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founding families (those who have lived in Morgan Hill for 50 or more years) in a series of videos to be called “Stories from the Past.” “The Historical Society wanted to chronicle a vanishing generation of people who lived through the boom and bust years of the 1920s and 30s, the Great Depression and World War II,” Nils said. “People who helped build and shape our community in those days. We interviewed founding families and researched the Historical Society’s archives to find old photographs, post- cards and letters that helped enrich the video. Their stories are fascinating and very touching.” According to Kathy, “Nils and Mattie are a delight to work with. They’re great at coaching people and putting them at ease on camera. The first video they did was so well-received at our 2014 Founders’ Day Dinner that we’ve asked them back twice to continue the video series. We plan to show the third installment at our Founders’ Day event in September.” Versatility at Work Among its noteworthy projects, 152 West has produced a public service announcement for the City of Gilroy and a virtual tour video for the Gilroy Museum. They also capture videos of the stage productions of John Bisceglie, founder/producer/director of the San Francisco, South Bay and Gilroy Children’s Music Theaters. In addition, they’ve created an ongoing series for Sigona’s Farmers Market at Stanford Shopping Center. One segment featured Andi Mariani, owner of Andi’s Orchard in Morgan Hill. Gleeful, a children’s musical, filmed for Director and Producer John Bisceglie. One of the most powerful and moving stories they’ve ever documented on film is that of Carl Clark, a U.S. Navy veteran who will celebrate his 100th birthday in July. Clark is credited with having saved his ship during the attack on Pearl Harbor when enemy airstrikes set the deck on fire. As a black soldier in the 1940s, his heroism went unrec- ognized. Clark’s fate changed when he attended a writing seminar and wrote down his story. The instructor shared his story with Congresswoman Ana Eshoo, who then shared it with the military. As a result, Clark finally received official recognition for his bravery in the line of duty. Nils and Mattie said they are looking for funding to complete this project, because the original patron of the project recently passed away and Clark is nearing his 100th birthday. Earlier this year, they wrapped up filming of a Silicon Valley symposium for the African Diaspora Network. The event focused on the Diaspora’s contributions to Africa through direct investment, small business development, philanthropy, and innovation. According to Chike Nwoffiah, Founder and Director of the Silicon Valley Africa Film Festival and curator of the symposium, “I’ve worked with lots of filmmakers over the years, and it’s rare to find people like Nils and Mattie who possess artistic creativity and conduct themselves as business professionals. They stick to the storyboard, which is important, and then they do extra shots, bringing their own creative genius. The end product is always glorious. I’ve used them to shoot a TV pilot and for count- less other projects and I’m lucky to have them as business partners.” June 4th marked the premier of “The Biggest Game in Town,” a labor of love for 152 West. This indie feature film tells the story of Atticus Cane, a landscaper, and his cohorts, a realtor and an old mob boss. The trio sets off on a madcap adventure to go back in time and play a legendary poker game. Things go awry when Cane must face his fears to play the best poker player around in “the biggest game in town.” Writer/direc- tor John Nava brought in 152 West to handle the cinematography, visual effects and production. Jason Stebbins, a well- known Morgan Hill resident, has the starring role as Atticus Cane. The movie premiered at Monterey’s historic Golden State Theater. Follow them of Facebook for future show dates. David Buck, Joe Barra, Jayson Stebbins and Ralph Noe star in The Biggest Game in Town, by writer/director John Nava, filmed by 152 West Productions. The film made its debut at Monterey’s Golden State Theater in June 2016. 46 GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN JULY / AUGUST 2016 gmhtoday.com