Alex Barima

Alex graduated our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma in March 2012. He successfully auditioned and earned a spot in the school’s Showcase event, winning First Place with his monologue and Third Place with his scene. His performance left a lasting impression on the many talent agents in the crowd, and afterwards he was quickly signed by Carrie Wheeler Management.

Soon after signing he booked his first role, a commercial for Verizon Wireless, this was closely followed by a great role on “Rogue” and a role in the feature film “Grave Encounters 2”. HIs work on Grave Encounters 2 gave him the chance to work with fellow VADA grads and classmates, Justyn Shippelt and Howie Lai, all within months after graduation.

Alex has been extremely busy since that time booking recurring roles in “The Returned“ and is featured in “Truth & Lies“. He has booked semirecurring roles in TV Series such as, “Once Upon a Time”. “Almost Human”, “Continuum”, “The Flash”, “iZombie” , “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” and “Travellers”.

Here are some of Alex’s credits. For a complete list go to his IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 The Hollow (Voice Actor)

2017 Supernatural, The Exorcist

2016 iZombie, Tips, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Travellers

2015 The Returned

2014 The Flash

2013 Once Upon a Time, Almost Human, Continuum

Movies

2016 Adventures in Public School

2015 Tomorrowland

2012 Grave Encounters 2

TV Movies

2015 Truth & Lies

2014 Badge of Honour

2013 If I Had Wings

TV Mini-Series

2013 Rogue Files: Reparation

Check out some of Alex’s work: Demo Reel

Anita Brown

IMDB Profile

Anita Brown started her career in 2000 with a minor role in the film My 5 Wives and soon afterwards made an appearance in an episode of Pasadena: Henry’s Secret. Her next opportunity occurred in 2001 when she appeared in the TV series Dark Angel: Gill Girl in which she played the role of Gill Girl. 

She earned her first film role in 2003 in the film A Guy Thing, and later that same year appeared in a number of TV series including The Lone Ranger, Just Cause: Dying to Be Thin, Stephen King’s Dead Zone: Plague and Jake 2.0: The Good, the Bad, and the Geeky. In 2005, Anita appeared in the hit TV series Supernatural: Skin and Da Vinci’s City Hall: Zero to Sixty Pretty Quick. This was followed with appearances in Godiva’s: Champagne Kisses and Whistler: Meltdown.  In 2007 she appeared in the TV episode “Psych: Zero to Murder in Sixty Seconds and Supernatural: Wishful Thinking. She has also appeared in TV series Rush, iZombie, Timeless. UnREAL and Life Sentence.

Anita made her second film debut in 2010 with the The A-Team, and followed this up with small roles in the films Star Trek: Beyond (2016) and most Fifty Shades Freed (2018).

TV Series

2018 Life Sentence, UnREAL

2017 Timeless

2015 iZombie

2014 Rush

Movies

2018 Fifty Shades Freed

TV Movies

2016 A Firehouse Christmas, Love by Chance

2015 Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mysery

Aren Buchholz

Currently seen starring on Hallmark Channel’s third season of “When Calls the Heart,” Aren Buchholz has always had a strong passion for the arts. As an extraordinarily dynamic and charismatic actor, it’s no surprise that Aren is already very accomplished despite his young age.

Born and raised in the golden prairies of Saskatchewan, Aren’s interest in performing was sparked when he took centre stage as “Scrooge” in an elementary school production of “A Christmas Carol”. That passion continued throughout high school, where he won the University of Regina Best Actor Award while in 9th grade. Aren’s other passion was hockey, playing the sport at an elite level for a number of years.

After high school, Aren had to choose between the ice and the stage, and ultimately decided to hang up the skates. He then moved to Vancouver and enrolled in our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma to pursue his career in the entertainment industry. In 2008, he landed his first professional role on a local production, Space’s “Rabbit Fall,” as a recurring guest star. Since then, Aren’s credits include a supporting lead role alongside Christian Slater in “Way of the Wicked” and guest star roles in CW’s “Supernatural” and SyFy’s “Lost Girl”. Aren also starred in “When The Ocean Met The Sky”.

Here are some of Aren’s credits. For a complete list go to his IMDB page.

TV Series

2015-2018 When Calls the Heart 

2015 Mistresses

2014 Dirty Wheel, Supernatural, Lost Girl

2011 Clue, Level Up

2008 Rabbit Fall, Mr. Young

Movies

2018 Summer of 84

2017 S.W.A.T.: Under Siege 

2014 When the Ocean Met the Sky

TV Movies

2018 Winter’s Dream

2017 Garage Sale Mystery: Murder Most Medieval, Wedding March 2: Resorting to Love

2015 Perfect High

2012 A Mother’s Nightmare

2011 Trading Christmas

Check out some of Aren’s work:

Beatrice King

After graduating from the University of Alberta with a degree in English Literature, Beatrice completed our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma in ’07. Just six short months later, she was signed by one of the top agents in town and auditioning regularly for Film, TV, and commercials.

Her initial successes included booking commercials. This was followed by an actor role on the TV series “Blood Ties”, and a supporting role in the short film “Hookup”. She worked with Hugh Jackman on “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, Glee Star Cory Monteith on “Sisters & Brothers” and Joseph Gordon- Levitt on “50/50”. Recently, Beatrice played the role of Queen Sindel on “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” which received international recognition. Her other credits include “Human Target”, “Supernatural” and “Psych”.

Beatrice’s thoughts on acting: “I’m all about one step at a time. I don’t expect to be an overnight success. I know I have to keep training, work hard and never get discouraged. After my agent saw me perform in the VADA Showcase, he convinced me I was ready to take the next step, so I have started going out for principal roles. I love having goals to strive for, and VADA has given me the ability to go after them.”

Here are some of Beatrice’s credits. For a complete list go to her IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 The Age of Adulting

2017 Loudermilk, Android Unemployed

2016 The Switch, Hard Days, Wet Nights

2015 Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce

2014 Almost Human, Rush, Vacancy

2011 Mortal Kombat: Legacy

2010 Human Target

2009 Psych, Supernatural

Movies

2018 Skyscraper

2017 This is Your Death, The Show

2011 50/50

2008 X-Men Origins: Wolverine

TV Movies

2015 So You Said Yes, The Unauthorized Melrose Place Story

2011 Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story

Check out some of Beatrice’s work: Demo Reel

Bridget Graham

Bridget Graham was born in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada and graduated our Dramatic Arts Program in 2012

Bridget actually began acting & singing at the age of six, when she was cast in the musical Sleeping Beauty, and went on to appear in several musicals, on-stage productions and student films across Canada, including Grease, The Wizard of Oz and Seussical. She gained notoriety after appearing in the viral video, If Diablo 3 Were a Girl, a parody based on Diablo III, the action role-playing video game by Blizzard Entertainment. 

In 2013, she appeared in the Universal Productions action drama Defiance on SyFy, as well as the television series Satisfaction. In 2014, Graham guest starred on an episode of the TV series The Listener and an episode of the TV series, Hemlock Grove. In the 2015, she starred in the summer blockbuster, Pixels. Her most recent work is her starring role in Dangerous to Know.

Bridget is also a model and has appeared in campaigns for Xbox Forza Horizon, Eye Candy Optical, Ferknot Clothing and SanMar Canada.

Here are a few of Bridget’s credits. For a complete list visit her IMDb profile.

Movies

2017 Dangerous to Know (post production)

2016 Manhattan Undying

2015 Pixels

TV Series

2017 ICE

2014 Hemlock Grove, The Listener

2013 Satisfaction, Defiance

Dacre Montgomery

Dacre was born in 1994 in Perth Western Australia. His mother is Canadian and his father is a New Zealander. Both parents were working in the film industry, so he spent many hours of his childhood on film sets where he developed a love of acting. At the age of 10 he had his first role as an extra in a short film, after which he decided to pursue a career as an actor. He began comprehensive acting classes at the age of 12 with a local school and also with a theatre company. Throughout this period he was often working in advanced class groups, where he was exposed to working and training alongside young adults.

Dacre was accepted into a specialist visual and performing arts program when he entered Mount Lawley High School. He took part in many school productions and also attended acting workshops at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). When he graduated from high school, Dacre was nominated Best Actor at the school during his 5 years there. He became determined to successfully audition to enter the Bachelor of Performing Arts program at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).

At just 17 years old, Dacre visited Vancouver for the summer, completed our Two Week Intensive Certificate Program, then returned to Australia. He has always admired Hugh Jackman (who graduated from WAAPA) and as well as Heath Ledger, who grew up in Perth and who inspired him to believe that he too could make it all the way to Hollywood. He completed his 3 year Bachelor of Arts in Acting degree at WAAPA and graduated in 2015. Within weeks he knew that he would be filming 3 projects over the next 6 months “A Few Less Men” , “Safe Neighbourhood” and “Power Rangers”. He has also signed on to join the cast of Netflix’s hit show “Stranger Things” when it comes back for the much anticipated season 2.

Here are some of Dacre’s credits. For a complete list go to Dacre Montgomery’s IMDB profile.

TV Series

2017-2019 Stranger Things

Movies

2017 A Few Less Men, Power Rangers

2011 Safe Neighbourhoods

Darren Mann

Darren came to us from the arena of pro minor league hockey, and since graduating our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma, Darren’s energy, determination and work ethic have helped him thrive in his early 20’s, carving out a strong return to his acting career in just a few short years.

Darren initially started acting in Vancouver at age 8, inspired by his former actress/director mother. He took a hiatus from the entertainment industry to pursue his passion for sports, but ultimately, a lead role as a hockey player in the film “Stanley’s Game 7” propelled him back into the Hollywood game and has given him a reason to go for the gold this second time around.

Competition, positivity, travel, fame, happiness and great storytelling enduringly encompasses the world he lives in. Dreams of building a junior hockey team that understands the needs of kids, underprivileged or otherwise, will always continue to inspire him to find commercial success in all he sets his mind to – whether as an aspiring director/producer or a full-time career actor.

Click here to hear from Darren himself about his path to becoming an actor.

Here are some of Darren’s credits. For a complete list go to Darren Mann’s IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (5 episodes)

2017 Let the Right One In, Imposters, Van Helsing

2016 Wayward Pines (3 episodes), Ice

2015 iZombie, Supernatural, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce

2014 Package Deal, The 100, Some Assembly Required

2012 The Tomorrow People, Motive

Movies

2018 Giant Little Ones

Check out some of Darren’s work: Demo Reel

David Chin

David Chin was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. After completing high school he studied Classical Civilization at McGill University and Concordia University. After finishing a 2nd degree in Education, David taught high school abroad in Thailand Indonesia for 5 years, He completed our Foundations program (now called Intro to Acting Certificate Program) and took his first acting role in 2013. He now works full time as an actor, writer, model and producer in his home town of Vancouver.

Click here to hear from David himself about his path to becoming an actor.

Here are some of David’s credits. For a complete list go to David Chin’s IMDB page.

TV Series

2016 Lucifer, Legends of Tomorrow

2015 Diagnose Me, The Man in the High Castle

Shorts

2016 Splitting Sticks

2015 Coming Home

2014 Lynn’s Lips, The Last Eve

Take a look at David’s Demo Reel.

Debs Howard

South-African born actress Debs Howard refuses to limit herself to the film and TV industry; After all, she was once the winner of a Fred Penner Colouring Competition in the age 6 – 8 category. That is the instance in which she learned she was destined for greatness (or to at least win free concert tickets to a children’s show).

When she isn’t entering kid’s art contests, you might catch her on episodes of shows such as The Good Doctor, Travellers, Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, iZombie, Supernatural, and more. A talented young actress, she has also acted in several Hallmark movies and, in a show of artistic range, also wielded axes as a scream queen in more than one production. Her leading role in the independent feature, The Evil In Us, earned her a Leo Award nomination for “Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Motion Picture.”

Debs completed a year long Acting For The Screen Program in Victoria, British Columbia, from which she graduated with distinction. She attended VADA’s Ongoing Scene Study classes and continues to train and act in Vancouver, BC. While pursuing a promising acting career, Debs also has an undergraduate degree in Psychology, studied piano for over a decade and takes great pride in her parallel parking abilities. She hopes to showcase them in an upcoming role, so if the Fast & Furious franchise ever calls, she’s available.

For a complete list of Debs credit visit her IMDb page.

Dominika Zybko

Dominika is a multi-talented, trilingual (English, French, Polish) actress. She came to VADA after completing a Law Degree at Laval University and completed our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma. Soon after graduating she was booking roles on TV series “Hit Man 101” and “Alcatraz”. Dominika’s next chance was a role on the movie “Last Chance Casting” with her big break coming when she landed a role on “Elysium,” starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster (and former Vada instructor Josh Blacker). Her most recent roles have been on the popular TV series “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” and the movie “Twist of Fate”. She has also done a number of corporate commercials for Rocky Mountaineer, Labatt’s Blue and Telus.

Dominika is very athletic and this has lead her to work in the stunt side of the business as well. So far she has worked as a stunt woman on “Supernatural” and “The 100.”

Here are some of Dominika’s credits. For a complete list visit her IMDb page.

Movies

2013 Elysium

TV Movie

2016 Twist of Fate

2012 Last Chance Casting

TV Series

2016 DC Legends of Tomorrow

2012 Alcatraz, Hit Man 101

Shorts

2014 Invincible Spring, The Lat Eve, My Daphne

2013 Reinventing Leonard

2012 Dark World, Van Man, Porter, Fool’s Gold

Stunts

TV Series

2016 The 100

2015 Supernatural

2012 Hitman 101

Edwin Perez

Graduating from our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma in 2008, it didn’t take long for Edwin’s acting career to take off. In 2009, he booked a lead role in a film called “Open Diaries“.

Proving that he has what it takes to make it big, Edwin was nominated for Best Actor in the LA Reel Film Festival for his performance.

Not too long after this booking, Edwin landed a role on “American Pie: The Book of Love“. Ever since, he has been unstoppable.

Here are some of Edwin’s credits. For a complete list go to his IMDB page:

TV Series

2018 Ice, Beyond, iZombie, The Arrangement, Nina’s World (Voice Actor) 

2017 Powerless, Imaginary Mary, Lucifer, Legion

2016 The Magicians, No Tomorrow, Timeless

2015 Standard Action (35 episodes)

2014 Signed, Sealed, Delivered, Rush, Hell on Wheels, Single & Dating in Vancouver

2013 Supernatural

Movies

2018 Overboard

2016 Peelers

2009 American Pie Presents: The Book of Love

TV Mini-Series

2017 When We Rise

TV Movies

2018 Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery, Darrow & Darrow 2

2017 The Art of Us, My Favourite Wedding

2016 Signed, Sealed, Delivered: From the Heart, The Irresistible Blueberry Farm

2015 Garage Sale Mystery: Guilty Until Proven Innocent, Heart Felt

Check out some of Edwin’s work: Demo Reel

Erika Walter

Erika Walter is a very talented actress, writer and director with dual US and Canadian citizenship. She is an Honors graduate from Athabasca University who completed some private coaching and acting workshops with VADA’s owner, Simon Longmore.

Erika’s talents have landed her some great roles on locally shot TV Series such as “Psych”, “Heartland”, “Arrow”, “Travellers“, and “Supergirl.” Erika states “I have always loved arts, literature, equestrian sports and I’ve been blessed to travel for work and to volunteer in over 25 countries and experience the diversity of many cultures. I’m an actress and a writer and I enjoy the collaboration in filmmaking.”

Erika is working on a collection of short stories, and a screenplay for a feature film she co-wrote which is now completed.

Here are some of Erika’s credits. For a complete list visit her IMDb page.

TV Series

2018 Colony, David and Olivia? (4 episodes)

2017 Supernatural

2016-2017 Supergirl (3 episodes)

2016 Travelers 

2015 Arrow

2014 Heartland

2013 Psych, Bad Seeds

2012 Untold Stories of the ER

2011 White Collar Poet

2010 The Renfield Syndrome

Movies

2005 Brokeback Mountain

TV Movies

2017 All of My Heart: Inn Love

Check out some of Erika’s work: Demo Reel

Graham Sheils

Graham Sheils is a North Vancouver born actor who grew up in Lynn Valley. His diverse acting credits that range from “The Young and the Restless” soap opera to the hit blockbuster, “Guardians of the Galaxy”. With over 51 acting credits from the past decade to his name.

After graduating from Simon Fraser University, Graham was later accepted at the esteemed Yale School of Drama, where he trained in classical theatre.

Here are some of Graham’s credits, For a complete list go to Graham Sheils’ IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 Code Black

2017 The Blacklist: Redemption, Longmire

2016 Scorpion, Days of Our Lives (7 episodes)

2015 Olympus (10 episodes), Lab Rats (7 episodes)

2014 Republic of Doyle, The 100

2013 Arrow, Love Midori

2012 Leverage, The Young and the Restless (8 episodes), The Client List

2011 The Mentalist, CSI: Miami, Alcatraz

2010 The Event, The Whole Truth

2009 Numb3rs, CSI: NY, Nip/Tuck, Medium, NCIS: Los Angeles

2008 General Hospital (25 episodes), Burn Notice

2007 General Hospital: Night Shift (13 episodes), Saving Grace, True Blood

2006 NCIS, Shark

2005 The Closer, In Justice

2003 Fastlane, JAG, Hawaii

2002 Charmed, The District, The West Wing, The Agency, Baby Bob

2001 V.I.P.

Movies

2016 The Recall 

2014 Guardians of the Galaxy

2013 Thor: The Dark World

2007 Yes Man

TV Movies

2002 This Girl’s Life

2004 Fearless

2009 Hydra

Check out some of Graham’s work: Demo Reel

Howie Lai 

Howie Lai was born in Harbin, China and moved to Canada when he was barely a year old. His parents emphasized an importance in the arts, so Howie began his journey into performing at a young age. After graduating with a degree in political science, he dove deeply into the love he had for acting and the lessons of Shakespeare, voice and story that surrounded his childhood.

He graduated our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma in 2010 and began working on stage and in front of the camera, racking up some impressive credits. He also fulfilled opportunities to study in New York City, alongside renowned teacher, Patsy Rotenburg.

Here are some of Howie’s credits. For a complete list go to his IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 Altered Carbon, Arrow, iZombie

2017 Beyond, The Arrangement, Travelers

2016 The Family, Second Chance

2015 The Whispers, Fear the Walking Dead

2014 Strange Empire

2013 Fringe

2012 Alcatraz, Supernatural

Movies

2017 Death Note

2016 Monster Trucks

2012 Grave Encounters 2

Check out some of Howie’s work: Demo Reel 

Isaac Keoughan

Isaac completed our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma in 2014 and is already off to a very quick start in his career. After doing a few shorts to gain initial confidence, he landed a role on the popular TV mini-series “Gracepoint”. Soon after he booked two more TV series “All My Pants” and “Eaux troubles du crime”.

Most recently, Isaac booked a juicy role playing a young Al Capone on the TV Series “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.” The sky’s the limit for this talented young man and we can’t wait to see what comes next.

 Here are some of Isaac’s credits. For a complete list go to Isaac Keoughan’s IMDB page.

TV Series

2017 Rogue (4 episodes)

2016 DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

2014 All My Pants (voice actor)

TV Mini-Series

2014 Gracepoint

Shorts

2013 O Angel of God

2012 Rock and Roll, Fraternal: Episode 1, Away, Once Upon a Time in the Brothel of Historical Materialism, Once Upon a Dark Park, Dark World

Jenna Romanin

Jenna completed our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma in 2008 and has been following her passion head on ever since. She has been on CW’s “Supernatural” and in 2010 appeared in the TV movie ”16 Wishes” as well as the short film “Operation Golden Eagle”.

In 2012, she appeared in another short film “Bacon and Eggs” and the pilot for “Bates Motel“. Can’t wait to see you at the top Jenna, we’re so happy for you!

Here are some of Jenna’s credits. For a complete list go to her IMDB page.

TV Series

2017 The Ex You Can’t Escape

2016 Second Chance

2015 Olympus, iZombie

2013 Bates Motel (6 episodes)

2009 Supernatural

TV Movies

2017 From Straight A’s to XXX

2016 Sleigh Bells Ring

2009 16 Wishes

Shorts

2017 Meridian, Fwd

2010 Operation Golden Eagle, Bacon and Eggs

Jordan Gray

Although from a young age he had an obsession with movies, actors and T.V shows, Jordan didn’t start training for acting until he was finished high-school. He had always played sports and was headed to college to study human kinetics, even though he knew acting was what he wanted to do since a young child.

One day while sitting on the set of “X Men” doing background work, he starting talking to another extra that ended up being a local actor in Vancouver. He mentioned to Jordan that he should try acting classes and give the film industry a chance to potentially make him a living. Excited, Jordan took the advice and joined an acting on camera class. He started training for his career in film and T.V. for several years in Vancouver, completing our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma in 2005 and taking private classes with many different teachers studying various techniques.

Feeling he wanted a stronger and more versatile core of training beneath him before he would take on acting as his career, Jordan auditioned for Circle in the Square Theater School in Manhattan NYC. He was accepted and found himself living in New York City 6 months later, studying in the heart of theater city. For two years at Circle in the Square he studied the fundamentals of dance, voice, movement, speech, combat, Shakespeare, and various techniques. Living in NYC also allowed him to take in and absorb dozens of Broadway shows with many Hollywood stars. After graduating from school, Jordan had the opportunity to do many off off Broadway shows and films.

Jordan then decided to leave New York and travel back to Canada to again pursue his love for film, but this time in Toronto. He started training at the pro actors lab and other studios to keep his acting craft and instrument in  tip top shape. So far, over his career has had the opportunity to do many T.V shows, feature films, short films, web-series, plays, music video, and commercials. He is now starting to write short films to try another side of the industry.

Here are some of Jordan’s credits. For a complete list go to his Jordan Gray’s IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 Murdoch Mysteries

2017 Blood and Fury: America’s Civil War

2016 Sunday Funday, Dark Matter

2015 Hardcore Heroes, Nowhere to Hide

2014 Murder in Paradise

2013 Omega

TV Mini-Series

2017 Canada: The Story of Us

2015 Heroes Reborn

TV Movie

2011 Beyond: Messages from 9/11

Check out some of Jordan’s work: Demo Reel

Justin Rain

Justin was born and currently resides in Vancouver. He was introduced to the local film & television industry soon after graduating high school. He worked with the East Vancouver Urban Native Theatre Company for 3 years before beginning formal study in our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma.

Five short years later and he is an accomplished actor with over 10 lead, supporting and recurring television roles. Justin continues to explore new territory in the realm of dramatic arts and most notably appeared in the supernatural romantic fantasy series,”Twilight Saga: Twilight Eclipse”. Recently, he has taken on a recurring role on the TV series Blackstone.

Justin’s lead performance in the feature length film, “Two Indians Talking” earned him the “Rogers Peoples Choice Award” at the 2010 Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) and a nomination for “Best Supporting Actor” at the 2010 American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco. He took home the award for “Best Actor” at the 2010 Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival and was also nominated for a Leo Award for his role in the film. Most recently he has been nominated for another Leo Award, this time for “Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series” for his role in Blackstone.

Here are some of Justin’s credits. For a complete list go to his IMDB page.

TV Series

2017 Fear the Walking Dead (10 episodes), The Arrangement

2015 Defiance (15 episodes), Blackstone

2014 Heartland

2012 The Killing, Arctic Air

2008 The Guard

Movies

2017 Road of Iniquity, Lean on Pete, Mohawk

2013 North Mountain

2011 Primal Rage: The Legend of Oh-Mah

2010 Two Indians Talking

2009 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Shorts

2014 Not Indian Enough, Wool

2008 The Dance of My Beating Heart, Mountain Spirit

Kristine Cofsky

Kristine Cofsky is an actor, producer, director, writer, and photographer, with a deep love for independent arts. She graduated from our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma and shortly afterwards had her breakout role as an actor in the feature film “When Life Was Good”, directed by Vancouver filmmaker Terry Miles in 2008.

The indie film enjoyed wide-spread festival and distribution success after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival. Kristine was nominated for a Leo Award as “Best Lead Performance by a Female” in a Feature Length Drama for her role in the film. She has since been involved in a number of Miles’ successful projects, both in front of and behind the camera.

In the fall of 2011, Kristine completed principal photography on her own first feature “In No Particular Order”. The project, which Kristine wrote, directed and starred in, went on to premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) in October 2012. The film was nominated “Best Canadian Feature Film” was also nominated for 4 Leo Awards. It was later picked up by Mongrel Media for distribution shortly after its premiere. Kristine is based out of Vancouver, BC. and continues to develop her career in both film and photography.

Click here to read more about Kristine’s career path to success.

Here are some of Kristine’s credits. For a complete list of her credits including those for Producer, Writer, Director and Art Director, go to her IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 The Arrangement

2016 Travelers

2015 Mistresses, The Drive, Motive

2013 Almost Human

2012 Primeval: New World, Arctic Air

TV Movies

2015 Just the Way You Are

TV Mini-Series

2013 Gracepoint

Lauren Glazier

Lauren was born in Kelowna, BC, and studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute before coming to study in our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma in 2005.

Lauren, a talented actress who speaks French fluently, was first discovered by Director Antoine Fuqua during location scouts in Vancouver, B.C. Since then, she’s performed in a number of theatre productions playing the characters of “Lenore” in The Whitefire Theatre’s “Six Degrees of Fornication” in 2009; “Isadora Duncan” in the Los Angeles Premiere of “When She Danced” in 2010; and also “Claire” in David Walley’s production of “Something Blue” at the Whitefire Theatre in 2011.

Off stage, Lauren’s career involved a number of appearances in short films until her big break came in landing the role of a fashionista in Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher and starring Ben Affleck.

Lauren most recently booked a recurring role as Kay Manz on Netflix’s hit series Mind Hunter.

Here are some of Lauren’s credits. For a complete list go to Lauren Glazier’s IMDB page:

TV Series

2019 Mind Hunter

2017 Big Little Lies

Movies

2018 Red Sparrow

2014 Gone Girl

2007 Shooter

TV Movies

2010 Class

Lee Page

Lee Page is a talented local actor, writer and director who, after initially doing some theatre classes at university, arrived at Vada to complete our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma.

Lee’s talent, good looks and athleticism have helped land him roles on popular TV Series “Beyond”, “iZombie”,  “Supernatural” and “Arrow”.

Here are some of Lee’s credits. For a complete list visit his IMDb page.

TV Series

2018 Beyond, Supernatural

2017 Arrow

2016 Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce

2015 iZombie

2014 Once Upon a Time

2013 Untold Stories of the ER

Check out some of Lee’s work: Demo reel

Luvia Petersen

Luvia Petersen was raised in Montreal, Canada until the age of 6, when her family relocated to Alberta. After three years her family moved to BC, which is where she lives today.

Luvia showed a strong interest for both athletics and drama while attending high-school in Kelowna, BC. She chose to pursue athletics, which lead her to participating at the provincial level in both rugby and soccer. After a successful run in the world of sports, Luvia chose to revisit her love for acting. She graduated our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma in 2003 and continued training under renowned acting coach Warren Robertson (teacher to Larry Moss) while teaching and coaching at The Vancouver Academy of Dramatic Arts (2004-2010).

Luvia is best known for her work as the sexy and powerful Jasmine Garza on SyFy’s “Continuum”. Her first professional job came at the age of 25, when she was cast in the Emmy nominated TV series “The L-Word”. From there, Luvia went on to host the first season of the documentary TV series “Hot Pink Shorts”. She has since guest starred on “Proof”, “Motive”, “The 100”, “The Tomorrow People”, “Psych” and “Falling Skies”.

Luvia is proud to have worked on two features films that originated as iconic television series, “Battlestar Galactica: The Plan” and “The X Files: I Want to Believe”.

Here are some of Luvia’s credits. For a complete list go to her IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 Ghost Wars

2017 The Good Doctor

2015 Proof, Motive

2014 The Tomorrow People, Psych, One Question Interviews, The 100

2013 Falling Skies

2012 Continuum (39 episodes)

Movies

2008 The X Files: I Want to Believe

2009 Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

Check out some of Luvia’s work: Demo Reel

Madison Smith

Madison Smith (aka Mado) is a Canadian born actor raised in Northern BC. He completed our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma in 2011 and has an interesting story of how he landed his first gig.

A friend told him Lifetime was looking for actors who looked similar to The Flash’s Grant Gustin, so he sent a headshot and got a reply back almost immediately saying the part had been cast. However, about 30 minutes later, he received another email stating he looked closer to what they were looking for and was asked to put a scene on tape. He taped the scene, sent it in and booked his first role by the end of the day. Now THAT’S showing initiative!

Madison gravitates mostly toward comedic roles. He is known for roles in TV series such as “Psych” , “Supernatural” , “When Calls the Heart” and “Aftermath”. 

Here are some of Madison’s credits. For a complete list go to Madison Smith’s IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 NarcoLeap (8 episodes), Salvation (9 episodes)

2017 Miranda’s Rights

2016 Almost Actors, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, When Calls the Heart (4 episodes), Aftermath (3 episodes), The Ex You Can’t Escape (3 episodes)

2014 Psych, Supernatural

2013 Motive, Cult

TV Movies

2018 Frozen in Love

2017 Deadly Attraction, Ring of Deception

2016 Revenge Porn, On the Farm, He Loves You Not

2015 Garage Sale Mystery: The Wedding Dress, Sorority Murder, The Unauthorized Melrose Place Story

2013 Restless Virgins, Chupacabra vs. the Alamo

2012 A Mother’s Nightmare

TV Mini-Series

2015 Mythos

Check out some of Madison’s work: Demo Reel

Magda Apanowicz

Magda became interested in acting at the age of 10 (after her brother introduced her to Pulp Fiction). After completing our Two Week Intensive Certificate (Now the On Camera Acting Intensive) Program she began her career in 2002 with brief appearances in the TV series Jeremiah and John Doe. After that, she played Andy Jensen on Kyle XY.

In 2008 she starred in the Hallmark Channel original movie Every Second Counts and in 2009, she was cast as Lacy Rand, a series regular in the television drama Caprica with Eric Stoltz and Alessandra Torresani. In 2012, she guest starred in the second season of Jane Espenson’s romantic comedy web series, Husbands and began appearing in Continuum in the role of Emily in 2013.

Here are some of Magda’s credits For a complete list go to Magda Apanowicz’s IMDB page.

TV Series

2015 Motive

2014 The Mentalist, TMI Hollywood, Continuum (18 episodes)

2013 King & Maxwell

2012 Holliston, Husbands

2011 Robot Chicken

2010 Caprica (17 episodes), Hellcats (6 episodes), Team Unicorn

2009 Kyle XY (24 episodes)

2008 The Andromeda Strain

2007 Bionic Woman, Renegadepress.com (25 episodes)

2006 The L Word

2004 Cold Squad

Movies

2004 The Butterfly Effect, A Reason

TV Movies

2014 Til Death Do Us Part, Fatal Memories

2013 The Toyman Killer

2012 The 12 Disasters of Christmas

2010 Snowmageddon

2009 Bond of Silence

2008 Every Second Counts

2006 Holiday Wishes, Devil’s Diary

Check out some of Magda’s work: Demo Reel

Megan Hui

Megan Hui was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. At the age of 9, she began rhythmic gymnastics and soon became a national silver medalist, which qualified her to compete at the 2003 Pan American Games and World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships as part of Team Canada. After retiring from rhythmic gymnastics, Megan started taking dance lessons while attending the University of British Columbia, where she attained her degree in business. After completing her studies, Megan moved to Los Angeles and began taking acting classes. She has studied with numerous coaches and studios and enrolled in our Auditions Course. Megan has since been cast in the feature films “The Before Time”, “Other Halves”, “Selfie Shootout”, “Rampage”, and “Alison’s Choice”. She was also recently cast in the TV series “iZombie”. Never one to stop training, since then she has added martial arts to her training and has been spending time in both Vancouver and Los Angeles working in film and television.

Here are some of Megan’s credits. For a complete list go to Megan Hui’s IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 Beyond, Siren

2014 Justice with Judge Mablean

2015 Murder Book

2017 The Deep, iZombie

Shorts

2013 The Beginnings of My Heart, The Perils of Growing Up Flat-Chested

2015 Showpony

2016 Blake Chandler: Psychic Investigator, Distanced, 2 Bullets

Meghan Heffern

Meghan completed our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma in 2003, after which she quickly climbed the ladder of success. She actually started her acting career years before attending VADA, when she appeared as a stand in on a popular children’s series. Now Meghan has over 30 film and TV credits under her belt and has worked with comedy greats such as Eugene Levy, Colin Mochrie, Paul Reiser and Martin Short. She played a pivotal role in Atom Egoyan’s film “Chloe”, starring Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore, and appeared alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan in the romantic comedy “The F Word” .

Other credits include lead roles in “American Pie Presents: Beta House”, “Old Stock” and the horror films “The Fog”, “Home Sweet Home” and “The Shrine”; recurring roles on “Blue Mountain State”, Disney’s “Aaron Stone”, and “Degrassi:TNG;” and guest spots on “Lost Girl” ,“Saving Hope”, “The LA Complex”, “Rookie Blue” and most recently CW’s “Reign”.

Here are some of Meghan’s credits. For a complete list go to Meghan Heffern’s IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 UnREAL (7 episodes)

2017 How to Buy a Baby (10 episodes), Designated Survivor, Wynonna Earp (9 episodes) 

2016 Good Witch, American Gothic

2015 Backpackers (8 episodes), Rookie Blue, Patriot, Reign

2014 Road Trip (9 episodes)

2013 Lost Girl

2012 Degrassi: The Next Generation, Saving Hope, The L.A. Complex

2011 Good Dog, Almost Heroes (8 episodes), Blue Mountain State (12 episodes)

2010 Aaron Stone (5 episodes), Scare Tactics

2006 Whistler, Monster Warriors

2007 Lovebites (9 episodes), Conspiracy

Movies

2015 A Sunday Kind of Love, Special Correspondents

2014 Merry Ex-Mas

2013 Home Sweet Home, What If

2012 Old Stock

2009 Chloe

2005 The Fog

TV Movies

2017 Christmas Wedding Planner

2016 Journey Back to Christmas, Best-Selling Murder

2012 I, Martin Short, Goes Home, The Wife He Met Online

2010 Sunday’s at Tiffany’s

2007 The Two Mr. Kissels

2006 Presumed Dead

2005 Flight 93

Michael Adamthwaite

Michael Adamthwaite was born in Ontario, Canada and entered the arts in his community theatre program in the mid 1990’s. In September of 2000, he moved to Vancouver, BC to pursue acting professionally and enrolled in our Ongoing Scene Study classes. In the years since, Michael has etched out a career as an Actor, Writer, Filmmaker, Teacher, & Voice Over Artist with nearly twenty years in the Arts, and over 100 Film and Television credits to his name.

Michael has been nominated for two Leo Awards for “Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama” and “Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series”. He is actively writing & developing multiple scripts.

Here are some of Michael’s acting credits. For a complete list of his acting and voice acting credits go to Michael Adamthwaite’s IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 Supernatural, Six, Altered Carbon (2 episodes)

2017 The Exorcist (2 episodes), Van Helsing

2016 Superbook, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (7 episodes)

2015 Second Chance, Nerds and Monsters (40 episodes)

2014 Arrow, Strange Empire, The 100, R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour

2013 Once Upon a Time, Red Widow, Motive

2012 Supernatural

Movies

2016 The BFG, Kindergarten Cop 2, Warcraft: The Beginning, The 9th Life

of Louis Drax, War for the Planet of the Apes

2015 Life on the Line

2014 Skin Trade, If I Stay, Hector and the Search for Happiness

2013 The Virginian

2012 Maximum Conviction, Horns

2011 Red Riding Hood, Sucker Punch, Final Destination 5, In the Name of the King: Two Worlds

2010 Repeaters

2009 Watchmen, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball

2006 Eight Below

2005 Catch and Release, Chaos

2004 Walking Tall

2003 Hardwired

Olena Medwid

Olena is a professional model as well as an actress who completed our Two Week Intensive Certificate (now the On Camera Acting Intensive Certificate), Post Dramatic Arts Management and Ongoing Scene Study Courses in 2012.

In just 4 short years since her time at VADA, she has racked up a number of solid credits on some of the hottest TV Series being shot in town “No Tomorrow”, “Once Upon a Time”, “The Flash”, “Rogue”, “Lucifer”, “iZombie” and “Psych”.

She recently stepped into the world of movies with her work on the soon to be released feature film, “Death Note” There is no doubt you will be seeing more of Olena on some of your favourite TV Series and Films.

Click here to find out more about Olena’s journey.

Here are some of Olena’s credits. For a complete list go to Olena Medwid’s IMDB page.

Movies

2016 Death Note

TV Series

2018 Six

2017 Rogue, 7 Demons

2016 Lucifer, Once Upon a Time, No Tomorrow

2015 iZombie

TV Mini-Series

2013 Eve of Destruction

Shorts

2013 Room Service, Dia De Los Muertos, El Matador

2015 Veronika

2016 Missing

Raf Rogers

Raf Rogers (aka Rafael Pellerin) has been booking gigs like crazy since graduating our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma. So far he has booked roles on “The A Team“, “B-Line”, “Rise and Shine Og” and “Love Aneros”. He also joined the vampire craze when he booked the blooding sucking vampire role of Geoff on “Sanctuary”.

Here are some of Rafael’s credits. For a complete list go to Raf Rogers’ IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 Valley of the Boom, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

2016 Supernatural, Mech-X4

2015 Arrow, iZombie

2014 Once Upon a Time

2013 Continuum

2010 Fringe

2009 Rise ‘n Shine Og, Sanctuary

2006 Smallville

2005 Killer Instinct

2004 The Dead Zone

Movies

2011 Marilyn

2010 The A-Team

TV Movies

2018 Hailey Dean Mystery: A Will to Kill, Hailey Dean Mystery: A Marriage Made for Murder, Hailey Dean Mystery: 2+2=Murder

2017 Hailey Dean Mystery: Dating is Murder, Britney Ever After

2016 Adventures in Babysitting

2014 Zodiac: Signs of the Apocalypse, Exposed

2010 Finding a Family

Scott Patey

Scott is from Alberta and came to Vancouver in 2009 to enrol in our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma. During a recent interview, he shared some thoughts on his time spent at VADA:

“I specifically came to Vancouver to train at VADA. Without that training I would not have an agent (I got my agents from taking part in the Showcase at the school) and would not be booking the work I am. VADA was a perfect place to start. I gained a lot of confidence and did a lot of networking. The lessons I got in audition technique at VADA have proven invaluable. The sense/memory (bringing emotion from a memory) has really helped. Also having such great teachers to audition for on a regular basis stops me from being afraid to audition for anybody else.”

His words of wisdom for aspiring actors:

“Do Not Give Up! Also, let yourself get frustrated. It is a part of it all. Listen to your teachers and experienced people in the industry. You do not always have to do it the way they would, but take from that advice and make smart choices. Surround yourself with positive people and last but not least, no matter what your schedule always remain involved with your passion somehow.”

Here are some of Scott’s credits. For a complete list go to Scott Patey’s IMDB page.

TV Series

2018 Trial & Error, Take Two, Colony, iZombie, The Age of Adulting

2017 DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Lucifer, Ask Will

2016 Hard Days, Wet Nights

2014 The Whispers

2013 Bates Motel, The Lottery

2012 Motive

2011 Clue

2010 Fringe

2009 Supernatural, Caprica

2007 The Middleman, Reaper

Movies

2017 The Show

2016 Monster Trucks

2011 The Big Year

TV Movies

2018 Blurt

2015 The Unauthorized Full House Story, Driven Underground, Becoming Santa

2014 Mr. Miracle

2013 Christmas Bounty

2011 Last Chance Casting

2010 Growing the Big One

Shayla Stonechild

Shayla Stonechild has been acting, dancing and modelling since the age of six. She graduated from our Dramatic Arts Program Diploma in 2014 and was  cast in the TV Mini-Series “Klondike” the same year.

Most recently she booked a role on the soon to be released sci-fi thriller “Incontrol”. Shayla has an extensive performing arts resume and has been very involved with promotional modelling for the past three years working with major brands: Redbull, Playboy Energy Drink, Jagermeister, Jack Daniels, etc. She has also been involved with numerous runway shows and has worked with several photographers. She is hoping to keep building her acting portfolio as well as her runway experience.

Here are some of Shayla’s credits. For a complete list go to her IMDB page.

Movie

2017 Incontrol, Indian Road Trip

 TV Mini-Series

2015 Agent 89

2014 Klondike

Sonya Salomaa

Sonya was born in Sudbury, Ontario, and grew up in Prince George, BC. She attended the University of Northern British Columbia to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Forestry, however in her last summer break she went to Victoria to sing and play guitar, and while there she became interested in acting.

Sonya attended our Audition Course and On-going Scene Study Course in 2000, soon after she appeared on screen. In 2005, she took over the role of Maya Kandinski from Carly Pope in the Canadian supernatural drama series “The Collector” and won Leo Awards two years running for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. This was followed by a season in “Durham County”, after which she received another Leo nomination for her role as Traci Prager. In 2008, Salomaa again took over a role—this time from Claudette Mink of the character Laura Nelson, a member of the coast guard in “The Guard”. She’s also guest starred in several TV shows, including “Supernatural”, “Covert Affairs” and “Flashpoint”. She was also one of the presenters for the 2010 Leo Awards.

Sonya has also performed in numerous films including the comedy, “The Tooth Fairy” , Shannen Doherty’s,“Christmas Caper “ and “Malibu Shark Attack”. She starred as a wannabe singer coming to terms with not following her dreams in the 2006 Canadian drama “Black Eyed Dog” and was the antagonist of “Ties That Bind “opposite Brian Krause and Nicole De Boer.

Here are some of Sonya’s credits. For a complete list go to Sonya Salomaa’s IMDB page.

TV Series

2015-2018 UnREAL

2018 Colony

2014 Cedar Cove, Intruders (8 episodes)

2013 The Killing

2011 R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour, Supernatural, Covert Affairs, Flashpoint, Republic of Doyle

2009 The Guard (15 episodes), V

2008 Flash Gordon, About a Girl, Shoot Me Now

2006 Kyle XY, Stargate SG-1, Saved

2005 The L Word, The Collector (26 episodes)

2003 Just Cause, Dead Like Me, Andromeda

Movies

2017 The Space Between

2014 Cut Bank

Taylor St. Pierre

Taylor St. Pierre was born and raised in Kamloops, BC. He moved to Vancouver in 2010 and completed our Two Week Intensive Certificate Program (now called the On Camera Acting Intensive).

Taylor spends most of his time in Vancouver, but has worked across Canada in British Columbia, Calgary and Montreal. Some of his roles have included “The Flash”, “Supernatural” and “Hell on Wheels”.

Taylor plans to spend time in New York in the near future.

Here are some of Taylor’s credits. For a complete list go to his IMDB page.

TV Series

2017 The Arrangement, Somewhere Between

2016 Supernatural, The Flash

2015 Ties That Bind

2013 Hell on Wheels (3 episodes), Untold Stories of the ER

Movies

2017 Dead Shack

2016 The Orchard

TV Movie

2017 Last Night in Suburbia, Miss Christmas

2015 A Mother’s Instinct

TV Mini-Series

2014 Ascension

Check out some of Taylor’s work: Demo Reel