Happy 2009!

So here we are,

Another year has passed. 2008 was well...not a great year....but the great thing is that with 2009 we have a new beginning to start with...

I look forward to all that 2009 has to bring...hopefully a small handful of opportunities...and from those opportunities a better life to build upon.

Best wishes to you all, Happy New Year!


Best,

rob

Merry Christmas!

So I am in Boston, which has just been hit with a metric ass-load of snow.

Just felt like posting on here since I hadn't done so in a while....

I wanted to chime in on this whole "War on Christmas" thing....

As a Catholic...I celebrate the birth of Christ by going to church on Christmas Eve, and then spend Christmas day meeting up with friends and family to celebrate a time when everyone has the day off and can get together and eat and drink and be merry.

Honestly...I have never been offended by anyone saying "Happy Holidays"...moreso...I completely understand when multi-billion dollar corporations like Macy's or Walmart say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" because its more of a catch-all for ALL of their customers... some of which may not celebrate Christmas...this may be difficult for some people to understand...but there are all sorts of ways to celebrate the holidays...does this mean that Walmart hates Christ? Don't be ridiculous.

So the war on Christmas is really just crap made up by people looking for a reason to complain. If you are a Christian...say "Merry Christmas!" But also be open and receptive to all others...this is a time when we can all come together for the "holiday season".

And please...if someone say's "Happy Holidays" to you...don't be an asshole and correct them about the fact that you celebrate Christmas. They were trying to be pleasant and offer you good cheer in a time when people are going homeless, families are going hungry, and jobs are becoming harder and harder to find. We all celebrate the way we want to. Just be pleasant back to them and respond "You too!" And smile for God sake's....it's Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!


rob

A whole freakin year...

Yes, it's been over a year since I last posted.

I suppose that it would be good to let you all know what I have been up to, since that is really what keeping a blog is really all about.

I started my own production company, octobertwenty productions inc.. I have directed two projects so far...a music video for a band called "Maika" and a set of puppet-clips for a show called "Bunraker".

The video will be online soon...we are in legal dealings and trying to get all the distribution figured out...then we will get it up and running.

The puppet-clips can be found by searching YouTube for "Bunraker" or go to: www.Bunraker.com or www.flyovertv.com

It's pretty cool. I have also been working with friends to develop a few new projects, so we shall see if those go somewhere.

All in all, it's been a very very busy year.

I will keep you posted...hopefully more frequently than my last post...hah...

best,


saunders

Beck goes to Japan...I stay in los angeles...

Hey all...

Beck is off to Japan in a few weeks, but I am staying behind in LA.

I've been offered the position of Supervisor of Puppet Fabrication for the third season of RobotChicken.

It's a great job, alot of work, and ALOT of responsibility.

I had to make the choice between a few dates of touring with Beck or 30 weeks of work with a great crew of people. I decided that i needed to stay home and try this new endeavor.

I'm very excited...Robotchicken is a great show and i'm really thrilled to be a part of it.

I am sad I won't be going to Japan with Beck, but BJ will be taking over the Beck puppet, and Greg will be reprising his role with BJ's puppets...all in all the team is all set and Japan is going to have some great shows.

I'll miss being a part of the beck show, but I am eager to see where the coming months take me...there is alot more coming up!

Hope all is well with y'all.


best,

rob

Best Wishes!

Hey all,

So this is my final post for 2006...what a year it has been. It's quite possibly been the most up and down year I have ever experienced.

The good stuff has been the absolute best....the bad stuff has really really sucked my butt.

However, tomorrow I go home to visit my family in New Hampshire, and then I am gonna spend new years in New York City with friends.

With everything that has happend, good and bad, I can truly say with no doubt that I have a wonderful life. I am proud of who I am and happy with where my life is going. I wish each and every one of you a safe and happy holiday season!

In a final note, I'd like to wish strength, love and light to all those mourning the loss of George Latshaw. George was a truly good and gentle soul. He was one of the first puppeteers to take time to talk with me when I was the young age of sixteen. I will never forget his generousity and kindness. His big booming voice echoing out from that smiling face.."Hi! I'm George Latshaw!"

Life gives us gifts in people. When those people leave us it makes us really take the time to appreciate those gifts. To realize how precious our time here is. I hope that I too can someday provide a young puppeteer the inspiration and kindness that George gave to me and countless others. He was a gift, and will be sorely missed.

Love to you all. Be safe and be happy. 2007 is going to be a wonderful year.


rob.

Beck Puppet's on Jimmy Kimmel Live Tonight!!!

Hey there kids,

So tonight they are airing the Jimmy Kimmel Live bit that we shot last week. I know what you are thinking..Rob...its called Jimmy Kimmel Live...how can you have possibly shot this last week?

Well..I leave that up to the magic of television...


JKL airs at like 12:15pm...or something like that...check your local listings.


Set your Tivo's.


Best to yall.


rob

Defending UConn.

So on PuppetVisionBlog...Andrew did this article:

>>> Insulting UCONN

Someone sent me a link to an article called Can Puppetry Pay? It's a little pessimistic and written with aspiring Christian puppeteers in mind, but it does addresses some of the realities of being a professional puppeteer. The part that really jumped out for me was this:

"There is nothing of any value related to puppets and puppetry being sold at any university that you could not get at very little cost through instruction at workshops and festivals or free through your own study and experience. At this writing only the University of Connecticut is even offering a degree in puppetry and that degree is worthless in terms of improving your chances of being employed as a puppeteer."

It's very un-Christian of me, but I call bulls--t on that.

I do agree with the author that you don't need to have a degree in puppetry to be a puppeteer (I don't have one and most of the puppeteers I know don't either). I also agree that there are lots of great skills and information that can learned at festivals and workshops, but UCONN's Puppetry Program is almost universally recognized throughout the puppetry community as being exceptional. It may not be right for everyone, but calling its degree "worthless" is insulting to the school and reveals a real ignorance about not only it's program, but also the puppetry accomplishments of its alumni.

There's a long list of extremely talented UCONN alumni working as professional puppeteers today, including folks like Pam Arciero, Frankie Cordero, Tim Lagasse, Jim Napolitano and Jennifer Barnhart to name a few. In fact, possibly other than past employment with the Muppets, the biggest common denominator amongst the top tier of professional puppeteers in the United States is an association with UCONN.
Posted by Andrew at 1:58 PM

<<<
Thank you Andrew for correcting this guy. I am also a graduate of the UConn Puppet Arts Program, class of 1996, and I can say that it truly helped me shape and focus my ability and drive to be a puppeteer.

Bart. P. Roccoberton Jr., the Professor of Puppet Arts at UConn is a dear friend, teacher and mentor and the students who receive an education from him and from UConn come away not just with Puppet skills, but also skills in lighting, scenic and costume design, and real hand's on experience in Theatre. Oh, and a COLLEGE DEGREE...

Yes, you absolutely can learn to be a puppeteer from a million different avenues...but this article by whoever that guy was just proves he needs a better education.

Ultimately, it's up to the indivdual to push themselves to bigger and better things...but you can be a working puppeteer if you want it bad enough.

This guy makes my blood boil because instead of pushing younger inexperienced puppeteers by saying "Hey...it's hard but you can do it..." he basically says it's impossible.

I hate people like that...oh, and another thing....why have I never heard of this guy?! I mean NEVER....not through Unima or PofA or any other puppet links...makes me ask questions...especially of someone who claims thirty-two years of experience...

Anyway, rant is over...thanks Andrew for all your work on PuppetVisionBlog...your site rocks.

rob