Catherine Cohen: Counselor and Media Academy Coordinator

In addition to counseling students, overseeing the programs, forming alliances and gathering resources, Ms. Cohen serves as Cleveland’s site coordinator for college classes.  She also represents the M.A. at ConnectED, sponsored by the Irvine Foundation. She has extensive background as a teacher, counselor and administrator, both at the high school and college level.  

William Diebold: Digital Photography & Web Design

Mr. Diebold served in the U.S. Air Force for two years, and in Vietnam as a combat photographer.  He graduated cum Laude from the Art Center College of Design and worked for 25 years as an advertising photographer in Chicago and Dallas.  His client list includes such high profile clients as Kelloggs, Budweiser, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, MacDonalds, BurgerKing and many more.  He also has nearly a decade of experience in Web Design.

James Gleason: Film & Documentary Production, Film Analysis

Mr. Gleason has written, produced, directed - and taught film production for over twenty years.  He achieved national recognition for his program at Pacoima Middle School in the 1990s, when he inspired his students to produce a feature film shot in 16mm which screened at the Sundance Film Festival.  He has won countless awards, including those sponsored by AFI, Videomaker Magazine and Lucas Films/MGM. 

Kevin Keady: Drawing, Animation, SFX and Comic Book Art

Mr. Keady received his secondary teaching credential in Art from CSUN, and has been at Cleveland High ever since.  He was one of the primary teachers in the Getty Art Based Curriculum Program, which served as a model for today’s IS (Interdisciplinary Studies) Program.  IS has become one of Cleveland’s most successful collaborative programs.  Mr. Keady’s students have gone on to prestigious art colleges and jobs in the industry.

Jeffrey Laidlaw: Drawing and SFX

Mr. Laidlaw joined the Cleveland staff in 2003.  Previously he worked in Canada as an art teacher as well as operating his own graphic design company.  Mr. Laidlaw is a classically trained painter who holds a B.F.A. and a B.Ed.  He has been teaching for a total of twelve years and has explored many avenues in art, design and media.

Antonio Manriquez: Post-production, Advanced Camera & Lighting

Mr. Manriquez has led dual careers as an educator and video editor for the past decade. He began his career at the age of 14, directing a feature film which screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was executive produced by his current fellow instructors, Mr. Gleason and Ms. Seubert.  Mr. Manriquez brings industry experience as a working television editor and Apple Certified Final Cut Pro Trainer into the classroom.

Evelyn Seubert: Film, Documentary and Television Production

Ms. Seubert worked as a teacher, actress, producer and director in the theatre in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles before working behind-the-scenes in television and film production.  She has taught at Cleveland High since 2000, where she founded the Teen International Media Exchange and the International Youth Media Summit.  She also co-created Media Craft Workshops at the Museum of Television & Radio.