Tag Archives: Christine Soltis

We at Grossfest have missed yinz too so we have an event for yinz! Grossfest-o-ween

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(We at Grossfest have missed yinz too so we have an event for yinz!)

Brought to you by

Willow Station Restaurant & Bar

3841 Willow Ave.
Castle Shannon, Pa. 15234
https://www.thewillowstation.com/

Hey yinz looking for a cool little event to celebrate the season? Well how about you check out this event to meet some cool celebs, have some great food, and nice beverages on October 30th, 2021. This cool place opens at 2pm that Saturday. We will have a few guests from 2-3:30ish pm…

https://www.facebook.com/events/421862132512965/?active_tab=discussion

REMEMBER YINZ, ADMISSION IS FREE! You can support by buying food and drinks through our sponsor Willow Station. Any books, movies, or artwork can be purchased through the celebs/guests we have there from 2-3:30pm. Guests are done at 3:30ish but all are welcome to enjoy a great Pittsburgh restaurant and bar from 2-11pm that day.
SO … come hang out, meet a cool celeb to celebrate Halloween, buy some amazing food or a beverage or two, costume contest and party later in the evening, karaoke, so see yinz there!

This lovable duo needs no introduction as they are Pittsburgh film royalty and winners of the Grossfest Lifetime Achievement Award: They are independent film royalty as these two are behind such Indy cult classics “Meat for Satan’s Icebox” and “Fetish Dolls Die Laughing” among working on several other projects throughout the years writing, acting, directing, and have so many stories of working on Hollywood films that were made in Pittsburgh! This duo is known as David and Diana Silvio of Kiss of Death Productions.

Another guest that doesn’t need any introduction as she is one of the most talented and busiest people you could meet! She is the author of Solsticenightsky Productions & Radio, she is a well-established author, dabbles in acting, investigator, bad ass mum, knows way too much about the paranormal, bigfoot, and werewolves, she does it all! Her stories will make you rethink everything going on around you… I present to you: Christine M. Soltis!

Our next guest is more known than people realize… This local man is not just your typical horror author. His writing is influenced by Poe and Lovecraft (my opinion) but based in the darker side of humanity which should scare the shit out of you! He is one of my favorite people to talk to when it comes to authors, artists, radio hosts, music, comic books, artwork, and he has written one of the best post-apocalyptic stories you can ever read! Just don’t ask him about “The Car 2” as he still has nightmares of me showing up at his booth one day… This multi-tasker and crew have just had their podcast picked up by iHeartRadio with their first episode appearing on there about Grossfest, I would like to present to you David Fairhead and crew (Jess Weary, and Robert J Hoglund of Fairly Dark Productions).

This next guest recently unleashed a wonderful independent horror film made on VHS called, “Spirit Animal”! She is putting the finishing touches on her short film “Trash Removal” and in pre-production on “Bathtub Shark”. She has worked on a few other productions and her star as a filmmaker is on the rise. I wish I could bottle her happiness for VHS MOVIES and sell it because it would make the world such a better place, I present to you: Madeline Deering.

Our next guest is a hoot… When he isn’t being a social media “INFLUENCER” he is an author of some spooky and dark stuff in his books he writes. This cool and proud Dad of two tries to scare the pants of all yinz kids with his stories that can feel all too real. When he isn’t busy producing some evil stuff that rolls around in his head this guy also is a big part of the Grossfest group from the beginning to help get the original concept off the ground. He works hard, proud dad, but his heart is dark and belongs to horror, I present to you: Terrence Main!

And for our last guest announcement is a person who is a late bloomer to be an independent horror movie fan and supporter (Jagoff Massacre changed everything)… A person who believed in Grossfest before anyone else and is the main driving force behind the event, I may be the face but he is why it happens, he recently made his film debut in “Spirit Animal” and has several other film appearances coming in the next year or so, he is known for his fishing and nicknamed “the OG” (Original Gross) and he will be there signing copies of “Spirit Animal” and selling Grossfest T-shirts I present to you: The famous and star of “Spirit Animal”… Tom Gross!

The second guest for Grossfest-o-ween on October 30th!

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Another guest that doesn’t need any introduction as she is one of the most talented and busiest people you could meet! She is the author of Solsticenightsky Productions & Radio, she is a well-established author, dabbles in acting, investigator, bad ass mum, knows way too much about the paranormal, bigfoot, and werewolves, she does it all! Her stories will make you rethink everything going on around you… I present to you: Christine M. Soltis!

Willow Station Restaurant & Bar3841 Willow Ave., Castle Shannon, Pa. 15234https://www.thewillowstation.com/(Event is free but please support the restaurant/bar, full menu will be available when it opens at 2pm! And they will be having a party and Halloween costume contest later in the evening)

Happy Grossfest-o-Ween event

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Posted on by

(We at Grossfest have missed yinz too so we have an event for yinz!)Brought to you by Willow Station Restaurant & Bar

Hey yinz looking for a cool little event to celebrate the season? Well how about you check out this event to meet some cool celebs, have some great food, and nice beverages on October 30th, 2021. This cool place opens at 2pm that Saturday. We will have a few guests from 2-3:30pm…

David and Diana Silvio of Kiss of Death Productions – They are independent film royalty as these two are behind such Indy cult classics “Meat for Satan’s Icebox” and “Fetish Dolls Die Laughing” among working on several other projects throughout the years writing, acting, directing!

Christine M. Soltis author of Solsticenightsky Productions & Radio – Author, actor, investigator, she does it all as she is known for her several wonderful books that cover everything from the paranormal to stories that makes rethink what is going on around you…

David Fairhead, Jess Weary, and Robert J Hoglund of Fairly Dark Productions – Authors, artists, radio host, music… Comic books, artwork, music, and some of the best post-apocalyptic stories you can ever read is what these fine people are all about!

Madeline Deering of NekroShark Films – A fresh face to the independent filmmaking world who didn’t just make a movie but a love letter to S.O.V. days of movies with her recent release of “Sprit Animal”! And several projects in the works…

REMEMBER YINZ, ADMISSION IS FREE! You can purchase and support by buying food and drinks through our sponsor Willow Station. Any books, movies, or artwork can be purchased through the celebs/guests we have there from 2-3:30pm. Guests are done at 3:30 but all are welcome to enjoy a great Pittsburgh restaurant and bar from 2-11pm that day.

SO … come hang out, meet a cool celeb to celebrate Halloween, and buy some amazing food or a beverage or two, see yinz there!

Willow Station Restaurant & Bar
3841 Willow Ave.
Castle Shannon, Pa. 15234
https://www.thewillowstation.com/

Ghosts, demons, occult figures… Paranormal Panel on 11-8-14

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Soltice

Ghosts, demons, occult figures…

 

Are you a closet believer, an avid ghost hunter or a skeptic? Join us to discuss this topic at Rickert & Beagle Books! Panelists include Matt Demas, Kelley Sparks, Tim Gross, Nick Noir and Moderator Christine M. Soltis. Check out their bios below:

 

Matt Demas: Panelist

 

Matt Demas aka the Demon Zombie, is an author in the horror genre. He wrote a three story zombie series and later republished the 3 sequences in 1 full length novel under the title, The Fall of Pittsburgh. He did this in order to break free from a notorious, scheming publishing company. In 2010, he founded Demon Zombie Projects and later published his first title of new material in late 2013.

 

Matt Demas is an unorthodox writer, but that is where his passion is, horror in particular.

 

Outside of writing, he used to do ghost hunting and haunted tours. After a fallout with his founding partner, he went out on his own. He no longer did tours. He stuck with the ghost hunting and paranormal research. He mostly did private investigations and house calls. After 2010 he hung it up and began to focus more on his DZP label. Matt Demas is from the zombie capital and has a goal to break into the film industry and make an impact in the horror films and change it for the better.

 

 

Kelley Sparks: Panelist

 

Kelley Sparks is a single mom of 2 beautiful kids who took up the hobby of ghost hunting in the latter part of 2008. She joined the Southwestern Pennsylvania Paranormal Society fronted by Joe Ciferno. As a member, She was lucky enough to have experienced a number of various happenings including shadow figures, voices, evp’s pictures, email hits and even being tripped on a tour of Nemacolin castle. The group has investigated various cemeteries including Redstone and Quaker, did home investigations, Nemacolin Castle and Darr mine.

 

When that Group disbanded, she was lucky to find a group out of Greensburg called Mystic PA. As a member of Mystic, she also had many experiences in cemeteries, homes and Hillview Manor. They were lucky at one point to have been invited to investigate and work at Brooke Hills Spooktacular in West Virginia. Those investigations involved an old Victorian home where many members of the team had experienced activity while working the spook house.

 

At present, she is not involved in ghost hunting but would very much love to start doing it again.

 

 

Tim Gross: Panelist

 

Tim has a more skeptical viewpoint on the paranormal. He is a rare breed of horror movie fan in the same spirit of Chilly Billy, Joe Bob Briggs, and Rhonda Shear that makes you want to see or should I say experience bad horror films. But Tim and his trusty Yuengling beer in hand has a knack for spewing out random information about Full Moon films that Charles Band doesn’t even know, condensing the most absurd sequels to horror films into a paragraph, and points out some very hidden gems of horror films that many do not know about.

 

His writings of movie reviews, good or bad, has found him respect among many independent filmmakers as he takes the time to watch anything sent his way from Jon McBride to Fred Vogel to a random never heard of filmmaker in Finland recently.

 

Between his ramblings, he has also found himself in several independent film features as an extra to a few speaking roles that has eventually led him to directing a short film and co-directing a feature in the past 12 months. And all this in the search of free beer and free horror movies in hopes of willing a new Leprechaun sequel or starring in the next Puppet Master flick or just living the dream of watching, making, and being a part of fun horror films!

 

 

Nick Noir: Panelist

 

Nick Noir is the owner/operator of The Eyes of the Oracle. A natural witch, hailing from the Black Mountains of North Carolina, he comes from a long line of witches, freemasons, tarot readers and spiritual guides.

 

The Eyes of the Oracle offers spiritual guidance through tarot readings, house blessings, spell jars, and spiritual jewelry. His focus is to combine mind, body, and soul

by use of energy work, crystal healing, and communication with Spirit.

 

Nick has been a practicing spiritualist for all of his life without actually knowing what he was preparing for! Over the past 5 years he has grown very insightful into tarot, crystal healing, ritual magic and communicating with

other worldly beings.

 

 

Christine M. Soltis: Panelist/Arranger/Moderator

 

Christine M. Soltis is an author, actress, scientist and lover of all things intellectual. She has written dozens of books and countless articles, acted in a handful of shows, arranged panels, travelled a great deal and is always ready for the next stimulating event. She has degrees in Broadcasting and Environmental Studies. Her books can also be found on amazon.com.

 

Christine has always had a fascination with supernatural and otherworldly beings and creates journalistic/arts episodes via SolsticeNightSky Productions, which features panels, science, travel, artists and events in the local area. These episodes can be found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/SolsticeNightSky

 

Christine will be acting as co-host for tv show Serotonin After Dark beginning in October 2014. Christine also works in the field of private investigations. Her additional interests include travel, time travel, futuristic societies and countless other items.

 

Ghosts, demons, occult figures…

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Are you a closet believer, an avid ghost hunter or a skeptic? Join us to discuss this topic at Rickert & Beagle Books! Panelists include Kelley Sparks, Tim Gross, Nick Noir and Moderator Christine M. Soltis. Check out their bios below:

 

 

Kelley Sparks: Panelist

 

Kelley Sparks has worked with Southwestern Pennsylvania Paranormal Society, among others, to investigate and study paranormal activity in haunted places; they have been featured in news articles for their work.

 

Detailed bio details will be coming soon.

 

 

Tim Gross: Panelist

 

Tim has a more skeptical viewpoint on the paranormal. He is a rare breed of horror movie fan in the same spirit of Chilly Billy, Joe Bob Briggs, and Rhonda Shear that makes you want to see or should I say experience bad horror films. But Tim and his trusty Yuengling beer in hand has a knack for spewing out random information about Full Moon films that Charles Band doesn’t even know, condensing the most absurd sequels to horror films into a paragraph, and points out some very hidden gems of horror films that many do not know about.

 

His writings of movie reviews, good or bad, has found him respect among many independent filmmakers as he takes the time to watch anything sent his way from Jon McBride to Fred Vogel to a random never heard of filmmaker in Finland recently.

 

Between his ramblings, he has also found himself in several independent film features as an extra to a few speaking roles that has eventually led him to directing a short film and co-directing a feature in the past 12 months. And all this in the search of free beer and free horror movies in hopes of willing a new Leprechaun sequel or starring in the next Puppet Master flick or just living the dream of watching, making, and being a part of fun horror films!

 

 

Nick Noir: Panelist

 

Nick Noir is the owner/operator of The Eyes of the Oracle. A natural witch, hailing from the Black Mountains of North Carolina, he comes from a long line of witches,freemasons, tarot readers and spiritual guides.

 

The Eyes of the Oracle offers spiritual guidance through tarot readings, house blessings, spell jars, and spiritual jewelry. His focus is to combine mind, body, and soul

by use of energy work, crystal healing, and communication with Spirit.

 

Nick has been a practicing spiritualist for all of his life without actually knowing what he was preparing for! Over the past 5 years he has grown very insightful into tarot, crystal healing, ritual magic and communicating with

other worldly beings.

 

 

Christine M. Soltis: Panelist/Arranger/Moderator

 

Christine M. Soltis is an author, actress, scientist and lover of all things intellectual. She has written dozens of books and countless articles, acted in a handful of shows, arranged panels, travelled a great deal and is always ready for the next stimulating event. She has degrees in Broadcasting and Environmental Studies. Her books can also be found on amazon.com.

 

Christine has always had a fascination with supernatural and otherworldly beings and creates journalistic/arts episodes via SolsticeNightSky Productions, which features panels, science, travel, artists and events in the local area. These episodes can be found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/SolsticeNightSky

 

Christine will be acting as co-host for tv show Serotonin After Dark beginning in October 2014. Christine also works in the field of private investigations. Her additional interests include travel, time travel, futuristic societies and countless other items.

 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1651835591709596/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

 

Soltice

Artificial Intelligence in the Cyber Age Panel

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Come hang out with us next Saturday… Bring us a beverage, people know I like Yuengling but that Christine M. Soltis is crazy in a good way because I think she likes Box wine!!!? But in all seriousness come out and check out me the crazy beer drinking hobo hang with the smart people and discuss A.I. aka me screaming about X-files… Then check out the great selection of books at Chris Rickert‘s bookstore! — at Rickert & Beagle Books.

https://www.facebook.com/events/432181823585790/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

 

Panel photo

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE CYBER AGE PANEL

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE CYBER AGE PANEL

 Panel photo

 Artificial intelligence funding is on the rise. What is the next step towards innovation? Come to the panel for an intellectual discussion.

 

 Discuss artificial intelligence technology in a realistic vs. fiction depiction of the future. Speak with Moderator Tim Gross, Panelists Jake Morris, Jason T Swinchock and Christine M. Soltis. Special thanks to Rickert & Beagle Books for hosting this event.

 

 Saturday, May 3rd, 2014 at 2PM

 

 3233 West Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15216,  412-344-7444 .Visit Rickert & Beagle Books and SolsticeNightSky Productions on Facebook for more event info.

 

 PANELIST BIOS HAVE BEEN INCLUDED BELOW:

 

 Jake Morris: Panelist

 I was raised in NC originally, then moved to the Pittsburgh area in 2003. My father is a retired marine of 24 years service (MSgt). So that begs the question how I went from NC to PA. Simple. I met my wife while on a short outing with a band I played with in high school. We were friends online, meeting through a heavy metal Yahoo chatroom. Her family was warming and very welcoming, and I loved the rolling hills and dense foliage, reminding me of the Shenandoah Valley from which my father’s family hails; I moved up pretty hastily.

 I graduated from Cal U with a bachelor degree in Computer Engineering Technology. Keep in mind this isn’t a full blown engineering degree. As a technologist we are trained to interpret the schematics and designs constructed by the full engineers and implement them in real life. A good analogy is to consider the following: Engineers solve the problems of tomorrow, while technologists solve the problems of today. I also finished up with a minor in mathematics, allowing me to get into grad school if I desired. Ok, so you’re wondering what in the hell do CETs do anyway? We are a blend of software engineering and electrical engineering. We specialize in embedded systems. In other words, we make the hardware talk/communicate to other devices. Low level programming, usually in a processor’s assembly code or in ANSI C, acts as the foundation. This equips us with the ability to design simple circuitry and enable multiple avenues of functionality with complex software. “Low-level” programming does not mean its introductory level or beginner level programming, but rather on the hierarchy of a system. You need hardware to run the device, and software to give it intelligence. High level programming involves object oriented paradigms, including some interpreted languages as well. A good example of this would be C#.NET, C++, Ruby, etc. In terms of robotics and AI, the computer science people develop the algorithms and logical functionality, while the engineers would create a means for the hardware to act upon the software.

 I work in the steel industry as a process control engineer. I program and trouble shoot the automation on our manufacturing lines as well as wite HMIs for the operators to use. I mainly use Linux (Red Hat), VMS (DCL scripting), and Windows 7 for daily, rudamentary tasks. As far as languages go: C++, C#.NET, VB6.NET, VB, Fortran, VBScript, ba$h script w/ reg. expressions, java6, Citect SCADA pkg 7.2 SP 3, Python, jQuery, HTML, CSS, SQL….pretty much a huge chunk of the top players in programming languages.

 On a personal and casual note, I am a HUGE fan of music, particularly on the heavy side of things. I have two bands, Steel City Firm (hardcore/thrash) and Sidle Oak (“druid metal” i.e. dark acoustic, minor keys, clean vox, keys, and some distortion for effect). I also am a fan of fantasy and sci-fi. I paint, ink, and write poetry when the mood strikes me. I collect tattoos and have a critical caffeine addiction accompanied by Type 2 Diabeetus.

 

 Jason T Swinchock: Panelist

 

 Jason Swinchock is an Operations Manager for a metal manufacturing company and is also the CEO of his own media production company, E-Nertia Global Entertainment. He has been writing short stories for 15 years and has been producing films and videos for the last 6 years.

 

 Jason graduated, with honors, in 2002 from California University of Pennsylvania and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. During his time in college Jason specialized in writing computer programs dealing with statistics, probabilities and artificial intelligent problem-solving.

 

 In 2010, one of his short films, “Her Choices,” finished #11 in the world out of 50 finalists in the International Armchair Film Festival. In 2011, his 3rd short film, A Chemical Skyline, became a best-seller on Amazon.com in the monster horror category for 6 weeks in a row.

 

 Jason’s dream is to one day be able to work with a movie budget big enough for him to write and direct a science fiction “epic film,” in which its current pitch is “2001: Space Odyssey” meets “Saving Private Ryan.”

 

 Jason lives in Washington, PA with his wife, Laura.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Christine M. Soltis: Panelist/Arranger/Moderator

 

 Christine M. Soltis’ deepest passion is in fiction writing and has been for the past ten years. She has written 20 books, including several non-fiction international co-creations. Many of her novels can be accessed via Amazon.com. In addition, she is co-writer on various film scripts and does freelance writing, including scientific topics.

 

 She has contributed articles to various magazines including The Globe, The Front Weekly, Verdure Magazine, The Yahoo Network, EscapeWizard.com, whatscheaper.com, Ravenous Monster and WIP Arts. In 2011, she was an exhibitor at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

 

 In addition to her writing, she made her acting debut in A Chemical Skyline, which was an Amazon best-seller for monster horror. In 2012, she lived in Los Angeles, California and was able to take part in a 15 minute, nationally syndicated courtroom drama that aired on Fox and the CW network, among others.

 

 For her first degree, she attended Point Park College for Broadcasting and worked in newsradio for a decade. Christine has completed her Masters of Science in Environmental Studies, which has heightened her appreciation for Earth and science.

 

 Besides releasing books, Christine has begun a journalistic/arts “webisode” via SolsticeNightSky Productions, which features panels, science, travel, artists and events in the local area. These episodes can be found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/SolsticeNightSky

 

 Christine now works in the field of private investigations. Her additional interests include travel, time travel, futuristic societies and countless other items.

 

 

 

 Tim Gross: Moderator

 

 Tim is a rare breed of horror movie fan in the same spirit of Chilly Billy, Joe Bob Briggs, and Rhonda Shear that makes you want to see or should I say experience bad horror films. But Tim and his trusty Yuengling beer in hand has a knack for spewing out random information about Full Moon films that Charles Band doesn’t even know, condensing the most absurd sequels to horror films into a paragraph, and points out some very hidden gems of horror films that many do not know about.

 

 His writings of movie reviews, good or bad, has found him respect among many independent filmmakers as he takes the time to watch anything sent his way from Jon McBride to Fred Vogel to a random never heard of filmmaker in Finland recently.

 

 Between his ramblings, he has also found himself in several independent film features as an extra to a few speaking roles that has eventually led him to directing a short film and co-directing a feature in the past 12 months. And all this in the search of free beer and free horror movies in hopes of willing a new Leprechaun sequel or starring in the next Puppet Master flick or just living the dream of watching, making, and being a part of fun horror films!

 

https://www.facebook.com/events/432181823585790/