Check Out Rachel Herrick’s Story

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

Hi Rachel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today. 
Growing up, my parents influenced me and my sister with lots of pop culture from the last hundred years, from movies, music, theater, the arts, and so much more. Because of this, I’ve always had a great appreciation for storytelling and the many ways it can be done. I loved theater puppet shows growing up, and my mom also made sure we watched the Muppet Show and all of the Muppet films available. I pretty much grew up around puppets, but it wasn’t until I saw a production of Avenue Q in high school that everything changed. For those that don’t know, the puppets in this musical are performed on stage with the puppeteers in plain view. I realized that day that it didn’t matter that I saw the puppeteers because I was so invested in the story and the suspension of disbelief that they were alive on stage. I knew it wasn’t real, but it still felt real, and I realized that this was the magic of puppetry. To me, it was the most amazing illusion I had ever seen, and this was by far the most mind-blowing way to tell stories that I had ever seen. From then on, I’ve always wanted to create and be a part of this kind of storytelling that people can get lost in. After moving to Los Angeles and interning in lots of areas in Hollywood, eventually I started performing puppet shows with Swazzle Inc all over Southern California. This was the official beginning of my puppetry career. From then, it’s been a wild ride of puppeteering so many puppets and characters in theater (The Little Prince, Sweeny Todd, Bluey’s Big Play) and film/television (Crank Yankers, The Little Mermaid Live!, Claws, The Afterparty). 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh goodness no! The puppet world is a very small world, and it took quite a few years to feel like I was finally a part of it. I had no experience and didn’t know where to start, but after seeking out lots of puppeteers in Hollywood and making lots of friends that shared the same passion, it got easier. I took classes with the late Michael Earl’s Puppet School in Studio City, CA. He and his fellow teachers taught me so much about the subtleties you can bring to your performance, as well as working with a monitor and on-camera puppetry. They also taught me that puppeteering is not just about manipulating an inanimate object; it’s about creating a believable character that has thoughts, feelings, a history, etc. It took a lot of time, practice, and just playing around to finally feel like a good enough puppeteer. Sean and Patrick Johnson of Swazzle Inc have also some of my greatest supporters and teachers throughout my journey. I recently realized I’ve been working with them for over ten years! I’ve been very fortunate to work on some amazing things, but I’m still incredibly small in this industry and have lots I want to do and accomplish as a puppeteer. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Well, being a puppeteer, I manipulate puppets of all shapes and sizes for theater and film to create the illusion of a character or being that has come to life. I love all types of puppets, but I was first inspired by the muppet-style puppets that I think most of us tend to think of when we think of a puppet. These puppets are typically manipulated by a puppeteer inserting their arm from the waist of the puppet and using the puppeteer’s hand to operate and move the mouth. These are called “hand puppets”. They usually have rods in the wrists to manipulate the arms, or they can have “glove hands” like Ernie or Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. This is when the puppet hands move like a normal human hand when one or two puppeteers insert their hands like a glove. Get it? I specialize in and perform these kind of puppets the most. But I also puppeteer marionettes, rod puppets, bunraku puppets, and I’ve puppeteered large puppets that take a few people to operate. I’ve been proud of several accomplishments in my career. I’ve always been very proud that I got to train with the Sesame Street workshop and learn from some of the most recognizable puppeteers in the field. If given the opportunity, I would love to puppeteer on a Sesame Street project or season. I’m also very proud to have puppeteered in a short film for a campaign with the nonprofit Born Perfect. However, I think I’m most proud of what I’m doing now, which is touring the country in Bluey’s Big Play. I love puppeteering these characters that mean so much to people of all ages. Bluey is not just for kids, but for adults and parents as well. The show is so much fun to do, and nothing makes me happier than seeing the smiles on the audience’s faces when we perform for them. This is the best job I’ve ever done! 

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I’ll be honest, Los Angeles took a while to grow on me. I grew up in Seattle, where it’s very green and nowhere near as warm. But after I graduated from college, I knew I wanted to work in the film industry, one way or another, and Los Angeles was the best place for that. After living here for a few years, I began appreciating the constant sunshine and the diverse culture. It’s also hard to not find things to do, no matter your interest or profession. After getting involved with the puppetry community, I also love how close everyone is and how well everyone knows each other. Even in a big city like Los Angeles, we’re a very small community filled with intelligently creative and warm individuals. Of course, there’s still a lot that I miss after living in Los Angeles for thirteen years. I’ve missed the evident changing of seasons, and there are days when the heat is too much. I feel lucky that at this time in my life, where I’m touring and traveling the country, it’s a blessing to experience different climates and more diverse weather. Also, Los Angeles is a very big and spread-out city, so unless you’re centrally located, it can take forever to get to work some days, which is always different when you’re a freelance worker! But I wouldn’t trade my experiences in Los Angeles for anything. It really is the place where my dreams came true!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.adorkablerachel.com/
• Instagram: adorkablerachel
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelherrick/
• Twitter: adorkablerach
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adorkablerachel/
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/rachelherrick