The next Akakū Upstairs salon falls on the Third Thursday of the month, May 18th 2023, where our guests will be the local creators of the animated keiki series, The Peek-a-Bows! Join us for a colorful screening and discussion with the writers, characters and voices; Gerilyn Hewahewa, Cyndi Mayo-Akeo and Patty Lee! Meet their animator, Michael Q. Ceballos of Twiddle Productions Inc. based on Oahu. Discover how these Maui women came to collaborate and create their place-based cultural program and team up with Michael. Learn about their production process AND whatʻs happening in the animation industry in Hawai'i too! 

Register for free here (bit.ly/Akaku-Upstairs-Peekabows) - seating is limited. The event will be held at Akakū's Upstairs Media Lab, Suite 205. Doors open at 5:30pm to allow guests to connect prior to the salon, which runs from 6:00pm - 7:30pm. This salon will be recorded and will later air on Akakū Blue - Channel 55, on demand on akaku.org and on our free mobile app MauiStream. We look forward to bringing Maui Nui together once again to share, learn, and be inspired by local stories, elevating community and conversation.

Akakū Maui Community Media is an independent, non-profit corporation established in 1992 to promote the creation of media by, for, and about our community. For more information, please visit www.akaku.org. Contact: info@akaku.org or call (808) 871-5554.

Gerilyn Hewahewa plays Lena (the yellow and green Peek-a-Bow). She has been a professional entertainer since the age of fifteen, performing in lūʻau shows around Maui. She was also an OC16 TV Host for a local production about business entitled Self-Made in Hawaiʻi. Geri is a mother of three girls and is also a songwriter who has released a few solo music singles, writing lyrics and melodies for The Peek-a-Bows.

Cyndi Mayo-Akeo is a locally known actress, singer, and dancer.  Her most recent appearances were in Magnum PI,  "Aloha With Love" (aired on Hallmark), local short films "Last Taxi Dance" and "Wilder Palms", "Hereafter" (director Clinton Eastwood), and the series "Last Resort".  She has been seen in many commercials as the A.I.G. spokesperson and print ads, the most recent being  Brighthouse International and the Aulani Disney Resort. Cyndi loves the theatre and the stage and was in the cast of a revival tour of "Dreamgirls'' with Jennifer Holliday, dancer with the local band 'Island Rumours' with Mick Fleetwood, Legends in Concert as "Janet Jackson'',  and Magic of Polynesia as a magician's assistant. She has also been a Host on MauiToday.TV, Maui Milepost, and HawaiionTV, a co-anchor with Jeff King on MauiTVNews, and an Emcee/Singer for Malu Productions on the Norwegian Cruiseline. Cyndi was a lead Vocalist and is known as the "Voice of Ulalena" in the award winning show 'Ulalena.

Patty Lee plays Poni (the purple and blue Peek-a-Bow). Patty Lee is a Maui actress, model, and on-air host. She has had roles in television, film, and theater. Patty has appeared in the Lifetime Film Deadly Yoga Retreat, on Magnum P. I., and has been seen in commercials. She is the voice of the lead character, Temeo, in the new animated series Ocean Black, and can be heard on 99.9 KISS FM as the midday host.

Michael Q. Ceballos is the CEO/Founder/Director of Twiddle Productions Inc. With over 25 years of experience in the animation and game industries, he has worked on projects like Duckman, Nickelodeon's The Angry Beavers, and Comedy Central's Kid Notorious based on the life of legendary producer of the Godfather, Robert Evans. In 2005, he relocated to Hawaii and created educational games and films, including the award-winning Maisa the Chamoru Girl who saved Guahan and the E Hoʻomau! series. In 2013, he directed and produced Ola Na Iwi: Hāloa, an animated short film about the origins of the Hawaiian people. His recent projects include Moho, The Booze Fairy series of books, Titration: Radioactive Waste, Princeton, and the Navajo Nation, an award-winning short animated film created in association with Princeton University and Nā Kama Kai's Maka‘ala Bay: Lessons from the Sea. Currently, Michael is working on the Peek-a-Bows and Tales of Armenian Hope: The Kids Crusade, in association with The Shoah foundation at USC. Additionally, he is passionate about education and has created the Keiki series of STEAM educational classes, including Keiki Animation, Keiki Drawing, Keiki Robotics, and Keiki Coding, a program that teaches kids how to create and code video games. Michael is also a founder and producer of CAFF, The Cultural Animation Film Festival, which takes place yearly at The Honolulu Museum of Art Doris Duke Theatre. For more information, please visit www.twiddleproductions.com.

Photo Attached:

Caption Photo 1: Akakū Upstairs welcomes local creators of the animated keiki series, The Peek-a-Bows to their salon series for a screening and discussion at this monthly community outreach program taking place on May 18th.

Caption Photo 2: The Peek-a-Bows from left to right: Gerilyn Hewahewa, Cyndi Mayo-Akeo, and Patty Lee

Caption Photo 3: CEO/Founder/Director of Twiddle Productions Inc, Michael Q. Ceballos working at his animation table.