Haleigh Ciel

Award-winning storyteller and creative producer. Runs Fantastigal, a fantasy event discovery platform and editorial site. Currently at Ralph Lauren (digital content, home & style). Key contact for the museum project. Walked into the store on 2026-03-22.

Email: info@fantastigal.com / haleighciel@gmail.com Location: Jersey City Instagram: @haleighciel Portfolio: haleighciel.myportfolio.com IMDb: nm4840218

Background

• NYU Tisch School of the Arts (Stella Adler) — graduated with honors
• Studied at RADA (London), DUOC (Chile, Santiago Theater Festival), and in Beijing/Shanghai
• Military brat background, DC society connections (featured in Washington Life Magazine)
• Film credits: Ceti Alpha No. 5, Escape from North Korea, Nightwing: Escalation
• Her cosplay was voted “Absolute Best Cosplay of 2013” by io9 and #1 genderswapped cosplay at NYCC by Buzzfeed; won Best in Show at the CBS Cosplay Contest

Fantastigal

Fantastigal LLC (2019–present) — solo-founder fantasy event discovery platform, not an event organizer itself.

• The Fantasy Calendar — searchable event database (balls, faires, conventions, immersive experiences)
• Stories — editorial coverage, event recaps, interviews
• Fantasy Guides — resources on costumes, DIY, photographers, locations
• Small merch shop; active on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest (@Fantastigal, @TheFantasyCalendar)
• Has covered: Neverland Ball, Mystical Maytime, Greenleaves, and notably a Crescent City: House of Flame and Shadow midnight release — directly relevant to a potential SJM collab

Connections

• Museum of Art and Design (NYC) — mom is Chief of Staff at MAD
• Cavegirl Productions — friends with the team that produced Igniting the Spark, an MTG artwork documentary (won Best Documentary at Gen Con Film Festival 2025)
• Annie Stegg & Justin Gerard — knows both personally (married fantasy artists at Gallery Gerard, paint for WotC, Disney, Hasbro, Netflix, HarperCollins)
• Ralph Lauren — current employer
• Husband is an MTG fan

Why this matters

• Mom’s role at MAD is a direct line into the museum world — huge for nonprofit-strategy and the museum project
• Fantastigal’s editorial reach and event network could lead to collabs (fantasy balls at White Eagle Hall, Hana House, or NYC venues)
• Her art world connections (Stegg, Gerard, Cavegirl) align with the cultural institution vision in founding-statement
• Fantastigal has already covered a SJM midnight release — she has experience with exactly the kind of event we discussed
• Her background in immersive experiences and content production is a natural fit for Dungeonbooks events

Action items

• Carrie to send follow-up email to info@fantastigal.com
• Signed up for faro-bookclub — can talk to Lan when she comes
• Explore collaboration on a Sarah J. Maas midnight release (ACOTAR, October) if enough interest
• Visit MAD together