In 2014, Vanessa Silva and Heather Hentila developed Footlight Studios with the vision of creating characters and worlds they wanted to see more of on screen, while putting female storytellers at the forefront. Vanessa attributes any and all success of Footlight Studios to unyielding teamwork, imperative and meaningful collaboration, and ongoing education and training.

 

Vanessa, herself, has trained in conjunction with NBC/Universal, Alliance of Women Directors, AbelCine, ARRI Academy, BlackMagic, Canon, Hurlbut Visuals, USC, and more, in various fields of filmmaking. She has also studied directly under horror & psychological thriller screenwriter, Scott Kosar (The Machinist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Haunting of Hill House) through Sundance Co//ab. In addition, with the importance of production and set safety, she is also a CalFire Certified Motion Picture and Television FSO and trained in Prop Gun Set Safety via Dutch Merrick (SWAT, Seal Team, Euphoria).

 

In front of the camera, Vanessa has performed in an array of new media, episodic series, industrials, and short and feature films. In addition to regional performance academies, she has trained with the Stella Adler Studio of Acting/Art of Acting for Acting Technique, The Juilliard School for Voice, The Groundlings School for Improvisation, and is a Specialized Training Alumni with The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Camera Acting for Film and Television.

 

With a continued commitment to arts education, Vanessa is also a Lecturer and part of the Production Management team at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, and an Advisory Board Member at San Bernardino Valley College's Institute of Media Arts.