Sal Amaury Batista

In 2006, he was cast as "Eddie" in the feature film, Sophomore, an experience that would reunite him with Beideck, introduce him to Rich Angell and then Alex Miltsch. Sal also brought forth an extended effort off-screen as an associate producer on the highly anticipated film. "Sal" Amaury Batista is aggressively pursuing future projects and production development in Rochester, New York.

He landed his first feature film role in 1997 as "Mang" in Tim Beideck's, Drivers Wanted. The experience sparked his interest in film and television production. In search of film and television opportunities, Batista remained determined and optimistic, despite the challenges that many actors face, especially Hispanic/Latin actors in the US. He supported himself and his career goal by working in both the restaurant business and in retail jobs. His dedication enabled him to continue acting and learning about the business of independent film production. His fascination with movie-making became even stronger. No sooner would he find the certain opportunity that he had wanted to pursue.

Salvador Amaury Batista was born on April 22nd 1972 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. At age sixteen, Sal Batista moved to New York City to pursue an education and opportunity in the US. Sal later attended John Jay College in New York, where he first studied criminal justice and planned to study law. After two and a half years, Batista discovered a new path after his English Literature professor asked him what he would "pursue with passion" if given the opportunity. Sal knew acting was his interest and quickly realized that a career in law was not the right move. He decided to pursue an acting career and started searching for that opportunity with passion. Upon recommendation by his English professor, Sal enrolled in his first acting class at the Henry Hudson Settlement House in New York. His second class followed at The New School for Social Research, also in New York City. Sal was later awarded a scholarship at the Chicago Actors Studio. He also studied and interned at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. Batista gained stage experience as a bilingual actor in numerous plays.