Brian is an accomplished animator, two-time Telly award-winner and Grammy-nominee, a published animation author and teacher, and a visual artist (group exhibitions at Exit Art, MoMA PS1 and Nexus Contemporary Art Center, GA; art work in the collection of MoMA’s PAD/D Archive and C.W. Post L.I.U., Art Therapy Collection). He has presented internationally and nationally, including the plenary speech at the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) conference in 2009. Brian was the inaugural chair of AATA’s Technology Committee.

After getting his BFA in Painting, Brian Austin spent two decades animating, co-creating (and trying to sell) an original cartoon series, building furniture, skateboarding, playing Capoeira Angola, and of course, painting. Brian returned to the School of Visual Arts for his Masters in Art Therapy. The idea for TAP came to life during his thesis work with adolescents in foster care. More accurately, it was the youth coming to life in the room while making their first animation that lit Brian’s fire.

Brian has always liked Krazy Kat. He loves the drawing style and the character Ignatz who likes to throw bricks. Plus it's a love story!

Gabby Consolo has a long history with TAP. She was introduced to TAP during the COVID-19 pandemic when TAP offered a virtual program to learn about the animation pipeline. This rekindled her love for creativity and passion for art which she had put on the back burner due to other commitments.

Gabby later participated in TAP’s Training Program where she learned additional skills in animation, video editing, production, and graphic design, and later interned in various positions at TAP.

Gabby has a wide range of talents which allows her to create art in many forms, from photography, painting, videography, drawing, fashion design, dancing and so much more!

Being part of TAP is very meaningful to Gabby because she hails from a working-class background and grew up in a low-income community in New York City; as a result, she did not have access to specialized programming and fine art classes.

Gabby truly believes that TAP is a wonderful organization which provides underserved communities with a therapeutic learning environment. She is grateful to be part of TAP’s mission in ensuring that all people have equal opportunities no matter how you grow up or where you’re from!

Gabby’s favorite superhero powers are resilience, strength and helping others.

Hi, my name is Kelly! I studied 2D Animation and I am now bringing the magic to TAP as an Art Therapy Intern. My favorite shows are Avatar: The Last Airbender, Hunter x Hunter and Arcane. I also love the movies Howl's Moving Castle and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Storytelling is an amazing way to share stories, whether it's close to your heart or your wildest imagination. Animation is a way to combine both stories and visuals that is so powerful, and I believe everyone can share their stories.

If I was a superhero, I would want the ability to teleport! I would also love to create portals so others can travel with me.

Kora Gozdziak is an enthusiastic animator and artist with a passion for connecting with others through storytelling, and a strong belief in the power of creative outlets to foster growth, hope, and change. He brings his experience with animation and various crafty art forms to the team, hoping to expand participants' knowledge of not only the technical elements of animation and story, but also broadening their understanding of themselves as artmaking individuals and what that can look like. The work that TAP does to connect with those young people who may be lacking support for their development in whatever aspirations they have, artistic or otherwise, speaks to his enthusiasm for mutual aid and community building.

His favorite (non-traditional) superhero is Nancy Thompson, the final girl of a Nightmare on Elm Street. The defiant and creative attitude Nancy takes in the face of a bizarre danger, as well as her care for her friends and other survivors, is inspiring.

Natasha Amendolara, MA, LCAT, RDT, has over a decade of experience working as a creative arts therapist in educational, clinical and social services settings. She also holds a certification in Contemplative Psychotherapy and values the use of meditation and mindfulness as powerful therapeutic tools. Over the course of her career, Natasha has worked with children and adolescents, families in crisis, adults living with acute mental health issues and substance-dependent individuals. In her role as Associate Executive Director, she is constantly inspired by TAP’s young creatives and incredibly passionate team. In her free time, Natasha gains inspiration from travel, live theater and spending whatever time she can being immersed in nature.

Natasha’s favorite superhero is Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie version, of course). Buffy takes on her hero fate with a fierce determination and inner strength that enables her to withstand any challenge. Her empathy, strong moral compass and endless well of witty one-liners have always been an inspiration.

Stef Syfert, MPS, ATR-BC, LCAT, believes that creative expression and storytelling is the gateway to growth, healing, self-love, and community building. Stef first connected with TAP in 2008 when Brian Austin guest lectured one of her graduate courses at SVA and spoke about the power of tech-based art making with adolescents. 10 years later, Stef joined the TAP team and has loved connecting with, supporting, and learning from the talented young people of the TAP collective ever since. Their stories hold unique power and meaning.

Stef's favorite superhero is Leeloo from The Fifth Element because she is a wonderful blend of vulnerability and strength, innocence and badassery, and at her core, she just wants to love and be loved.

As a Commercial Relationship / Lending Manager II at TD Bank, Jose is responsible for managing account portfolios consisting of deposits, loans, fees and expenses for Small Business and Commercial Clients. He is a Money Out Champion for Downtown Manhattan, focusing on mentoring his employees and colleagues on how to provide lending needs for the customers that they service. Aside from his expertise in lending, he is a part of Manhattan's BNI, chapter 52, in which he consistently networks with individuals in various professions and provides solutions for any and all banking needs.

José holds a B.S. in Business and Administration from New York Saint Joseph’s College.

Before joining the TD bank team, Jose held the position of Branch Manager, VP for Citibank.

José is inspired by his favorite superhero, Iron Man, and his perseverance, ability to overcome adversity and his willingness to put those who he loves and believes in above all else. Despite the world's havoc, Mr. Tony Stark has stood true to his beliefs even when the world didn’t comprehend his vision for the world.

Frank is President and CEO of TradeMas Inc.

Matt has worked as an animator in the feature film industry for over 17 years. After studying Computer Animation at Savannah College of Art and Design, he went on to work for a number of studios including Sony Pictures Imageworks, Dreamworks, and Blue Sky Studios. Some of the films on which he's animated include Open Season, Surf's Up, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, I Am Legend, Puss In Boots, Ice Age 4 and 5, Rio 2, Peanuts, Ferdinand, and Spies in Disguise. In addition to his animation work, Matt has served as a voice actor on Open Season 3 and Spies in Disguise. Most recently, Matt has directed a short film with Blue Sky Studios set to be released on Disney+ early 2022.

Matt's all time favorite animated character is Shere Khan from the Jungle Book. In his opinion, no villain in animation history is as intimidating and charming. Not to mention, the animation is master level.