USVAA

Cate Jones is an award winning actress and indie auteur. Born the youngest of five in Lawton, Oklahoma (a city known for high crime and an army base) she started acting and writing skits for her parents when she was eight years old and knew that’s what she wanted to do. She participated in drama, choir and competed in Fine … Read More

Vincent “Rocco” Vargas was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. Vincent enlisted in the US Army and went on to serve 3 combat deployments with 2nd Battalion of the elite 75th Ranger Regiment. In 2009 he became a Federal Agent with the Department of Homeland Security, and was a Medic with the Special Operations … Read More

Drew Callner is a United States Marine Corps Veteran. He followed a family history of filmmaking and attended the Art Institute of Seattle in 2002, majoring in video production. After art school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as an Ammo Specialist Technician. Leaving the military, Drew settled with family in Birmingham, AL and began to pursue his … Read More

Dennis is a U.S. Army veteran. A graduate of West Point, his service included a year in Iraq’s Triangle of Death as an infantry platoon leader and executive officer in the 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. After six years of active-duty service and four years of operations experience in Europe and North America with Amazon.com, Dennis is now … Read More

Yerania Del Orbe is a Dominican American Actor, Writer, Director and Producer. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in The Bronx, NY. She attended High school at St. Thomas Aquinas in the Bronx and served 10yrs in The US Army. She began her higher education at Central Texas College, Temple Texas studying Business during her military service. She was … Read More

Travis was born in California, but raised in the South Carolina. He was mostly an outside child until a severe reaction to a bee sting at the age of seven left him stuck inside for several years to come. It was there that he taught himself to draw, solve a Rubik’s Cube, and watched a horrendous amount of movies and … Read More

Izzy Ezagui is decorated squad commander in the Israel Defense Forces. While he continues to serve in an elite unit in the reserves, Izzy delivers inspirational talks across the United States and internationally. He’s a filmmaker, screenwriter, and the author of “Disarmed, Unconventional Lessons from the World’s Only One-Armed Special Forces Sharpshooter.” To learn more about Izzy please visit HIS … Read More

Kyle Hartnett is a musician and video maker. To see some of his works please visit HIS WEBSITE

Brent Harvey is a United States Marine Corps veteran. Brent Harvey is an actor known for the Showtime series ‘Submission’ as well as Investigation Discovery’s series ‘Murder Book’ and ‘Coroner: I Speak for the Dead.’ He starred in independent action film ‘Natural Vice’ and directed a well received short film ‘Dive’ about a gay boxer in 1970’s who is blackmailed … Read More

James W. Hawk is a United States Army veteran. James W. Hawk is an independent film director, writer, and producer. He is also a published author and photographic artist. He proudly served his country as a Scout in the 107th Armored Cavalry. As a filmmaker, Dr. Raymond Foery, Professor Emeritus Quinnipiac University Film, Television, and Media Arts, said of Hawk, “A … Read More

Sydney Hoffner served in the US Army as a mechanic in Operation Iraqi Freedom III. She holds a BA in Film & Television from Montana State University. Her first pilot, Bootleg, was performed in the USVAA New Works Presentation 2017, and she is a past participant in the Writers Guild Foundation Veterans Writing Program and LACMA’s Veterans Make Movies. Sydney … Read More

Ian Kane is a U.S. Army Veteran, freelance writer, published author, and filmmaker. He is dedicated to the development and production of innovative, thought-provoking, character-driven films and novels of the highest quality. Ian’s goal is to use film, literature, and new media as tools to heighten awareness around many modern day issues, their links to the past, as well as projections … Read More

U.S. Army veteran, Satinder Kaur is a determined dreamer who writes, directs and produces. Recently, she was invited to shadow an episodic director at The CW Network show DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Her short film The Last Killing produced by Ensaaf won the best short documentary award at NewFilmmakers LA and the Amnesty International Best Human Rights Short award. Kaur … Read More

Keith is a US Army veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is an award-winning film director from the Pacific Northwest of America based in the UK. His work has screened at film festivals globally and has had been broadcast on UK television. He is interested in the themes relating to trauma (psychological and physical) and how characters are either compelled to … Read More

Mark Labella, grew up in San Diego, California. His passion for acting began at a young age leading in school musical at the age of 7 despite his parents, being in the medical industry, did not encourage such a career. At end of his sophomore year of high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy’s DEP Program (Delayed Enlisted Program) … Read More

Kadyn Michaels, a native New Yorker, is a former U.S. Navy Lieutenant. After leaving active duty he would go on to graduate of Chapman University’s MFA in Film Production Program where he studied Sound Design, Editing, and Screenwriting. His scripts have been finalists at the Austin Film Festival and in Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope Screenwriting contest. He writes supernatural, … Read More

Chase Millsap served as a Green Beret during the Iraq War and is currently a filmmaker and activist based in Los Angeles. He founded the Ronin Refugee Project, a non-profit devoted to creating a path for Iraqi and Afghani soldiers who fought alongside American forces to become American citizens. For Chase this is a very personal mission: he has friends … Read More

Aimee is an award-winning director, writer and producer with a focus on empowering, entertaining and educating audiences through thought-provoking visuals and storytelling. Her films have screened at several film festivals across the U.S., Canada, and Asia, and won awards for Best Narrative Short and Best Supporting Actor. After completing the Writer’s Guild of America’s Veterans Writing Program in 2016, she participated … Read More