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The Jim Henson Company has demo reel submission guidelines on their web site. This is NOT an audition, but Sesame Workshop is running an invitation-only workshop for puppeteers (which is a good place to start). The deadline is soon!

If you're auditioning for something specific, it's a good idea to check with the company to find out what format they want demo reels in. Most places do seem to ask for URLs on YouTube or Vimeo these days, but some places have very specific requirements and will ignore/disqualify you if you...

Another weekly round-up of international puppetry news, happenings, job opportunities, workshops and more: http://puppetvision.info/2013/10/weekly-puppetry-news-round-up-really-big-edition.html

This (last) week's puppetry news round up - "Muppet Restoration Edition"!

Another edition of the weekly puppetry news round-up. My favourite story this week? A story about what happened to Mr. Woodchuck, the puppet that Dave Coulier used to perform on "Full House" - http://puppetvision.info/2013/09/weekly-puppetry-news-round-up-dog-attack-edition.html

Here's another update on my documentary, PuppetVision: The Movie - A Long Overdue Update.

Here's this week's edition. There are a lot of puppet festivals happening internationally...and a lot of giant puppets out and about! http://puppetvision.info/2013/09/weekly-puppetry-news-round-up-september-14th-edition.html

Not to nitpick - or take anything away from Jim who truly was a visionary - but how was he at the forefront of web content/internet publishing? Although Jim had some very smart computer science people working with him in the `80s, Tim Berners-Lee didn't even publish his work developing the...

Yes, apparently that was exactly it. Pick up the new Jim Henson biography that comes out in a week or so. I received an advance copy (it's fantastic) and Jim's early career is covered in quite a bit of detail.

Ah, that makes sense. At the studio where I used to work someone would usually cut a slot for the rod to sit in with a Dremel so the handle would be smooth. Or, if we were feeling lazy, we would just live it being uneven.

This is a really great tutorial, especially for anyone who has wondered how to make good arm rods. I hope you don't mind me offering a few tips/suggestions though: I would recommend using epoxy, not glue to secure the rod to the dowel. This eliminates the need for gaffe/duct tape. Epoxy will...

Every weekend I post a round up on my blog, PuppetVision, that highlights news stories about puppetry from around the world. I also try to include professional workshops, job opportunities, calls for entry and lots of news about puppet festivals. If you're curious about what's going on in...

I have no idea what's used for Kermit's eyes, but do you mean flocked adhesive paper? It's commonly used for telescopes and sometimes called "flocked light trap material".

This is a short article that I wrote a few years ago - Demo Reel Do's & Don'ts for puppeteers Generally, I would open the reel with your second strongest piece of material and end with your strongest. I wouldn't include songs unless you a can sing well, or unless you are specifically being...

Right now the link goes to the original Puppet Buzz article (which, ironically, talks about how the article was found via my now-defunct site PuppetBuilding.com). I've linked directly to the printable PDF hosted there because I don't own the recreated pattern and wouldn't want to redistribute it...

A long, long time ago I had written a Guide to Online Puppet Building Resources. This was somewhat popular, but the web site that hosted it has been defunct for a few years. I still get a lot of requests for the article and some of the materials it featured so I've been working on adding them...

What you want to make is basically a ball (the snout) on a ball (the head). There are a couple of ways to do that, but the easiest to explain is probably "The Wedge Method". The idea is that if you cut eight wedges with a size ratio of 4:1 (four times longer than they are wide) and glue them...

No, it looks good! At least in David's shows. Like anything, you probably have to experiment a bit with weight and positioning to get it just right (nothing good comes easily) but it's a great low-tech effect. I was very impressed when I saw it.

Glove and Boots have actually been around a long time (about ten years), although I think it's only in the past year or two that most people have discovered them on YouTube. They started out busking on the street in New York City and began making web videos pre-YouTube (around 2003 or 2004) and...

Another idea - and this a neat trick I'm embarrassed I've never thought of myself (I saw David Stephens using it last week at a puppet festival) - is to use monofilament (fishing line) to attach the arm to the puppet's jaw. This is how Big Bird's right arm is usually performed and it creates...