Within the worldwide realm of filmmaking, New York Film Academy (NYFA) is a miracle maker! Why? Irrespective of nationality, age, or prior training, NYFA has the ability to systematically help their students discover their latent talents and ultimately finesse it to a point such that the students could confidently venture out into the boundless world of fantasy and magic (film industry) with a significant chance of making a difference.

Though resident in the United States, I’m originally from Nigeria and I’m in my late 40s. My pre-New York Film Academy training was in business. Armed with B. Hons. from The Hague University, and BBA from Texas Tech, it didn’t take long after graduation for me to figure out that knowledge in business was not enough to realize my desire to help improve humanity. It would take a niche product for my natural and acquired entrepreneurial tendencies to amount to anything.

As a citizen of a country with a huge emerging film industry (Nollywood), resident in a country with the ultimate film industry (Hollywood), I thought the product I seek could be embedded in the vast world of filmmaking. A few quick strokes on my computer brought me face-to-face with New York Film Academy and a wide range of programs it offers at different locations around the world. It immediately felt like I had finally found my calling in life: filmmaking.

I hopped onto the next available flight from Dallas to Los Angeles just to visit with NYFA. On arrival, I was given a tour of the academy. While passing through the library, I saw a script for the first time in my life. Prior to this symbolic moment, I only knew what a script was by definition, but I never saw or touched one and I certainly had no idea on how to write one.

My tour guide told me NYFA could teach me how to write a script and make it come alive. If I was contemplating enrolling with NYFA as a student, I was now sold on it. I happily flew back to Dallas and sent in my application for admission into the two-year accelerated Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program. Thanks to the United States Financial Aid Program and the academic scholarship grant from NYFA, I relocated from Dallas to Hollywood and commenced studies in January 2011.

I have been out here for about 19 months and I’m presently working on my thesis film in view of graduating in about four months time (January 2013). Within this time period, NYFA has exposed me to all facets of filmmaking: Screenwriting, Producing, Directing, Cinematography, Editing, Acting, Script Supervising, Sound Mixing, Production Design, etc. I’m now in the best position of strength to create and distribute world-class products (films) that could be augmented with my business training in view of achieving my life aspirations.

What amazes me the most about NYFA is that so many people, with so wide a range of diversity, come to NYFA from different walks of life, with a wide spectrum of knowledge and skill sets in filmmaking, for widely varied reasons. A sample of these people, enrolled in the same program, would naturally suggest chaos; but the carefully designed NYFA curriculum allows the skillful NYFA instructors to help everyone of these unique students to develop individual learning curves, which allows them to discover their strengths and opportunities and ultimately nurture and mold them into an amazing mental muscle mass of knowledge that generates the empowerment and confidence necessary for successful stimulation of suspension of disbelief in their potential audiences.

My experience at NYFA as a graduate student is such that I don’t just feel like NYFA has taught me how to make and distribute films; it has more than anything else, afforded me with the opportunity to impact my world. And as an entrepreneur, I think NYFA has not just helped me discover a clear career pathway; it has also handed me a master key that guarantees access to otherwise impossible complex doors in life. I shall ever remain grateful.