The Team
Who’s Who
Jess Thomas
Writer/Director/Producer
Jess studied Drama/Film at San Francisco State University. He pursued acting for a short time, and played a detective in LA CONFIDENTIAL. In 2000 he wrote, directed and edited a B-Action-Movie entitled “CHECKING THE GATE” which was picked up for distribution. 2004s “THE SEEKER” a human-interest feature doc, won BEST AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY at THE ROME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. In 2007 he co-wrote, directed and edited the short film "FOREVER" which premiered at "DANCES WITH FILMS FILM FESTIVAL". Also in 2007 his second doc "BEIJING GIRL: MADE IN CHINA" was an OFFICIAL SELECTION OF THE SANTA FE FILM FESTIVAL. In 2017 Jess and Anayancy’s short “LOVE ALWAYS” was nominated for 5 awards at 168 FILM FESTIVAL, and was nominated for Most Inspirational Short at the 2018 INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN FILM FESTIVAL. He recently wrote produced and directed the feature film GOD & SALSA with his partner Anayancy Thomas, which has 15 festival wins and 6 nominations and is currently being distributed worldwide by BMG Global.
Anayancy Thomas
Writer/Producer
Anayancy immigrated to the United States from El Salvador in 1988 due to the civil war. She has worked in the health care field since 2001 at various organizations based in Los Angeles, primarily as a contract administrator. After a personal tragedy she eventually felt called to use her pain to help others facing the same challenges. Over time this evolved into a fictional screenplay and later the completed feature film God & Salsa. Anayancy’s short “LOVE ALWAYS” was nominated for 5 awards at 168 Film Fest, was nominated for Most Inspirational Short at the 2018 International Christian Film Festival. She wrote and produced the Feature film GOD & SALSA with her partner Jess Thomas, which has 15 festival wins and 6 nominations and is currently being distributed worldwide by BMG Global.
Jovanna Vidal
Raquel
Jovanna is well-trained actress who also is a studied dancer specializing in Latin dance. She has worked on a wide range of projects from hosting shows like Disney Vacations and Girls Night Out to Acting in Television shows where she played Dr. Sanchez on TLCs Evil Things. Jovanna has a unique look, spirit, talent and presence that make her perfect for the role of Raquel. She has recently found a huge following on the YOUTUBE SERIES DHAR MANN WHICH HAS 30 BILLION VIEWS...YES BILLION.
Javier Luna
Shane
Javier Luna is a very talented young man and we are blessed to have him. He is a SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER WITH 13 MILLION FOLLOWERS ON TIKTOK. He just finished co-starring in the feature film Mistfit and recently stared on the sitcom “5@305” PRIMO TV/BMT
He is also known for his recurring role of Felipe Diaz on DISNEY’S “VIOLETTA” Javier is also an accomplished musician and vocalist and has performed in music videos by SONY, WARNER MUSIC, and BMT
He is also an accomplished model having worked on campaigns for several clients including ABERCROMBIE & FITCH, and CARTIER.
Sarah Hernandez
Monica
Sarah is a dedicated and very talented actor who brought her delightful personality and creative mindset with her each and every day, helping to set the collaborative tone throughout the duration of the project. She is known for her work on Labor Pains (2009), So Much More (2019) and the hugely successful yet controversial feature film Unplanned (2019).
Brian Fortuna
Matt
Brian Fortuna is a world class competitive dancer turned actor. He brings as much talent and enthusiasm to the set as he did to the dance floor. He is known for his work on The Man Behind the Camera 2021, The Office Mix-Up 2020, Better Than Love 2019, The Arrangement (2014), Parks and Recreation (2009) and Dancing with the Stars (2005). Brian began dancing when he was 4 years old at his mother's dance studio. In addition to his Acting and Dancing careers he is also a teacher and performer for American DanceWheels Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes ballroom and Latin dancing for people with disabilities.
John L. Mastrogiovanni, D.Min.
Pastor John - Technical Advisor
Pastor John was such a blessing to our film, not only did he advise us he also played Pastor John in the film, and if that wasn't enough he also wrote all of the dialog for the role. Pastor John has been an ordained minister for 35 years. His fundamental call is to empower and energize leaders, both young and seasoned, in fulfilling their call and purpose as part of “the Church of the future”. His key assignment is in bringing innovative and foundational concepts of spiritual reality toward Christ’s prayerful mandate to be One (John 17:21). John has earned a Bachelor’s in Biblical Studies, a Master of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry in 1992 and went on to further study of the both the Hebrew language and Hebraic spirituality through several diverse rabbinical scholars for more than a decade. This Hebraic point of view has given John an ability through the Holy Spirit to assess concepts and ideas in the Bible that have been revolutionary and transformative to many on a global level.
Enio Cordoba & Terryl Jones
Choreographers/Perfomers
ENIO CORDOBA & TERRYL JONES – Choreographers/Performers
Enio is a world-renowned competitive dancer who has won the US Championship, and has also placing in numerous worldwide competitions.
He and his partner and wife Terryl Jones continue to instruct and still perform from time to time. They were invited to work on the movie DANCE WITH ME and over six months trained the actors and assisted with choreography both in the ballroom and Salsa scenes. Since then Enio and Terryl performed in over 26 countires, teaching the world to Salsa. Enio Judged the World Salsa Championships for ESPN, the LA Salsa Congress and the country Western World Championships, and TRAINED ICE SKATERS at the Olympic Training center in Colorado Springs.
Pedro Avila AMC
Director of Photography
A Durango native, Pedro Avila launched his career in Mexico City prior to arriving to Los Angeles where he currently resides. He is a 14-year veteran with experience shooting both film and digital. He acquired his lighting skills and learned how to work fast while shooting episodic television for multiple award-winning directors and networks such as NBC/Telemundo, Univision, TV Azteca, Gourmet Channel, and Televisa. Pedro has DP’ed on recently theatrically released feature film Shine (2018), Jack County Demons (2015), and Zulu Six (2015). Pedro has had two nominations for best cinematography for the short film Songbird (2018). Pedro is a member of the International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600) and the Mexican Society of Cinematographers (AMC).