Gay Abel-Bey

Abel-Bey earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, as well as her M.F.A. in Film from UCLA.[1] In 1991, she made her thesis film Fragrance, which earned her the Dorothy Arzner Award for "high recognition of dramatic piece by a woman."[1] While in graduate school, Abel-Bey taught courses concerning screenwriting and production for the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television.[1] In her time at UCLA, Abel-Bey produced and directed an instructional video concerning television lighting with the Television Lighting Director for ABC, Leslie Zak, as well as an additional lighting seminar for film.[2] She ended up producing three more instructional videos that have been retained at the UCLA archives.[2]

Abel-Bey ended up being involved in a local film festival called Filmex, as well as co-hosting a retrospective for the National Film School of London.[1] She also helped to develop a community-based documentary workshop for at-risk youth in Los Angeles teenagers via California State, Los Angeles' media department at the time.[2] Additionally, Abel-Bey has produced a variety of other film projects, some of which include Father & Son, Running 4 My Life, When It's Your Turn for WPVI-TV, Stone Cold Hustler, and Kiss Grandmother Goodbye.[2] Father & Son was awarded a Sonny Innovators Award, while Stone Cold Hustler was awarded a local Emmy Award in Washington, D.C. for "Drug Free School Zone" campaign.[2]

In 1995, Abel-Bey started teaching at New York University, and as of 2023, she continues to work there as an Academic Advisor for the Undergraduate Division of Film & Television, teaching courses in production and screenwriting.[1] As a teaching assistant, Abel-Bey taught Remote Television Workshop and Sports Broadcasting & Intermediate Television Production.[2]

Additional works include:

• Father & Son
• Running 4 My Life
• When It's Your Turn
• Stone Cold Hustler
• Kiss Grandmother Goodbye

• Dorothy Arzner Award
• Sonny Innovators Award
• Local Emmy Award