7 years now. He started in the

business back when he was living in Istanbul Turkey where he

hosted a television sports show. After returning back

to the States, he landed a job

working as a studio cameraman for WEHT News 25 in Evansville Indiana. He worked his way up to news photographer and satellite truck operator. For the past 2 years, Dwight has been operating his own video production company in Teaneck New Jersey. Dwight has a strong passion for videography and the media business. He shoots all and any types of video from sports to television commercials and his experience has come from hard work and being persistent to succeed.

Digital Film Workshop

Theater Workshop

Poetry Workshop

Dance WorkShop

Yvonne, currently residing in Hamilton, Georgia, was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey.

She founded “Emerged Greatness” in 1999 which is an organization that travels across the country conducting seminars and workshops for all ages of youth, young adults to help ignite vision, impact lives through powerful words of motivation and inspiration, stir potential and promote positive decision making tips.

Yvonne uses her life experience of hardship, pitfalls and having to overcome adversity as a platform to encourage individuals to be all that they can be despite their current situations or present dilemmas. Yvonne’s past and future success has inspired millions of people. She is the author of 4 books, 3 of her books are currently in Barnes & Nobles, and she also hosted a TV talk show for community access television in Paterson New Jersey for the Division of Recreation highlighting community youth. She interviewed famous sports celebrities such as……. Allen Iverson, Tracy “T-Mac” McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal, Vince Carter, Tim Thomas and many, many more.

Yvonne has been featured in magazines, newspapers, featured news stories and talk shows across the country sharing her passion and her purpose to reach youth and young adults introducing and leading them to better choices. She was recently named most valuable speaker for MONSTER.com as the #1 speaker where she currently travels as an independent, professional speaker presenting educational information all over the country to millions of people.

Her motto is ...“It’s not about your start; it’s all about your finish ...so finish BIG”.

Speaker on “The Real Truth Behind Hip Hop”

Digital Film Workshop

PhotoJournalism Workshop

Among the many hats that Curtis E Hamilton wears as vice president of multi media & marketing for Clarendon Entertainment, Chief of operations for DMM management corp.,

Chairman of the delegate agency policy council for Eastside House .He is currently the president of the New York State Headstart Parents Assoc. Mr. Hamilton is also the director of all photography for the renowned Trinity Digital Studios and serves as lead instructor on all photography. Curtis Hamilton also currently works for the film industry as production photographer and has many film & movies to his credit. He is also the photo journalism instructor for the Free Teens Media Summit.

Roderick Giles

Music Video Instructor

Harlem resident RODERICK D. GILES is a two-time Emmy Award nominated cameraman and director.
Mr. Giles directed the features SAME DIFFERENCE (2000 Acapulco Black Film Festival) and urban horror tale, GOLDDIGGER KILLER (2005 Harlem Film Festival), the short films LOVE CYCLES, BLUE DECRESCENDO, THE DATE (starring Wendell Pierce), GULLY (starring Tyson Beckford), SHOOTOUT, THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY, PAPERCHASE and the dark comedy short HUNG-UP, starring SEX AND THE CITY’s David Eigenberg.

Mr. Giles currently teaches Video Production for Bronxnet, a non-profit community television station located on the campus of Lehman College, C.U.N.Y in the Bronx, NY. He is a co-founder, along with another Harlem native, Rodney C. Parnther, of Clarendon Entertainment, Inc

Music Video Workshop

Dame Grease

Music Production Instructor

Growing up on the streets of Harlem, Dame Grease never took to the sounds of rap music until his late teens when he first heard the nocturnal nihilism

of NWA and Ice T. This hardcore sound and its affiliated gangsta attitude connected with Grease, who then found himself immersed in the culture after forming a neighborhood group called N.I.B. It wasn't long before he found himself producing beats, looking to the aggressive sounds of the Bomb Squad and Dr. Dre for influence. By the end of the 1990s, Grease had collaborated with such prominent New York rap artists as DMX, the LOX, and Nas. He even took a chance producing the enigmatic Tricky, primarily recognized as a trip-hop producer.

Following this courageous project, he formed his own label, Vacant Lot, and began work on his debut release, Live on Lenox Ave., which featured himself producing superstar rappers such as Silkk tha Shocker and Scarface in addition to his roster of Vacant Lot rappers: Meeno, H.O.T. Ones, and N.I.B. Untouchables, among others.

Music Production Workshop