Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Brownlee.
Hi Jordan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’d wanted to be a puppeteer since I was about eight years old. I grew up watching The Muppets, Sesame Street, Between the Lions and Jack’s Big Music Show to name a few, and I was always fascinated with the people who brought those characters to life. I read about these amazing puppeteers, watched every behind-the-scenes video I could find and learned how to build my own puppets. After years of performing in the mirror, I went to my first puppeteer workshop in 2018 where I got hands-on training from some of my childhood heroes and met other puppeteers with the same dream. Within the last few years, I’ve worked on tv shows, music videos and an Off-Broadway show. It’s an honor to get to work with The Muppets and The Jim Henson Company, especially working with some of the same puppeteers and characters that inspired me to be a puppeteer in the first place!
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?
The entertainment industry has shifted significantly since I was a kid, and the puppet community has had to adjust as well. I remember a time when there were a dozen puppet shows on television. But with the rising costs of production and the relative ease of using animation, there just aren’t as many mainstream puppetry opportunities any more. The positive outcome has been the amount of smaller-scale productions from puppeteers just wanting to create something instead of waiting for the phone to ring. Most of us have a camera and access to the internet, so it’s easier than ever to make your own YouTube show or TikTok page.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m probably best known for being a puppeteer for the stage production of “Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas.” I’d been a huge fan of the tv special, and I’d known of the 2008 and 2009 stage productions, but it never crossed my mind that I’d be a part of that world. In September 2021, I was asked to audition for the Off-Broadway run even though they were primarily looking for New York-based performers. Joining that show felt so unattainable, but I figured I’d audition anyway. Against the odds, I got the part and headed to New York for two months. I played Tiny Squirrel, a character conceived for the stage production, but I also played Doc Bullfrog and Chuck, two characters I grew up watching in the special. I took the responsibility of continuing the legacy of these characters very seriously, and did my best to honor the choices set by their original performers while still adding a little bit of myself. After our New York run, we did the show in Chicago in 2023 and were even nominated for a Jeff Award! That show is physically and vocally demanding, but that warm holiday feeling (especially while singing songs by the incomparable Paul Williams) makes you forget about all of that. I’m really proud to be a part of this show, and I know it will always be a career highlight!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I’m not a huge risk-taker in general. I like a routine, I don’t seek danger, I enjoy being in comfortable situations. Regardless, you have to take risks and make sacrifices in order to enact real change. The first couple of puppeteer workshops I attended were far from home, did not guarantee any sort of employment and required me to fly/drive over and find my own place to stay. That can get pretty expensive, but once you realize the information and connections you can build at these workshops will be invaluable, it’s no longer a question in your mind that you find a way to be there. Looking back, taking that initial financial risk led to a majority of the opportunities I’ve had in my career.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/jordanthevoicesguy
- Youtube: https://YouTube.com/jordanthevoicesguy
