The Hatchery concept originated in 1998 in Austin, TX as an incubator for cross-disciplinary art and performance. The Hatchery Manifesto was first delivered by founder Joseph Meissner (via his performative alter-ego, Dr. Immanuel Taste) on April 18, 1998 at the Salvage Vanguard Theater event “Manifesto Destiny” and coincided with the release of the first issue of The Hatchery ‘zine. Influenced by Dada, Surrealism, and Futurism, The Hatchery included original fiction, poetry, illustrations, and collage.

The goal of the first-generation of The Hatchery movement was to create a cross-disciplinary live/work/performance space for experimental artists modeled on AS220 in Providence, RI. The Hatchery vision went dormant in Austin’s overheated dot-com economy of the late nineties and was reborn in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The catalyzing project for the resurgence of The Hatchery is Flood Streets, a feature film written by The Hatchery co-founders Helen Krieger and Joseph Meissner, based on several of Helen's post-Katrina short stories. Other projects include the television series New City, short films Brook & Bern, Big Bucks in the Tickling Business, and the documentary feature Grow.

The Hatchery’s mission is to nourish imaginative, human-scale, compassionate and engaging projects in film, television, live performance, and new media. The Hatchery values sustainability (environmental, social and financial), creative independence, respect for artists and audiences, and diversity of perspectives.

Joseph Meissner
Actor/ Writer/ Producer

A native Texan, Joseph Meissner has been acting since childhood. He graduated with honors from Brown University with a degree in Theater, and he has acted in film, theatre, and television projects.

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Helen Krieger
Writer/Producer

For the past decade Helen has worked in journalism, fiction and screenwriting, and she co-founded a New Orleans paper that she ran for several years before Hurricane Katrina.

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