Bios: Meet the Directors
Austin Stillinger – President
Austin comes from a very arts enriched family, and was introduced to the arts at a very young age. From visual arts, projects, and instruments he has tried all of it. He has been working in management in the hospitality business and has established skills and experience needed to create a culture for the company and systems that will help exceed expectations. He lives in Lakeland, Florida and is married to our Creative Director Alessandra, and together they have three children; Damian (8), Eden (4), and Anakin (3).
Frank Bologna – Vice President
A native of Queens, New York, his family moved to Lakeland, Florida where he spent the majority of his childhood, and then went on to study film and creative writing at the University of Central Florida. He later earned his M.F.A. in Film Production at the Savannah College of Art and Design. While at SCAD, he edited and produced his thesis film, Sober, a psychological thriller which was showcased at many film festivals across the country. He also co-wrote the action short Reflection, which earned a Special Jury Award at the Action/Cut Short Film Competition. His first foray into documentary television was writing and editing segments for Farmers’ Almanac TV, which aired on PBS for three seasons.
Upon returning to New York City, he began his career as a picture-editor, specializing in documentary, reality, and narrative short films. Some of the more notable television series he has edited include National Geographic Channel’s Dirty Rotten Survival, Animal Planet’s Wild West Alaska, History Channel’s Pawn Stars and Counting Cars, and DIY Network’s The Vanilla Ice Project. He has edited a variety of short films which are currently running in the festival circuit, including Kid Sister, a drama about sisters dealing with bulimia; Siren, a dark comedy about a therapist who is drawn to her musically gifted patient; and They Tried to Bury Us…, a dance film testimonial honoring the memory of the 43 Mexican students and teachers who went missing in Iguana, Mexico, in September 2014.
He established Taglio Productions in 2014, a post-production company specializing in documentary, narrative short films, and branded content. Taglio has done editorial work for clients such as The Princeton Review, True Facet, FarmersChile.com, and Semillas Social Justice & Dance Collective. He currently live in Astoria, Queens, where he continues to run Taglio as Head Editor and Owner.
Misty Alexander – Secretary
Misty has been an active photographer since grade school all through college. After graduating from the International Academy of Design and Technology with a degree in digital photography, she started her business, Misty Alexander Photography and has been a professional photographer for the arts and event photography. She has been WLP’s in house photographer since 2010.
Alessandra Stillinger – Founder/Creative Director
As a child from Queens New York Alessandra Stillinger grew up loving the arts. Her earliest memories are sitting on her parents couch singing songs that her father wrote. She starting taking singing and dancing classes in elementary school and her love for performing arts has only grew. Her family relocated to Lakeland, where she later attended Harrison School of the Visual and Performing Arts. She was a vocal major until 2000 when she moved back to NY to pursue a career in performing. After a series of events caused her to move back to Florida she married her high school sweetheart in 2006.
After a seven year hiatus from the arts, and lack of options for the type of performing and artistic creativity she was craving, she started With Love Productions Inc in 2010. As the Founder and Creative Director of WLP she has produced and creatively developed over 17 full scale productions, over 30 small promotions, and has had 100’s of volunteers. She has worked as a director, choreographer, actor, dancer, singer, host and hair/makeup artist. She is also a licensed cosmetologist in the state of Florida. Alessandra has not only a passion and deep love for the arts, but also providing a positive creative environment for artists of all ages. Together she and husband President of WLP, Austin have three children; Damian (8), Eden (4), and Anakin (3).
Karen Olivo – Creative Consultant
Sarah Sandford – Board Member
Sarah is a native Bronx, New Yorker Latina with a passion for education, the arts, and inspiring others to live their dreams. A former NYC certified dance teacher and certified educational leader with a B.S from Hunter College and M.S from Mercy College, Sarah has dedicated her life to mentoring kids of all ages through community programs and public education. This work led her to found and direct Siempre Estrellas, Inc (Always Stars, Inc), her own non-profit arts organization focusing on fashion and dance for girls. Through her years working in various capacities in schools and in the community, Sarah taught, mentored and coached children and youth on how to become successful and independent as well as successful in the professional dance and entertainment industries. She also worked closely with the NYC department of education in training dance teachers on how to strengthen their arts curriculum, teaching practice, and programs.
In 2014, Sarah became a volunteer coach for Momentum Education Leadership program in their adult and teen programs. She personally designed her signature program “Bold Bellas” to empower women as they connect to their feminine power and unleash their inner passions and purpose. She is also creating a “Teen Bellas” program for girls 13-18 and an empowerment program for men. Currently, she actively hosts and produces arts-focused events and programs throughout NYC with her company Nuvo Arts, and mentors women online through her Bella Lifestyle business.
Michelle Vaughn – Board member
Michelle is a professional dancer/choreographer based out of Los Angeles, CA. Working in the commercial dance industry, she’s had the opportunity to dance and work with artists and companies such as Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida, Becky G, Oscars, Latin Grammys, Google, and Nickelodeon. Her choreography can be seen on many NBA and NFL teams across the Pro Dance world and also at Pro Action conventions. Michelle is a nationally ranked choreographer for numerous high school and college dance teams across the country. Her experience as a dancer and choreographer allows her to bring a level of expertise from both worlds into her work. Michelle has been one of WLP’s lead choreographers since 2014.
