MEET THE BK TEAM
THE TEAM
Jessica Cummings
Associate Coach
As an acting coach, Jess brings a unique perspective – having worked both in front of and behind the camera – and having made the transition from theater to film herself. Besides teaching with the BK gang, Jess has taught at NYU (Stonestreet – Tisch) and The Freeman Studio, and she works with actors at all stages of their career.
Projects she has coached actors for include Ghosts, Fellow Travelers, The Missing, Dear Edward, Kevin Can F**k Himself, Partner Track, House of Cards, Daliland, City on a Hill, Succession, Hunters, FBI, FBI:Most Wanted, L&O, L&O:OC, L&O:SVU, Chicago Med, Gossip Girl, Queen America, Murphy Brown, Girls5Eva, Bull, What We Do in the Shadows, Tell Me A Story, The Looming Tower, Charmed, 13 Reasons Why, The Equalizer, Power Book II: Ghost, Happy!, The Girl in the Spider’s Web, and many more.
She has acted on camera (WeCrashed, The Equalizer, Bloodline, L&O:CI, L&O:OC, The Big C, Maybe There’s a Tree, Astraea, Diving Normal, Gold, et al.) and on Broadway (The Seagull, Therese Raquin) as well as off-Broadway and regionally.
Jess studied theater with the British American Drama Academy and double majored in Theater and Political Science at Northwestern University.
Gameela Wright
Associate Coach
“Pronounced “Guh (as in “Garage”) – MEE – Luh Having over 20 years experience not only in various areas of acting (TV/film, commercials, theater, voice overs), Gameela also has real-life experience from actually being on the set, auditioning and the realities of the acting business – which are not often taught, but hard earned through experience. By imparting her knowledge and experience, Gameela hopes to help other actors excel in their careers , to have “an easier time of it” and have fun along the way. Select on-camera credits include Film: The Comedian, Tully, John Wick; Television: Billions, The Missing, Flatbush Misdemeanors, The Sinner, The Endgame, The Equalizer, She’s Gotta Have It, Bull, and over 20 episodes of Blue Bloods. Some of the projects she has coached actors for include Thirteen Reasons Why, Mindhunter, Queen & Slim, Don’t Look Up, Chicago PD and more.
Vance Barber
Associate Coach
A graduate of West Virginia University, Vance Barber is a writer, director and on-camera acting teacher. Vance has taught weekly ongoing classes at a variety of studios including: five years at Stonestreet (NYU/Tisch’s Film & TV Conservatory), seven years at The Freeman Studio, and of course his on-going relationship with TBKG. His classes have included Showcase Preparation, Script & Screen Analysis, Audition Technique, and On-Camera Technique, all of which he has taught for over a decade. TV/Film coaching includes: Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, You, Billions, Class of ’09, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Gray’s Anatomy, Power Book II: Ghost, How I Met Your Father, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Halloween Ends, Mindhunter, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Younger, City On A Hill, The Deuce, Law & Order, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Med, NCIS: New Orleans, Hightown, and Archive 81, amongst others…
Josh Mendelow
Associate Coach
Josh loves working with actors from a wide variety of experiences and backgrounds: From all kinds of performers eager to try On-Camera, to series regulars in search of inspiration, to actors on shows trying to thread the needle through the maze of production. He has guided many actors through the entire process, starting from their initial self-tape/live audition to callback after callback and ultimately to being both an off-set advisor to prep before shooting, and being on-set during filming. Amongst the TV/Film projects he’s worked on: For All Mankind, Severance, The Greatest Showman, Tom Swift, The Prodigal Son, Dynasty, The Equalizer, Younger, Super Pumped, Billions, Bonding, NCIS: New Orleans, New Amsterdam, The Good Fight, Elementary, Bull, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Blue Bloods, The Halloween films, The Good Wife, The Gilded Age, Love Life, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Sight Unseen …
Amy Blackman
Associate Coach
With a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan, an MFA in Acting from the Old Globe/University of San Diego, and as a part of TBKG for a decade, Ms Blackman has helped many an actor transition from Musical Theatre and Classical Theatre to the nuances of On-Camera work. She has a distinct understanding of storytelling in all mediums with a love for supporting actors in whatever stage they find themselves in their process. Stage credits include the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Angels in America, Off-Broadway’s The Daughter-In-Law at the Mint Theatre, as well as leading roles at The Old Globe Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse, Gulfshore Playhouse, and the Tantrum Theatre. TV/Film credits include HBO’s The Deuce, NBC’s New Amsterdam, CBS’s Madame Secretary and FBI: Most Wanted (ADD), and the film Hey Joe with James Franco.
Keri Uribe
Chief of Operations
Keri is a graduate of The College of William and Mary, a two-year company member of the Virginia Shakespeare Festival, and is a founding company member of OnTheRoad Repertory Company (artistic director, the late, great Alice Spivak) here in New York City. On-camera work includes Ugly Betty, The Sopranos, One Life To Live, All My Children, Hitch and Brooklyn Rules.
Keri has been studying with Bob for over a decade and became his assistant in 2013. She is currently Chief of Operations of TBKG.
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