Phoenix Studios was founded in November of 2017 by owner Matthew Vaz while attending the Art Institute of California. The company was conceived to help bring Vaz's creative visions to life for the small screen; from student films to YouTube videos and even short indie films! Over the course of several projects, Vaz managed to recruit a handful of trustworthy and passionate artists to help make Phoenix Studios a success! Their stories can be found down below!
Meet the Team
Matthew Vaz is the founder and owner of Phoenix Studios, serving as the company's front line director and writer for projects such as "Disillusioned", "Knots" and "The Witch's Crow". Vaz always had a passion for storytelling and fictional worlds, and he yearned to pursue a career in those fields despite the lack of filmmaking opportunities within his small country hometown. He graduated from the Art Institute of California with a degree in filmmaking in 2018 and continues to lead his team in new and bold endeavors in the world of filmmaking.
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Fun Fact: Favorite author is J.R.R. Tolkien.
Patti Coelho is the mastermind behind all of the practical logistics that come with running an independent film company! As the executive producer on all of Phoenix Studios' projects, Patti's background in Human Resources with musical theatre make her a critical member to the team. Having been a longtime friend to the entire Vaz family, Patti's undying commitment is crucial to the highest quality of all of Phoenix's content!
Fun Fact: Patti originally started her career as a photographer before moving into theatre.
Coming from a background in professional sports, Wesley "Wes" Righetti serves as the biggest key to bringing the visuals of Phoenix Studio's stories to life as the head cinematographer! Righetti and Vaz first met each other during their time at the Art Institute of Silicon Valley as film students, where they worked on several class projects and short films together. Armed with his Blackmagic camera, Wes has filmed countless student films and commercials, and is responsible for the cinematography in pieces such as "Disillusioned", "Knots" and "Terminus"!
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Fun Fact: Favorite film is "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo".
Amador Costa is a local artist who serves as a jack of all trades on Phoenix Studio's production team. Hailing from the San Joaquin Valley, Amador has spent his time with Vaz working as an animator, storyboard artist, VFX artist, graphic designer, actor and musician. Amador has his own YouTube channel where he acts out skits and performs comedy for his fans online, but he got the chance to take on a more professional role when he starred as the protagonist, Luke Dores, in "Knots" and as the eponymous scarecrow in "The Witch's Crow"!
Fun Fact: Favorite TV show is "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure".
Logan Wildey is an actor who was born in Santa Cruz, California. Logan started his creativity at a young age. His parents saw that he had a knack for entertaining, and making people laugh without much effort. Receiving his training at Bay Area Acting Studio, Logan has been working in Los Angeles as an actor for the past couple of years and has been one of our favorite actors to work with! He's starred as the lead in many of our projects such as "Disillusioned" and "The Witch's Crow"!
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Fun Fact: Logan has starred alongside Jeffrey Weissman in a "Back to the Future" fan film that Logan wrote himself!
Having studied photography in Seattle, Chris Coelho puts his creativity with a camera to excellent use as Phoenix Studio's principal photographer. Being married to Phoenix's executive producer Patti Coelho, Chris handles the production of the behind-the-scenes content while his wife oversees the rest of the project's logistics. He assisted the electrical departments in the shooting of "Disillusioned" and"Knots", while simultaneously leading the BTS photography efforts on both sets.
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Fun Fact: Chris' favorite time to shoot is at midnight with long exposure!
