Faculty
Our faculty and staff are video-game experts and experienced teachers. Collectively they’ve shipped more than 60 games and films, so it’s easy to practice what they teach.
To contact any FIEA staff or faculty, please call 407-235-3580 or email us.
Jonathan Annand
Art Faculty
After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a B.A. in film, adjunct instruct…
Cheryl Briggs
Art Faculty
Associate Professor Cheryl Briggs (formerly Cabrera) joins the FIEA Art Faculty in 2019…
Utsab Das
Programming Instructor
Utsab is a FIEA alumni who graduated with his Master’s in Interactive Entertainment in Coh…
Rick Hall
Production Director
Rick Hall is a 15-year veteran of the gaming industry with experience as a prod…
Ben Noel
Executive Director
Ben has been the Executive Director of FIEA since inception in 2005. He has led par…
Chris Roda
Tech Art Instructor
With over 20 years experience in film and television, games and location-based prod…
David Van Etten
Level Design Instructor
David Van Etten is a proud alumnus of FIEA Cohort 11, where he pitched and lead th…
Paul Varcholik, Ph.D.
Programming Faculty
Paul Varcholik came to FIEA from Electronic Arts where he was a lead software engi…
Ron Weaver
Technical Design Director
Ron Weaver has been a game programmer and designer since 2001 when he started work…
Nick Zuccarello
3D Art Instructor
Nick Zuccarello has 10 + years industry experience working in the games industry as…
Staff
Rich Grula
Studio Director
Over the past two decades, Rich Grula’s career has wandered freely among the creative, busi…
Courtney Lewis
Industry Relations Coordinator
Courtney Lewis is a marketing and industry relations professional that excels in man…
John Rotolo
Network & Facilities Manager
John Rotolo brings more than 13 years of industry experience to FIEA. For 8 years, he was…
Erik Sand
Director of Strategic Partnerships
Erik is focused on creating opportunities for FIEA students by growing the applied resea…
Thien “John” Tran
Multimedia Designer
John is a designer with nearly 20 years of professional experience including Web Design, Gra…