People

Megan Donnelly joined the AbelCine team in 2015 as the first Camera Technology Specialist based out of the company’s Chicago location. Prior to joining AbelCine, Megan was the Technical Manager at Fletcher Camera and Lenses / CineVerse in Chicago, where she provided technical and workflow support for multiple features and television series. She also developed the curriculum for the International Cinematographer’s Guild Digital Loader Workshops, which she taught nationwide.

Megan is an accomplished Director of Photography for commercials, music videos, and narratives. One of her television pilots was a finalist in the New York Television Festival in 2013, while another television pilot won the Chicago Television Pilot Competition in 2014. Most recently one of her commercials won a Midwest Emmy in 2014. View her work at megandonnelly.net.

Originally from Mesa, Arizona, Megan Donnelly graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Media Arts with a concentration in Cinematography.

As AbelCine’s Procurement Manager, Juan Gomez serves as the strategic lead in the company’s relationships with manufacturers and suppliers. He maintains appropriate sales inventory levels for AbelCine’s locations nationwide by monitoring sales forecasts, industry trends, and economic conditions in order to anticipate customer buying patterns. Juan also negotiates the contracts for distributors and resellers of AbelCine’s exclusive products.

Before joining AbelCine in 2014, Juan worked at Band Pro Film & Digital for seven years, serving as their purchasing and warehouse manager. Prior to that he was in the aerospace industry as material pricing coordinator, handling U.S Government contracts for the Army and Navy.

Juan is a film fan, especially historical documentaries. He enjoys spending time outdoors, playing baseball and riding ATV’s. He was born in Teocaltiche, Jalisco, Mexico and grew up in California’s San Fernando Valley.

As General Manager, Alex Kurze oversees the day-to-day activity of the New York rental department in order to offer the best customer experience possible.

Prior to joining the AbelCine rental team in 2011, Alex worked as a freelance producer. He continues to freelance as a creative and production consultant. His work has screened successfully at high profile festivals such as Cannes and Tribeca. Most notably, one project was qualified, yet not nominated, for an Academy Award in the Live Action Short Film category for 2014.

Alex holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Video from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Although born and raised in Germany, Alex considers himself a true New Yorker at heart.

Jeff Lee is AbelCine’s National Training Manager. He joined the AbelCine team in 2009 as a Camera Technology Specialist and Trainer. In his current role, he oversees training classes and educational content creation across all three AbelCine offices. He is also a Technical Editor on AbelCine’s blog and serves as the lead technologist for AbelCine NY.

Additionally, Jeff is an accomplished still photographer who has traveled extensively working on documentary projects. His work has appeared in publications such as Shutterbug and he has been a featured Gawker Artist. His photo blog can be found at jeffleephoto.com.

Born and raised in NYC, Jeff Lee attended Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of Arts where he concentrated in both photography and filmmaking.

As Rental Manager, Gabriel Mays works with producers, cinematographers, and assistant camera operators to provide the highest level of customer service. He ensures that all their equipment needs are met on budget.

Before coming to AbelCine in 2015, Gabriel previously worked as a Communications Instructor and Electronic Media Engineer at a private university. He taught various courses in electronic media, including film, broadcasting, and digital arts.

Gabriel is an award-winning cinematographer, director, producer, and editor known for his innovative research and implementation of new film techniques. He was also one of the first to implement HDSLR cameras into filmmaking. He has been the cinematographer on dozens of independent films, documentaries, and music videos.

Gala Napakh joined AbelCine as the Human Resources Manager in June of 2007. Gala comes from a diverse professional background that includes finance and music management.

With over a decade of experience in the HR field, Gala previously held HR positions at Vibe Magazine, Spin Magazine and Register.com.

Gala attended CUNY Baruch, majoring in Finance, and is a member of SHRM (Society of Human Resources Management).

As Business Development Manager, Mike Nichols oversees new and existing rental business in New York and Los Angeles, as well as identifying opportunities for all departments.

Before joining AbelCine’s rental department in June of 2008, Mike was the head of production for a NY-based commercial production company, Zooma Zooma, whose clients included Nike, McDonald’s, Sony and Kodak.

In 2000, he was invited to the Cannes Film Festival as part of Kodak’s Emerging Filmmakers Program. In 2011, Mike’s first feature film, BreadCrumbs was released worldwide. Recent co-producing credits include A Woman, A Part and 11:55 Holyoke, which was Executive Produced by John Leguizamo.

Mike earned his B.A. in Film Production at Brooklyn College, where he was the president of the Film Society. His first professional job was as a production assistant on the Robert De Niro film, A Bronx Tale.

Before joining the AbelCine team, Jason Zapata was the Media Arts Equipment Cage Manager at the Art Institute of Philadelphia for six years. During his time there, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Filmmaking and Video Production.

Jason has worked on various film and television crews, including the documentary feature film The Anderson Monarchs about the first all-black girls’ competitive soccer team in the USA. This piece won the 2010 Sundance Institute Documentary Fund grant.

Jason was also a videographer and editor for Personify Productions, and freelanced as a Master Control Operator for both WWSI Telemundo and The Comcast Network.