Bill Janisse
Host/Producer
Bill Janisse is a Producer, Host, Published Writer, and Choreographer. Originally from the Midwest, Bill started his career as a Dancer. Bill trained with The Joffrey Ballet School – American Ballet Center of New York and The Joel Hall Dance Center (Chicago) both under full scholarship and received a BA degree from Columbia College Chicago. Bill has had the pleasure of working with The Joel Hall Dancers, Donn Arden’s Jubilee!, Royal Caribbean International Productions, Dick Foster Productions, The Michigan Ballet Theater, The Julliard School, and Detroit Dance Collective to name a few. Previously Bill was the Head Choreographer for Q Productions Las Vegas, Inc. and the Executive Director and faculty member of Tara Foy’s Elite Ballet Summer Intensive. Bill was on the faculty of the Institute of Music and Dance at Marygrove College, and was the Company Ballet Master for Donn Arden’s Jubilee! at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He has also had the opportunity to teach around the country at numerous studios, universities, dance companies and conventions.
Bill danced for recording artist, Deborah Cox and has been a featured performer on the Tyra Banks Show, Fox’s Glee, The Latin Grammys, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy on Bravo Television Network. Bill Choreographed and starred in the Japanese tour of “Las Vegas Nights” by Q Productions, and choreographed “Dirk Arthur’s Xtreme Magic” at the Tropicana Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. He has been the assistant choreographer for both Paul Mitchell and Redken hair symposiums in Las Vegas, Chicago, and Rome, Italy. Bill was the Head Choreographer for the Artistic team of REDKEN at the North American Hairstyling Awards 2015. Bill was also on the creative team under the direction of Jennifer Romas for SEXXY the Show, Las Vegas’ number 1 topless revue.
Bill has sat on the panel of judges for numerous National Dance Conferences and in 2014 was inducted into the prestigious International Dance Council CID UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) based out of Paris, France.The International Dance Council CID is the official organization for all forms of dance in all countries of the world. CID is recognized by UNESCO, national and local governments. Its members are the most prominent federations, associations, schools, companies and individuals in more than 160 countries.
As a producer and choreographer Bill has had the pleasure of producing work for such companies as Sony Playstation, Absolut Vodka, MGM Resorts International, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Hakkasan Group, Malibu Rum and United States Bartenders Guild throughout the United States, Asia, Mexico, Europe and Canada. As a freelance writer he has been published in multiple magazines and publications throughout Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Bill also sits on the Board of Directors for the Mu Casa Moo Foundation, a Non-profit cancer organization that provides direct financial assistance to those who are battling the challenges of cancer.
Throughout his experience and travel as a performer, Bill developed a strong passion for Hosting. Wanting to create a platform to highlight other brilliant artists and professionals throughout multiple industries, the Hey Gurl! podcast was born. The goal of this podcast is to provide inspiration, laughter, entertainment and joy to our listeners through an uplifting story. In its first season Hey Gurl! with Bill Janisse has performed in the Top 25% of Most Downloaded Podcasts as well as receiving a nomination for “BEST LGBTQ CULTURE PODCAST of 2020” from the Discover Pods Awards.
Savanna Cyr
Video Producer
Savanna Cyr is the podcast’s Video Producer. Her work began at the NBC affiliate, KSN Local News. She was a television and digital reporter in Joplin, Missouri. There she recognized how thrilling it’s to create memorable story content but not always in the form of a 1 minute and 30-second news package. To grow as a young professional and learn to develop stories beyond a television platform, she decided to move to the city she was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. When she is not creating Hey GURL content, she works as the Social Media Coordinator for the marketing agency Quillin and instructs others through fitness at Barre3 Henderson. Cyr’s wish is to create trusting relationships and use her media skills to create content that will help an individual, organization, or company succeed.
In June 2019, Cyr graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Theatre Arts. While in school, she interned at KEZI 9 News, the ABC affiliate in Eugene, Oregon. She assisted multimedia journalists in filming, editing and scripting their assigned news stories. Simultaneously, she interned as a communication specialist at Lane County’s Health and Human Services. She worked alongside a public information officer and learned the importance of being a spokesperson for a government organization and upholding a specific image and identity towards the media.
To view more of Cyr’s story & the work she created on television and online, click here.