Our Team:
Sammy Z.
Founder of Ziba Photo Video
Sammy is a professional commercial photographer, and video producer with 12 years of experience.
The bulk of his photography work is professional headshots, eCommerce photography, either on or off model, architecture photography, and high-end dramatic black and white portraits.
His video production is mostly with emphasis on effective content marketing for businesses. Whether it’s for YouTube channels, video integrated websites, or commercials. He was the VP of Sales and Marketing of a $100M company for 5 years. Currently, he plays the director roll of the video shoots, guiding the camera crew to capture the footage that will ultimately support the clients' marketing goals and brand image.
Besides going through multiple photography programs at different colleges, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering from UC San Diego, and is currently pursuing an MBA at Harvard Business School.
He’s the main photography instructor at Ziba, and prides himself for creating a photography learning space where adults can get cutting-edge, to-the-point learning experience without having to attend long drawn-out photography classes in colleges.
In his spare time, he plays the piano, competes in triathlon events, plays beach volleyball, and scuba dives.
Becky A.
Studio Manager / Photographer
Becky is the Studio Manager at Ziba. She graduated at the top of her class with a bachelor’s degree in Communication, and has extensive experience in the hospitality and management industry, which qualify her with a unique set of skills to help run our studios.
Becky’s special eye for product photography and set design is a major asset for our team at Ziba.
Outside of work, Becky enjoys home and commercial decor, event planning, and exploring her new habitat in California.
Mahsa Z.
Director of Marketing / Online Branding & Design / Video Editor
Mahsa is the director of marketing at Ziba and manages our online presence and branding which includes design, SEO, web development, and content creation. She designed our website and writes all our materials on the site as well as our other online platforms.
With her background in running her own artist studio, she brings a strong sense of composition and design, as well as a varied suite of skills like creative writing and video editing to augment Ziba’s digital branding.
Outside of Ziba, Mahsa runs her own sculpture and music studio called Omniflux, where she composes music, welds steel structures, carves stone, and builds large scale sculptures. She’s also an art director and creates multimedia works for film/TV/theater productions.
Mayra C.
Photo Editor / Photographer
Mayra Cardenas is a Professional retoucher and photo editor at Ziba, with over 5 years of experience doing portrait photography and retouching. Mayra believes there is beauty in every individual and strives to show that beauty in her work. She has an associate of science degree in photography from the Art Institute. Mayra never shies away from an artistic challenge and is constantly surrounding herself with all things photography.
Outside of photography she enjoys getting her hands dirty with paint!
Wilma J.
Studio Rep.
Wilma was born and raised in Sweden and studied Media and Photography in High School. She graduated from Santa Monica College with an Associate of Science degree in Entertainment Promotion and Marketing Production and a certificate in Business Marketing.
As a tennis player, Wilma graduated as a Student Athlete with a 4.0 GPA. Her hobbies are tennis, working out, being outdoors, and spending time with her two huskies.
Abis A.
Video Editor / Videographer
Abis Akolawala is a Videographer and Video Editor for Ziba with 7+ years of experience in the industry.
He is a visual storyteller and loves what he does, putting his own creative passion into every project that comes his way. Abis loves the spontaneity in collaborating with different people and in his spare time he does fashion photography.
Our 4 Services:
Video Production
• Lighting, directing, filming, editing videos for your company/brand
• On location and at our studios
• Green screen capability
Lessons
• Private photography lessons here