The Balboa Theater's Adam Bergeron (S3E9)

Film photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Adam Bergeron's parents are awesome.

In Part 1, Adam, who today owns and operates the Balboa Theater, shares the story of a cross-country roadtrip his family took back in 1977, and how they ended up in San Francisco at a particularly important moment in cinematic history.

The family moved around quite a bit but ended up back on the East Coast, where Adam went to high school and college. He came out west with friends after graduating from Northeastern University. Then, after a brief stay in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Adam ended up back in the Bay Area. He split his time between Santa Cruz and the city before opening 12 Galaxies in the Mission back around 2002.

Sometimes, it's the whackier ideas that stick.

In Part 2, Adam tells the story of how he came to own the Balboa Theater. Along with the theater's general manager, Chloe Ginnever, he tells some of the history of the building and the theater itself. Adam and Chloe talk about some of the programming they do at the Balboa, and Adam ends the episode looking into the future for the Outer Richmond theater.

We recorded this podcast at the Balboa Theater in the Outer Richmond in February 2020.