Chris talks about living in Las Vegas since he was 6 months old. He also talks about starting his own valet parking company while he was in college. Later Chris talks about Silver State Film Productions, a film company he founded. The schools Chris attended during his childhood were located in Las Vegas, Nevada at that time. Film producer Chris Ramirez moved from Colorado to the east side of Las Vegas in 1973, when he was six months old. Son of Greg Ramirez, owner and founder of Viva Zapatas restaurants, Chris and his family moved to Rancho Bel Air, where he completed his school years, in about 1980. Chris and other Clark County School District students of his age participated in a school desegregation program unique to Las Vegas. After completing fifth grade at Howard Wasden Elementary School, Chris and his classmates rode a bus for one year to Mabel Hoggard Sixth Grade Center in North Las Vegas. After sixth grade he attended Hyde Park Middle School and Bishop Gorman High School. Chris’s family and school connections combined with the barter culture in Las Vegas combined to create an emphasis on “who you know” rather than “what you know.” Chris formed his film companies on the basis of his Las Vegas knowledge and his contacts and credits Las Vegas for allowing him to be in the right place at the right time to meet and work with celebrities and become an entrepreneur. Chris enjoys the urban excitement of living, doing business, and participating in the revitalization of downtown Las Vegas.
Photographs from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Creative Services Records (2010s) (PH-00388-05). Client: Fred Tredup/President's Office. Alo Faleafine, Finance and Operations Manager; Joseph Dagher, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff; Fred Tredup, Chief of Staff; Kyle Kaalberg, Special Projects Director; Jamilah Brewington, Administrative Assistant III; Michelle Bruner, Executive Assistant; and Jonathan Smith, Events Coordinator.
Richard D. “Dick” Stabile (1909-1980) was a musician, big-band leader, composer, and orchestral arranger. Born in Newark, New Jersey, he was the eldest son of a professional musician. He began playing the saxophone at fifteen and joined the Ben Bernie Band in 1928 at the age of nineteen. By 1936, he was leading his own orchestra and recording for the Decca, Bluebird, and Vocalion labels.