Kristyn Daniel (Owner)
Kristyn co-founded SKS in 2008 with her late husband, Stan Kirsch. She oversees every aspect of the studio, providing a personalized, distinctive and positive experience for each actor at SKS. More often than not, her smile is the first thing our clients see when they walk through the door.
Prior to her work at SKS, Kristyn was an actress and television host. After moving from Lubbock, Texas to Los Angeles, she immediately landed numerous film and TV roles. Kristyn appeared opposite Debra Messing on USA Network’s THE STARTER WIFE and graced the big screen alongside Faye Dunaway, Ed Begley Jr., Amy Acker and Danica McKellar in the feature film 21 AND A WAKEUP. Horror fans will recognize Kristyn from many films, most notably the cult classics CARVER and EVIL BONG. From 2008-2010 she was the host and writer of TRUE COUNTRY, GoTV Networks’ weekly rundown on the country music industry.
Kristyn has also worked extensively behind the camera, namely as the casting director of Stan Lee’s TIME JUMPER for Walt Disney Studios. From 2004-2007, Kristyn owned and operated BROADWAY BABIES, an organization designed to bring dance and musical theatre to children throughout Los Angeles and its surrounding areas
It has been Kristyn’s greatest joy and honor to carry on the legacy her and Stan built together over the past 13 years.
Colleen Foy (Director / Lead Teacher)
Colleen pulls from her direct experience of auditioning, booking, and being written for, and passes that knowledge along to her students. Her foundational training was done in the theatre program at Marquette University in her home town, Milwaukee. Colleen spent her first year post-college touring the country as “Alice” in ALICE IN WONDERLAND with the National Theatre of the Deaf. That year she taped several segments for the classic show SESAME STREET teaching the “Sign Language Word of the Day” to millions of children.
Television credits include recurring roles on STATION 19, THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL, STRANGE ANGEL, and Sundance’s THIS CLOSE, guest starring roles on CODE BLACK, BONES, CSI:CYBER, FRANKLIN & BASH, COLD CASE, CRIMINAL MINDS, CASTLE, and THE CLIENT LIST, among others. In 2007, she made her feature film debut in the Academy Award winning film THERE WILL BE BLOOD, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis. She will next be seen in the highly anticipated feature BLONDE, along side Ana de Armas. Click Here To Visit Colleen’s IMDB
Colleen began serving as a coach and teacher at Stan Kirsch Studios in 2010 and has been a client favorite ever since!
Aleksander Ristic (Faculty Teacher)
Aleks hails from Ontario, Canada. While studying theatre at York University in Toronto and the University of Calgary, he was privileged to take part in numerous stage productions from classics such Racine’s PHAEDRA, Shakespeare’s RICHARD III, and Arthur Miller’s DEATH OF A SALESMAN, to world premieres of original works such as SATIE ET COCTEAU by Mike Czuba and the LA Fringe premier of MY BROTHER starring Adam Wylie, among others.
But while the theatre is where an actor learns his craft, Aleks’ love is the screen. He moved to Los Angeles to complete his MFA at the New York Film Academy and subsequently starred in numerous shorts and new media projects. He’s collaborated with Youtube’s finest such as Shane Dawson on his slasher flick IT GETS WORSE, King Bach on his parodies DjANGO 2 CHAINZ, 911, THE EQUALIZER PARODY, and LOGAN PARODY. In total, Aleks’ new media projects have garnered over ten million viewers.
If Youtube’s not your thing, you might also recognize Aleks from DAYS OF OUR LIVES where he, as well as other incredibly good looking people, save Salem from a terrible disease on the NBC classic’s 50th season. He also has a barrage of indy features to his credit such as CALL OF THE WOLF, THE TOY SOLDIERS, KIDNEY AND APPLE and CARETAKERS in which he stars opposite Vivica A Fox. Aleks will soon be seen with VO legend Phil Lamar, Instagram star Marcus Johns and Emmy Award winner Nick Moss in lN THIS GRAY PLACE. Click her to visit Aleks’s IMDB
Aleks began working with SKS in 2013 and is thrilled to be a part of such a terrific staff and fantastic community of actors.
Angela Fornero (Faculty Teacher)
Angela is one of the five actresses actually born and raised in Los Angeles. Growing up with a professional musician (dad) and a dance teacher (mom), it was a surprise to no one that she earned a B.A. in Theatre from UCSD and sought to pursue a career in the arts. She performed in community theatre and a number of productions at the La Jolla Playhouse, but with idols like Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore, Angela knew her heart lied in television.
Since then, Angela has worked non-stop, booking 15 television roles in the past 12 months alone. Some of her credits include, THIS IS US, CAROL’S SECOND ACT, BROOKLYN NINE-NINE, SPEECHLESS, CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, CRIMINAL MINDS, LIFE IN PIECES, JANE THE VIRGIN, CODE BLACK, GETTING ON, TRUE DETECTIVE and THE NEWSROOM, among others. Click Here to visit Angela’s IMDB
Also a writer/producer, Angela created the award winning comedy series THE CHEESEHEADS about her deep rooted love for the mighty Green Bay Packers.
Angela joined Stan Kirsch Studios in 2016 and fell instantly in love with the community of strong, successful, supportive actors and staff. SKS is an inspiring place and she’s so very grateful to call it home.
Brock Ciarlelli (Faculty Teacher)
Brock was born and raised in the suburbs of Denver. We’re talking minivans, soccer moms, orange slices during t-ball. You get it. After 10 years of theatre in Colorado, Brock booked his first acting job in Los Angeles while still in high school. Brock attended Chapman University where he graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics. During his time in college, Brock continued to work professionally and interned for several titans of the industry – including GREG BERLANTI at Warner Bros. Brock’s holistic approach, and thirst for a comprehensive understanding of the industry, has led him to create and pitch both scripted and non-scripted series around the city.
From 2009-2018, Brock heavily recurred on ABC’s comedy THE MIDDLE for 9 all seasons. In fall 2018, Brock was brought on as a series regular for The Middle’s spin-off, SUE SUE IN THE CITY. In addition to many digital shorts such as VALET, HOME ENTERTAINMENT, and BREED, Brock still likes to flex his theatre training. Here in Los Angeles, Brock has starred in theatre productions of SIMULATION STIMULATION and the 1-man-show FULLY COMMITTED where Brock, the sole actor, played 37 different characters. Click Here To Visit Brock’s IMDB.
Brock joined Stan Kirsch Studios in 2016 (his consultation was with fellow faculty teacher Angela!). As part of the SKS team, Brock hopes to continue his favorite pillar of Stan’s teachings: success is shared.
Brian Dare (Faculty Coach)
Brian was born and raised just outside San Francisco, and grew up in the Bay Area theatre world. He spent many summers teaching and helping run a children’s theatre camp in Point Richmond, CA. After high school, he moved to New York City to attend Marymount Manhattan College. He graduated from Marymount with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Performance and Musical Theatre. While in college, Brian started performing throughout NYC with Comedy Sportz Improv and working in commercials. That work led to a short film that took him to Sundance, and ultimately Brian made the move to Los Angeles to pursue television and film.
Since the move to Los Angeles, Brian has had recurring roles on CW’s JANE THE VIRGIN and the CBS soap opera THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. Other credits include TRANSPARENT, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, THE MIDDLE, CHANCE and ANGER MANAGEMENT. He can most recently be seen guest starring opposite Susan Sarandon on FX’s FEUD: BETTE AND JOAN. Click here to visit Brian’s IMDB
Brian came to Stan Kirsch Studios in 2015. After quickly realizing SKS was a unique collaborative community of working actors teaching practical technique, he made it his home. Aside from studying with Stan himself, he also enjoys coaching fellow students and actors to success.
Hayley Marie Norman (Faculty Coach)
Hayley Marie Norman is a multi-talented actor, writer, host, producer and creator who has performed alongside some of the industry’s most lauded stars including Will Smith, Kat Dennings, Forest Whitaker, and Eddie Murphy.
HMN recently wrapped a large recurring arc on the NBC sitcom Kenan as Kenan’s new fiery and funny love interest who shakes life up for him and Gary (Chris Redd). She also recurred on the fourth season of Peacock’s comedy series AP Bio. Both shows are from Executive Producer Lorne Michaels and Broadway Video. Norman also stars in the season premiere of the Hulu sitcom Dollface hailing from ABC Studios. Previous credits include a breakout role in Chris Rock’s Toronto Film Festival selection Top Five, Netflix’s The Upshaws, Fox’s New Girl, IFC’s Comedy Bang! Bang!, BET’s long running series The Game, Adam Ruins Everything, CW’s iZombie, and Peter Berg’s Hancock. Roger Ebert praised her in the cult cheerleading comedy Fired Up as “the most intriguing member of the cast.” Hayley’s hosting career spans from millions of views on her hip-hop series for Hip Hop Official to being a celebrity guest host on Access Hollywood to Freeform’s round table series Black People Like and to the Quibi pilot FOMO. She also enjoys doing voiceover work ranging from animation to narration.
Hayley began developing viral content as well as her own critically acclaimed web series Hello Cupid with Lena Waithe. An official selection at the TriBeCa Film Festival, the show was named “Top 5 Great Web Series You Should Be Watching Now” by Vulture and the concept was sold to BET. She has developed projects with Funny or Die, Big Breakfast, Bird and a Bear Entertainment, CBS Television Studios, Will Packer Productions, and others.
Norman is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She was also a house team performer and writer at The Upright Citizens Brigade. Hayley is an LA native who was first discovered at seven years old when she was spotted in a restaurant by supermodel Cindy Crawford. She’s worn her hair natural her entire life — even in 5th grade after the cute boys asked her if she “stuck her finger in an electric socket”.
Lindsay Faye (Assistant of All Things SKS)
Lindsay’s come a long way from her small hometown of Damascus, MD. Her career started off with a bang on the National Tour of ANNIE and she’s been working on stage and screen ever since. After earning her BA in Theatre from Loyola Marymount University, Lindsay deepened her Stanislavski training at the famed Moscow Art Theatre School in Moscow, Russia.
Television credits include LAW AND ORDER:TRUE CRIME, I LOVE DICK, RAY DONOVAN, TIL DEATH, LUCKY LOUIE, THE WAR AT HOME, and a pilot she can’t wait to tell you all about once the NDA expires! Click here to visit Lindsay’s IMDB
Lindsay joined SKS in 2013, put down roots immediately, and is beyond grateful to be a part of this positive and passionate creative family. She currently serves as the SKS lead camera operator and badass reader for audition tapings, as well as the office administrator.
Tribute to our Founder, the late Stan Kirsch (1968-2020)
Stan founded Stan Kirsch Studios is 2008 with his wife, Kristyn Green. His passion in life was to touch the lives of his actors and see their careers flourish. He did just that for thousands of people over his 20+ years of teaching. His laugh was contagious, his energy was infectious, and it was impossible to not be inspired in his presence.
Below is an excerpt Stan wrote up for his studio on October of 2014. It truly embodies who he was and what he believed. May his words continue to inspire and his impact always be felt.
From Stan: Acting is a career! Like any other with the potential for great reward, it’s a long journey – a marathon, not a sprint. Actors strike at various times. Some hit early on. Most do so later when they least expect it. The vast majority of those who succeed rough it out, encounter a ton of rejection, stay in the trenches, keep digging in and eventually persevere.
Be fearless, ruthless and relentless! Don’t make excuses or procrastinate. Get out there and do it! Work on your craft tirelessly! Devour films, TV shows, stretch your imagination and ACT as much as possible. There is no such thing as an overnight success!
You can control a few things in this business: your preparation, work ethic, professionalism and attitude.The rest is out of your hands. Don’t let the highs get too high or the lows get too low. Bust your ass, remain fiercely positive, live your life to the fullest and align yourself with others who do the same. Remember, success is infectious and failure is an epidemic…don’t go to the second place.
Learn from the past, live in the present and look towards the future. May you be healthy, wealthy and wise – always!
– Stan Kirsch
October 2014