Christina "Bogie" Bougas
Christina is the sculptor and designer of Clea Bella. She first started sculpting when she was in grammar school. Her bedroom shelves were filled with clay figures of monsters, gnomes, fairies and a complete chess set of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." She performed in many plays and musicals and finally earned her Drama B.A. from Dominican College of San Rafael. Before graduating she began doing costume, set and lighting design, stage management and directing at local San Francisco Bay Area theaters.
She dreamed of working for Lucas Films so she studied film and animation at San Francisco State University. But her behind the scenes work in student films and animation took her to a unexpected career in commercial art. She quickly won awards and accolades for her photo illustration and design. She proudly specialized in Keyart design (movie posters) for "B" movies. "A status movies are easy to design for," says Christina. "The movie star sells the movie. As long as their face is recognizable you can get away with doing pretty much nothing. B movies rarely have stars in them. You have to design a poster that portrays the emotion of the film and entices the viewer to see the movie because of it's story power as opposed to star power. Now that's a challenge." Today, many of her VHS packaging designs fill the shelves of Blockbuster and Hollywood Video.
Christina rediscovered her love for dolls in 1999 when a girl friend moved in with her five year old daughter. Christina was amazed at how many dolls the little girl had and decided to start buying some for herself. She rediscovered Barbie, then quickly moved on to the Franklin Mint girls, Gene, Tyler and Alex. She was always concerned about the horror stories of make-over artists being reprimanded by companies for repainting their dolls. So Christina decided to avoid the whole issue by creating a doll that both she and other artists would be free to repaint and dress.
Having a savvy understanding of product development from her ten year experience working for the film industry, Christina decided to incorporate her love of the performing arts into Clea Bella and make the industry's first theatrical fashion doll. By 2000 she had a rough sculpt of Clea Bella. When "Butterfly Clue," her first make-over doll design, won Best of Show at the Ontario Fashion Doll Convention she knew she couldn't just talk about having her own doll line. She had to make the dream come true.
Several hurdles later and many sleepless nights, Christina gladly dedicates all of her energies to Clea Bella. Other than working with a few artists, such as Vince Nowell and Barbara Beccio, on a few projects Christina is responsible for the entire design and direction of the Clea Bella doll line. She also oversees all of the company's advertising and promotional design.
For Christina, Clea Bella is the most rewarding project she has ever pursued. It incorporates all of her many talents and allows her for the first time to get away from the drafting table and meet the actual people whose lives are impacted by her art.
SAMPLE OF PROJECTS CHRISTINA HAS WORKED ON
THEATRE
Pirates of Pinzance - stage management and lighting design
The Marriage of Figaro - Berkeley Opera - lighting and stage management
Dracula, The Musical? - Marin High School - set and lighting design
Lady Cries Murder - Lead role
Taming of the Shrew - Cast member
Bye, Bye Birdie - Cast member
Rogers and Heart - Chorus
Get Mama Married - Cast member
A Chorus Line - Cast member
The Wizard of Oz - Ensemble
Only Game in Town - Set design, lighting and props
The Actor's Nightmare - Directing
Kaufman and Heart One Act Comedy Skits - Directing
Ross Valley Player's New Works Reading - Directing
FILM AND ANIMATION
GRAPHIC DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION
• Junk Wars - Student film special effects assistant
• Guido - Student film directing and animation
• Ziggy's Ocean - screenplay
• Tomain Diamonds - screenplay
• The Mirror Man - screenplay• Mr. Potato Head - Promotional material and illustration
• Jack in the Box - Collateral Design
• Minnesota Golfer - Masthead and layout
• Minnesota Hockey - layout
• Surprises Magazine - layout and illustration
• Ribbon Magic - packaging design
• Anthony Whelehan - Collateral Portfolio - Bronze winner in the New York Art Director's Competition
• Jack Frost - Warner Bros. Promotional Folder
KEYART DESIGNS
Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy
Drama
• Bram Stocker's The Shadow Builder - second place in the Hollywood Reporter Keyart Awards
• Bram Stocker's the Mummy - Nomination in the Video Producer Association's Packaging Design Award
• Jack Frost (The monster movie) - Second place in the Video Retailers Outstanding Packaing Award
• The Hunger - Wicked Dreams
• The Hunger - Vampires
• The Hunger - Soul for Sale
• The Hunger - Smoke, Mirrors and Paranoia
• The Hunger - Soul Snatcher
• The Hunger - Bump in the Night
• 2103, The Deadly Wake
• Blood Thirsty
• Alien Chaser
• Sweet Evil
• Fallen Knight
• The Shadow Men
• Spoiler• Keepin' It Real
• Thugs Life
• The Riff
• 2 G's and a Key
• Fugitive Champion
• Bad Pack
• Private Lies
• Deadly Ransom
• Black and Blue
• Frozen in Fear
• Social Misfits
• Six Seconds
• Restaurant
• Throw Down
• Dope Case Pending
• Out Kold
• Clockin' Green
• James Dean, Live Fast, Die Young
• Street Corner Justice
• Stir
• Total Force
• Perfect Assassins
Comedy
Family Drama and Comedy
• Beverlyhood
• Nothin' 2 Loose - this keyart made this film one of York Entertainment's highest grossing VHS releases.
• Get Down With It
• Bar-B-Q
• Soul Talkin'
• If you Only Knew
• Men
• The Undertaker• Flubber (designs not included in Disney's mass marketing campaigns)
• P.U.N.K.S
• Dear Santa
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Robert Goodman, Gail Goodman and Little Baawb
Robert Goodman and his mother Gail Goodman formed Bella! Productions.
Robert Goodman ran the family's medical practice in the seventies and eighties and later worked for Northwest Airlines as a stock clerk and supervisor. Robert is one of those unique individuals who inspires crews with his fair minded and fun loving approach to management. He currently heads all business and operations for Bella! Productions. Robert also enjoys speed skating and hiking in the nearby mountains.
Robert originally came on board as a consultant for the Clea Bella Doll Company. He was very impressed with what his former wife had created . Still loving her very much, he wanted to help her make Clea Bella a reality. When some early contacts Christina made turned out to be financially bad, Robert and his Mom offered to buy the company. Robert sold his Minnesota house to help fund the project. He was suppose to stay with Christina for only a few weeks while he found an apartment in L.A.. But it turned out Clea Bella had other plans. She brought the couple back together and after a month Clea refused to let Bob leave. The two have been together since and love each other more now than in the past. Both have been caught saying to friends, family and collectors, "No matter what happens with the doll line, we got each other back." Today Bob and Christina share a single story craftsman house with two cats, a visiting dog and a 100 + doll collection (not including Clea Bella.) Always looking for a way to playfully tease others Robert boasts of a sign on his office door which reads: I don't collect the damn things, I just sell them. Ironically, however, it is Robert who has been secretly wheeling and dealing with collectors, both on line and off, for most of the new acquisitions in Christina's doll collection.
A retired nurse, Gail Goodman also helped with the family medical practice and currently assists both Robert and Christina with their various needs. She is the calm and rational voice that keeps the Clea Bella team on track and happy. Gail is an avid reader and loves afternoon walks and spending carefree time with her family and friends.
Little Baawb, a half beagle and half basset hound mix, is the official Bella! Productions mascot and heads security.
VINCE NOWELL - Modern and Vintage Couture
Guest Designer and Doll Line Consultant - 2003 "Mother's Day Tea Party", "Knights Bridge", assisted on the "London Fair Collection" and collaborated on "Premiere"; 2004 "Basic Fashion Patterns."
Vince Nowell has loved fashion dolls as far back as he can remember. In 1965 when he was 4 years old, he received his first fashion doll, a vintage Barbie® doll. This doll would be the beginning of a lifetime devotion to fashion dolls. When he was twelve, his mother taught him to sew, using fashions for 11.5 inch dolls as the basis. And when he was fourteen, a favorite Aunt and a family friend taught him the basics of knitting and crochet. Little did any of them know that this was the start of what would become his life's career choice.
Many years later, Vince was working as a manager at the FAO Schwarz in Glendale, CA when he discovered the Gene Marshall® doll, and began to collect her. Of course, this meant he began to sew for his personal collection, which eventually led to sewing for other Gene collectors in the southern California region. Soon after, he was approached by Ashton Drake to design professionally for Gene as part of the Gene Team. During his 4 years with Ashton Drake, Vince designed fan favorites such as "Bridge Club", "Sunset Celebration", "Meet Me in Paris", and "Little Blessings" among others.
During this time, he also met Christina "Bogie" Bougas at a local Gene club meeting, and the two of them hit it off immediately. Vince was quite enthralled with the concept of Clea Bella, and quickly found himself working alongside Bogie, giving her advice on ideas for Clea's debut. This interaction between the two designers led to Vince designing "Mother's Day Tea Party" and "Knightsbridge" for the Clea collection, as well as collaborating with Bogie on the London Faire segment and the "Premiere" doll. In 2004, Vince designed the Basic Fashion Pattern for the Clea collection as well as collaberating with Sharon Meyer of M&M Treasurenet on her dealer exxlusive Clea Bella vinatage pattern.
Today, Vince has moved back to his birth home of Louisiana to be closer to his family. He and his business partner, Terri Patterson, own The Sophisticates, an online boutique featuring fashions, jewelry and fashion accessories for various fashion dolls (http://thesophisticates.homestead.com/sophisticates.html ). Vince's personal label, Town & Country Sophisticates, is featured on this website, and he continues to specialize in vintage inspired clothing (his specialty), as well as the occasional contemporary design. As a guest designer on the Bella! team, Vince still finds the time to add something new to Clea's wardrobe from time to time. You never know what he might have up his sleeve next!
BARBARA BECCIO - Historical Costumes
Guest Designer - 2003: assistant on "Quarter Moon," 2006: "White Wedding", "Jazz Train"
Copy to come
JANEEN GLENN - Dance Costumes
Guest Designer - 2004 "Degas", 2005 "Juliet"
Janeen Glenn's beautiful costumes are the result of her passion for dance and her love of costuming as a mode of narrative. "A good costume will tell the audience volumes about the person who wears it," she says.
Janeen received a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She enjoyed working for the Walt Disney Company for ten years and currently resides in Santa Barbara with her husband of two years. When not creating for the Clea Bella Company, Janeen manages a children's boutique and occasionally accepts commissions for one-of-a-kind ensembles for Clea and friends.
Collectors can see Janeen's other creations on the Clea Bella yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Clea_Bella/
You will find Janeens photos in the folder labled "Janeen's Clea" (sometimes it shows up as just "Janeen...")
JUDITH FRANK - Historical Costumes
Guest Designer - 2005 "Christmas Carol"
Copy to come
LOUISE BIRD - Angelique Miniatures
Guest Designer - 2005 "Pretty in Pink"
Louise Goldsborough (married name Bird), and the creator of Angelique Miniatures, originally trained as a dancer and singer at the Italia Conti Stage School in the late 70's and early 80's. Louise left the entertainment profession in 1988 to start her own doll making business with help from the Government Enterprise Allowance Scheme and Angelique was born.
After concentrating on dressing larger porcelain dolls for about a year, a local dolls house shop asked Louise if she would dress a miniature doll for them. More orders for miniatures came and it wasn't long before the miniature side overtook the larger dolls! Originally Louise would buy little doll kits, put them together and dress them and buy the wigs from another doll maker. Eventually though, Louise started to make her own porcelain parts and all her own wigs too!
With a life long interest in the theatre, it was just a matter of time before Louise started to create fantasy figures and of course fairies as well as the historical figures for peoples model houses. Amongst her current range are numerous fairy characters, mermaids and pond dwellers, witches, wizards and enchantresses and angels. There are even baby fairies and cherubs at just an inch high as well as mer-babies of not much bigger! All Louise's dolls are made to order so each doll can be a creation of both the customer's and Louiseís own imagination.
In 2002 Louise produced her own range of couture clothing for 15 1/2" and16" fashion dolls. And 2003 saw the launch of a wonderful collection of ballet and theatrical costumes to fit the ballerina fashion doll Clea Bella . Most of the regular fashion dolls are catered for including a full range of men's clothing for Trent and Matt. Louise also offers range of clothing to fit 10" Ann Estelle, Riley Kish and 16" Kish dolls. There are also plans to expand the couture range to fit both CED dolls and the beautiful Tonner American Model dolls. A made to measure dress making service is also available for any size of doll, including antique dolls.
If anyone were to ask Louise what her dream job would be, she would say that she is lucky enough to be already doing it. To be able to combine her love of dolls and sewing is indeed a dream come true! Angelique's items are made with much love and attention to detail, giving all members of our dolly world a wonderful outlet for imagination and play.
ANGELIQUE MINIATURES,
12, CAMILLA CLOSE,
SUNBURY-ON-THAMES,
MIDDLESEX.
TW16 7PZ.
UNITED KINGDOM
TEL: (01932) 780 934
E-MAIL: LBird77329@aol.com
WEB SITE: www.angeliqueminiatures.co.uk
KIM FISHER - Finishing Touches
Guest Designer - 2005/2006 Jewelry designer
Kim Fisher is well known by the collectors for her meticulous "to scale" attention to detail in jewelry for 16" (and other sized) dolls. For 7 1/2 years she worked and managed a bead store. She brings her knowledge and resources to her online boutique The Finishing Touches. Her beads are first quality. Most are crystal or glass, some are even vintage, precious gems or antiques.
E-MAIL: finishingtouch@getnet.net
WEB SITE: www.thefinishingtouches.com
MELISSA WINDHAM
More info soon
To purchase items check out our Clea Bella dealers or visit our online gift shop Bella! Boutique. ©2004 Bella Productions • 1108 Fremont Ave. • South Pasadena, CA 91030 • 626 441-4602 • All Rights Reserved.