(photos left to right, Yianni in present, TAFT Club collaborator Stephen Costantino and Yianni in the backlot of Zoetrope Studios in Hollywood in 1981).
Yianni Stamas, Founder in 1980 of the Multimedia Theater Company TAFT Club (True Art for Truth Climb Ladder Up Beyond), is currently focusing on the following art, giving back and business projects.
Art – Yianni is now writing the the outline for the script for the TAFT Club production of “Before Reality” the Thriller Comedy Quasi Musical.
Giving Back – there is talk of bringing back the Platinum PIAs Community Awards Show (2010 – 2019).
Business – one of Yianni’s 27 or so blogs that he created back in 2012 called DigiComArts (Digital Community Arts) is now the inspiration for the project in development entitled “Grow Your Own Audience” your online community.
First Job in the Industry of Entertainment
From 1980 to 1983, Yianni had his first job in the industry of entertainment at Zoetrope Studios in Hollywood, moving to L.A. from a small California town with a population of around 100 people. At the studio Yianni worked as the assistant to the head of education, August Coppola, an internationally known educator.
Media Arts Blogs – The Arts and Media Collection
Another project of Yianni’s is the “Media Arts Blogs” collection of approximately 27 publications. Starting in 2011, Yianni made one blog about the arts and media after another as an outgrowth of his educational mission project to provide resources of learning for small business owners, nonprofit directors and artist entertainers. Additionally, Yianni’s long time love and fascination with media arts led him to go back to school in Manhattan in the 2010s to get a B.A. in Media at Empire State University and an M.A. in Arts Administration at Baruch College.
Platinum PIAs
Yianni is additionally known for having created annually for a decade (2010 to 2019) the Platinum PIAs, a Manhattan based awards show that recognized those in the arts and media including small business owners, nonprofit directors and entertainer artists for making a difference in their communities in New York City.
Video Diary NYC
Yianni Stamas is also known for creating “Video Diary NYC” that was a weekly half hour cable TV program that over the course of approximately ten years – from 1991 to 2000 – was an experiment in the arts and media. In this cable TV experiment Yianni wanted to find out what would happen if he began filming and documenting his life and creative process, then weekly put it on television. “Video Diary NYC” predated the “The Real World” as a reality program.