Executive Director

Abiram Brizuela

Abiram Brizuela is a Venezuelan-born arts executive and a multidisciplinary artist whose work straddles theater, film, music, and themed entertainment. Before joining The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company as its Executive Director, Abiram served as Director of Artist Community at the Sundance Institute, overseeing a community of over 20,000 independent artists emerging from the world-famous Sundance Film Festival as well as the institute’s ongoing programs, grants, and funds.

Since 2007, Abiram has worked as a Director and Composer on more than 30 international productions, including Wartime Stories to Sleep in Peace by Karin Valecillos, winner of the Municipal Theatre Award for Best Original Score in 2008, and an ambitious adaptation of Jules Verne’s Journey To The Center Of The Earth, winner of three Municipal Theatre Awards for Best Director, Best Original Score, and Best Children’s Play in 2010.

Since relocating to the United States in 2010, Abiram has led multiple arts education programs, including Miami Music Project, MusicWorks, and The Harmony Project, has served as an advisor and keynote speaker for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and El Sistema USA and continues his support for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the arts through his work with Peter Golub at the Film Music Lab as well as Antigravity Academy with actor Kelly Marie Tran and Academy Award nominee, Carlos Lopez Estrada.

Sr. Director of Operations

Michael Halpin

Michael has been a longtime supporter of The Unusual Suspects and has a fierce belief that the arts are an important piece in a child’s development of confidence, collaboration, and success – no matter where their future takes them. For many years he has been involved in the Los Angeles arts community as an actor, singer, and long ago, a dancer. Michael has also been active, as a volunteer, with the non-profit organizations; Hearts In Motion and Meals on Wheels.

His business background comes with more than 20 years’ experience in Operations and Facility Management, and he is a certified LEED AP (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design). He began his career as general manager of a wholesale bread manufacturing company where he was eventually promoted to VP of Operations, then moved to a software telecommunications company, and recently worked at a global, commercial real estate organization. Joining The Unusual Suspects is the perfect place to share his passion for the arts and experience in business management.

Director of Community Partnerships

Anisa Hamdan

Anisa A. Hamdan is a passionate teacher, director, producer, and actor. As an educator, she enjoys creating innovative arts experiences for youth to empower them to be themselves, use their voices and make choices. Recently, she directed arts-integrated leadership workshops for teens to develop their social-emotional skills. As the Program Manager at Inner-City Arts, she was delighted to work with dedicated and talented Teaching Artists, supportive schoolteachers, and curious students who gained confidence through the programming. After graduating from UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and TV, she became the California Science Center’s Education Theatre Director and produced a touring Spanish bi-lingual musical. Her vast experience comes from running multiple theaters and developing youth programs for the City of Los Angeles. She is a recipient of a HERO award presented to her by LA Mayor Eric Garcetti for service to the Los Angeles community.

She was born in Maryland, grew up in Lebanon, Jordan, and Kuwait, and as a teen came back to California where she connected to her Mexican heritage and learned to speak Spanish. As a seven-year-old, she fell in love with the community of theatrical artists who gave her confidence to always be herself. Today, her focus is on serving the larger community by providing exceptional experiences that connect people, bring awareness and have a positive impact.

Program Director

Joe Samaniego

Joe Samaniego holds a BFA in Acting from UC Santa Barbara, an MFA in Playwriting from UCLA, and a Diploma in DEIA Leadership from Stanford. As a playwright, his plays have been published through Samuel French and have premiered on stages such as The Rattlestick Theater in NYC, Aspen Playwright’s Festival, as well as several National and International tours. With a passion for the community-building and transformative potential of the arts, Joe has worked for the better part of the last decade educating and building curriculum to inspire and empower young people, and to create a more equitable landscape in arts education.

He most recently held the role of Director of Education where he served hundreds of students to create individualized learning plans and help close educational gaps caused by Covid-19 learning loss and subsequent resource scarcity. He continues to volunteer with initiatives such as the People’s Voice Theater which works with young women in the juvenile justice system on the explorative power of writing, as well as several other organizations that support first-generation college students at UCSB and UCLA. He is grateful to be a part of The Unusual Suspects and to continue to make an impact in the communities we serve.

Program Manager

Jennifer Castillo

Program Cordinator

Arcadia Eckmayer

Arcadia Eckmayer is a passionate arts advocate and Southern California native. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA in Social Welfare and minors in Theatre and Education. While she first engaged with theatre via acting, she quickly grew impassioned about theatre education and its intersections with social justice. She began her work as a Student Ambassador with Center Theatre Group and later served as an Intern at the San Francisco Opera.

Program Coordinator

Marcus Baldwin

Marcus Baldwin earned a BFA in acting from the California Institute of the Arts in 2020 and went on to successfully pursue acting full-time in Los Angeles, appearing in a variety of projects across Film, Television, and New Media. His experience as a Program Manager for Sages & Seekers and as a Marketing Assistant for HartmanBaldwin Design/Build both provided him with vital skills in outreach, program development, and social media management. But his first introduction to administrative work, as well as to education and social justice, began with an internship for The Unusual Suspects back in 2019. Since then, he has been a frequent supporter, Volunteer Mentor, and Teaching Artist for the company, and looks forward to making a greater impact in this new role as a Program Coordinator. Above all, Marcus is passionate about serving under-resourced and incarcerated youth, and hopes to be instrumental in carving out a path for their future success in the arts and beyond!

Director of Advancement

Ninette Ayala

Ninette Ayala is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) with over 15 years of experience as a grant writing and fundraising professional for nonprofits throughout Los Angeles County. Ninette‘s commitment to supporting children and youth from marginalized communities stems from her own experience as a Central American immigrant youth growing up in Los Angeles. She is a founding member of the Refugee Children Center and continues to serve as a volunteer member of the Advisory Board. As a member of AWOKE’s Board of Directors, Ninette provides administrative support and technical assistance on compliance, establishing policies, securing funding, and developing programs in response to emerging community needs. Ninette earned a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University and collectively has over twenty years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Ninette believes that all youth should have access to the arts and theatre and is excited to join The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company.

Director of Institutional Giving

Nick Williams

Nick Williams is an actor, producer, and proud father. He was store director at Hollywood Video’s flagship store in Los Angeles and is the former art board President at Theatre of NOTE in Hollywood, where he still acts on a regular basis. Some of his recent performances at NOTE include Rio Hondo, Entropy (Scenie Award), I Wanna Hold Your Hand (two Scenies Awards), What May Fall (Broadway World Awards nomination), The Pity of Things (two Broadway World Awards nominations), Skeleton Stories, Nibbler and Kill Me, Deadly (Ticket Holder Awards’ Best Supporting Actor nomination). Among several non-NOTE performances in Los Angeles, his portrayal of Chris Keller in All My Sons at the Raven Playhouse was recognized for “Best Performance by a Lead Actor / Drama” (Stage Scene LA). He holds a BA in Acting from Willamette University. Nick has worked in Development for The Unusual Suspects since 2012 and is honored to play a small role in bringing the transformative power of theatre to our most underserved communities.

Manager of Institutional Giving

Grafton Doyle

Grafton has eight years of experience in development and advancement as a grant writer, producer, and event planner/fundraiser (for Playwrights’ Arena, Pop-Up Theatre, USC, and Actor’s Fund). He is also an accomplished playwright, screenwriter, and director. His previous theater work includes critically acclaimed, site-specific productions at Culver Studios, The Beverly Hills Hotel, and Palm Springs Art Museum. His play, Dope Queens, premiered at The Hudson Theatres and was adapted to film, marking Grafton’s directorial film debut (dopequeensmovie.com). Last year, his play, Kept Men, held its concert reading at the Pasadena Playhouse, directed by Luis Alfaro. His work straddles themes of queer incarceration, recidivism, and chosen family blending gritty realism with elements of glamour. Grafton holds a BA in Narrative Studies & Screenwriting and an MFA in Dramatic Writing from the University of Southern California.

Communications Manager

Carina Gavino

Carina Gavino is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a BA in Psychology and Sociology. She has been involved in social justice work as a researcher, programs assistant, educator, project coordinator, and was awarded the UC Art & Design Placemaking Initiative Grant for the collaborated photo-voice project “We Belong”. Carina is passionate about bringing together social justice work and art as a tool to learn, express, and advocate.

LACDAC Intern

Saul Quintero

A firm believer in love and peace.

Saul is a filmmaker, and photographer with a soft spot for youth advocacy. He is a Los Angeles native and has understood and is able to empathize with the youth partaking in USTC.

He is soon to graduate from California State University, Northridge in the Fall of 2023 with a degree in Media Theory and Criticism. He also studied at numerous universities/colleges such as receiving his Associate in Film Studies at Santa Monica College, studying an academic year at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA, and spending a semester at California State University, Chico, in Chico, CA.

Saul’s favorite artists are; Kali Uchis, Cuco, and Empire of the Sun, among many others.

If he isn’t listening to music, he spends time with his dogs; Onion, Mustard, and Relish.

Loves to frequent Kura Revolving Sushi Bar in Little Tokyo