Coby Flanagan (Registered Apprentice) is a recent Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) graduate, who earned his Bachelors of science in Mass Communications. His passions include mentoring and film/photography. He has been fortunate enough to shoot concerts for artists like Father Mc, Jodeci, and Boyz II Men. His end goal is being an owner of an entertainment/media organization. For now he’s focused on expanding his skills, creating more content with others, and learning more about the industry.

Addy Miner is a senior working toward a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Photography and Film with a minor in Media Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her passions are capturing the world as it is shown through photography as well as being involved in community. Some things she has shot but are not limited to are landscapes in nature, portraits in and outside of the studios, and night time light paintings. She hopes to not only gain more experience within photography and film but also gain community within Oakwood.

Aaliyah Thompson (She/her), is a student at Virginia State University, studying Visual Arts, with a concentration in Graphic Design. She has a passion for digital art, designing, and music. Aaliyah has had the opportunity to work with RMTA (Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority), in a toll booth designing contest. Creating a memorable design showcasing the history of Richmond, and became one of the scholarship winners. I joined Oakwood Arts to gain professional experience, networking skills, and hopefully broaden my understanding of graphic design. 

Antonio Smith is a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University studying mass communications with a concentration in media production. He has a passion for filmmaking and cinematography. So far, he has shot multiple short films, music videos, and modeling videos, worked on set with companies like Manscaped and Relay, and even had the opportunity to have his work shown in museums like the Hirshhorn in Washington, D.C. He has joined Oakwood Arts in his journey to learn more about film and expand his opportunities and connections.

Drake Leskowyak is a current Sophomore at VCU’s School of the Arts in the Graphic Design program. Passionate about his work, Drake combines a strong foundation in design principles with an eye for modern and clean cut aesthetics. His work explores the intersection of minimalism, typography, and bold visual storytelling. Throughout his studies and prior design experience, he has curated a versatile skill set across digital and print media. Drake is driven by curiosity, collaboration, and the constant pursuit of creative excellence as he prepares to make his mark in the professional design world.

Drake’s Website

Isabella Aursby (she/her) is a recent graduate of the VCU Cinema Department! Her goal is to gain experience working with other creatives through collaboration and hands-on projects while also giving back by mentoring aspiring artists. Most importantly, she’d like to enhance my ability to teach and communicate my expertise in filmmaking, particularly in areas such as narrative storytelling.

Joseph Walker (he/him) is a student pursuing a bachelor's degree in Communication arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. His interests include illustration, music video production, and character design. He is currently building his own art business in addition to founding an art collective, collaborating with other visual artists and musicians to create and sell artwork. In the future he plans to publish an original comic, in addition to creating a media production and sponsorship organization. While at Oakwood Arts, he is looking forward to gaining professional, hands-on experience in the art industry, along with meeting and working with other interns and senior artists. 

Julian Banks is a senior at VCU majoring in Cinema and English. He has worked on numerous short films including writing, directing, and editing them. Along with that he has directed music videos and commercials as well. He wants to one day move on to directing features. He has joined Oakwood Arts to gain experience in professional art settings.

Makayla Burroughs (she/her) is a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University working towards a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Her passions include filmmaking, cinematography, story design, and writing. She hopes to gain hands-on experience and knowledge in the cinematic world by working with Oakwood Arts. Within the next decade, she aspires to collaborate with other individuals with similar ambitions to expand her skillset and contribute a ground-breaking project to the cinematic realm. Her main goals include earning the opportunity to work with some of her favorite film production companies such as A24 and Blumhouse and producing her very own TV Show.

Maddox Montgomery (he/him) is a photographer and filmmaker from Richmond, VA pursuing an education in film and J. Sargent Reynolds. His passion for his creative expression keeps him busy writing, directing, editing, and producing his own projects such as short sketches, music videos, narrative podcasts, film photography, and even HTML websites. With Oakwood Arts, he continues to chase his interest working primarily in media including filmmaking and photography, as well as gaining experience working with and meeting new people.

Catori Ryan (she/her) is a sophomore at Virginia Tech studying cinema and film production. She’s passionate about cinematography, writing, and directing, with experience in filmmaking and event planning. At Oakwood Arts, she hopes to gain hands-on experience and grow as a creative.

Ashley Davis (they/them) is an undergrad at VCUarts majoring in Photo/Film and Painting/Printmaking. They hope to gain film industry experience through Oakwood Arts while exploring interests in music, photography, and writing. Ashley’s goal is to become a screenwriter and cinematographer, ideally with Blumhouse Productions.

Isaac Martin (he/him) is a senior at VCU studying Media Production. He’s passionate about documentary filmmaking and telling stories about nature and culture. At Oakwood Arts, he looks forward to learning about grant writing, pitch decks, and building his production skills.

Ryan Beike (he/him) is a VCU student pursuing a BFA in Graphic Design. He enjoys drawing and animating characters from pop culture, anime, and video games. Ryan hopes to become an animator and is excited to gain hands-on design experience with Oakwood Arts.

Bethany Blalock (she/her) is a senior at VCU studying Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. She’s passionate about photography, filmmaking, and art rooted in feminist theory. Bethany hopes to gain media experience and grow her creative career.

Janelle Ragland studies International Social Justice Studies with a minor in Nonprofit Management at VCU. She hopes to work at an international arts nonprofit and is excited to support Oakwood Arts through a General Administration/Nonprofit Management internship.

Alyssa (Lissy) Moore is a graphic design student at VCU who enjoys photography, character design, and acrylic painting. She hopes to gain experience with Oakwood Arts and pursue a future as a creative art director in music and album design.

Camille Jones (she/her) is a VCUarts graduate, graphic designer, and painter with a love for the unconventional. She combines collage, bold typography, and illustration in her work. This is her second nonprofit design internship, and she hopes to grow in editorial and branding design.

Cameron Skinner, or Cammie, is a recent Midlothian High graduate gaining experience before college. She enjoys nature photography and performing arts, and is excited to return to Oakwood Arts after past programs.

Emily Alonso (she/her) is a Richmond-based photographer and filmmaker and a recent VCU graduate with a BFA in Photo + Filmmaking. She has experience as a writer, director, and photographer, and looks forward to expanding into community arts outreach with Oakwood Arts.

Jacob Simmons (he/him) is a senior studying Cinema at VCU. As a writer and director, he’s drawn to emotional, uplifting stories he feels are underrepresented in media. At Oakwood Arts, he hopes to build leadership skills and gain film industry experience.

Natalie Jones-Coleman is a Virginia Virtual Academy graduate and will attend VCU School of the Arts in Fall 2024. She’s been involved with Oakwood Arts since 8th grade and loves art, sewing, and photography. Natalie hopes to inspire others through creativity and the beauty of hands-on work.

Saba Jana-Worku joined Oakwood Arts as a FAMM participant in 2021 and returned as an Arts and Tech intern in 2023. She’s excited to explore film production and gain more on-set experience through this opportunity.

Yuna Lee is a senior at VCU pursuing a BFA in Kinetic Imaging with a minor in Sound Design. She focuses on filmmaking, animation, and dance videography. Yuna hopes to grow her skills and gain hands-on experience with Oakwood Arts

Lucy Carr is a Richmond-based photographer and filmmaker pursuing a BFA in Photography and Film at VCUarts. She’s also studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a fall 2023 intern at Oakwood Arts, she looks forward to working in a professional film setting.

Zack Kongolo (he/him) is a senior at VCU studying Communications with a focus on Media Production. He’s passionate about photography and film and looks forward to building his skills further with Oakwood Arts.

Walker Moore is a VCUarts undergrad studying Photography + Film with a concentration in film. He started as a filmmaking intern at Oakwood Arts in Fall 2022, creating video content and helping with Photo Mondays. His early love for photography inspires his goal of becoming a director of photography.

Walker’s Website

Elise Markle is a VCUarts undergrad in the Communication Arts department. Elise began at Oakwood Arts in summer 2023 to work on a short film project as she hopes to find a career in the film industry. Now, her primary focus at Oakwood is graphic design

Elise’s Instagram

Kayla Davis is an undergrad at VCU’s PhotoFilm department with a focus in film. She joined Oakwood Arts in summer 2023 to grow her skills and explore filmmaking. Kayla is passionate about sound design, animation, and aims to join a traveling film company.

Sam Simpson, a senior at Open High School, is at Oakwood Arts as an intern for the summer of 2022. He spent a year studying TV and Media Production and Graphic Imaging at the Richmond Technical Center.

Jasmine Bonner grew up in Newport News, Virginia. They graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Photography + Filmmaking. They hope to diversify the photography community and give voice to those not thoroughly represented. Their time at OA was spent working on organizing photography databases.

Jasmine’s Instagram

Erich Hoch is an artist and filmmaker from the Washington D.C. area based in Richmond, Virginia. His thesis narrative short film, Bill Bonney ETC, was shot at Oakwood Arts. he latter interned with OA working on all of our film related needs and programming.

Liv Taylor joined Oakwood Arts as a program intern in 2021, spending most of her time focused on our Photo Mondays after-school club and F.A.M.M. summer camp. Liv also continues her involvement with us as an OA JET participant.

Simi Jung, a Bonner Scholar, interned with us in 2020 working on general administrative assistance and grant writing.

Jonah Hadari began interning with Oakwood Arts in 2021 as a programs assistant, conducting virtual interviews with filmmakers and helping with teaching. He now continues his involvement as an OA JET participant and is currently a sophomore studying Film at Emerson.

Marissa Alper interned with Oakwood arts in 2018-2019 and assisted in teaching an intro to animation course for elementary and middle school students. Marissa is now a freelance photographer based in NYC!

Marissa’s Website

Zoe Pearson interned with Oakwood Arts in 2018 as a program assistant for the Intro to Animation courses for middle school students in partnership with Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club. Zoe also supported with web design.

Kit Marston was Oakwood Arts’ filmmaking intern in 2019 where he supported our team in collecting, organizing, and editing footage for OA promotional materials. Recently OA JET has been working with Kit on his short film ‘On the Night Wind’. Kit continues his involvement with us as an OA JET participant.

Kit’s Instagram

Kelly Fergus interned with Oakwood Arts in 2019 while completing her masters in art education at VCU. She led our Story Hour programs after-school in partnership with Peter Paul Development Center (PPDC) at Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club, Bellevue Elementary and PPDC. Kelly is now a full-time art teacher at an elementary school!

Jessica Taylor began interning for Oakwood Arts in 2017, as a programs assistant working in some of Oakwood Arts’ very first programs before later becoming staff.

Jessica’s Website