Alexandra Perry (she/her) - Teaching Artist, Communications & Operations Coordinator
Alexandra is a visual artist and filmmaker with a Communication Design & Media Production degree from CSU Chico. After graduating she made her way up and through the Los Angeles Production Industry - producing, coordinating and managing for companies & networks such as Disney, A&E, Bravo, ESPN, and the NFL. After realizing her stronger passion for being behind the camera, she shifted focus and has grown her talents as Videographer/Photographer. She’s most drawn to documenting live events such as conferences, film festivals, life events & more.
Zachary Sweet (he/him) - Teaching Artist, Producer
As a Biracial artist, it's important to me to let my BIPOC student's creativity shine! Most of my students live in my neighborhood and creating a strong artistic community, fills my heart with so much joy! My work is a mix of monsters, creeps, and anxiety-filled weirdos. I create paintings and illustrations that entice the viewer to look at the macabre in a whimsical light. My work carries an element of playfulness, although I depict dark subject matter, I tend to instill a satirical component in my work, in hopes to convey the overall madness of the human condition. Everyone student has a story and it's my honor to show them there is multiple ways to tell it.
Cedric Crislogo (he/him) - Teaching Artist & YBPro
Cedric Crisologo is a film director and teaching artist from the Bay Area. Over the last decade, he has directed countless music videos, a documentary and short form content throughout the Bay Area community. A willing collaborator and passionate storyteller, Cedric tries to uncover the story of each project and connect emotionally with the audience, whether it be commercial, music videos, documentary or narrative
Chris Martinez (he/him) – Teaching Artist & YBPro
Ari Arroyo, an Oakland Native and Chicano Videographer, has been with Youth Beat since 2016, where he first delved into the intricacies of the filmmaking world. Starting out as a Future Filmmaker, he moved up into the program with dedication and eventually landed his first job as a Teaching Assistant. Now, Ari works in-depth as an Associate Producer for Youth Beat Pro and got accepted as an Apprentice for the newly launched 2022 Apprentice Program. Ari currently attends Laney Community College, pursuing an Associate’s Degree for Video Production.
Daniela Rodriguez (she/her) – Program Coordinator
Bio Coming Soon
Emad Yafai (he/him) - Teaching Artist & YBPro
Born and raised on Oakland, Emad found his way to videography and photography through his love for soccer. In doing so, he explored videography further by entering the automotive event space. Which lead to Emad taking on new challenges in other industries. He joined Youth Beat in the summer of 2022 and is now a Teaching Artist inspired to empower Oakland Youth and give them a creative outlet.
Jake Schoneker (he/him) - Executive Director
Jake has worked with Youth Beat since its inception in 2010-- building YB's education programs and curriculum, creating community partnerships and helping produce 100+ youth-led media projects. He has led the organization as Executive Director since 2016, when founder Jeff Key retired. Jake has over 10 years experience working with inner-city youth, and his documentary film work has appeared on the PBS NewsHour, the AFP, MSNBC and other outlets. He holds a master’s degree in Journalism from UC Berkeley, where his work concentrated on youth media and multimedia journalism.
Onivid Garzon (they/them) - Teaching Assistant & YB Alumni
Bio Coming Soon…
Jalil Butron (he/him) - Creative Director
Jalil lived the formative years of his life in the border region between Mexico and the US. Growing up as a first-generation immigrant, art was never seen as a viable path to success in the USA. He studied psychology at San Diego State University hoping to one day become an organizational consultant to Fortune 500 companies, but a strange turn of events took him to Shanghai, China. There, he quit his job as a recruiter after one month and decided to pursue his passion of video, turning it into a prolific career as a Director of Photography. He has worked on multiple commercial, documentary, and corporate projects in China and internationally with clients such as Dyson, GQ, WeWork, and Michelin. After nearly six years in Shanghai, Jalil decided to return to California and was very excited to join Youth Beat as their Creative Director.
Narce Guinto (they/them) – Teaching Artist, Producer
Born and raised in Oakland, Narce Guinto is an award-winning filmmaker and producer who started teaching themselves filmmaking at age 13 and came to Youth Beat as a student in their senior year of high school. After graduating high school in 2016, they became a freelance video producer and came back to Youth Beat as a Teaching Assistant in 2019. Narce is most interested in making films about people who don’t otherwise have a platform to tell their stories. They co-directed DISPLACED, which won a Pillar of Excellence Award.
Luis Arnold (he/him) - Teaching Artist & YBPro
Bio Coming Soon…
Riley Lockett (he/him) - Teaching Artist
Bio Coming Soon
Sarah Givens (she/her) - Development Director
Sarah began working at Youth Beat in Fall 2016. She brings over 10 years of nonprofit development and marketing experience. Sarah sees fundraising as a means of connecting generous people to opportunities for improving the lives of others, thereby making their communities better, safer, and more equitable. She has a master’s degree from Columbia University.
Sagesse Graham (she/her) - Education Director
Sagesse has dedicated her life and career to youth empowerment through the arts with a focus on video and audio production. Skilled in interdisciplinary learning, creative facilitation, and curriculum design, she has great passion for developing and crafting programs that emphasize emotional and multiple intelligence, as well as teaching to all learning styles. Her programs speak to young people and engage them on many levels. Sagesse has worked with world renown organizations such as The Power of Hope, Partners for Youth Empowerment and The Riekes Center. She holds a BA from the Evergreen State College.