Meet The Cast

Dominique Sachse

Emmy-winning anchor Dominique Sachse serves a community she has proudly called home since 1975. After beginning her career in radio, she joined KPRC-TV in 1993, where she anchors KPRC 2 News’ 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts and works on special reports throughout the year. Some highlights include covering President George Bush’s inauguration in January 2001 and Pope John Paul II’s visit to Mexico City canonizing Juan Diego in 2002.

Dominique has been honored with awards from both the journalism and Houston community, including spot news coverage from The Houston Press Club and the Texas Associated Press. Dominique received the “Outstanding Young Communications Alumna” and “Distinguished Alumni” awards from UH. She was named 2002 and 2007’s “Best Television Personality” by the Houston Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television, and her 10 p.m. newscast continues to win the Emmy for best newscast. Some of her favorites, however, come from the community. Readers of the Houston Press and Houston Chronicle choose Dominique as their favorite when it comes to best newscaster or local personality. She appreciates the recognition.

Another one of Dominique’s greatest joys in her job is working with local students, helping them plan their careers and future. While Dominique clearly enjoys her work, she knows there’s more to life than “what you do.” Without hesitation, she’ll tell you that having her little boy was life’s biggest blessing and her most important job to date.

Frank Billingsley

Frank Billingsley has called Houston home since 1989 and joined KPRC 2 as chief meteorologist in February 1995. Since joining the KPRC 2 team, Frank has received Best Weathercaster awards from the Associated Press seven times, the Houston Press Club four times, the Houston Press newspaper four times and the Dallas Press Club three times. The Houston Chronicle named Frank the “Ultimate Weatherman.” He holds the seals of approval from both the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association.

J.J. Smith

J.J. Smith has appeared in numerous theater productions and is the recipient of many acting and public-speaking awards, including the prestigious Veterans of Foreign Wars “Voice of Democracy” national scholarship. J.J. also hosted the reality-based television special “Hottest Mom in America” and is the owner of WinnerViews, a pageant preparation consulting service. Also known as the ‘pageant whisperer,’ his clients compete in the Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss America pageants, among others, and have won local, state, national and international titles. J.J. also owns the Think Twice Fashions dress and gown boutique in Bellaire (which is featured in the film) and resides in Houston. He enjoys listening to a wide variety of music, interior design, fine dining, collecting Art Deco-era objects in his spare time and relaxing at his lakeside country home in East Texas. Krazy Meets Karma is J. J.’s film acting debut.

Roula

Roula’s family moved to Houston in the 1950’s and own the oldest restaurant in Houston (Christie’s Seafood & Steaks— 88 years and counting!!). While Roula worked her way through school at Christie’s, she delivered food to a radio station back in 1995 and was invited into the studio to watch the DJ work. His name was Paul “Cubby” Bryant and after that night, she knew that radio was the career path she wanted to take.

After graduating, she got a job at KRBE, and after five amazing years at KRBE, was offered a job at Q102 Radio in Philadelphia for the morning position. After three years in Philly, this Houston girl came home. Roula and Ryan had met briefly in New York City of all places, but decided to go for it and see how well two Houston kids could work on a Houston show together. “I really do love what I do every morning, but there is nothing better than to work in the same city where you were raised your whole life and help wake people up with smiles on their faces!!”

Ryan

Ryan started radio in Lufkin, Texas while getting his degree from Stephen F. Austin State University. He hopped all over the country from NY to Dallas to LA, and back home to Houston. Ryan will tell you that he has the best daughter any parent could ask for and although he says he look like a Walker from The Walking Dead because of getting up early every morning, he considers himself a lucky man! Every morning Ryan gets to go in and talk with people that know him better than he knows himself and hang with the people of H-Town! Although very modest, Ryan has also appeared on television shows, such as Days of Our Lives, Passions and Star Trek Enterprise.

Teresa Maron

Teresa turned a solid 15 years of ballet, tap and jazz into a profession when she became a United States Ballroom champion three weeks before her 21^st  birthday.

Her dance credentials landed her a choreographer’s job in theatre where she got the acting bug, and went on to study scripted roles with Werner Klemperer and Improv with Second City. She has performed in commercials, television and spent six years as a principal player in Perfect Fun Improv Company.

Teresa added writer/producer to her resume with a national line of instructional DVDs, best sellers in Barnes and Noble, Wal Mart, and Amazon. They are curriculum standards in colleges nationwide, and in all the public libraries. She is represented by Kultur International Films.

Delilah

Delilah, the most-listened-to-woman on radio in the U.S., embraced the medium when she was a middle-schooler in Reedsport, Oregon, reporting school news and sports on KDUN-AM, a small station in her hometown. Today, her soothing voice, open heart and love of music has expanded her audience from the folks in Reedsport to more than eight million people on over 200 radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. Delilah is also an author whose latest book, “Love Matters,” was released in October of 2008.

As a single mother of 10 children, seven of whom she adopted, Delilah has established a foundation called Point Hope as a voice for forgotten children everywhere. The immediate focus of the Foundation is on refugee children in Ghana and on special needs children in the foster care system nationwide and in her neighborhood of White Center in Seattle.

Delilah loves her work “because it has allowed me to bring together a distinct community of people who reach out to help one another. We don’t try to fix people. We listen. We sympathize. We empathize. If the show has a message, it’s listen to your own gut. Trust your own intuition. Go where it leads. Don’t give up.”

Daily broadcasts, caring for her children, running a foundation, writing books, traveling and public speaking add up to a very busy life for Delilah. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

Deborah Duncan

After a couple of years in radio, Deborah made the switch to television as a reporter at the CBS station in Austin and then became an anchor at the ABC station. She later moved to Dallas, where she started a talk show called “Good Morning Texas” at WFAA-TV, the sister station of KHOU-TV. Deborah and her co-host were eventually asked to anchor the morning news.

After three years, Deborah moved to New York City to co-host a talk show for Lifetime Television called “Our Home.” Although she loved New York City, her heart was still in Texas. When she finished her contract with ABC, Deborah decided it was time to return to her roots in the business, and that was news.   In December 2002, Deborah joined KHOU-TV Channel 11 as an anchor on 11 News This Morning. After six years at the news desk, she returned to the talk show format as host of Great Day Houston. The show, produced locally by KHOU-TV, airs weekdays at 9:00 a.m. on Channel 11.

Deborah Duncan is the recipient of many local and national awards for television excellence, including two Emmy Awards, two Gracie Allen Awards and a Telly Award, amongst other honors. Her achievements on the air, however, are transcended by her commitment and dedication to community service. Deborah is passionate about many causes and chairs numerous community events. In addition, she serves on the National Board of Directors for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and is a Board Member for the Palmer Drug Abuse Program (PDAP).

Ana Maria Martinez

Grammy Award® winner Ana María Martínez’ dramatic range distinguishes her as one of today’s most sophisticated lyric sopranos. Her career spans the world’s greatest opera houses, concert halls, recording studios and movie theaters, and she continues to engage her audiences both with her signature roles and with new and exciting debuts on stage.  Ms. Martinez has portrayed leading roles on the world’s most important stages including with the Bayerische Staatsoper, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Vienna Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera National de Paris, Glyndebourne Festival,  De Nederlandse Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Los Angeles Opera among many others.   Highlights of her many recordings include her solos disc Soprano Songs & Arias, as well as Amor, Vida de Mi Vida with Plácido Domingo, American Dream: Andrea Bocelli’s Statue of Liberty Concert, and most recently, Manon Lescaut, opposite Andrea Bocelli with Plácido Domingo conducting.

Juan Carlos

Juan Carlos is Houston’s very own Montrose rollerblade dancer who made it all the way to the quarterfinals on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”   Juan Carlos and his charm have delighted and entertained commuters every afternoon on the corner of Montrose and Allen Parkway dancing and performing on his skates for the last 15 years. He is all over YouTube and has a huge fan club on Facebook. Juan Carlos has said, “The TV show has opened my doors big time, sparked me up and has been like firecracker in my life.”

Patricia Gras

Patricia Gras is an ardent storyteller who speaks five languages and holds three master’s degrees. She began her career in 1988 as a news reporter and the producer and host of her own award-winning show, “Galveston la Isla Bonita.” She came to Houston PBS (KUHT-TV) in 1990 to host the respected public affairs program “Almanac.” Since 2005 she’s been hosting the award-winning nationally syndicated series “Living Smart with Patricia Gras” to get the most out of life which aired in over 200 PBS channels. In 2008, she also began co-hosting and producing Latina Voices: Smart Talk. She left Houston PBS in 2012 and began her own production company.

Patricia recently wrote a book “The Yin and Yang of a Small Fish in a Big Murky Pond” about her life experiences in the media and wellness.

When Patricia is not editing, you can find her climbing Machu Picchu, bungee jumping in New Zealand, hiking the Camino de Santiago or singing, playing her drums, and composing with her Latin folk-pop and international band. She recently released her fourth album “Simplicity” of her favorite songs and in her spare time loves teaching workshops on digital storytelling.

Sonya Fitzpatrick

Sonya Fitzpatrick is widely regarded as the most experienced and trusted animal communicator in the world. Her extensive work helping animals handle adversity has distinguished her as an expert in the field of animal communication. Sonya hosts Animal Intuition, a popular call-in radio show on Sirius-XM, where thousands of listeners call in each week to discuss their animal issues. In addition to the various lectures and seminars Sonya conducts throughout the year, she also does private readings for clients.

Sonya is the author of three books on animal communication and behavior: There Are No Sad Dogs in Heaven; The Pet Psychic: What the Animals Tell Me; and Cat Talk: The Secrets of Communicating with Your Cat, all available at Amazon.com. The Pet Psychic, Sonya’s hit television series, aired for two seasons on Animal Planet and her pilot, Pet Psychic Encounters, aired on the same network.

Sonya’s clients include everyday people and celebrities alike, including Tori Spelling and Ellen DeGeneres. She has been featured on a number of television shows, including TLC’s show The Little Couple and Animal Planet’s Animal Cops, also appearing as a guest on Live with Kelly and Michael and The Steve Harvey Show and as a commentator on MSNBC. She has been featured on NPR, in People magazine and USA Today and in countless media outlets sharing her expertise and insight on animal behavior. Sonya lives in Texas with her nine cats, four dogs, one horse and three frogs.

Franck Raharinosy

Franck is an actor, writer, producer, ping pong provocateur and co-founder of SPiN, a chain of ping pong social clubs. He lives in New York City.

Wally Green

Wally Green, celebrity table tennis pro/entertainer, grew up in Marlboro Projects in Brooklyn where gangs, violence, and guns were a huge part of his life. Today his life has completely been changed by the sport of table tennis, where he has represented the US in numerous International competitions across the globe. He has also appeared in numerous media outlets, such as USA Today, Daily News, New York Times, Time Out New York, New York Observer, Wall Street Journal, InStyle Magazine online, Today Show, Early Show, K-Swiss commercial, as well as starring in his own iPhone – iPod accessory commercial called the Sinch.

Wally’s most recent appearances were on The Hampton Road Show, The Steve Harvey Show, Housewives of New York, and Fortune magazine. He is also the only table tennis pro
to have an appearance in ESPN magazine. Along with video game giant Rockstar Games, Wally helped create the world’s fi­rst realistic table tennis game which was voted best sports game of the year.

Going under the name “Da Infamous,” Wally is also an international hip hop artist. Japan and Australia are some of his most recent collaborations. He is a fi­erce competitor and true entertainer of the sport. He aspires to change the sport of table tennis worldwide by making it “cool,” “hip,” and entertaining. Inspired by his super intense real-life experiences, he is currently working on an autobiography, titled From the Pistol to the Paddle.

Kazuyuki Yokoyama

More popularly known as “Kaz” or “The Kazmanian Devil,” Yokoyama is an excellent defensive player. Residing in NYC, Kaz has been well-known as the most unique/freakish pro table tennis player & performing artist and one of the icons at NYC’s famous social ping pong club, SPiN New York. He is the best defensive player in the U.S. and is known for his brilliant chopping defense and ability to attack. He was one of the top choppers in Japan when he was playing for the top high school team, winning numerous regional tournaments as well as being one of the top in the national competition in Japan.

Erik Delarosa

Erik Delarosa won a worldwide model search and modeled high fashion ever since he was 20 years old. He decided that he wanted an education as well so he obtained his MBA in Finance. Soon after he graduated he found himself modeling again in the fitness world. He is a cover model and published fitness model. He is an entrepreneur and owns a mustard company called Patsy G and a fitness company called EFIT. Erik is also a recurring guest host on the Dr. Dawn Radio show in Houston and on a reality show in Houston in 2014 and 2015 called Houston Fit where he was the only trainer that was hand picked and did not have to audition. Erik is being sought out for fitness projects as well as film projects due to him being very down to earth, outgoing personality and humbleness.

Rongrong DeVoe

Rongrong DeVoe is a fashion and lifestyle illustrator based in Houston, Texas.  She has been featured on Vogue, InStyle and Buzz Feed. Her clients include Teen Vogue, Neiman Marcus, Maybelline and Saks Fifth Ave.

Michael D. Pearce

Michael D. Pearce is often described as a “Facebook Celebrity” noted for his sarcastic wit and childlike antics.  Surprising to many he is also the father to three children and Senior Legal Counsel for the world’s largest oilfield service company. He has won numerous legal awards and recognitions and has served on a variety of boards, including Recipe for Success, K9s4Cops, the Human Rights Campaign and Houston Children Give Back.  In his time away from work he and his husband he writes a society column blog and a parenting blog for the Houston Chronicle.  They participate in a myriad of community events and programs from building playgrounds for children with disabilities to the reforestation of our city’s great parks.   This year he and his husband chaired the Fresh Arts Gala and will be chairing Dining Out for Life benefiting AIDS Foundation Houston and the Renew & Redo Fashion Show benefiting the Women’s Home.  Even with all that he is still most wildly known for his social media presence even being listed as one of the Most Fascinating People in Houston by the Houston Chronicle.

Lior Melnikov

Lior Melnikov is in the sixth grade and has a strong passion for acting and dancing. Lior previously co-starred in an episode of the Nickelodeon TV show, Nicky Ricky Dicky and Dawn. He also performed for Radio City Spectacular and danced in the HEB Parade. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer, basketball and zooming around on his AirBoard.