Do you have a dream?

[Show and Tell]

Do what I did. Register your website name at www.register.com, for like $40 or so, every two years I think (but don't quote my figures), and they'll give you a free 3 page site, where you can sell your puppets. Here's mine> www.puppetsnstuff.com

Wow! Cool Thanks
Now I still need that NAME....*grunts with frustration*

 

[puppetguy]

There's a lot I didn't know about being a self-supported puppeteer when I became one. There's a lot that my fancy-shmancy UConn puppetry degree didn't prep me for about working as a puppeteer in the real world. Lessons like being a freelance puppeteer is 75% business and 25% acutal puppetry. I've been at this for the last 10 years and its been a lot of fun and a lot of work. I've done shows in venues of all sizes: from Puppeteers of America Festivals to elementary school cafe-toriums in rural Alabama. What I was least prepared for was the travel. I get so sick of driving, especially since I'm a solo. My dream would be to have a roadie! Recently, I moved to Atlanta in the hopes to have the opportunity to perform in venues closer to home and to be able to do more freelance work with the Center for Puppetry Arts. You have to know how to represent yourself, unless you're lucky enough to work through an agent. Never work without a contract. Be prepared for any kind of nightmarish experience with a performance space. Develop good people skills so that when your client is a dingbat, you know how to be polite. Despite what people say about the money you make, a lot of that depends on how much you want to make. Who gets into this to get rich anyway, right?
Perhaps the most important thing of all, be entertaining and, for the sake of the rest of us, do good work!! I know puppeteers who are the worst business people, but are incredible performers. I've also seen puppeteers whose work is utter crap and they make more money because they know how to promote themselves. And the Muppeteers are freelancers, too. Everything is by contract. I think that since the fab 5 (Jim, Frank, Jerry, Dave, and Richard) were the Muppet core for so long that people started to think that if you landed a job with them then you were "in," therefore, set for life as a Muppeteer and reaped the benefits. Not true. And, like another poster here, I also spoke with a former Muppet performer who gave me the "scoop" on the TV puppetry industry. Not all its cracked up to be. I get to be far more creative by doing my own thing and don't have to live in NYC and starve while waiting for a TV job to come along. So, all this to say, the life of being a professional puppeteer isn't easy. But, as so often is the case, those things that require struggle and sacrfice are worth it. Its great, I get to perform puppet shows and play the banjo for a living. Anything's possible.
Check out my stuff: www.allhandsproductions.com

 

[Show and Tell]

There's a lot I didn't know about being a self-supported puppeteer when I became one. There's a lot that my fancy-shmancy UConn puppetry degree didn't prep me for about working as a puppeteer in the real world. Lessons like being a freelance puppeteer is 75% business and 25% acutal puppetry. I've been at this for the last 10 years and its been a lot of fun and a lot of work. I've done shows in venues of all sizes: from Puppeteers of America Festivals to elementary school cafe-toriums in rural Alabama. What I was least prepared for was the travel. I get so sick of driving, especially since I'm a solo. My dream would be to have a roadie! Recently, I moved to Atlanta in the hopes to have the opportunity to perform in venues closer to home and to be able to do more freelance work with the Center for Puppetry Arts. You have to know how to represent yourself, unless you're lucky enough to work through an agent. Never work without a contract. Be prepared for any kind of nightmarish experience with a performance space. Develop good people skills so that when your client is a dingbat, you know how to be polite. Despite what people say about the money you make, a lot of that depends on how much you want to make. Who gets into this to get rich anyway, right?
Perhaps the most important thing of all, be entertaining and, for the sake of the rest of us, do good work!! I know puppeteers who are the worst business people, but are incredible performers. I've also seen puppeteers whose work is utter crap and they make more money because they know how to promote themselves. And the Muppeteers are freelancers, too. Everything is by contract. I think that since the fab 5 (Jim, Frank, Jerry, Dave, and Richard) were the Muppet core for so long that people started to think that if you landed a job with them then you were "in," therefore, set for life as a Muppeteer and reaped the benefits. Not true. And, like another poster here, I also spoke with a former Muppet performer who gave me the "scoop" on the TV puppetry industry. Not all its cracked up to be. I get to be far more creative by doing my own thing and don't have to live in NYC and starve while waiting for a TV job to come along. So, all this to say, the life of being a professional puppeteer isn't easy. But, as so often is the case, those things that require struggle and sacrfice are worth it. Its great, I get to perform puppet shows and play the banjo for a living. Anything's possible.
Check out my stuff: www.allhandsproductions.com

Your sceerin' me!

 

[puppetguy]

Heh..if I really wanted to scare you, I'd tell you that when you become a freelance puppeteer you might as well forget any job security or stability. And all those nice perks that most folks get with 9-5-ers like health benefits and paid vacations don't apply with your job. The worst nightmare of all: TAXES. All I can say is save every reciept you spend on anything.

I don't mean to frighten anyone away from being a puppeteer if that is your dream. But there's a lot that comes with the territory that most folks don't think about. They think its all about dolly wiggling, when there is much more to the job than that.

 

[floydpepperfan]

puppetering would be fun but sadly not practical

that would be fun and i guess you could just live in a hippie bus and sort of put on performances from there and just stop at a friends house every now and then to clean up but eh i dont know if thats for me i might just make a puppet for fun and stuff but i will get a hippie bus (just might not live it it) but yeah puppetering would be fun even if it isn't practical if thats your dream go for it!

 

[Show and Tell]

I don't mean to frighten anyone away from being a puppeteer if that is your dream. But there's a lot that comes with the territory that most folks don't think about. They think its all about dolly wiggling, when there is much more to the job than that.

dolly wiggling?

 

[beforemyway]

There's a lot I didn't know about being a self-supported puppeteer when I became one. There's a lot that my fancy-shmancy UConn puppetry degree didn't prep me for about working as a puppeteer in the real world. Lessons like being a freelance puppeteer is 75% business and 25% acutal puppetry. I've been at this for the last 10 years and its been a lot of fun and a lot of work. I've done shows in venues of all sizes: from Puppeteers of America Festivals to elementary school cafe-toriums in rural Alabama. What I was least prepared for was the travel. I get so sick of driving, especially since I'm a solo. My dream would be to have a roadie! Recently, I moved to Atlanta in the hopes to have the opportunity to perform in venues closer to home and to be able to do more freelance work with the Center for Puppetry Arts. You have to know how to represent yourself, unless you're lucky enough to work through an agent. Never work without a contract. Be prepared for any kind of nightmarish experience with a performance space. Develop good people skills so that when your client is a dingbat, you know how to be polite. Despite what people say about the money you make, a lot of that depends on how much you want to make. Who gets into this to get rich anyway, right?
Perhaps the most important thing of all, be entertaining and, for the sake of the rest of us, do good work!! I know puppeteers who are the worst business people, but are incredible performers. I've also seen puppeteers whose work is utter crap and they make more money because they know how to promote themselves. And the Muppeteers are freelancers, too. Everything is by contract. I think that since the fab 5 (Jim, Frank, Jerry, Dave, and Richard) were the Muppet core for so long that people started to think that if you landed a job with them then you were "in," therefore, set for life as a Muppeteer and reaped the benefits. Not true. And, like another poster here, I also spoke with a former Muppet performer who gave me the "scoop" on the TV puppetry industry. Not all its cracked up to be. I get to be far more creative by doing my own thing and don't have to live in NYC and starve while waiting for a TV job to come along. So, all this to say, the life of being a professional puppeteer isn't easy. But, as so often is the case, those things that require struggle and sacrfice are worth it. Its great, I get to perform puppet shows and play the banjo for a living. Anything's possible.
Check out my stuff: www.allhandsproductions.com

you went to Ucon for their puppet course?? that's awesome! I had thought about doing that.. but there was no way I'd ever had made it.

 

[Iokitek]

heh Did you have to quote the entire text for that?

 

[beforemyway]

oh.. sry... I'll try not to do that in the future.. hms.. I would edit it.. but I take it you can't edit your own posts after some amount of time or something?