Faculty & Staff
Stay tuned for staff profiles from the upcoming season!
Our staff consists of top-tier instructors with experience in filmmaking, movie production, photography, multimedia design, web design and digital media. Working professionals will let students in on industry secrets and help them raise their skill set to a different level. In addition to the core instructional team, special guest speakers with professional portfolios may present topics relevant to contemporary filmmaking and visual arts. Check back as we will be incorporating new key staff profiles.
iD Visual Arts Academy, San Francisco Bay Area
Jazz Tigan
Director, iDVAA UC Berkeley and Stanford locations
Jazz is a professional artist and storyteller working in electronic media. He especially enjoys the intersection of art and technology in film. His recent film credits include working as a Character Technical Director on Dreamwork’s Madagascar 2. He has taught animation and computer modeling at the college level and also directed at iD Tech Camp’s St. Mary’s College location last summer where he invented “bubble wrap slip ‘n slide”!
Kristopher Kasper
Lead Instructor, iDVAA UC Berkeley location
Kris is a Visual FX editor with 10 years of experience working in the film industry. He has worked on over 20 films with Directors such as Ridley Scott, Stephen Spielberg and Tim Burton to name a few. His film credits include Planet of the Apes, Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down. Kris also has extensive experience in commercials and music videos. Aside from his industry experience, Kris also volunteers as the head coach for the Thousand Oaks High School surf team and has spent several summers working with teens at residential summer camps hosted by the YMCA.
Danielle Abrams
Lead Instructor, iDVAA Stanford
Danielle is an iD Tech superstar! Know by campers and parents as “Dory” she has been instructing Digital Video Production and Editing since 2006. With a strong focus on storytelling, Dory reaches beyond the technical aspects of film making and truly embraces the artistic form. Danielle has a Bachelor of Art in Film and is currently a Program Coordinator at a youth center in Detroit where she supervises Video Studio Education and Technology. As an independent filmmaker her latest film, which explores the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, was shown at two events during the celebration of Dr. King’s birthday earlier this year. Dory has a wide range of interest but is especially talented in creating 2D video games and promoting a spirit of volunteerism in her community.
Sarah Ball
Instructor, iDVAA Stanford and Berkeley
Sarah graduated from Wheaton College in Massachusetts where she studied Studio Art with a concentration in Photography and Graphic Design, and International Relations with regional concentrations in Africa and the Middle East. In addition to studying digital photojournalism at the School for International Training in Dakar, Senegal, Sarah has taught Graphic Design and Photography. Sarah’s design and photography skills have been used to create promotional materials for the gallery show “Framed at Wheaton College” and her artistic portfolio includes portraits from her extensive travels abroad appearing in both their natural state and digitally manipulated and enhanced form.
iD Visual Arts Academy, Montreal
Kim Simard
Camp Director
Kim Simard is at once a filmmaker, teacher, artist and community activist. With a Master’s degree in Film Production from Concordia University, Kim has worked and volunteered all over the world and is committed to using video as a tool for community development and empowerment. Her films have been screened internationally and recently co-coordinated an underground film festival in Montreal, attracting over 400 spectators. She currently teaches at Dawson College. Kim will be returning for her fourth year at iD Tech Camps. This will be her second year being Camp Director at McGill iD Visual Arts Academy.
Simone Viger
Lead Instructor
Simone possesses a degree in Communication Studies with a Specialization in Video Production from Concordia University. Simone is a go-to-gal for coordinating media and group projects. Her focus on community-driven media and experimental documentary has always attracted her to projects that convey alternative perspectives and represent marginalized communities in a collaborative working-relationship. With 5 years of technical instruction under her belt, including 3 years as a Video T.A. at Concordia University, Simone is currently a mentor for the Fyt Rise Above the Media Leadership Program. She also has experience as a freelance media developer for corporate and commercial clients. Simone worked on the West Coast for an established social and workers-rights news television station, Working TV. Simone will be coming back to iD McGill for a second summer.
