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RESUME
Profile
Costume designer and puppet fabricator with over five years of film experience ranging from live action science fiction to stop motion animation and over six years of gallery exhibitions of plush/fabric sculptures.
Annenberg PetSpace - Virtual Content Host, Puppeteer, and Puppet Fabricator of The PetSpace Puppet Pals
PUPPET FABRICATION, PUPPETEER, VIRTUAL CONTENT HOSTING
MICHAEL O’CONNELL - PROGRAMS DIRECTOR - ANNENBERG PETSPACE -PLAYA VISTA, CA
MARCH 2020 - PRESENT
Wallis Annenberg PetSpace is a unique interactive community, education and dog/cat adoption center that utilizes an immersive learning style to educate the community about how to improve the animal human bond.
With the safer at home order in place, PetSpace begins offering virtual educational content which includes live puppet shows via Zoom, and a cast of animal rod puppets are scripted into life.
Puppet fabrication of all puppets - Construction of all garments, props, wigs and accessories. Writer of multiple puppet shows - providing educational content, and entertainment for all ages.
The PetSpace Puppet Pals cast currently includes thirteen puppets - two dogs, three cats, a snake, a cockatiel, a leopard gecko, a hamster, a turtle, a milkbone, a bag of kibble and an enthusiastic cat loving girl scout.
With the puppet show’s use of celebrity animal puns, the costumes became a vital part of the show’s cast of characters. From Meowtha Stewart and Guy Fureri to Harry “The Ham” Styles and Katerine Hepurrn, the cast and story lines evolve every episode and to date the Pals have hosted three virtual Pawliday events including a Pawliday Winter Party, A Palentine’s Day Celebration and a PetSpace Puppet Pal's Earth Day Event.
Puppeteer/Voice for Angelicat, Wilbur, Hammy - The Hamster, Charlie - The Cockatiel, and Tabby - the Girl Scout
Host of Instagram live Pet Encounters, Health Center Check Ins, Virtual Kids Critter Camp as well as host of Critter College Episode - 1 “The Eyes Have It”
PetSpace Puppet Pals Puppet Show has been written up in the LAist, goop, and other online publications as the perfect combination of entertainment and education
ADDITIONAL COSTUME FABRICATION
MARTIN MEUNIER - LEAD COSTUME FABRICATOR - VENICE, CA
NOVEMBER 2020 - DECEMBER 2020
“ATOM” a science fiction short directed by Bradon Caruso and written by Mitchell LeBlanc
“ATOM” is the story of a lonely robot that encounters a pair of distressed humans and soon realizes that he may never be lonely again
Fabrication of the robot’s gauntlets and base of chest apparatus - Robotic/Mechanised details were 3D printed by Martin and added to the base structures that I constructed of foam and weathered metallic vinyl
COSTUME DESIGNER, PUPPET FABRICATION
PAUL HUNTER - PRODUCER- BURBANK, CA
OCTOBER 2020 - NOVEMBER 2020
“The Petting Zoo” is a stop motion animation short film written and directed by emerging talent Devyn Hunter and produced by her father Paul Hunter - Award winning music video director, screenwriter, producer and film director
“The Petting Zoo” is the story of a young girl, Denise, and her unforgettable performance at her school’s piano recital. The anxiety and fear that she assumes she has imagined, takes on a life of its own and roots itself in her reality. Denise’s hair raising crescendo, unleashes a wild force from within that takes aim at her music teacher and commands much more than a standing ovation.
Puppet fabrication of all three main characters - Denise, Music Teacher, and the Zoo Animal. Costume Design and construction of all garments, shoes and accessories. All wig fabrications including a special FX wig armatured to take on a life of its own.
COSTUME DESIGNER, PUPPET FABRICATION
MARTIN MEUNIER - PRODUCER - EL SEGUNDO, CA
FEBRUARY 2017 - NOVEMBER 2018
“Rag Doll” is a stop motion animated short film written and directed by Peabody award winner Leon Lee and produced by Martin Meunier, winner of an Academy of Science and Engineering award for pioneering the use of rapid prototyping for character animation in stop motion film production.
Set in modern day China, the film's more than 30 characters required 1/6th scale costumes ranging from every season to every economic background.
Fabrication of all puppets costumes, shoes and accessories including all wire armatures for puppet extras, skin and wigs fell under my jurisdiction. The final scene, a live action shot, also required the construction of five - twelve inch replicas of the main character.
COSTUME DESIGNER
DAN LANIGAN - CINEMA RELICS - DIRECTOR - LOS ANGELES, CA
SEPTEMBER 2015 - NOVEMBER 2016
“Fan-O-Rama”, a live action “Futurama” fan film directed and written by Dan Lanigan, star of Disney’s “Prop Culture” and executive producer of “West Texas Investors Club” as well as “Mystery Science Theater: The Return”
The shorts' more than 20 Sci-fi character costumes heavily featured the original TV show’s retro futuristic style. The construction and maintenance of which were the responsibility of my one man department.
Humans, robots, and aliens of every proportion made for interesting costume challenges but my self taught, out of the box style, aided me in adapting and solving every issue.
FIBER ARTIST
GALLERY 1988, NUCLEUS GALLERY, CREATURE FEATURES - LOS ANGELES, CA
MAY 2011 - DECEMBER 2017
Pop culture based fabric sculptures with themes ranging from movies, music, literature, and even popular internet memes.
From SpongeBob as Albert Einstein, “E=Mc2Pants” to Sir Ian McKellen as the Queen of England, “God Save The Queen” to a nude John Lennon spooning a Blue Meanie, “Oh, No!”
Patrons include Oscar winner, Bill Condon and Tony nominated actor Tim Curry
REFERENCES
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Michael O’Connell- 518-421-9739
Paul Hunter - 818-445-6893
Dan Lanigan - 708-466-8971
Martin Meunier - 310-497-5568