Daniel Ilishayev

Born in Moscow, Russia, Daniel Ilishayev developed a curiosity about the mysteries of human subconsciousness at an early age. Later, during his Junior School years, he started combining his knowledge of psychology with a deep passion for movies. He shot several short films using his friends as actors and directed numerous high school plays. At the age of 15 he traveled to the United States to take a part in a 6-week filmmaking course at New York Film Academy. After graduating, he returned home with 4 new short films added into his portfolio and an experience of working on 16 other productions. During the next year, an acclaimed Russian theatre director German Sidakov mentored him using a personally developed method. At the end of the year, Daniel graduated high school a year early to peruse his career in filmmaking. He came back to New York Film Academy, this time applying for a 1-year Conservatory Program in Filmmaking. By the end of this year Daniel wrote, directed and produced 8 short films, while taking a part in production of 35 others. Once the year was over, he decided to continue his education in Los Angeles as a Bachelor of Fine Arts student. Daniel works coast-to-coast, creating unique psychological stories and touching diverse audience around the world.