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Hi! My name is Victor Grigas. I'm a video producer and [https://www.victorgrigasphoto.com/ photographer]. My [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ CC-licensed] photos have been seen in [https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/znm7ay/failed-proposal-stories-marriage-engagement Vice], [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/02/business/media/open-source-software-specialist-selected-as-executive-director-of-wikipedia.html The New York Times], [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/01/15/wikipedia-just-turned-15-years-old-will-it-survive-15-more/?utm_term=.d8283aacc685 The Washington Post], [https://www.forbes.com/sites/bisnow/2017/01/11/apple-seeks-approval-for-domestic-high-tech-manufacturing/#285c9d657004 Forbes], [https://www.macworld.com/article/3222728/wearables/ispy-red-sox-caught-using-apple-watches-to-steal-signs-from-yankees.html Macworld], [https://newrepublic.com/article/116681/adventures-henry-thoreau-michael-sims-reviewed The New Republic], [http://www.sciencemag.org/podcast/new-taste-tongue-ancient-dna-egyptian-mummies-and-early-evidence-dog-breeding Science], [https://www.fastcompany.com/3012652/tracking-the-nsas-secret-surveillance-programs Fast Company], [https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/the-sports-mind/201505/are-umpires-racist Psychology Today], [https://www.cbsnews.com/video/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerbergs-home-renovations-irk-neighbors/ CBS], [https://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/wie-wikipedia-zu-einer-uebersetzungsmaschine-werden-will-a-00000000-0002-0001-0000-000174874903 Spiegel], [https://web.archive.org/web/20180810193138/https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2018/08/10/in-the-review-archives-1980-1984/ the New York Review of Books], [https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lumiere-villa Atlas Obscura], [https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2016/09/19/chicago-ranked-best-us-city-biking WTTW / Chicago Tonight], [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/wikipedian-editor-took-wikipedias-gender-gap/ PBS NewsHour], [https://web.archive.org/web/20110709235836/http://revistapiaui.estadao.com.br/edicao-42/despedida/de-corpo-ausente Piauí], [https://wikimediafoundation.org Wikimedia] and many others.
 
  
 
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I have been a volunteer contributor to Wikipedia since 2005. I have a formal education in film, audio and video and am interested in all things open source and public domain. I've worked with all kinds of budgets for my video productions. If you have a project in mind feel free to [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIqVmWDn6BmPbVotxSKkrRqSrS5-3PwQ0AckJEM9Doi4IKTQ/viewform reach out to me] to ask any questions: '''victorgrigas (at) gmail (dot) com'''
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Hi! My name is Victor Grigas. I'm a [https://www.victorgrigasphoto.com/ photographer] and video producer. My [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ CC-licensed] photos have been seen in [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/02/business/media/open-source-software-specialist-selected-as-executive-director-of-wikipedia.html The New York Times], [https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/20/business/mit-wikipedia-25-birthday/ The Boston Globe], [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/01/15/wikipedia-just-turned-15-years-old-will-it-survive-15-more/?utm_term=.d8283aacc685 The Washington Post], [https://www.forbes.com/sites/bisnow/2017/01/11/apple-seeks-approval-for-domestic-high-tech-manufacturing/#285c9d657004 Forbes],  [https://newrepublic.com/article/116681/adventures-henry-thoreau-michael-sims-reviewed The New Republic], [http://www.sciencemag.org/podcast/new-taste-tongue-ancient-dna-egyptian-mummies-and-early-evidence-dog-breeding Science], [https://www.fastcompany.com/3012652/tracking-the-nsas-secret-surveillance-programs Fast Company], [https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/the-sports-mind/201505/are-umpires-racist Psychology Today], [https://www.cbsnews.com/video/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerbergs-home-renovations-irk-neighbors/ CBS], [https://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/wie-wikipedia-zu-einer-uebersetzungsmaschine-werden-will-a-00000000-0002-0001-0000-000174874903 Spiegel], [https://web.archive.org/web/20180810193138/https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2018/08/10/in-the-review-archives-1980-1984/ the New York Review of Books], [https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lumiere-villa Atlas Obscura], [https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2016/09/19/chicago-ranked-best-us-city-biking WTTW / Chicago Tonight], [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/wikipedian-editor-took-wikipedias-gender-gap/ PBS NewsHour], [https://web.archive.org/web/20110709235836/http://revistapiaui.estadao.com.br/edicao-42/despedida/de-corpo-ausente Piauí], [https://wikimediafoundation.org Wikimedia] and many others.
  
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My father was also a photographer, when he passed away I started [https://www.gofundme.com/f/6uxsf-remember-my-dad-through-his-photos a fundraiser] to digitize his entire [https://www.flickr.com/photos/victoralbertgrigas/ photo archive]. I have a formal education in film, audio and video and I've worked with all kinds of budgets. If you have a project in mind feel free to [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIqVmWDn6BmPbVotxSKkrRqSrS5-3PwQ0AckJEM9Doi4IKTQ/viewform reach out to me] to ask any questions: '''victorgrigas (at) gmail (dot) com'''
File:Wikimedia Foundation SOPA War Room Meeting 1-17-2012-1-9.jpg|I took this photo in the 'War Room' of the Wikimedia Foundation during the 2012 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act#/media/File:Wikimedia_Foundation_SOPA_War_Room_Meeting_1-17-2012-1-9.jpg blackout of Wikipedia] in protest of proposed SOPA legislation.
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My father was also a photographer -- I guess the acorn didn't fall far from the oak. When he passed away in 2017, I started [https://www.gofundme.com/f/6uxsf-remember-my-dad-through-his-photos a fundraiser] to digitize his entire [https://www.flickr.com/photos/victoralbertgrigas/ photo archive]. One thing I learned from him was a joy in capturing people on camera. A lot of people hate how they look, and if you can make them comfortable, then you can get them in a good look and you can get a portrait that will give them a positive sense of who they are.
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File:Chicago Theatre sign Close up.jpg|I'm originally from Chicago, and the sign on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Theatre#/media/File:Chicago_Theatre_sign_Close_up.jpg the theatre] is a symbol of the river that forks through the city.
 
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File:Wikimedia Foundation SOPA War Room Meeting 1-17-2012-1-9.jpg|I took this photo in the 'War Room' of the Wikimedia Foundation during the 2012 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act#/media/File:Wikimedia_Foundation_SOPA_War_Room_Meeting_1-17-2012-1-9.jpg blackout of Wikipedia] in protest of proposed SOPA legislation.
 
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File:Lossy-page1-5760px-Oculus photographed in fisheye by Victor Grigas, Pantheon, Rome.tif.jpg|This is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oculus#/media/File:Oculus_photographed_in_fisheye_by_Victor_Grigas,_Pantheon,_Rome.tif oculus] in the Pantheon in Rome. I wanted to show the whole room.
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File:Haymarket Monument Bronzeville, Chicago 2015-9.jpg|This is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monuments_relating_to_the_Haymarket_affair#/media/File:Haymarket_Monument_Bronzeville,_Chicago_2015-9.jpg a monument] to the Haymarket affair.
 
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One of the complexities of making video for Wikimedia has been how to make videos with on-screen text translatable. Many videos I've produced have had the need to be translated into different languages for different audiences, and to do that it has meant publishing one [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:When_and_how_to_contact_OTRS.webm 'finished' version] with burned-in text in my language and another ''[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:When_and_how_to_contact_OTRS_(NO_TITLES).webm without any text in it at all]'' that can be used by volunteers as a template to add text in any other language, using the version in my language as a guide. This allows anyone to edit using any video editing software they are comfortable using. The translatable version also displays all the photo, audio and video [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikilovesmonuments.org_(no_titles).webm assets in a gallery] under the video with links to all other known published derivative works. This is not the same as publishing an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edit_decision_list edit decision list] or other video editing assets. That option was not desirable because those assets are not universally compatible with all editing software and are not always open source. You can read my [https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2018/01/11/how-to-video-newsreel/ blog post about this].
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You can watch a few videos I've produced below:
  
 
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I take a particular joy in [https://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/07/20/illustrating-chicago-democratic-convention/ illustrating] Wikipedia articles with photos or video. Because Wikipedia is open source, it can be endlessly copied, which gives it great resilience against being deleted or otherwise lost.
 
 
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File:Lossy-page1-5760px-Oculus photographed in fisheye by Victor Grigas, Pantheon, Rome.tif.jpg|This is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oculus#/media/File:Oculus_photographed_in_fisheye_by_Victor_Grigas,_Pantheon,_Rome.tif oculus] in the Pantheon in Rome. I wanted to show the whole room.
 
File:Chicago Theatre sign Close up.jpg|I'm originally from Chicago, and the sign on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Theatre#/media/File:Chicago_Theatre_sign_Close_up.jpg the theatre] is a symbol of the river that forks through the city.
 
File:Haymarket Monument Bronzeville, Chicago 2015-9.jpg|This is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monuments_relating_to_the_Haymarket_affair#/media/File:Haymarket_Monument_Bronzeville,_Chicago_2015-9.jpg a monument] to the Haymarket affair.
 
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When I was in college in 2008, I made a short film about technology and isolation that you can watch below. I'm hoping to make it into a feature film. If you like it, you can donate to [https://www.gofundme.com/f/modemhead-a-story-of-isolation-and-disconnection that effort].
 
When I was in college in 2008, I made a short film about technology and isolation that you can watch below. I'm hoping to make it into a feature film. If you like it, you can donate to [https://www.gofundme.com/f/modemhead-a-story-of-isolation-and-disconnection that effort].

Latest revision as of 15:15, 15 May 2026

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Hi! My name is Victor Grigas. I'm a photographer and video producer. My CC-licensed photos have been seen in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Forbes, The New Republic, Science, Fast Company, Psychology Today, CBS, Spiegel, the New York Review of Books, Atlas Obscura, WTTW / Chicago Tonight, PBS NewsHour, Piauí, Wikimedia and many others.

My father was also a photographer, when he passed away I started a fundraiser to digitize his entire photo archive. I have a formal education in film, audio and video and I've worked with all kinds of budgets. If you have a project in mind feel free to reach out to me to ask any questions: victorgrigas (at) gmail (dot) com

You can watch a few videos I've produced below:


When I was in college in 2008, I made a short film about technology and isolation that you can watch below. I'm hoping to make it into a feature film. If you like it, you can donate to that effort.

One of my enthusiasms is playing video synthesizers. As you can see in the video below, the output is colorful and reactive to audio. Once you set up the patch you like, they are wild to play -- you sort of need to bracket where the image can and cannot go and just hold on and see what happens.

Thanks for reading!

All content copyright © 2026 Victor Grigas (unless otherwise noted).
Here's my B&H wish list, and Paypal.