Gregangelo is a member of the
American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA)

 

 

G R E G A N G E L O

FOUNDER/OWNER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, GREGANGELO & VELOCITY ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY

Internationally acclaimed performer, producer, choreographer, costume designer and Whirling Dervish, Gregangelo Herrera is the dynamic creative force within his arts and Entertainment Company founded in 1997. Extensive training and a lifetime of dance, music and circus arts performance has made him a leader in his fields. His uncanny ability to create new, exciting and unparalleled productions has grown Gregangelo & Velocity Arts & Entertainment into a highly sought after aesthetic in all forms of media and entertainment. His Gregangelo Museum has become a signature San Francisco arts attraction and he is frequently called upon by visiting journalists, travel writers and television networks to bring to audiences and readers worldwide  an “Only in San Francisco” experience. He has been featured in numerous magazines, periodicals and television specials including HGTV’s Offbeat America Bravo and Cirque Du Soleil’s Solstrom and the Discovery Channel. He is a guest lecturer on the arts at Stanford University and is a mentor, teacher and advocate of youth and emerging Bay Area artists. Gregangelo believes that through creating vibrant experiences through the arts for youth we help create positive life-changing moments in their young lives.  
 
Gregangelo is a graduate of the California College of Arts and Crafts. He is an active board member and financial supporter of Children United by Experience International (Gregangelo & Velocity Arts & Entertainment’s non-profit arm) and has numerous professional affiliations including the American Guild of Variety Artists, California College of Arts Alumni, San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau, International Association of Fairs and Festivals, Association of Arts Presenters, Western Arts Alliance, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the International Special Events Society.

HEIGHT:5'9"   WEIGHT:150 lbs.
HAIR:Black    EYES:Green

 

Jeffrey Ferns
MANAGING PARTNER, GREGANGELO & VELOCITY CIRCUS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
jeffrey@gregangelo.com
 
Jeffrey Ferns began his career with Gregangelo & Velocity soon after moving to San Francisco CA, from Phoenix, Arizona. He successfully adds his business background in Executive Administration, Human Resources, and business development to the team. He is a poet and social writer, currently working on his memoir Broken Saints that captures his years of adolescence, poverty, his mother and believing in the impossible.
 
Mr. Ferns provides leadership in business development, community partnership, community relations and strategic planning for Gregangelo & Velocity Arts & Entertainment Company.  His foresight and long range planning skills has contributed to a significant growth in the regional, national touring and special events markets for the Company. He brings a wealth of business administration and philanthropic expertise and is heavily involved in the San Francisco Arts dialogue & Public Policy. He serves on the San Francisco Arts Task Force: a public body appointed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the Mayor of San Francisco, The City of Oakland Cultural Funding Program, is co-founder and Board Chair of the Children United by Experience, the non-profit arm of Gregangelo & Velocity, Advisory Board Member of Prescott Circus an Oakland based not-for profit organization that serves Oakland Public Schools through circus arts programming, is an active member of The Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Golden Gate Business Association -the first GLBT Chamber of Commerce, The Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau, and The  Association of Arts Presenters.

 

 

  

 

Laura S. Fraenza
SALES DIRECTOR
laura@gregangelo.com


Ms. Fraenza brings a lifetime commitment of strong entertainment production and management experience to Gregangelo and Velocity Circus. Her professional background includes: Production Office Director for the European touring division Cirque Du Soleil, Producer and Talent Buyer for Two Visions, Inc., a world-class event production company. Personal Artists Manager for Bill Graham Presents, Inc. managing headliner acts such as the Gin Blossoms, Neville Brothers, and Aaron Neville. We are excited to have Ms. Fraenze lead the way in band and headline entertainer procurement. Additionally, in her role as sales director she will have the perfect arena in which to exercise her experience in the European market and command of the Spanish language as Gregangelo and Velocity Circus expands its services into the international marketplace.

 

 

  

 

 

Denise Adkins
SALES & EVENT DESIGN
denise@gregangelo.com


Denise Adkins brings a lifetime of achievement in the Event Services industry to Gregangelo & Velocity Circus.

With over 15 years of experience as a successful Director of Catering at various U.S. Hotels, Denise eventually moved to Carmel Valley, CA where she was part of an Executive Management Team which opened a high end resort from the ground up. Denise took root in Carmel Valley (where she still resides today) and for several years worked for a full service entertainment agency designing, securing, and producing various entertainment packages for major corporations and events at Pebble Beach and many other 5+ star resorts in the area.

With an extended education in family therapy, Denise is currently highly sought after in the Carmel/Pebble Beach/Monterey Bay area as a non denominational officiate for wedding ceremonies. She has also made her mark for bringing the unusual artistry of Gregangelo &Velocity into the mix of the event industry in the region. Denise’s impeccable service, creativity, and commitment to the arts make her a leader in the field.

From securing one act to full service event design, Denise knows the industry.

 

 

  

 

 

Rita Abrams
COMPOSER/ LYRICIST/ WRITER
rita@gregangelo.com


Rita Abrams brings a lifetime of excellence and achievement to Gregangelo & Velocity Circus and CUE. Rita Abrams is the creator of the musical stage version of John Gray’s MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS, represented by Columbia Artist Theatricals. Rita's many honors include two Emmy Awards, and twenty-plus ASCAP special awards; and for her work in children’s recordings, video and film, she has won
awards from Associated Press for Best Video, New York TV and Film Festival, and CINE, to name a few. Her San Francisco Bay Area theatrical collaborations have earned her three Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle awards. Her international hit single "Mill Valley" topped the charts in the '70s, securing her place in
the annals of Americana--not to mention Life Magazine and Rolling Stone.Rita’s newest CDs with Dr. Elmo, of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” fame have just sold over 130,000 for BMG Entertainment (second only to Elvis in the Christmas category!) and Clear Channel radio programmed her songs on 1,200 stations during the Christmas season.

From touching ballads to side-splitting comedy, Rita’s songs and sketches are a perfect compliment to our “Spectacle and High-Impact” productions. We are excited to present her incredible abilities in customizing songs, scripts and shows to the public, corporate, and special event markets!

 

 

  

 

Lorraine Garcia-Nakata
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
lorraine@gregangelo.com


As a working artist residing in San Francisco, Ms. Garcia-Nakata brings over twenty years of comprehensive experience in philanthropy and the non-profit arts and and cultural arena. In her recent capacity as Executive Director with The Mexican Museum, her focus was the evolution of the institutional mission— internal structure and financial base to better reflect the Museum's current and long-term goals. Ms. Garcia-Nakata has advised and served on numerous committees addressing areas such as: city-wide planning; assessment of educational curricula and changing demographics; community economic development; writing and publishing by Latinos; awareness and leadership; development of non-project structure abroad. Ms. Garcia-Nakata has held the following posts: Executive Director with The Mexican Museum, Director of Education and Public Programs with Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Visual Arts Department Chair with California State Summer School for the Arts, Arts and Humanities Program Officer with the Marin Community Foundation, and California Arts Council Organizational Grants Program Administrator.

 

 

  

 

 

 

Rachel Stegman
AERIAL COACH / CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING/
SALES
Rachel@gregangelo.com


 
Rachel Stegman has been with Gregangelo & Velocity Circus for nearly 8 years.  In addition to becoming an Aerial Performer and Instructor for Gregangelo & Velocity Circus, Rachel extended her talents to Administration, Sales, Management, PR, and Bookkeeping for the company.  
 
Rachel, will be opening and directing “The Velocity Circus School” of Arizona in 2007 in association with Gregangelo & Velocity Arts & Entertainment.
She had her first taste of Circus Arts at the young age of 8 years old while on a family vacation at a Club Med.  After her initial experience, Rachel had haunting dreams of becoming a Circus Aerialist. 

She grew up in Arizona with no access to the circus world until her parents sent her across country to attend a performing arts camp in New York at the age of 16.  There she received training from retired performers from Ringling Brothers/Barnum and Bailey Circus.  From age 16-23 she again had no contact with the circus world, but continued to dream of her aspirations. At the age of 23 she decided to follow her heart and sought further aerial training.  Since then, she has studied with numerous Circus Performers from many different circuses including The Pickle Family Circus and Gregangelo & Velocity Circus.  She trained at the San Francisco School of Circus Arts, now called Circus Center, as well as at Trapeze Arts, Inc. in Oakland, CA. 
 

 

  

 

 

Naja Muller
ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
OF VELOCITY'S V-TROUPE



Naja began in the arts as a dancer, working in many styles with ballet as her primary focus. She studied with Hartford ballet, New Haven Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, and Joffrey Ballet, and performed with Hartford Ballet, New Haven Ballet, Joffrey II, Moscow State Ballet and Paul Hall Contemporary Dance Theatre. At age 18, Naja moved to San Francisco to train in circus. She has been trained in Chinese acrobatics, hand to hand, contortion and some aerial, and performed for a short time in the corporate arena. In 1999 she began teaching group classes and private students, as well as choreographing for group and solo acts.

Outside of the performance field, Naja has worked as a national makeup artist and sales representative for Sue Devitt Beauty from 2004-2006. She was also a freelance artist for Chanel, Prescriptives, Urban Decay and Paula Dorf between '03 and '05. Naja has run her own business in cosmetic consultation since 2003, mostly servicing weddings, special occasions, and currently as a makeup artist for Velocity artists as well.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

THE ARTISTS AND ACTS

 

CREDITS

 

 

  

 

 

 

GREGANGELO /
Velocity Circus Troupe
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Gregangelo at
velocitysf@gregangelo.com