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Cinematic AI Faculty

Faculty & The Cinematic AI Community

Throughout their time at the Cinematic AI Center, students become part of a community of forward-thinking filmmakers and digital content creators who are guided by active industry professionals. We are proud to be one of the only schools—accredited or not—with faculty who hold current Hollywood credits. Our instruction combines NYFA’s proven track record of training storytellers with a new cadre of talented professors taken from top AI companies in New York and Los Angeles. Our educators include industry veterans like Craig Caton-Largent, a 40-year visual effects pioneer and co-founder of Digital Domain, and Matt Galuppo, who recently served as AI VFX Supervisor for work premiering at the Sundance Film Festival.

Because we believe it is the duty of storytellers and artists to benefit their communities, ethical storytelling is woven directly into the fabric of our community. We recognize the ethical problems and public stigma associated with these tools. To prepare our students for the reality of the industry, they receive extensive ethics and business compliance training in addition to their practical studies. Students learn to create using a production framework that aligns with the business affairs of major studios (such as Netflix, Apple, Universal, and WB) and is compatible with the major unions, including SAG, WGA, DGA, and IATSE.

Our Faculty

Matt Galuppo Chair of Media Arts Department

Matt Galuppo Chair of Media Arts Department

Matt Galuppo is the Chair of Media Arts at the New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus, where he oversees the 3D Animation & VFX, Game Design, and Photography programs. He brings more than a decade of experience in advertising, animation, and entertainment to both his teaching and leadership.

He began his career in VFX on films such as Avengers 2, Inception, and Godzilla, before moving into directing and supervisory roles for clients including Netflix, Nintendo, Riot Games, and Comedy Central. Building on that success, he founded a boutique studio that delivered CG animation for the Emmy and NAACP Image Award–winning children’s series Tab Time streaming on Peacock.

Two years ago, Matt began working in Generative AI. He served as AI Visual Effects Supervisor for TCLtv+, where he led teams of artists developing AI-enhanced creative pipelines. His work premiered at both the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles and the Sundance Film Festival. His next AI-enhanced work was for John Travolta, on his film which premiered in Cannes 2026 (now on AppleTv+) where he served as AI VFX Producer.

Now he brings this cutting-edge experience back into the classroom to prepare students for the rapidly evolving creative industries.

Craig Caton Creative Director of Media Arts Department

Craig Caton Creative Director of Media Arts Department

Craig started out by doing makeup effects and animatronic puppets on movies such as Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, Tremors, and Ghostbusters. Moving into the digital era, he worked as a character technical director for Disney Feature Animation and for DreamWorks Animation as a layout artist. Working for Stan Winston, Craig supervised the creation of a network of Silicon Graphics workstations that would later become a core piece of the Digital Domain when Stan partnered with James Cameron and Scott Ross. He is credited as one of the eight co-founders of Digital Domain.

Kanishk Roy

Kanishk Roy

Kanishk Roy is a Los Angeles-based 3D generalist and VFX artist who specializes in bringing generative AI into traditional filmmaking pipelines. After earning his BFA in 3D Animation & Visual Effects from the New York Film Academy, he quickly built a reputation for fast, highly stylized workflows and efficient pipeline solutions.

Since graduating, Kanishk has jumped directly into high-profile pre-visualization and VFX work. He recently served as a Visual Effects Artist on the upcoming fifth season of Netflix’s Outer Banks. He has also been heavily involved in developing AI-assisted pre-viz pipelines, doing early look-development for the Lindbergh Foundation and an unannounced feature film project directed by Chuck Russell (The Mask). In these roles, he helps directors and producers quickly lock in the visual tone and scale of their projects using a mix of AI models and traditional concept art.

In addition to his television and film work, Kanishk is a frequent collaborator in the music industry. He has handled various rotoscoping, 3D character animation, and plate restoration for artists like Yeat, Trippie Redd and Yung Miami. He also regularly directs, shoots, and edits independent music videos, managing the entire post-production process from the initial cut to the final 3D composite.

By blending foundational software like Maya, Blender, Unreal Engine, and After Effects with the latest AI platforms like Nano Banana and Midjourney, Kanishk utilizes a highly modern, adaptable workflow. He is excited to return to NYFA to teach young storytellers how to practically and responsibly use these emerging tools to bring their own cinematic ideas to life.