Cast and Crew

BOB BAYLESS –Troubadour

Composer, Music Producer

Bob is a third generation musician. His Grandfather was invited to play with John Phillips Sousa and his father was a drummer who came to Hollywood during the big band era. Bob started playing drums in school at age 7, but really took off at age 9 when his brother set up his father’s drum kit for his own lessons. Since Bob got home earlier than his brother, he made good use of the time on the skins. He switched to bass when his brother's band needed a bass player and was playing professionally a month later. At 13 he purchased an upright piano with some of the money he earned and started private lessons. Soon he was playing bass and drums in several bands, and composing on piano.

By then Bob was regularly asked to bring his collection of silent 8mm movies and records to local parties where he had a talent for putting just the right music to the films to make them entertaining. By 16 he was playing mostly original music and began singing. His bands won local talent shows and received recording experience. After graduation, he got a job at a local music store where he picked up guitar and became the go-to guy for guitar repairs, including custom painting. He was music major in college.

Numerous bands (too many to mention) followed in almost every genre: Hard Rock, Acid Rock, Country, Jazz, R & B and Soul to mention a few. Heavily into Punk Rock, Bob formed a band with his brother and Mary Ann Skweres, that used computers and video for playback and had a "virtual, bass-playing Bob" projected behind the band. Bob eventually got tired of dragging equipment around and the "hook-up hell" that went with it. He gravitated toward film, and was soon working on major motion pictures, eventually joining composer Jerry Goldsmith’s music editing team during which time he got the chance to score a few pieces himself. After Jerry’s passing, Bob focused on composing film scores, designing sound and mixing independent films through Hollywood Dell Digital Studios.

ELLINGTON ERIN – John "Mackie" Mackay

El is a veteran of stage, film and television. A singer since grade school, he has fronted too many bands to mention. His accomplishments include a stint as a back-up singer for Cher and the part of Simon in the Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

El now focuses on session work. His upcoming film project, The Hounds of Bakersfield, a rock-n-roll comedy, is coming out later this year. He will be performing as David Lee Roth in the world premiere of the new band, Vain Halen, at the southern California club, Weber’s Place, on Friday, December 19, 2008.

El’s hobbies include collecting vinyl and rock-n-roll trivia. His vast knowledge consistently wins him concert tickets from local radio station competitions.

RODERICK WILLIAM MILLIRON – Eddie "The Rod" Shields

Roderick received his B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh in Applied Mathematics/Physics (1979), with graduate studies in Chemistry at the Freie Universitaet, Berlin, Germany and at California State University, Los Angeles, where he taught Chemistry for several years. Mr. Milliron serves as President and Chief Scientist of Interorbital Systems, which he co-founded in 1996. Roderick has nearly twenty years of aerospace experience, including seven years as a Systems Engineer with Grumman Aerospace Corporation, and as a Software Engineer with General Dynamics. He has been extensively involved in liquid rocket engine design and development, including the prototyping and testing of engines for both cryogenic and storable propellants. Roderick has developed a storable, environmentally-friendly hypergolic propellant (Hydrocarbon X) that is the cornerstone to IOS’ long-range manned space mission plans. In addition, he has designed and flown a series of suborbital sounding rockets, and will begin flight testing the first of his orbital vehicles, the SEA STAR MSLV (microsatellite launch vehicle), in 2009, and the NEPTUNE, a six-passenger orbital spaceliner that serves both as a cargo/satellite launch vehicle and as a combined rocket and habitat for orbital tourism, in 2010. Roderick is also an electronic musician, filmmaker, scuba diver, archer, and actor.

GRIFFIN LAMFERS – Congressman Truby

MARY ANN SKWERES – Producer, Writer, Director

Mary Ann has written and directed over a dozen short films and documentaries. Her writing/directing debut, The Rib (35mm 1999), premiered at the Academy, won the Award for Artistic Achievement from the International Cinematographers Guild and received screenings at the Cannes Film Festival. As a staff writer/director for the Internet series, Aliendog, Mary Ann directed Going the Distance, which was nominated for a Pixie Award.

Mary Ann's diverse experience includes editing over thirty feature and documentary films; hosting, producing and editing both a music cable series and radio interview show; writing songs, producing videos and singing with the multi-media band Hollywood Winged Rats; and working in regional theater, including a stint doing improvisation at Chicago’s Second City Players’ Workshop and performances at London’s Queen’s Rep Theatre. As a freelance journalist, specializing in the art and craft of filmmaking, Mary Ann is regularly published in entertainment industry magazines.

That journalistic curiosity about people and places has helped spark ideas for her various screenplays. A directing/acting graduate of the University of Illinois Theatre Department, after graduation Mary Ann studied screenwriting with UCLA Writer’s Program, completed Writers’ Bootcamp and Think Tank and received a writing fellowship to work with an industry producer through Writers’ Bootcamp Professional Track. She is currently a member of the Bivouac Professional Track, and is developing a screenplay on the Mercury 13 women astronauts.

At this time Mary Ann is writing and directing the web series, BackStreet Musical, created in collaboration with her partner, composer Bob Bayless. Mary Ann’s company, Hollywood Dell Digital Studios, is executive producing the series in additional to providing creative postproduction editorial and music services.

NINI MAZEN – Producer

Since 1984, Nini Mazen has worked on over 100 feature films – including serving as a Producer, Associate Producer and Post Production Producer. She possesses deep knowledge and experience in Production, Post Production and Distribution in both the domestic and international arena. Mazen began her career at Cannon Films, Inc., where she supervised crews in Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris and Rome.

Recently, Mazen served as Associate Producer on Jennifer Lopez's film "El Cantante". She also worked as a Consultant for Morgan Creek Productions, "The Good Shepherd", directed by Robert DeNiro.

Mazen has worked with some of the industry's most well known and respected directors and producers, including Herbert Ross, John Frankenheimer, Norman Mailer, Ray Stark Frank Price, Blake Edwards, Frank Pierson, Kevin Costner, Aaron Spelling, Paula Weinstein and Joel Silver.

Mazen is a member of the Producers Guild of America, Visual Effects Society, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and Who's Who Worldwide.

She graduated with honors from California Institute of the Arts – Walt Disney School of Theatre with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree.