Executive Producer/Puppet Master

Jim has been a puppeteer and producer since his first job at 17 working for an amusement park in the Adirondacks in Upstate New York. Jim is a puppeteer, live entertainment consultant, and character driven brand designer. Carrying a Masters degree in puppet arts design alongside credits as a puppet master for National Tour of Broadway’s The Lion King, he has over 25 years experience in the field designing and fabricating hundreds of productions. Jim specializes in producing international festivals, theatrical productions and NOW viral web/mobile content. As Founder of Puppet Network, his puppetry work has been showcased on PBS, MTV Latin America, ABC, Travel Channel, Huffington Post, AP, New York Post and dozens of media outlets in North and South America.

 

Jim’s Florida Day of the Dead Celebration is a South Florida signature event attracting nearly 29,000 participants annually and was just named one of the “Top 10 Day of the Dead” Events in North America by The USA Today and Top 3 for The List/ABC Television. 

 

His design and performance work has been seen for the national Talking Wallets ad campaign for Allegiant Airlines and for Tobacco Free Florida campaign among other media projects.  He has won South Florida's 2017 Outstanding Contributions in the Arts Award, 2016 Urban Design Award and 2014 Chamber of Commerce Workforce & Education Excellence Award and partnered in over $3M in Community Arts Engagement Grants and Sponsorships among many others.