Current Participants

Kiesha Adamczyk-Bennett

Mrs. Kiesha Lillian Adamczyk-Bennett is a joyful force of faith, creativity, and purpose. A professional singer who has performed the national anthem for the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, she brings the same passion and authenticity to every stage she steps on, whether in music, business, or life. Licensed in real estate since 2016 and founder of Faith Real Estate Services Inc., Kiesha is also a proud Airbnb Superhost, landlord, and property manager alongside her husband of twelve years. Now back in school at Buffalo State College, she is honored to be part of the PPDI program while pursuing her degree in media production with double minors in digital music production and television and film arts. She is grateful for the opportunity to expand her craft, elevate her career, and sow into her passion projects with grace, grit, and love.
 

Jelani-Ryan Anthony

Jelani-Ryan Anthony is a Media Production student at SUNY Buffalo State University who specializes in videography and postproduction. He enjoys creating sports and documentary-style videos that tell powerful stories. Jelani is passionate about learning new creative techniques and hopes to build a career in film and digital media production. 

Schondra Aytch (she/her)

Schondra Aytch is a writer and content creator covering all things music and culture. Most known for creating the award-winning hip-hop platform, Sneakvibing Media, Schondra's work highlights underground music talent in Buffalo and beyond. Schondra has written for multiple publications within Western New York, such as Cornelia Magazine, The Challenger News, and Buffalo Spree, among many others. Experienced in Communication skills such as interviewing, video production, and music curation, Schondra’s efforts aim to create intentional, entertaining, and community-oriented content for music lovers everywhere.

Gregory D. Barber (I/me)

At the tender age of ten Gregory Barber was exposed to the magic of a photographic "dark room"...safe lights, enlarger, magic. He begged up on a used camera and clueless it was on. Then came the military and he was introduced to motion photography...no lights, camera, plenty of action and a new type of "dark room" - the edit suite...wow, magic! Fast forward some years and Public Access and he was the head trainer of field and studio production and magical post. Now his quest is to up his editing game and master podcasts and streaming. 

Hana Basheer

Hana Basheer is a software engineer with a lifelong love of cinema and storytelling. Through wearing many hats in local theater and film productions, she discovered a strong interest in video/digital film editing. With hands-on experience editing in DaVinci Resolve, Hana is eager to explore other facets of post-production and expand her knowledge and skills as part of the PPDI program. 

Lewuga Benson

Lewuga Benson is a media artist and educator whose work explores environmental and sociopolitical issues through film and installation. He holds an MFA in Media Arts Production from the University at Buffalo and teaches filmmaking at Villa Maria College. Lewuga’s practice bridges storytelling and activism, amplifying voices from marginalized communities and fostering creative dialogue across cultures. 

Kellie Brewer

Kellie Brewer is dual majoring in Public Relations & Advertising along with Media Productions at Buffalo State University. She is part of the Women's Soccer team and loves spending time outside, whether she’s skateboarding, or listening to music. Kellie values creativity and connection, and enjoys using media to share meaningful stories.

James Clark

James Clark is a Media production major at Buffalo State. He loves film arts and aspires to direct his own feature films. 

Kieran Cyganovich (he/they)

Kieran Cyganovich is a dual major in Television Film Arts and Media Production at Buffalo State University. They're a part of the Muriel A. Howard Honors Program and are honored on the Dean's List. They hope to have a career in post production in the future. 

Caroline Doherty

Trivet Jarmond (he/him)

Wandering Lens, Lucid Soul Where Philosophy meets Poetry and Pixels become Portals TJ is an Artist, Yogi, and Seeker of the Sublime. Where words fall short, He crafts visuals that Sing to the Soul. And Echo in the mind Ever in search of those who align. NYC Bred, Buffalo State Grad, Honorary Buffalonian.

Kanchalee Deganis-Librera (she/her)

Kanchalee received her M.F.A. in Media Arts Production, with a concentration in Narrative, from the City College of New York. Her short films have been screened at numerous festivals and have received several awards. She loves collaborating, and her passions include screenwriting, directing, and editing. On set, she often serves as an Assistant Director or Script Supervisor. She has freelanced as an editor, with clients including Benefit Cosmetics and the Royal Thai Consulate. She also volunteered as a videographer and editor for the New York Film Festival. In addition to her film work, she is an illustrator and owner of a small business called Rabbitsun Studio. She has participated in festivals across Western New York and has taught creative workshops. She received a grant from Creatives Rebuild New York and a Springboard Fellowship from Arts Services Inc. in 2024. Her print was featured in Buffalo Magazine in November 2024.

Zahir Kijani aka Genecist Zahir

Kijani aka Genecist is a Hip Hop/Soul Artist and Co Founder of The Igloo recording studio. Genecist has made waves in the Buffalo Music scene as early as elementary and high school carrying through his leadership in renowned R&B Group "4 B-LO", alongside a rewarding solo career. Genecist has released 9 studio albums, some mixed and mastered entirely on his own and although proud of his work, Genecist has joined PPDI to further his skill to better serve The Igloo's current and future members!

Dewitt Lee III

Dewitt Lee III, a veteran content creator, first started making videos when he launched the World's 1st community based FREE CDRom magazine named Ethos and The Concrete Chronicles in the early 2000's. He expanded this business from Buffalo to Toronto, Canada where he wrote and directed a movie called Love's Bugg which was uploaded on YouTube and was funded by incorporating product placement in every scene. He has credit of being the editor on two award winning reggae documentaries and most recently appeared in Toronto classic, Mr Jane & Finch. He also produced a documentary about his free suit charity, St Brian Clothiers which was screened at the Buffalo International Film Festival. He also recently officially joined IMBD, for his acting and associate producer debut for the film Unbillievable, where he also had an opportunity to dress the men in a scene in the movie in which is appears. Dewitt is also known as Kente Claus, and starred in a Tim Hortons commercial which got him an award from the Black Actors Guild Canada (BAG -Canada). He has also appeared in a Lifetime Christmas film called a Christmas Kiss and has recently started a film production and animation company, Caretakers of our Culture Films, that will produce Afrocentric Christmas films, starring Kente Claus, an annual documentary called the Emancipation Month 400k and the upcoming series, The Buffalo Mafioso. 

Gwyneth Millar (she/her)

Gwyneth Millar is a senior at Buffalo State University, majoring in Media Production. She's heavily interested in audio production, specifically foley work. The PPDI program is something she would've never expected to get in; she's extremely grateful!

Cameron Orzechowski

Cameron Orzechowski is currently a senior at SUNY Buffalo State University studying media production. Cameron previously studied audio engineering at Lawrence Technological University where he learned audio principles, and acquired a skill set for mixing and mastering. Cameron is now honing his craft at Buffalo State bringing his love for audio together with his affinity for film and production! 

Rhea Rosenberg (she/her)

Rhea Rose is quite an exotic member of the PPDI program, a TFA major who loves to create and bring fantasy to life. She's soon to graduate college and is always on the move to follow where the wind takes her. She's a writer, editor, sound editor, and does it all with a bright punky smile. 

Kimberly Tarquin

Deon Thedford

Born and raised in the heart of Buffalo, New York, Deon “Y.N.X.716” Thedford is a dynamic music producer, artist, and workshop facilitator whose art is rooted in raw truth and authentic storytelling. His music captures the soul of the city — blending boom bap beats, reflective lyricism, and cinematic soundscapes that bring lived experiences to life.

Matthew Touris (he/him)

Matthew is an aspiring YouTube content creator who is excited about the opportunities and resources that the PPDI program has to offer, especially with networking. He has already met a lot of amazing and talented people and is looking forward to growing and developing those relationships further. Patrick Htoo (he/him) Patrick Htoo is a filmmaker from Myanmar. He started his career as an editor, working on different films and documentary projects in Thailand and Myanmar. He has produced, directed and edited several documentaries and films throughout his career. He is also passionate in photography focused on conflict, music and documentary. Participating in PPDI program could give him to network with filmmakers and work on different film projects as he moved to US in 2022.

Tavis Watson (he/him)

Tavis Watson is a media production major at Buffalo State. He’s worked as an archivist for a documentary called Hell and Highwater and has been a Post Production Assistant in Tokyo, Japan at a company called LIA Film.