My fascination with puppets started around the time I became a clown. It was almost a natural thing for me to have a hand puppet in my show. Well, as I grew as a clown so did my clown skills. The puppets seemed to take a backseat to everything else.

In 1984, I started working at our local Six Flags as a clown. There I met a local puppeteer who was becoming more popular and getting some acclaim for his work in puppetry. Doug Kincaid and his brother Bill formed a comapny called Kincaid and Kompany. They had a puppet theatre and warehouse where they made mascots and puppets for big name clients. They were DJ's too.

I started working for Doug in 1985 in their theater Kastle. I soon moved up to head puppeteer and stage manager. This is where I got my first taste of building puppets. I worked and performed with the Kincaid's until I went to Ringling Brothers Clown College in 1988, But have stayed friends with the Kincaids since then.

At Clown College I learned more on the process' of building foam and celastic props, but didnt really get the building bug until I started working for Bob Kramer's Marionettes

Bob Kramer and Dug Feltch have been a icon of puppetry here in St.Louis for over 40 years. Bob and Dug both are excellent puppeters and performers. They both are skilled craftsmen and builders of puppets from idea, drawing and construction. I was with them a very short time but learned a great deal from them both. From working with them, I found other outlets for my puppet urges in the form of The Puppet Guild of Greater St.Louis and the Puppeteers of America.

I found on POA's site books/video instructions on puppet building. The first book I read was The Foam Book by Drew Allison and Donald Devett. And that started the ball rolling. I now collect rare and new puppet books for my library. Its not a large collection but I'm working on it!

Another video series I bought was from Arms Length Production and Daid Pannabecker. Then the video set for the Foam Book from Grey Seal Productions was released. I have copies of other instructors from classes given at conventions and paper notes taken at these. I love to learn new ways of puppet building and tossing in my own specail way of doing things and or materials

So what really started uot as a hobby , has turned out to be a sperate but intrical part of my performing carreer. I have puppeteered for amusement parks, fairs and festivals, haunted houses and for birthday parties too! Maybe the next step is in video productions--hmmmm!