Title: From Small-Town Dreams to Disney Magic: Calvin Lester's Puppeteering Adventure Summary: In this episode, Belinda interviews Calvin Lester, a performer puppeteer with the Walt Disney Company, who shares his journey in puppetry and his experiences working on shows like Bird Call. Calvin discusses his journey, being a reluctant leader, engaging with fans, the birth of Bird Call, and navigating the business side of creativity. He offers advice for success - being authentic and true to oneself, which leads to opportunities.
Calvin grew up in a small coal mining town in West Virginia with limited access to performance opportunities. Despite the focus on sports in his town, Calvin was drawn to drawing, acting, and writing. He became interested in puppetry through the works of Jim Henson and decided to pursue a career in the entertainment business. Calvin initially studied psychology in college but had the opportunity to audition for Sesame Street and the Muppets. He was selected for workshops and training in puppetry techniques and character-building. Calvin then joined the Muppets as an understudy performer and learned television puppetry. Check out this amazing episode!
Key Learnings: Calvin Lester's Backstory [00:02:52]
The Muppets at Disney [00:11:04]
The birth of puppet characters [00:22:25]
Navigating the business side of being a creative [00:24:57]
Advice for starting in puppeteering [00:35:06]
About Calvin Lester - Calvin is a Performer/Puppeteer with the Walt Disney Company and a Puppet Specialist for shows (i.e. Finding Nemo the Musical, The Lion King, The Muppets) where he teaches puppetry and blocking. He has also created an original puppetry-based series called "Bird Call".
One of his favorite projects was workshopping and opening the Muppets Great Moments in History for the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. It was the first time the true form of the Muppets were made a fixture in the park in a live stage performance. Calvin worked alongside close friends and his girlfriend Kelsey Brady (now fiancée).
About the Host: Belinda Ellsworth is a Speaker, Trainer, Best-Selling Author, and Podcaster
She has been a professional speaker, mover, and shaker for more than 25 years. Having built three successful companies, she has helped thousands of entrepreneurs make better decisions, create successful systems, and build business strategies using her "Four Pillars of Success" system.
Belinda has always had a passion and zest for life with the skill for turning dreams into reality.
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