Angeline GRAGASIN
I was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1985. My mother immigrated to the US from The Philippines in 1975 to teach and practice Neurology, and to escape a life of poverty that had marked her family for generations. I was raised singlehandedly by my mother in Racine, WI, where I attended The Prairie School, a fantastic little K-12 school in southeastern Wisconsin. I had an unusually positive experience throughout my schooling years that would forever impact how I approach all projects, and all people. The faculty at Prairie were extremely supportive and nurturing, and as a result I excelled pretty early on in academics, arts, and foreign language. I studied opera seriously for 12 years, edited my school's literary magazine, and was awarded scholarships by The National Foundation for Advancement of The Arts and the Stephen R. Comer Endowment for The Arts for my creative writing. I guess you could say I was an overachiever.
I moved to Chicago to pursue a bacherlors' degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities from The University of Chicago. During my undergraduate years, I became obsessed with finding practical ways of actualizing great ideas; UChicago was a very academic place that encouraged rigorous theoretical and conceptual approaches to problem-solving. On the one hand, I developed some great critical thinking skills. On the other hand, I felt stifled by what I thought was a too cerebral approach to the creative process. I wanted to learn how create in a way that was more visceral, more immediate. Part of the challenge was learning how to collaborate, and another part was learning how to integrate divergent (sometimes conflicting) interests and ideas into a singular, meaningful creative expression. I developed a serious interest in ensemble-based theatre and performance. I trained extensively in clown and the avant-garde theatre of Jerzy Grotowski, Tadeusz Kantor, and Eugenio Barba by way of Double Edge Theatre and 500 Clown. My investigations led me to believe I needed further practical instruction on the art of collaboration and cultural exchange. And so after graduating in 2007, I traveled to Italy to study mask and mime with Teatro Punto; and then to South Africa as the director of an International Symposium on the role of public performance in sustainable communities. What I appreciated most about my (admittedly highly specific) training was the magical ability to collaborate with anyone, anywhere, with only the most basic elements of a shared vocabulary: ACTIONS.
Ideas are nothing without real, physical actions to support and manifest them. Once I finally understood--in a tangible way--that action was the basis of all creativity and communication (and good storytelling), I became an unstoppable collaborator and producer.
When I returned to Chicago, I began studying martial arts, performing in dance and theater productions, writing for local publications, and curating and producing multimedia art exhibits and festivals under the name "NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS." I supported myself as an organic pastry slinger, CEO resume editor, and consultant/ghost writer for day traders who needed help with their MBA application essays. MOST importantly, I taught myself how to make websites and videos, and became an active participant in Chicago's gutsy and frenteic underground arts scene--where I met Johnny, who had just left a promising career in public education administration to immerse himself in reading, writing, and hacking. We began collaborating. We made experimental websites. We shot experimental videos. We wrote and produced experimental plays. We pledged an experimental pledge to become digital media masterminds. We started attracting the interest and business of other artists and creative entrepreneurs. It helped that I was fluent in visual arts, performance, music, and literature, and quickly gaining proficiency in HTML, CSS, and Adobe CS3. Two years and many actionable ideas later, we decided to incorporate NHQ into an LLC, and to pursue innovations at the intersection of art and technology. We moved to California, where we now have more access to resources, such as sunlight.
I have since withdrawn from the many worlds I once simultaneously inhabited to focus on the lifelong craft of filmmaking, for its accessibility, popular appeal, and usefulness as a tool for social and political reform. I continue to oversee the design and integration of NHQ's professional user networks, curated content networks, and original video content. You can learn more about my work at ANGELINEGRAGASIN.com