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Roberta "Gigi" Bannister

Position: Trustee Area 1
Term: Next Election 2026

Roberta “Gigi” Bannister: President/CEO - Production Magic, Inc.; President - Crestline Creative Arts Foundation; Vice President – Ya’Doggie Music Veteran (Grenada Era), Certified Notary Signing Agent, Producer, Director, Actress, Special Effects Artist: Gigi "Fast Elk" has been in the film and entertainment industry for almost 45 years. Married in Big Bear (and Long Beach) to actor/producer/musician, Reggie Bannister, they reside in Crestline/Lake Gregory. She is a Texas transplant, mother of twin daughters and grandmother. The Bannisters moved to the San Bernardino Mountain in 2003 and immediately became active in the community when she was told “There is nothing for teenagers to do here.” Subsequently, Gigi served on the Crestline/Lake Gregory Chamber of Commerce and formed the Crestline Creative Arts Foundation for local youth and veterans. In 2012, Gigi returned to school (Riverside City College) and in 2016 earned an Associate of Science Degree with Distinction in Film, Television and Video and Certificate in Production Services. She is one ABA class away from completing a second A.S. Degree in Legal Studies from Cerritos where she was Phi Theta Kappa and Phi Beta Lambda. In her younger days, she was a volunteer Firefighter and was trained at Texas A&M Fire Academy. She also went through training with Community Emergency Rescue Team (CERT) program and works closely with police, COPS, fire and County when organizing events locally. As a Location Scout and Film Producer/Director, Gigi has worked with property owners, realtors and the Inland Empire Film Commission to bring many films to the mountain community which contributes to the local economy, bed tax, retail tax, local hire and branding of Crestline and Lake Gregory area as an Independent Film Friendly Location Destination. Gigi’s SFX work appeared in USA Today for “The Walking Dead Premiere” for San Diego Comic Con. She has performed Battlefield Effects and Mass Casualty/Moulage Makeup on multiple occasions at ROW High School (and Barstow HS) for the bi-annual "Every 15 Minutes" (high school Anti-Drunk Driving Program). Her pet community service projects have been Haunted Houses and Free Film Camps for local youths and Veterans under her non-profit, the Crestline Creative Arts Foundation, in addition to either providing logistics, volunteering for, or operating: P.O. Box 8 ·26577 St. Hwy 18 Rimforest, CA 92378 | TEL: (909) 337-7275 | www.rim-rec.org  Jamboree Days & Parade (Volunteer and Chair)  Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) (Volunteer)  Old Fashioned Family Picnic (Volunteer)  Crestline Wreath Project (CCDA Volunteer)  Daffodil Planting (CCDA Volunteer)  Chamber of Commerce (Past Board Member)  Crestline Theater (2003 Past Manager)  Easter Duck Derby (Volunteer)  Crestline Urban Legends Haunted Village (Organizer, CCAF)  Halloween Children’s Fingerprinting (Organizer, CCAF)  National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (Volunteer/Organizer)  Crestline Carnival (Volunteer)  Big Bear Horror Film Festival (Co-Organizer)  Lake Arrowhead Film Festival (Volunteer) As a community organizer:  Stop Taking Our Parks (STOP) (Organizer)  Mountain, Rivers Conservancy (Volunteer)  Sierra Club Beach Clean Up (Volunteer)  “Plastic Ocean” with Captain Charles Moore (Volunteer)  Break the Breakwater, Long Beach (Volunteer)  Port of Long Beach Coalition (Volunteer)  Scherer Park Pow Wow, Long Beach (Organizer)  Scherer Park California Cruisin’ Car Show (Organizer)  Native American Day Mayor’s Proclamation (Organizer)  Long Beach Homeless Town Hall (Organizer)  Clean Up Lake Gregory (Organizer)  Film Lake Gregory (Organizer)  Glendale/Burbank Legal Secretaries Association (Past President) Gigi feels very strongly that “Families and our mountains are inseparable. What affects one affects the other,” and that parks and recreation must be “…As accessible and affordable to those who live and work in our mountain communities as it is to those who visit.” – Roberta “Gigi” Bannister

ROWRPD_Gigi-Bannister-Bio_Website-cbck12042018.pdf
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