Life & Work with Rachel Burson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Burson.

Hi Rachel, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In 2015, I began my puppet-building journey after a stage management internship at a children’s theatre. I needed a creative outlet, and during my internship, we worked on a show involving puppets. Through that internship, it dawned on me that puppetry, especially building puppets, was an actual job some people have. So I bought a puppet-building book and began what is now my full-time career. Once I started building, I realized the best way to reach professional status was to be where the action is. So I moved to LA, set up my little North Hollywood bedroom as my studio, and the rest is history. Through my time building, I began to connect with the LA puppetry community. I joined the Los Angeles Guild of Puppetry and quickly began to meet amazing members who were incredibly talented and helped guide me on my journey. I even joined the board of the LAGP in 2018 and as of this year, 2023, I will have been President for four years.

As I grew my community in LA I also began to work for professional shops. It was incredibly surreal to be able to work on larger projects and learn so much from the other builders around me. I also began to puppet wrangle on sets and have been able to juggle my time between the two jobs. I’ve worked on projects with companies like The Muppets Studio, The Jim Henson Creature Shop, Swazzle Inc, Nickelodeon and Noggin. I even began my own small puppet-building company, rachelmadestudio, where I’ve been able to build my own brand of self-designed and self-built puppets while working with these amazing companies.

I have worked on projects like: Muppets Mayhem, Waffles + Mochi, Slumberkins, Duff’s Happy Bake Fun Time, The Barbarian and The Troll, Crank Yankers, Womp + Co, The B Street Theatre’s Production of Winnie the Pooh, Kidding, The Little Mermaid Live and Little Big Awesome

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Pursuing a career as niche as puppetry has certainly come with trials and tribulations. A large majority of us work as freelancers so we are always trying to go from job to job to stay afloat. I also personally struggle with imposter syndrome daily so being able to pursue a creative career like puppetry comes with a lot of internal debates about self-worth and talent. Also, when you are getting started, it can be a lonely journey. It takes a lot of things going right to get your foot in the door and learning to navigate that takes time.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a professional puppet builder, puppet wrangler and occasional puppeteer. I specialize in building hand rod-style puppets. I am most known for working on projects like Muppets Mayhem, Waffles + Mochi, Slumberkins and my own personal puppet, a little vampire named Snaggle. Building-wise I think I am the most proud of being on the build team from the Netflix show Waffles + Mochi. I was one of the main builders for Waffles and seeing how much love people have for that character is amazing. My nieces are also big fans of her and being able to have their stamp of approval on any children’s project I work on is a huge accomplishment. Project-wise, I think Muppets Mayhem takes the cake on what I am most proud of. I was honestly too embarrassed to even whisper that one day I hoped to work on a Muppets project because it felt so out of reach.

So, to be able to work on that show is actually still pretty surreal to this day and I can’t believe it happened. I believe what sets me apart from others is my mix of work experiences. I went to college to become a stage manager for theatre which then warped into me working in the production department for film and tv and then that took a hard left turn and I ended up in puppetry. The journey definitely has been winding but I think being able to take all of those technical skills from my management/production experience and mix them up with the creative skills I have within puppetry has been a huge benefit for me. Also, for puppet building, my style is very cute and bright so I am a good hire for projects with that aesthetic because it’s what naturally pours out of me.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
– The Foam Book by Drew Allison and Donald Devet -The Art of the Puppet by Bil Baird
– Figures in the Fourth Dimension: Mechanical Movement for Puppets and Automata by Ellen Rixford
– Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones
– Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021 Documentary)
– Youtube videos by Adam Kreutinger
– Podcasts: Under the Puppet, Below the Frame with Matt Vogel and Puppet Tears

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rachelmadestudio.com
• Instagram: rachelmadestudio

Image Credits
Personal Photo – Anthony Tocchio Photo w/ me in Jean Jacket – Swazzle Inc All other photos taken on my phone