Meet Artie Esposito of Redondo Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Artie Esposito.

Hi Artie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m a professional puppeteer, puppet director, and puppet builder, living and working in Los Angeles. It’s something that I knew I wanted to do since I was 4 years old.  My kindergarten teacher asked us all to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up.  The other kids were drawing policemen and doctors and I drew Ernie from Sesame Street!  “You want to be Ernie when you grow up?” asked the teacher. “No” I replied “ I want to be the man who plays Ernie”. “Oh that’s a puppeteer” said the teacher. “That’s what I want to do” I confidently responded. Throughout my childhood I would collect & make my own Muppet and Sesame Street puppets, and perform the shows over the safety rail of my bunk bed.  When I graduated from college I auditioned at Walt Disney World in Orlando, and became part of the opening cast of Festival of the Lion King at Disney’s Animal Kingdom performing characters like Simba and Pumbaa. After 4 years at Disney performing puppets in stage shows based on The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, and Bear in the Big Blue House, I was offered a spot in the first season of Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers.  That was the beginning of my professional career in film and television and I’ve been doing it ever since. I’ve worked on a bunch of great projects over the years.  Some of my favorites are working with The Muppets as an understudy performer for Kermit the Frog, with Disney on The Jungle Book film where I played Baloo the Bear, as Flounder in Wonderful World of Disney’s The Little Mermaid LIVE, and as Chairry alongside Paul Reubens in The Pee-wee Herman Show live on stage. I’ve also been a Puppet Director for a number of high-profile projects like The Muppet Show on Broadway, Waffles & Mochi’s Restaurant, and the Five Nights at Freddy’s film where I also performed Freddy Fazbear and Golden Freddy. A Puppet Director often casts and trains the puppeteers, as well as  working with the producers and show director to seamlessly incorporate the puppets into the production. In addition, I’ve been a puppet builder for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Swazzle Puppet Studio, and I recently opened my own company- Puppets By Artie where I build puppets and costumes for film and television projects, as well as taking commissions from individuals interested in puppets for their productions or private collections.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been an incredible amount of challenges along the way.  First off, getting work is not easy. In the 80’s if you wanted a Gremlin or E.T. in your production it had to be a puppet. With the invention of CGI, puppets are now an esthetic choice, not a necessity (though stage shows do still use puppets on a fairly regular basis). Work can be very slow sometimes.  Also, it is a business, and money rules this world.  As a result of so few spots there’s a fair amount of competition amongst performers, and while most of us are friends, things can get ugly at times. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of my childhood idols, and a lot of them have been super nice,  but there have been a few who wound up being flat-out not great people, especially if you’re a young performer who they’re concerned might replace them one day. It’s been a wake up call for sure, and frankly disappointing. Also, you’re often working for mega-
corporations that don’t even know your name.  I recently worked on a very high profile and successful film. When it came time for the sequel the parent company replaced a majority of the department heads that made the first film so successful, myself included.  It really stinks, but there’s nothing you could do but carry on and remember your worth.  It used to hurt my feelings really badly until I realized that to these corporations you’re a number on a spreadsheet, and it’s rarely personal. But that’s mainly the business side of things.  I have had a lot of amazing and magical times in this career. I’ve built Muppets and Fraggles, Gelflings and Simpsons, and just about any other silly creature you can think of! Working on The Jungle Book was one of the best experiences of my life.  I remember doing a puppet show in school where the teacher wanted us to make paper bag puppets of characters from our favorite movie.  I
made Baloo and Kaa from Disney’s The Jungle Book. Thirty years later I would perform both of those characters for Disney in a big budget live-action film directed by Jon Favreau!  I mean you can’t plan these things! A true full circle moment.  Another highlight was meeting Paul Reubens and getting to know him as a person.  What a gift!  He was such a wonderful and kind individual. I have so many fun memories! I’ve had dinner with Jeff Goldblum, performed with Jodi Benson and Auli’i Cravalho- two Disney princesses, and brought  Kermit the Frog to life on the Broadway stage alongside some of my best friends in the world.  A long ways from my bunkbed for sure! As Pee-wee would say “I’m the luckiest boy in the world!”

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m also a writer and show creator. My writing partners and I have had two shows optioned by production companies.  One was about a group of misfit kids who run an amusement park which was optioned by Disney Television Animation. The other was based on a children’s book we wrote called Merry Christmas, Krampus.  That one is currently in development as a Christmas Special. I also used to co-own a plush toy company in the early 2000’s with my brother.  We developed a product called The Coffee Bean Bears, which were plush bears with scented beans in their burlap bellies.  While we don’t have the business anymore, I feel like we were ahead of our time as  similar products have popped up in stores in the past few years and have become wildly successful.  But no experience is a waste- I currently use the skills I developed from that venture to prototype toys for major toy companies. As far as the future goes, I’m about to take on the role of Puppet Director for a live show based on a major franchise, and I’m super excited about it!

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
That’s easy!  I love going on vacation with my wife and kids.  It sounds obvious, but it’s probably what I spend about 50% of my brain capacity thinking about! We like to do themed vacations, often a Disney Theme Park or Disney Cruise Line, but sometimes we do Broadway weeks in NY. We’re planning on doing one to London’s West End and our ultimate goal is to hit EVERY Disney theme park around the world. I’ve been to all of them but Shanghai, but my wife and kids need to catch up! Aside from vacations, I’m a collector who still has ALL the toys I had as a kid, and my collection has grown!  But also having a career I enjoy where I create things and bring characters to life makes me happy and keeps me creatively fulfilled.

Pricing:

• Yes, puppet pricing is not what most people expect.  Puppets cost in the thousands, not the hundreds.  For some reason folks have the idea that puppets cost $500.  Considering they take two or more weeks to build, that would reward the puppet builder with a hefty $150 a week after foam, fabric, and other materials are factored in.  With puppets you get what you pay for.  If a builder is charging you $500 for a puppet I’d suggest finding another builder. Most good puppets cost ten times that. They’re fairly complex to create and just like people, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. If it has a bad foundation and the inner workings are thrown together, it’s going to move poorly and be difficult to operate, and no amount of outside decoration is going to save it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.PuppetsByArtie.com
• Instagram: PuppetsByArtie
• Other: PuppetsByArtie@gmail.com