joy brunson
Joy Brunson graduated with a B.A. in Women’s Studies with a Concentration in Black Performance from Spelman College. Best known for her role as “Shauna Andrews” on NBC’s hit show THIS IS US, Joy has been working professionally for over 14 years.
After teaching at studios throughout Los Angeles, as well as coaching clients one-on-one, Joy founded The Joy of Acting Studio in 2020. Created as a safe space for artists to work together, support and uplift each other as they learn.
She spends her life following her passions of acting, golf and community service. Hoping to utilize her platform in order to help the next generation of leaders grow with confidence, Joy continues to volunteer and teach with different Non-Profit Organizations.
The story behind the studio
This studio was created with the intention to be a safe space for actors of all races, sexual orientation or religious affiliation to learn and grow. Joy began her teaching journey with a one weekend intensive in Houston, TX in 2018. Since then she has coached amazing actors into series regular and recurring roles, while also helping those just beginning expand their skills as new actors.
our teachers:
Marissa Rivera
Marissa is a Puerto Rican actress, born on a U.S. Army base in South Korea, and raised all over the eastern United States. She received her B.A. in Theatre at Florida State University and studied in London under the tutelage of professors from RADA and Central.
She’s been living and working in Los Angeles for the better part of a decade, and you can always spot her in several national commercials interrupting your favorite tv shows. She’s a seasoned commercial actress whose credits include: Capitol One with Samuel L Jackson, multiple spots for Lowe’s and McDonalds - and the 2021 Super Bowl M&Ms campaign with Daniel Levy.
You can also currently catch her on Season 3 of Good Trouble playing “Magdalena “Magda’ Calderón”!
Sasha pasternak
Sasha Pasternak is a Los Angeles based writer/director with a Master of Fine Arts from the USC John Wells Division of Writing for Screen and Television. Her screenplay Vicious was a 2021 nominee on the Wscripted Inaugural Cannes Screenplay List, a 2019 Academy Nicholl Fellowship 'Top Fifty' finalist, and was selected as the winner of the 2020 ScreenCraft Finishing Fund Award. In May of 2020, Sasha was awarded the Stephanie Rothman Fellowship for her short film, Make Me The Tennessee. She is a graduate of the Hartt School of Music; University of Hartford, and a long time student of acting coach Larry Moss. Some of Sasha’s most notable credits include: Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (Produced by Lily Tomlin & Jane Wagner), The Bands Visit (MTC Creative Center), and Gilmore Girls (Directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino)