Hello Outschool Families! My name is Stephen and I'm a video producer and film teacher based in New York City. I'm currently a video producer and editing instructor at a filmmaking education nonprofit called Reel Works. Prior to this I was a public school teacher at an elementary/middle school in Queens where I taught about 450 students and 20 classes per week each year.

I find it immensely rewarding to help students express their creativity and tell their individual stories through the moving image. My teaching philosophy is centered around inquiry-based and project-based learning. During our lessons students engage in discussions and work hands-on with the skills they're interested in developing. Whether they're taking landscape photos in the backyard, editing a video, or analyzing a k-pop video, students receive helpful feedback from me in real-time so their progress is accelerated.

I received my Master of Arts in Media Studies in 2017 from The New School in New York City. Learning about film in a city where so many productions are happening all the time was inspiring and I feel fortunate that I can teach film in such an exciting place. Before my Master’s, I received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (with a Minor in Ethics) in 2013 from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. The critical thinking and self-reflection skills I developed through studying philosophy have proven to be invaluable in my work as an educator.

I started working as a freelance video editor in grad school and since then I’ve worked on a number of projects for brands such as Nickelodeon, Benefit, and Philosophy. My latest commercial project is a video I edited for Burberry.

In addition to film studies, other topics I'm passionate about include animation, sci-fi films, K-dramas, K-pop, gaming, playing Dungeons & Dragons, following cats on Instagram, and so much more!