Jon Baas - Biography and Background

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BIOGRAPHY :: Jon Baas


1980	I was born in Mankato, Minnesota on February 18th. My father (a former actor and theatre professional) was studying to be a Christian minister. My mother was a homemaker. I was the first child in my family, and over the years that followed, I would be joined by five younger siblings -- two brothers, and three sisters.

1984	When I was four years old, my father accepted a call to serve as pastor at a Lutheran church in the small farm town of Union Grove, Wisconsin -- 25 miles south of Milwaukee. It would be there in the countryside -- surrounded by corn fields, rural roads, and open sky -- that I would spend my childhood.

1985	At age five, I started school. My parents chose to send me to the nearest Lutheran grade school, which just happened to be eleven miles away -- in the nearby town of Burlington. I was a good student, imaginative, talkative, and eager to learn. I also had a strong imagination, and a budding interest in art.

1988	When I was eight, my family took up the hobby of Civil War Reenacting.We joined a Confederate group in the Milwaukee area, and became members of the Stonewall Brigade. My father portrayed the unit's military surgeon, my mother portrayed a battlefield nurse, and I became the "little drummer boy." Since realism and authenticity were an important part of the hobby, I soon gained a deep fascination with American history -- particularly the early-to-mid 19th century. In addition, I also found myself developing an interest in drums, drum cadences, and percussion, as well as a passion for "playing pretend". When it came to the Civil War reenactments, though, my favorite part was dying in battle.

1992	I loved living in Southeastern Wisconsin, especially when it came to baseball. Like any young boy, the game soon became another passion of mine. For many years, my father and I would drive north into Milwaukee, and attend Brewers games at the old County Stadium. I had great fun, and I soaked up every minute of every game. But it wasn't until 1992, that my passion reached a new height. This was the year my childhood hero, Hall-of-Fame centerfielder Robin Yount, hit his 3000th career hit -- a feat of great significance in the baseball world. And, as it just so happened, I was in attendance at County Stadium when it happened -- September 9th, 1992. A year later, I wrote about it in an essay contest, and won. Now, many years later, I still remain a deeply devoted fan of the Milwaukee Brewers.

1993	In early January, my family moved back to Minnesota. My father had retired from the ministry, and the time had come to leave the rural Wisconsin countryside behind. With no relocation requirements, my parents chose to move us to Minneapolis, Minnesota. They had been married there before I was born, and the city still held fond memories for them, so the Twin Cities bacome my new home. For a small town country boy like myself, it was a change that would take some getting used to. This was also the year I was in my first movie -- baseball film, "Little Big League". I was 13 years old.

1994	In the fall, I became a freshman at St. Croix Lutheran High School in West St. Paul. I was generally introverted, quiet, and never really found a place in the popular circles. It was, however, high school that started to bring my long-time loves of art and acting into focus. For that I will always be grateful.

1998	By the Spring of 1998, I had graduated from high school, a well-established "straight A" student. I had found the stage during my Sophomore year (after giving up JV baseball), I won roles in most of the theatre productions, and I had even earned the opportunity to design a few of the stage sets. In addition, I gained recognition for my artistic contributions to the school, won a number of art awards, and painted many of the stage murals used by the theatre department. When I graduated, it wasn't much of a surprise that my college interests -- and an Academic Scholarship -- led me back to Wisconsin. My school of choice: Wisconsin Lutheran College. Location: Milwaukee, WI.

1999	Wisconsin Lutheran was a small college -- roughly 750 students -- but it had a great art department, and a promising young theatre program. I latched onto both as soon as my first semester began. A few months later, I had starred in my first collegiate production -- the comedic "All in the Timing" by David Ives -- and I was well on my way to two more roles before the year was out. Outside of the theatre, I dived into acting classes, I won first place in a Southeastern Wisconsin regional art competition, and I worked in the college Admissions Office, recruiting even more prospective students into the Theatre and Art departments. I was leaving my mark on the college.

2000	During the summer before my Junior year, I returned home to Minneapolis. By some unexpected stroke of luck, I once again found myself in the movies. This time, I was cast in the Hollywood teen movie, "Sugar & Spice", starring James Marsden. I didn't have any lines, but it payed well, and I had a lot of fun! When my Junior year began, I returned to college, and starred in the Arthur Miller classic, "The Crucible". I also started working as the graphic designer for the theatre department, designing the promotional materials for each theatrical production that year (and the next). In the end, my promotional work was distributed around the country, and without knowing it, my professional art career was begining to take shape.

2001	During this, the later half my Junior year, I declared my major in Art, while pursuing a minor in Theater. I continued to act on the stage, and I was cast in yet another film -- this time for NBC -- a made-for-television movie titled, "In the Net" which aired across most of the United States in early 2002.

2002	This was my final year as an undergrad, but no less significant. I starred as Police Officer Welch in my last collegiate stage show, the Neil Simon comedy, "Rumors". I put together the first gallery exhibition of my artwork, I continued designing for the theatre department, and I worked in the campus library as an assistant librarian. By spring, I had earned my degree: a BA in Art. Upon graduation, I chose to stay in the Milwaukee area. I found an off-campus apartment, settled down, and, ironically, began my first post-college job as a sales associate for a local Barnes and Noble book store.

2003	In early summer, I had grown tired of the retail life. I left Barnes and Noble, and decided to become self employed. My passions just weren't being satisfied in the book business, so I prepared to go the freelance art route instead. Luck was on my side, however, and less than a month after leaving the store, I was cast in yet another Hollywood movie -- the Bernie Mac baseball film, "Mr. 3000". I spent a month on the set, worked with Bernie and the cast, met some of the crew, and even gained a little media attention.

2004	In the Fall, I starred in a stage production of the classic novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird", produced at Milwaukee's Sunset Playhouse. This was my first time acting there, and remains my favorite stage so far.

2005	In 2005, the acting bug continued to bite. I gained three more stage roles: Mr. Carrisford in a "A Little Princess", Florindo in the 1750's Comedia del Arte production of "The Liar", and Edmund Swettenham in the popular Agatha Christie mystery classic, "A Murder Is Announced". On the art end of things, the freelance work was plugging along full-steam. I had designed numerous promotional designs for theatre/film companies, custom art for private clients, corporate logos, marketing materials, a variety of websites, detailed graphite portraits, and three pieces of commissioned art for a company that etches designs onto mirror and glass surfaces. This year alone, my artwork was printed, published, distributed, seen, and sold all over the world. Not bad for a former bookseller!

2007	Taking things a step further, I decided to grow my business even more. I launched Jon Baas Designs, an online retail store featuring my designs (and artwork) on a variety of prints, posters, clothing, and housewares. I also gained the title of "entrepreneur", as I took on other creative projects along the way.

2008	In August, I moved to a new apartment in West Allis, WI -- a small-town suburb of Milwaukee. Later that Fall, I also began dating my future wife -- Kelli. Although we found each other through mutual friends on Facebook, we had also gone to college together many years before. Funny how things like that work out.

2009	In January, I proposed to Kelli, and she said yes. We will be married on July 10, 2010.

	If you'd like to learn more about me (or what I do for a living), please feel free to explore the rest of this website, join me and become a fan of my Fan Page on Facebook, or follow along on my blog or in my forum.