File spoon-archives/puptcrit.archive/puptcrit_2003/puptcrit.0310, message 102


Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 15:20:23 -0700
From: Bob Stone <bobstone1-AT-earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: PUPT: Careers in puppetry?


At 05:41 PM 10/18/2003 -0400, you wrote:

>So my question:  Just what kind of careers and money are there in puppetry?
>Is this just something very enjoyable or is it something one can truly turn
>into a career and be prosperous doing?  Or should I just get a job waiting
>tables like everyone else in the entertainment industry?  ;)
>
>James

James,

An excellent question.  I don't know what the financial rewards are from 
running puppet theaters, or doing shows for kids, or even the highly 
artistic shows for adults.  I've had a pretty lucrative career of 35 years 
doing work pretty much exclusively for corporations.
Initially I fell into it, but established myself, and it has 
stuck.  Company's pay rather well for shows that are presented at sales 
meetings, and as a way to attract people into exhibit booths at trade 
shows.  We had the unique ability to do a live animation process (that was 
purely puppetry based) and that set us apart from pure puppetry, but we did 
also do black light puppets and standard hand and rod puppets.  But we did 
them far less frequently than the live animation process.

If you live near, or are able to move, to either the New York, or the Los 
Angeles area, there are puppeteers who work in movies and television 
shows.  If you get into the inner circle of puppeteers who are high on the 
list to be called, you can get quite a bit of good, well paying work.  Of 
course in film and TV, there is far less personal creative control over the 
material, however you can use your creativity to support the material.

Amusement parks such as the Six Flags group, and of course Disney, also 
often have shows with puppets on the schedule, and breaking into one of 
them can help with the bank account.

Good luck in whatever you get into!

-Bob Stone
www.serious-comedy.com


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