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WHITE BALL PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

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Howard
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Howard Elson
GRANDPA (AL ANDROWSKI)


Howard, actually DR. Elson, is a semi-retired pediatric dentist who’s been performing professionally on stage, screen, TV and radio for over 50 years.

He’s had his own sports talk show, award winning sports commentaries on KDKA Radio, performed his dental show, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Dr. Howard Elson,” throughout North America and toured his cabaret show throughout the Northeast for Israel Bonds. 

Like “Grandpa,” he’s an Army veteran of the Vietnam War era and still, in his mid-70’s, pitches in Adult Senior baseball tournaments and has 9 National Championship rings to prove it. Howard’s favorite roles include Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof,” Fagin in “Oliver,” Fredrik in “A Little Night Music” and Willie Clark in “The Sunshine Boys.”

He recently concluded an acclaimed run of the smash hit musical, “Caroline, or Change” at The Actors’ Playhouse at Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida, and can be seen as Isador Strauss in the recently released feature film, “Unsinkable, The Titanic Movie.”

Tori
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Tori Flanders
SHORTY (LIZZY ANDROWSKI)

 

Tori is an active 12 year old from Ebensburg, PA. She enjoys musical theater and has participated in numerous productions including Trolls, Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Matilda Jr., Matilda, and The Newsies. 

 

Tori is a member of Hellbender Aquatics swim team and enjoys playing volleyball. During her free time, Toris enjoys Broadway musicals, pop music, and hanging out with friends. 

 

Her role as 'Shorty' in White Ball Productions' 'Grandpa and Shorty' has been her favorite role to date and she hopes to continue acting in the future. 

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Sé Marie Volk
MOM (THERESA ANDROWSKI)
 

After earning an acting degree in 2011, Sé Marie Volk began her film career as a stunt double for Rachel McAdams and Vinessa Shaw. She then transitioned into acting full-time, leading several feature films to major film festivals, including “Career Opportunities in Organized Crime” (South by Southwest Film Festival 2016) and “Careful Not to Cry” (Toronto International Film Festival 2017).
 

In 2020, Sé starred in a live Zoom play titled “Water Child”, which featured an international cast and was critically praised as the first live Zoom theatre production, and she produced/directed/starred in an original web series titled “A Very Covid Christmas”, which won three 2021 Telly Awards. She was also the winner of the 2020 international Glorioso Casting One Minute Monologue Competition.
 

Sé had a featured role in “Unsinkable”, a period-piece drama about the aftermath of the Titanic, which had a limited theatre run in 2024 and is now streaming on Amazon Prime, as well as the comedy feature film “Movers Ultimate”, which can also be viewed on Amazon Prime. She also lead the sci-fi short film “Artificial Existence”, which won many international film festival awards in 2022, and can be seen in the upcoming shorts films “NWL: National Wrestling League”, “Grandpa & Shorty, and “Stay” (produced by the George R. Romero Foundation).

 

Sé currently resides in Los Angeles and studies with The Markland Studio.

Curtis
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Curtis Caldwell
DAD (JOSEPH ANDROWSKI)

Curtis Caldwell is a film actor and model whom you may have seen in the internationally released feature film Rising Fear (America Has Fallen), Lifetime’s drama The Bad Guardian, or the side-splitting comedy Sprung on FreeVee. 

As an actor, Curtis built his foundation in Shakespeare, Stanislavsky, and a dash of improv, studying at the New Actors Workshop (NYC), The Purple Rose Theatre (MI), as well as the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (PA) in between his studies toward a Bachelors of Elementary Education. 

Curtis has been performing on stage and screen for over 20 years and has brought in multiple Best Acting Awards and Nominations along the way.  Curtis continues to work with local filmmakers and strives to collaborate with other passionate, forward-thinking minds to create thought-provoking and entertaining stories. 

You can find more content and information about Curtis and his projects at
www.Curtis-Caldwell.com or follow him on Instagram @curtisclone

Chase
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Chase Oberhaus
LUKE
 

Chase Oberhaus lives is northeast Ohio and enjoys acting, singing, dancing and sports. He has participated in many local theater productions at Cleveland Play House, The Beck Center, and Weathervane Playhouse.

 

This is his second movie and he hopes to be in many more! A great theater enthusiast, Chase is always searching for a great story that he could turn into a stage musical! One day, he hopes to perform on Broadway. 

 

https://www.backstage.com/u/chase-oberhaus/

@chase.oberhaus

Layla
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Layla Pritt
ZOEY

Layla is 10 years old from Milton, West Virginia where she lives with her parents and older brother Landon.

This is her second role in a movie and her love for acting continues to grow. She also has a love for the stage. Her talents are diverse and include tennis, volleyball and softball, in addition to her eight years of training in dance.She also enjoys singing and has trained in piano, her training has led to tremendous growth in both over the last
several years.

Most of all she enjoys being a kid, playing with her best friends and her dog Rosie.

Mark
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Mark Henne
JOHNNY

Mark is a Freshman at Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh, PA.

He has been acting and performing since he was 10 years old and has been awarded Best Supporting Actor: Green Mountain Christian Film Festival 2020 for Song of the Tree Frogs and Best Young Actor: Los Angeles Film Awards 2019 for Lucid Nation.

Mark is represented by Docherty Talent Agency in Pittsburgh and Treasure Coast Talent in California.

Jeff
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Jeff Balmert
DIRECTOR

Jeff has spent 17 years working in the film and television production field as a director and producer.  

After graduating from 
Duquesne University, he began working at KDKA-TV.  He then received his master’s degree from
Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center

Jeff is also a professional voiceover artist, working with some of the  biggest and most well-known clients all across the country.
jeffbalmert.com

Jeff co-founded White Ball Productions, a film production company, in 2015 with his business partner John Rokosz.
 

John
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John Rokosz
WRITER / COMPOSER
 

John received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Composition from Duquesne University, and has a lifelong passion for the creative process. His writing portfolio ranges from screenplays, to film and video game soundtracks, to concert and sacred music.

He became a co-founder and owner of
White Ball Productions after collaborating on several film projects with his college friend, Jeff Balmert.

John lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and son, and is a choir director and freelance musician when he’s not writing. 


You can see John’s full bio, resume, and portfolio at johnrokosz.com, and his film work at whiteballproductions.com.

Dax
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Dax Parise
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
 

Dax is the President and Executive Producer of Untitled, a multi-disciplinary film company based in Pittsburgh with capabilities worldwide.

 

Employing strategists and designers with experience in all aspects of visual communication, Untitled helps clients tell their stories powerfully, creatively, and thoughtfully.

 

Dax most recently served as the President and Executive Producer of Uppercut Studios.

 

With a career in advertising and video production spanning more than 20 years, his work has been recognized with multiple national and regional advertising awards.

Ember
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Ember Cleary
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
 

As a passionate storyteller, Ember uses every shot to tell a story unique to its subject. The use of interpretive lighting and framing in her cinematography conveys the story to the viewer. In collaboration with other artists, Ember turns concepts into aesthetically pleasing, story driven finished projects.

 

Ember is greatly inspired by Renaissance art, film noir, and modern cinema. These inspirations play an important role in her conceptual photography works, which she uses to discuss important issues facing today’s society. The goal of her photographs is to impact the audience and give them a better understanding of these issues.

embercleary.com

Katie
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Katie Mielo
PRODUCER

Katie is an assistant producer at
Untitled.

Working her way up from production assistant, to production coordinator, and finally production secretary for the major motion picture A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood; Katie has gained knowledge and is prepared for the exciting and challenging role of producing.

Sara
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Sara Liberto
PRODUCTION MANAGER

Sara received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005. She then received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2009. She has been a practicing attorney since passing the Pennsylvania Bar in 2010.

Sara was new to the film industry when she joined
White Ball Productions in 2015, as the Director of Public Relations. Since then, she has also acted as Prop Master, Set Photographer, and Production Manager.

Sara lives in Pittsburgh, and in her spare time she enjoys reading, writing, and traveling.

 

info@whiteballproductions.com
© Copyright 2024 White Ball Productions. All Rights Reserved. 'Grandpa and Shorty'. Pittsburgh Film.

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