.png)
BASTROP — From celebrity appearances to high-f lying stunt performances, the four-day Lights, Cameras, Bastrop event brought Hollywood energy to Mayfest Park and beyond last week.
The action-packed celebration featured vendors, film workshops, seminars, live entertainment and school visits, coordinated by Mark Anthony Baca, an Austin native and head of McDade’s Extreme Force Hollywood Stunts.
The event toured eight Bastrop Independent School District campuses in a three-day span, where Baca and other celebrity guests spoke to students about bullying and perseverance.
In addition to the positive message, organizers say the event aimed to blend community engagement with cinematic flair—and set the stage for more film-focused events as Bastrop’s entertainment industry presence grows.
Among the many local vendors were Kim Olen and Richard “RB” Brown, who joined forces to promote Olen’s new business, Indigo Earth Originals. Brown said he met Baca earlier this year and was intrigued by the event’s focus and potential.
“With the new movie studio coming into Bastrop, these types of events are going to grow,” Brown said.
Other highlights included a magic show by Kex Lang, a pizza party hosted by Ernie Reyes Jr. of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fame and a VIP meet-and-greet Friday evening at the Hampton Inn–Bastrop ballroom.
The grand finale Saturday at Mayfest Park showcased live stunt demonstrations, a cosplay contest and a screening of the 1993 film “Blood In, Blood Out.”
Celebrity appearances on Saturday included:
• Jesse Borrego and Victor Rivas Rivers, actors from “Blood In, Blood Out”
• Taylor Murphy of “Dragon Ball Z”
• Michael Copon of “Power Rangers”
• Anime voice actor Jamez Marler
• Tony O’Dell, Ron Thomas and Darryl Vidal of “The Karate Kid” and “Cobra Kai”
