About Me

I am Brooding Hippo, also known as Jairo Rivas, a multidisciplinary artist based in the Netherlands. 

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My journey begin while working on a show called The Cycle with one goal: Theatre for social change. As a performer I traveled Miami, FL working as a performer and facilitator on shows that tackled Bullying, Homophobia, and Xenophobia. 

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I then relocated to Los Angeles where I acquired a Bachelors of Fine Arts from California Institute of the Arts(CalArts) in Acting. At Calarts I became versed in new mediums, such as; Drag and Shadow Puppetry. Weilding the medium of Drag and Puppetry I teamed up with long time friend Noga Wind, and took our show, Red and Boiling, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and toured Los Angeles. 

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After we put our show to rest, I began working in Hollywood as a professional actor. My credits include commercial and theatrical work as well as immersive theatre. 

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During the Pandemic years, I shifted gears and went back to school to study Creative Writing at University of California: Los Angeles(UCLA). I got a certificate in Fiction Writing and published short stories and developed a novel, which sits on my shelf, unfinished, to this day; I'll get back to it one day. 

 

After working in the entertainment industry for 7 years, I was itching for a way to combined all the skills and talents I had picked up. I relocated to the Netherlands where I enrolled into Breda University of Applied Sciences, where I am currently working on my Bachelor of Science in Design and Production.  

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While enrolled and working on my BS, I am slowing chipping away at several personal projects utilizing games. I intend to start my own company hoping that would be the right vessel to contain the multitudes of creative expression I care to share.