The first puppet show I remember was at FSU by a touring puppet troupe. The puppets featured were giant blacklight dinosaurs and I loved it. I became fascinated with puppetry and creature effects. I first started dabbling with puppets in my local church. I started attending workshops and classes on puppetry, to hone my skills. I attended college in Orlando at VCC where I pursued digital media. The school required a heavy load of theatre and film classes for the degree so it was nice to get a rounding of the subjects. While attending school I was delighted to work The City of Orlando Puppet Troupe. The troupe taught me a wide range puppetry forms and techniques. The puppet troupe would also bring puppeteers from the area and around the country to perform at schools. I was able to meet and learn from them as well as work in schools and HeadStart centers teaching puppetry and performing. The troupe also had me create theatrical performances and do voiceovers and perform for local tv productions. The knowledge I gained there has been invaluable. I learned how to start building puppets from Stan Winston School of Character Arts and The Puppet Project and developed a love for cable puppets. Since then, I have started a "Crosstitch Productions" in an effort to create puppet shows that teach educate and inspire. I am currently trying to set up workshops in an effort to pass on what I have learned and to encourage others in their pursuit of puppetry and the arts.