The Team
THE BIOS
Matt Newton is the founder of MN Acting Studio. Matt's coaching clients include Oscar winners (most recently Ariana Debose), Tony winners, Emmy award nominees, Golden Globe nominees, and successful actors from film, TV and Broadway.
As an on set coach, Matt has worked on Ava Duvernay’s “When They See Us,” “Blue Bloods,” “Jessica Jones,” “The Affair,” “Genius MLK” and “Orange is the New Black.”
Matt is the writer of two popular acting books: “10 Steps to Breaking into Acting” and “The No B.S. Guide to the Acting Biz” (listed by Forbes magazine as “Top 5 Must Read Books of Today’s Uncertain Market”)
As a former actor, Matt has guest starred on Gilmore Girls, Criminal Minds, Drake and Josh Go Hollywood, Royal Pains, the Americans, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, Strangers with Candy, Van Wilder, Dragnet, Miracles, JAG, Judging Amy, and countless commercials, theatre and voiceovers.
Matt is currently the creator and director of the new TV series “Dissocia” starring Maria Dizzia.
Matt received his BA in Drama from Vassar College, where he spent a semester at the Eugene O’Neill theatre Center. Matt currently teaches Acting workshops around the world, including Vassar College, the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Western Connecticut State University, and ACTRA Montreal.
Van Hansis is a working actor and acting coach, whose clients and students have booked over 70 different network shows, as well as a number of feature films and Broadway productions. Van is a five time Daytime Emmy nominated actor for his work on As The World Turns and Eastsiders, and continues to work in front of the camera in a number of network shows, and films including Paul Schrader's Academy Award Nominated film First Reformed, HBO's The Deuce, and CBS' FBI. Van can be seen as a series regular in all four seasons of the Emmy Award winning series Eastsiders on Netflix. Van's teaching style in a nutshell is marrying the emotional aspects of what a character is going through in every given moment and finding technical beats and clues through in depth script analysis. Van is a proud graduate of Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. Van is repped by Headline Talent Agency in New York City.
Bryan Manley Davis has coached his clients to book guest stars, recurring roles, and series regulars in TV shows, as well as leads in major feature films. Bryan received his B.A. in Theatre before earning his M.F.A. in Acting, and successfully completing the esteemed Actor’s Apprenticeship at the Actor’s Theatre of Louisville.
Bryan spent several years successfully navigating the New York and Regional Theatre circuit before fully transitioning into Television and Film. Notable theatre credits include the Cherry Lane Theatre, New York Musical Theatre Festival, Maryland Shakespeare Festival, Fireside Theatre, and the Tony award winning McCarter Theatre.
Matt cast Bryan as the lead in his first film "Hide/Seek", which played in festivals across the country. He is represented by Center Stage Management and has recently been seen on Discovery ID, Military Channel, and Lifetime as well as in several Feature Films and award winning Shorts.
Amy Russ is an award-winning actor, producer, acting coach, and founder of ActorWebs.com. Recent acting projects include roles in the films The Girl Who Got Away and North of Boston (both on Amazon Prime), and Terrifier 2, currently in post. She won a Best Actress award for her performance in I See You Now at the Mindfield Film Festival. Amy has worked alongside A-list actors such as Meryl Streep in the Oscar®-nominated Steven Spielberg film, The Post; Josh Radnor on NBC’s Rise; Paul Giamatti in the Netflix film, Private Life; Uzo Aduba in Orange is the New Black; and Sarah Jessica Parker in HBO’s Divorce. Other TV/Film credits include The Blacklist, Royal Pains, Till Proven Innocent, and the series finale of HBO’s The Sopranos, directed by creator David Chase.
Amy has brought many juicy roles to life on-stage as well. Highlights include starring as the brilliant scientist Sonia in Boston’s New Repertory Theatre’s World Premiere of The Ice-Breaker, and as Mary Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at the Music Theatre of Connecticut, which earned a Moss Hart Award.
Her love of storytelling has led her to form a production company that is currently developing two major limited series… Stay tuned!
For more info, visit AmyRuss.com, ActorWebs.com, and PromisedTheMoonProductions.com.
Stacey Van Gorder has appeared on the hit shows Sinking Spring, Gossip Girl, The Deuce, and has produced the independent television series HUDSON FALLS (Richard Kind, Jessica Hecht), which was an official selection for the 2021 Cannes International Series and SeriesFest television festivals. She returns to SeriesFest in 2023 with the pilot HITMAN. Stacey has been a student of Matt’s Masterclass for the last 4 years, and served as collaborator and editor on his book “The No B.S. Guide to the Acting Biz.” Stacey brings her years of experience as an actor and producer to the studio, both in front of and behind the camera. Stacey is repped by Take 3 Talent in New York City.
Johanna (Hanna) Putnam graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in theater and film studies, and is a longtime MN Acting Studio alumni. She appeared as a lead in Project Greenlight's Feast trilogy, the coming-of-age drama July Rising, and various independent films. An advocate for self-creating content and enabling opportunity from both sides of the camera, she just completed her first feature film as lead actor, writer, producer, and director, with support from platforms such as the New York Foundation for the Arts and Women Make Movies. She is repped by WEG Talent.
Samantha (Sam) Simone (STUDIO MANAGER) is an actor, producer, teacher, and dog mom based in Brooklyn, NY.
Sam’s acting work can be seen on CBS Blue Bloods (recurring seasons 8-9), the workout program The Daily Burn 365 and various short films. Up next, Sam is going to be hitting the big screen as the leading lady in the indie feature film Townhouse Confidential. Sam is also an experienced producer, having worked for NBC Peacock Kids, and her own pilot. Sam is also a theater actor, and has performed Off-Broadway.
Sam has her MFA in acting from Columbia University and got to study with Andrei Serban, James Calleri, Anne Bogart, and many other wonderful artists. After graduating, Sam studied with Van Hansis at MN Acting Studio. When not acting, Sam can be found in a dance class at Alvin Ailey.
Sam is also a sketch comic and performs with Bragging Rights at Asylum NY, or The Salty Nuts.
Lizzy Brooks was born and raised in Los Angeles, Lizzy is an Actor, Singer and Screenwriter. BA: Columbia University- Art History. MFA: Brown/Trinity Repertory. Select credits include Broadway: Macbeth (u/s Lady Macbeth, Banquo) Regional Theater: As You Like It (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Julius Caesar (The Hanover Theater) and Shoebox: A Roadside Picnic (ASF). Film and TV: The Storied Life of AJ Fikry (Marian Wallace), New Amsterdam (NBC) and Hostages (NBC).