Joe Gillis
Actor THE FELLOW, Writer, Producer and Director

Bringing imaginative images to the sound of the popular Groovie Ghoulies music videos "'Til Death Do Us Party" or "Running with Bigfoot" comes easily to Joe Gillis, who as a filmmaker has been fascinated with images that can inspire, motivate and entertain since he first took up the camera at the age of 9 in his home town of Citrus Heights, California. Since he was able to express himself he knew that moving images held a special place for him. By the time he was 10, he was sure it was to be his career.

Joseph Wayne Gillis was born October 11, 1973. His parents did not realize that in naming him after his grandfather and uncle, his name already "belonged" to one of the great movie characters of all time, played by actor William Holden in Billy Wilder's "Sunset Blvd." Like Holden's role in the film, the real life Joe Gillis started at an early age to dream up films and plays that he would write out to full scripts, ready for the cameras, that in this case, would roll.

As a young actor in commercials, he was able to observe how the production side of creative image making was done. In 1980, during the production of "Windwalker", the story of Native American life with Trevor Howard, Joe was able to see first hand all the elements that went into feature film production. Written by his cousin, Blaine Yorgason, he found himself surrounded by the props of the production and watching the dailies. He was learning the art firsthand.

His own first film production was an homage to silent screen comedy shorts. 1995's "9 Items or Less" was shot entirely in glorious black and white, and has been a success in numerous film festivals from Canada's Hollywood North Underground Movie Festival to San Francisco's FAF (Film Arts Foundation) Film Festival.

In 2002's "Voices from the High School", Joe took on the challenge of bringing to the screen New York playwright Peter Dee's tale exposing the reality of high school life, in an unvarnished authentic manner. "Voices" continues to make remarkable sales on DVD and video to libraries and learning institutions.

At home with several new film concepts and scripts, Joe prepares music videos and other forms of visual media. Accompanied by his wife and two kids, he has an un-ending enthusiasm for finding ways to make the screen reach and grab the audience in new, innovative ways.

Matías Bombal
Actor THE CASHIER

Born in Santiago, Chile, on June 3, 1967 to teacher parents, Matías was surrounded by music at an early age. His father, a professor of Spanish literature and piano tuner, provided an environment of classical music. Matías developed an intense interest in the music of the 20's and 30's from listening to his grandparents 78 r.p.m. records.

After his family moved to Sacramento in 1976, Matías started a life-long love affair with movies and their exhibition. At age nineteen and on sheer enthusiasm, he was placed in charge of the restoration and management of Sacramento's historic Crest Theatre. He made a considerable impression on the valley’s show going public in his tenure there from 1986 to 1991, with colorful stage introductions and clever and rare film bookings.

As promoter, booker, historian and showman, Matías has spent time within the walls of the Tower, Sacramento Inn, and Crestview Theatres and helped revive Sacramento’s Guild and Colonial Theatres. He has appeared as an extra in the films Bird, Pink Cadillac, Xenia, Wisdom, and in an episode of Highway to Heaven. He was featured as a cashier in an independent black & white silent film 9 Items or Less.

Sacramento's KSCH TV 58 brought Matías to the small screen as a Sunday night movie host, introducing classic movies in a trademark tuxedo (always worn while on duty in the movie palaces). This led to work as master of ceremonies at numerous charitable events throughout California on stage, screen, and radio. Matías then became involved with the Music Masters Orchestra as a singer and announcer, working closely with big band leader Dick Jurgens who would drop by to help in rehearsing the band that played "Hotel" style arrangements of tunes from the 20's and 30's.

The owner of the Bijou Theatre in Lincoln City, Oregon, brought Matías to the central Oregon coast in 1996 for 6 years to manage and operate that 1937 theatre. While there, he was approached to do a movie talk show on the local commercial AM radio station, KBCH. The Popcorn Hour, co-hosted by the owner of the Bijou Theatre, Keith Altomare, was a huge success and management gave Matías cart blanche to produce 3 other popular weekly programs: On The Air, The Great Singers, and Pipes On Parade.

As a film/music historian Matías has contributed to many books on film history, especially on the silent and early “talkie” era. He is an authority on the pioneer film star Ramón Novarro, and has the Mexican actor’s own collection early cinema memorabilia. He has a vast collection of original 78 r.p.m recordings (in the thousands) that document the best in music from 1915-1950. His first time on radio was at nine years of age on Capital Public Radio’s KXPR. In those days KXPR offered Sunday night traditional jazz prior to the arrival of KXJZ, and Matías was often a Sunday night guest through the age of thirteen, playing his collection of 78’s originating from the first KXPR studio that was located on the CSUS campus.

Mr. Bombal works as an emcee all over the west coast for special events- such as the silent movie series at Salem Oregon’s great movie palace, the Elsinore, The Reno Film Festival, a silent films series at the Ironstone Vineyards of Murphys, California and the Newport Performing Art Center's film festivals. He serves as publicist for the board of the non-profit Sierra Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society.

All in all, Matías Bombal loves radio! Give your set a twist of the dial to the KXJZ Stations where he will fill your radio loudspeaker(s) with the best in musical entertainment for your listening pleasure.

Tim Walton
Director of Photography

Tim has been involved in film and video production for more than twenty years. During that time, he has worked in one capacity or another on literally dozens of independent short and feature films, commercials and music videos, as well as a variety of corporate products. His last film, a documentary titled, A JOURNEY INTO BOSNIA: IN CELEBRATION OF HUMAN DIGNITY AND SPIRIT played at film festivals in several countries around the world and aired nationally in Bosnia. In addition, Tim has worked on a half a dozen theatrical motion pictures including WISDOM, CLOWN HOUSE, BREAKING THE RULES, and SHOWGIRLS.

More recently, Tim has been editing for the PBS show AMERICA'S HEARTLAND while running his production business, The Moving Picture Company, where he specializes in high-end commercial & film production.

Dave Baxley
Original Soundtrack (1995)

After touring with the U. S. Air Force Band of the Golden Gate as a trombonist, Dave moved to Sacramento in 1991 where he became involved as a keyboardist, composer and an audio engineer. While initially working at Skip’s Music, selling synthesizers and music software, he played keyboards in local bands, “Azure Circle” and “9th Wave.” Also, he continued to play trombone in groups, such as the Bill Rase Orchestra, the Sacramento Symphony, and has contracted for shows like the Smothers Brothers, Bob Hope and the Ringling Bros. Circus! In 1999, he was hired by Play Incorporated as a live-production audio engineer, doing live “webcasts,” voice-over recording and sound effects design for software. In 2001, he became involved in music restoration projects for CD Sheet Music and WBAX Music Software, helping to develop over 100 CD-ROM based music-publishing products. He continues to work on recording projects with Marc Pieruccini (Music Smart Studios) and has completed recording work for John Hanson, Tammy K., Temple of the Times, KeyDragon, Serious Magic and Broadstrokes Studios. Some of his favorite memories were helping jazz legend Jimmy Smith to help get his music PC “up and running” and playing “Dice It” with Joe Gillis when developing the soundtrack for “9 Items or Less.” He has released 2 original solo CDs and hopes to design a software synthesizer.

Jessica Scott
Actor CRAZY GRANNY

Jessica has done multiple plays since "9 Items".

Mike Eby
Actor THE CLERK

"9 Items" was Mike's only film, but who knows.

Dave Moreno
Live! Soundtrack (2004)

Dave Moreno has had an extensive background in playing the theatre organ, beginning when he was just 13 years of age. He's equally comfortable with silent movie accompaniment, solo music of the 1920's-1950's, jazz organ, and playing the numerous requests of the dinning patrons of the Bella Roma pizza parlor in Martinez, California. Over the past 30 years he has played in many of the great remaining vintage theatres, and organ restaurants like the Pizza and Pipes in both Sacramento and Fresno. His style at the console is as uniquely his own as his fashionable appearance. Moreno is an avid collector of vintage platform shoes, most from the 1970's, and his collection is currently over 600 pairs! You'll likely see his favorite pair of the day, busy on the organ's pedal board during his performance.

In addition to playing three nights a week at the pizza parlor, as one of the great showmen of the console, he truly knows his work inside and out as one of the state's leading organ technicians and rebuilders. He is responsible for the maintenance of no less than 40 theatre organs in California alone, with occasional trips as far from his home as Kalamazoo, Michigan to work on rare instruments there. Moreno is regularly featured in such fun California venues as The Ironstone Vineyards, in Murphys, The College of the Sequoias in Visalia, and the Towe Auto Museum in Sacramento. His warmth, personality, and sense of humor is most evident in performance. This is when he shares his enthusiasm for the art and musicality of another era to his delighted audiences.