Jess Riegel
We took a moment with local legend, man about town, fun-maker, mover-and-shaker and Upstate California Creative Corps grantee Jess Riegel. It was great to drop in and learn more about what makes this man tick, what he thinks the secret sauce of our thriving creative community is, what drives his creative sensibilities, and what’s on the horizon.
Riegel is most well known as the content creator of Unlikely Gems, short-form Instagram content that requires Riegel to be an actor, director, writer, producer, editor and video maker. What makes it all work, though, is his favorite thing: “to collaborate with vibey people and make music or have conversations that lead to comedy skit ideas.”
The child of arts teachers who were artists themselves, Riegel has been a performer for nearly as long as he can remember, ditching the papier mache at an early age for the rush of the stage. “I remember feeling ignited and I just wanted to perform… I could care less about the sculpture projects. I ended up performing… dressed up as a punk rocker with a tape cassette walkman and black mohawk, it was easy and fun for me… distorting my face and body, being as dramatic as possible. People laughed and enjoyed the show, and told me ‘You’re a performer! You belong on the stage!’”
It’s no surprise that Riegel has landed on his current style of content creation, he’s been filming silly things since his youth, starting out with fake commercials using his family’s home camcorder. “I was always frustrated that I couldn't edit the video or add music. When I found out about the accessibility of computer video editing when I was 12 years old I was obsessed. I think you know it's what you're calling when you are obsessed. Video-making was like that for me.”
We always ask our Spotlights what inspires them and Riegel’s answer was no disappointment. “It’s fun to rebrand the world. Like, I’ve been wanting to make a commercial for an apple. I loved TV as a child… and was heavily influenced by advertising… It was entertaining, but the dark side of advertising creates unhealthy mindsets and wants. It was a strange, distorted capitalistic world I grew up in. But many of the TV ads selling cars and Pop-Tarts had creative power. I’m inspired to kind of turn the world of advertising on its head and create a healthier world.”
Riegel has just finished up a year-long project funded by the Upstate California Creative Corps and administered by the Nevada County Arts Council. “I’m a creative person with many interests, but for years craved to be focusing on one thing. Unlikely Gems kind of popped out of my psyche and it felt very authentic.
Once the concept clicked I made a commitment to myself to develop it for one full year. And that was really challenging sometimes. I’d have moments of being bored with the project, tired of it, or devoid of ideas. But I kept showing up, and followed through with the commitment to self… It comes back to our relationship with Self. Can I trust myself? Will I show up for me? Will I fold? When things are flowing it’s easy to show up. How about when they’re stuck? Do you throw in the towel? Do you run away? Do you quit so you can start something new and easy? When things are tough and you’re tired and over it and you still show up, that’s the juice… So as my one year of development neared completion, I told myself, “OK, great job. Now, I need to get paid for this or I’m done.” I applied for an Upstate grant… One thing leads to another. I’m proud that I challenged myself and leaned into one project. It’s been deeply rewarding.”
When asked what he loves best about our creative community Riegel shared his thoughts on what makes the GVNC Cultural District so unique. “Honestly I think it comes down to nature, and a cute central town center. Creative communities can exist anywhere… They just need a container to hold the energy. GVNC is like a big basin. And in the middle is a strong sense of village center… extending outwards 360 degrees, sprinkling artists all over the place, deeper and deeper into the forests, into beautiful nature. I love that there’s still magical communes of people living off-grid… The secret sauce for a creative community is Nature x Village Center.”
Riegel has just finished up the first Unlikely Gems “Make Your Own Episode” contest. “We need to make a living, but we also need to have fun. I think that’s part of my reason for existing in this lifetime… to be a fun-maker and curate spaces for people to have fun.” You’ll have a chance to learn more about his process and project at the upcoming Art in Public Spaces—Artists at Work exhibition opening in the Fall of this year, featuring the work of Upstate California Creative Corps grantees who, like Jess Riegel, are all unlikely gems of Nevada County.
This story originally appeared in the August 1st, 2024 edition of the GVNC Culture Connection newsletter.