2020 Internship

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Hi guys, the name is Mel and I'm an indie artist/current student at ISU. Although my major is in Music Business, my internship may be considered.......unconventional.

My other passion outside of music is puppetry and I've been puppeteering/puppet building since I was in middle school. My puppet shows have allowed me to perform shows across the U.S. and building for others has provided an occasionally decent income.

Last summer a friend of mine put me in contact with a puppetry company that's currently filming a new show for PBS Kids called 'Donkey Hodie'. I was given the opportunity to go and audition and they were impressed enough by my self taught skills to offer me a job as an assistant puppeteer on the show. 

Here's where the music comes in. As an indie artist I've released an album, an EP, and a slew of singles over the last few years. Before my interview for the show, I guess the producers did some digging on me and found my music. They told me they were impressed with my singing and production abilities, which I'm sure undoubtedly helped me secure the job.

Puppetry is a bit more complex than people give it. Television puppeteers have to be all around good actors, singers, and sometimes even contortionists to pull off certain shots in a show. I never thought in a million years my music would help open the door for me to work in this particular field. It also even granted me the chance to perforn a character for an episode and sing. Which is virtually unheard of for a newcomer in this field.

I say all this to say, if you're a creative, never stop creating. Even if you never become a chart topping superstar you never know what opportunities will make themselves available just from what you produce. 

And don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up on my music dreams at all. I'm still writing and recording with hopes of being great in the industry one day. But my music has already allowed me to land a job that I've dreamed of doing since I was a kid. Ya just never know.

If you're interested (or even remember) be sure to check out "Donkey Hodie" when it premieres on PBS early next year. For a kids show it's got some great stuff! 

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