OUR TEAM
At YAS Studio, our team is made up of working professionals who are passionate about sharing their craft with the next generation of creatives. They’re actors, photographers, filmmakers and animators who are active on real projects and bringing that energy into the studio.
Daniel Fischer
Founder & Acting Teacher
Daniel Fischer is a Melbourne-based actor and creative industries professional with more than 15 years’ experience across Australian screen and theatre, and a decade of leadership experience in higher education and creative arts engagement.
As an actor, Daniel has appeared in major Australian productions including Love Me (Warner Bros), Summer Love (Gristmill), The Clearing (Wooden Horse), and Dear Life (Gristmill), with work featured on Binge, ABC, Disney+, Stan and Netflix. His theatre work spans new writing and development across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, working with major theatre companies including Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company, and the Brisbane Powerhouse. He is a graduate of the 16th Street Actors Studio full-time program and has trained under world-renowned coaches Larry Moss, Elizabeth Kemp and Lisa Robertson.
Beyond his work as an actor, Daniel has built a significant career in the creative education sector. He most recently served as Head of Engagement at Collarts (Australian College of the Arts), leading state-wide Schools & Community Outreach, Industry Partnerships and Major Events. In this role, he forged high-impact collaborations with major cultural organisations including the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), ACMI, the Melbourne International Animation Festival (MIAF), Melbourne Fashion Week, and the Australian Photography Awards. Daniel’s leadership work connected thousands of young people across Victoria with real-world creative opportunities and strengthened Collarts’ profile within the national arts and cultural landscape.
With a deep blend of industry knowledge, educational expertise and creative practice, Daniel founded YAS Studio to fill a gap he witnessed firsthand: the lack of an ongoing, dedicated space where young people can explore acting, filmmaking, animation and photography — not just at tertiary level, but during the formative years where curiosity shapes identity.
Greta Nash
Filmmaking Teacher
Greta Nash (they/she) is a Melbourne-based screenwriter and director, working across narrative film, television, and commercials.
They have directed a number of short films including the award-winning Locker Room, which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2017, and has since received more than 12 million views online via Short of the Week and Omeleto. In 2018, they wrote and directed Two Piece, which won Tropfest. Their latest short film, Dodger, received post-production funding from the City of Melbourne Arts Grants.
Greta spent two years partaking in VicScreen’s prestigious Originate Series program for next-gen television screenwriters, completing three original half-hour pilots and participating in a number of writers’ rooms. In 2022, Greta completed a Screen Australia-funded Director’s Attachment with Daina Reid on Netflix’s Run Rabbit Run, following a VicScreen-funded Director’s Attachment on AMC’s Preacher in 2019. Continuing their pursuit of telling nuanced stories about contemporary adolescence, their debut feature film screenplay, School Camp, received two rounds of development funding via Screen Tasmania.
Alongside their narrative work, Greta has worked extensively as a freelance commercial director, and currently teaches scriptwriting and directing at a number of tertiary institutions across Melbourne.
Adrian Ortega
Filmmaking Teacher
Adrian is an award-winning narrative and documentary filmmaker based in Melbourne. A proud first-generation Australian from an Italian/Spanish migrant family, Adrian burst onto the scene with his first two documentaries, Bodycrash and Modus Operandi, which were met with critical acclaim and featured across Junkee, VICE, The Daily Mail U.K., and Channel 10 News. His third documentary short, They Call Me Spiderman, was selected for the prestigious St Kilda Film Festival in 2016, and his debut feature, Cerulean Blue—which he wrote, directed, and produced—premiered to sold-out audiences at the 68th Melbourne International Film Festival in 2019. The film went on to win the El Rey Award for Excellence in Film Directing at the Barcelona International Film Festival, and is now streaming on Stan (Australia) and Amazon Prime (US & UK).
In 2016, Adrian founded Proud Wing Films, a production company dedicated to championing bold new voices in Australian cinema. Under this banner, he produced Alba, the debut short from Senie Priti, which earned a Special Mention in the Rebel8 Award for Outstanding Emerging Female Director at Flickerfest 2021. More recently, Adrian produced Aarushi Chowdhury’s debut short Clown, which premiered at SXSW Sydney before screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival, the Darwin International Film Festival, the Byron Bay Film Festival, and the Australian Women in Film Festival.
In August 2025, Adrian’s second feature film, Westgate, had its World Premiere at the 73rd Melbourne International Film Festival, marking another milestone in his career. The film has since been acquired for distribution by Madman Entertainment, cementing Adrian’s reputation as a daring and distinctive voice in Australian cinema.
Oscar Ramos
Animation Teacher
Oscar is a rising animation artist with a distinctive, contemporary visual voice shaped by mentorships with leading creators. He trained under Ethan Becker (Voltron: Legendary Defender, The Legend of Korra) and studied with Rad Sechrist (K-Pop: Demon Hunters, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts), and holds a Bachelor of Animation from Collarts (Australian College of the Arts).
He has worked professionally across visual development, character design, and key art on productions in Australia and overseas (currently under NDA). Oscar is a Lead Visual Development Artist on The Mothmen (upcoming), a project helmed by Michael V. Schrayder (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse; Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Hotel Transylvania 3; The Emoji Movie) and Tristan Torg (host of The Indie Magazine podcast). He is also directing and co-writing an independent project with collaborator Chelsea Merk.
At YAS Studio, Oscar brings a generous, process-driven approach to the classroom— combining industry craft in character design and visual development with clear, practical pathways. His experience in modern independent pipelines has honed the skills needed to reach professional standards quickly. He’s passionate about helping young creatives build confident fundamentals while discovering a bold, authentic visual voice.
Cazz Bainbridge
Acting Teacher
Cazz is a Green Room Award winning actor, writer and theatre-maker. She completed her actor training at Ward Studio in New York before joining their international graduate company, performing in two US productions. She has worked extensively in theatre with credits including Cyrano, The Hitmen, Much Ado About Nothing, The Importance of Being Earnest and Seminar as well as being a founding member of Gold Satino, devising and performing in their past ten shows including their most recent season at Dark Mofo 2025.
Her television credits involve The Clearing (Disney+), The Newsreader (ABC| Werner Productions) and Utopia (ABC| Working Dog Productions) and Goolagong (Werner | ABC). For film, her recent credits include Go with Grace (MIFF 2022, Flickerfest 2022), The Unrequited Life of Farrah Bruce (AFF 2023) as well as Darius Devas’ feature Unravelling which she co-wrote with Devas and fellow actor Duncan Ragg (Cinefest 2022, BIFF 2022). Cazz also appears regularly on the judging panel for the Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Cazz is a highly detailed coach and personable coach, who is dedicated to helping actors build trust within themselves to explore, find depth and specificity and take their work to the next level.
Ra Chapman
Acting & Filmmaking Teacher
Ra Chapman is a multidisciplinary writer, actor and filmmaker whose work spans film, television, documentary and theatre. Informed by her Korean adoptee background, she creates cross-cultural work that challenges existing narratives around identity and explores underrepresented perspectives.
Having recently been selected for Screen Australia’s Talent USA: NY and recognised as one of IF Magazine’s 2024 Rising Talents, Ra garnered a 2025 Australian Writers’ Guild (AWGIE) Award nomination and was shortlisted for the prestigious Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting for her TV comedy series White Fever, which she created, wrote and starred in. Ra was Artist in Residence at Malthouse Theatre, and her play K-Box debuted on the main stage in 2022 to critical acclaim.
Ra’s other notable work includes the SBS digital horror anthology Night Bloomers and the documentary series Adoptee Voices: Women of Melbourne. She recently secured a Director’s Attachment with Nina Buxton on the ABC Series Separated at Birth.
Ra’s acting career began on stage in London, playing Celia in the Jacobean classic Volpone. Since then, she has won Best Actress at the 2011 Newport Beach Film Festival for her role as Therese in David Williamson’s film adaptation of Face to Face, and was nominated for an IF Award for the same performance. Ra has filmed five seasons of Wentworth as prisoner Kim Chang, stars alongside D’Arcy Carden and Will Forte in the recent Stan series Sunny Nights (Stan), and can also be seen in Dear Life (Stan).
Abbey Hastings
Filmmaking Teacher
Abbey Hastings is a Melbourne-based writer, director and film programmer working across narrative film, documentary and short-form storytelling. She wrote and directed the short film Bub and was awarded Groundbreaking Women in Film at the 2026 Young Australian Film Festival (YAFF).
Alongside her filmmaking practice, Abbey works as an Event Coordinator at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) and is a film programmer for the Geelong Pride Film Festival, where she champions diverse voices and independent cinema. She is currently developing a comedy series and short animation project as a writer and producer.
Passionate about storytelling and nurturing emerging creative voices, Abbey brings a wealth of experience across filmmaking, film festivals and the wider screen industry to YAS Studio.
Harvey Zielinski
Acting & Filmmaking Teacher
Harvey Zielinski is an award-winning actor, writer and director working across film, television and theatre. A two-time Heath Ledger Scholarship finalist and winner of the Casting Guild of Australia’s Rising Star Award.
Harvey recently wrote, directed, produced and starred in his debut feature film Sweet Milk Lake, an Originate Feature backed by major Australian screen organisations including VicScreen, Screen Australia and SBS. The film will premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2026. He is currently developing his second feature film, Thugs, with Screen Australia support.
For television, Harvey is best known for his series regular role as Charlie in White Fever, which he also wrote for, earning an AWGIE nomination and Betty Roland Prize shortlist recognition. His additional screen credits include Deadloch, Don't Look Deeper opposite Don Cheadle and Emily Mortimer, as well as Love Me, Spreadsheet and Why Are You Like This.
Alongside his screen work, Harvey is an accomplished playwright and theatre-maker, with commissions from Malthouse Theatre and stage credits including Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for Sydney Theatre Company. He was also Director’s Attachment to Emma Freeman on The Newsreader Season 2.
AJ
Photography Teacher
AJ is a multidisciplinary photographer whose work is grounded in experimentation, storytelling, and creative collaboration. A graduate of Collarts and recipient of the Photography Course Highest Achievement Award, her work spans portraiture, events, product photography, nature imagery, and mixed-media projects. With a passion for analog cameras and macro photography, AJ is drawn to the details, approaching her work with curiosity, mindfulness, and a keen eye for observation.
Alongside her photography practice, AJ has experience working within a university environment and mentoring emerging creatives. Her work has also extended into filmmaking, with a music video she directed, shot, and edited screening on ABC Rage. Having begun her creative journey shooting on analog, her teaching philosophy is shaped by the belief that creativity thrives through play and experimentation.
At YAS Studio, AJ encourages young creatives to explore different photographic genres and techniques while discovering what excites them most behind the lens. Through storytelling, experimentation, and mindfulness, she helps students build confidence in their ideas, embrace creative risks, and take pride in the work they create.
Industry Guests
Our guests are working industry professionals who collaborate with YAS Studio across the year. When schedules align, they may join us for special workshops, holiday programs or one-off sessions during the term, giving students the opportunity to learn directly from other people actively working in the creative industries.
Writer, Director & Actor (Last Seen, Fires, FAKE)Award Winning Photographer
Amy Mete
Danielle Pears
Talent Agent (Creative Soul Management)Hamish MacGregor
Hallie Mckeig
Award Winning FilmmakerTalent Agent (Filmbites Youth Talent Agency)Cinematographer
Jack Ralph
Filmmaker
Vicki Bell
Taylor Ferguson
Actor & Photographer (Human Error, Surviving Summer, Neighbours)Casting Director (Amy Mete Casting)
Tavis Pinnington
Cat Jones
PhotographerAarushi Chowdhury
Casey Longfield
Filmmaker