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Official Podcast of The Barretta Brothers. Join them and many great guests from The Muppets, Movies, TV, and more. Bill has been a director, writer, producer and core performer with The Muppets for nearly 30 years. Gene is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books. He has also animated and illustrated for Sesame Street, Between The Lions, and The Jim Henson Company. But Wait! It’s a Podcast and a Vodcast! You can Listen or Watch. For the Vodcast go to: www.thebarrettabrothers.com New Podcast episode posts every Friday.
Episodes
Friday Jul 23, 2021
Friday Jul 23, 2021
On this episode, The Barretta Brothers welcome Muppet performer, puppeteer, and actress, Stephanie D’Abruzzo. Plus, writer, and producer, Craig Shemin.
ABOUT OUR GUESTS:
Stephanie D’Abruzzo
Stephanie D’Abruzzo has been a Muppet Performer since she joined Sesame Street in 1993. Since then, she has performed hundreds of various characters (including Prairie Dawn since 2015). Her vocal performance in R.E.M.’s “Furry Happy Monsters” is a career highlight. She has worked on dozens of Sesame Street home videos and specials, and played “Grizzy” in The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland.
She also plays Cody in Helpsters for Apple TV+ (and Helpsters Help You, a series of short videos shot in her apartment during the COVID-19 quarantine). Other major puppetry projects include the upcoming Donkey Hodie ("Duck Duck” and “Harriet Elizabeth Cow"), Julie’s Greenroom (“Peri”), Scooby Doo Adventures: The Mystery Map (“Velma”), Oobi (“Uma,” “Inka”), Jack’s Big Music Show, and The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. She played “Jan S. Port” in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and has also performed in multiple episodes of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver as various puppets, mascots, and even a Sesame Street penguin.
D’Abruzzo guest-starred in the musical episode of NBC’s Scrubs, and returned twice during its ABC run, in a cameo in “My Finale,” and as a Sesame Street Muppet patient in “My ABC’s.”
She has lent her voice to Nature Cat, Bug Diaries, Welcome to the Wayne, Wallykazam!, The Wonder Pets!, Sheep in the Big City, and The Book of Pooh, as well as many commercials, promos, video games, interactive products, demos, industrials, and audiobooks. She has also written several episodes of Nature Cat and Donkey Hodie.
D’Abruzzo received Tony- and Drama Desk Award nominations – as well as a Theater World Award and a special Outer Critics Circle Ensemble Award – for originating her roles in Avenue Q. She has graced the New York stage in scores of productions, benefits, readings, and concerts, and has sung at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. Her roles in I Love You Because and Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical were also preserved in original cast recordings.
A Pittsburgh native and a graduate of Northwestern University, she is a former Burger King Employee of the Month who has been married to Craig Shemin since 1995.
Craig Shemin
Craig Shemin is a freelance writer-producer in all media and the President of the Jim Henson Legacy, a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the work of Jim Henson. Shemin is the author of The Muppets Character Encyclopedia and an upcoming book about Henson’s first television series, Sam and Friends. A noted Henson historian, he produced and directed the award-winning documentary Behind the Scenes in Frogtown Hollow, about the making of Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas and curates the Henson screening events at Museum of the Moving Image.
His television work includes the current PBS/Amazon series Clifford the Big Red Dog and Nick Jr.’s Abby Hatcher. He created and wrote Disney’s Lou and Lou: Safety Patrol, and wrote the Emmy-nominated Tasty Time with ZeFronk, also for Disney. He writes and directs the L.O.S. Kids live concert series (and its current virtual version) for New York City’s Little Orchestra Society. His adaptation of Babes in Toyland has played Lincoln Center for three holiday seasons and his updated version of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel made its debut there in 2014.
His credits also include Nick Jr.’s Dora and Friends: Into the City, Oobi and Gullah Gullah Island and the Cartoon Network series Courage the Cowardly Dog.
He began his career at The Jim Henson Company, where he wrote for Telling Stories with Tomie DePaola, Donna’s Day and The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss (WGA nomination). He also wrote Muppets Inside, the award-winning computer game, co-wrote the Webby-nominated web series The Muppets Kitchen, assisted Miss Piggy with her cookbook, In the Kitchen With Miss Piggy and worked on numerous Muppet TV appearances. His more recent Muppet work includes Carnegie Hall’s Jim Henson’s Musical World and The Jim Henson Retrospectacle In Concert in New Zealand.
He is married to the delightful Stephanie D’Abruzzo.
Thursday Jul 15, 2021
Thursday Jul 15, 2021
On this episode, The Barretta Brothers take questions from the Live Youtube chat.
ABOUT OUR HOSTS:
Gene Barretta & Bill Barretta
“What are they up to now?” That was the popular question around their house and neighborhood while growing up. It was not unusual to see Gene and Bill dressed up in homemade costumes – filming Super 8mm dramas – attempting risky stunts in the ravine – animating GI Joes and weird-looking clay figures – building and performing clunky puppets – drawing offbeat comics, - and imitating The Beatles.
Today, life isn’t very different. In addition to personal projects and various acting roles, Bill has been a director, writer, producer and core performer with The Muppets for nearly 30 years. Gene is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books. He has also animated and illustrated for Sesame Street, Between the Lions, and The Jim Henson Company.
The best part of their careers is that they occasionally get to work together! Unfortunately, no one will pay them to imitate The Beatles.
Thursday Jul 15, 2021
Thursday Jul 15, 2021
On this episode, The Barretta Brothers welcome Creative Director of Character Design for Sesame Street, Louis Henry Mitchell. Plus, Gene discusses his Sesame Street animation.
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Louis Henry Mitchell
As Creative Director of Character Design, Louis Henry Mitchell directs and oversees all aspects of character art for Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behind Sesame Street.
From designing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons and floats to directing Sesame Street Muppet photo shoots, Mitchell has been at Sesame Workshop for 20 years.
Prior to that, Mitchell freelanced for the organization since 1992. Most recently, Mitchell designed the character Julia, the first Sesame Street character on the autism spectrum. Julia was first designed exclusively as an illustrated character for an autism outreach book and then Mitchell expanded his design and art directed the Jim Henson Company in building the actual Muppet, and her family, for the show. He continues to be the chief Sesame Street Muppet designer along with his other duties as creative director of character design.
Before his successful ongoing work for Sesame Workshop Mitchell began his artistic career at 17 years old working for Neal Adams, one of the top comic book and sequential artists in the world at that time. Mitchell continued his career through illustrating children’s books, designing characters and toys as well as teaching and lecturing internationally. Among the skills he uses to accomplish his work are drawing, painting, and sculpting. In addition, he creates and art directs in traditional and digital media.
Mitchell attended The School of Visual Arts, and The Art Students League.
Mitchell resides in Rego Park, Queens, with his wife Yvonne.
Thursday Jul 08, 2021
Thursday Jul 08, 2021
On this episode, The Barretta Brothers welcome Actress, Muppet performer, voice actress, Julianne Buescher AND puppeteer Alice Dinnean.
ABOUT OUR GUESTS:
Julianne Buescher
Julianne Buescher is a whimsically versatile, classically trained actor, voice-over artist and Muppet Performer…whose new Muppet character Beverly Plume can be seen in “Muppets Now!” on Disney+!
Follow Julianne on IG at @juliannebuescher and see all her credits at IMDb.me/juliannebuescher
Alice Dinnean
Alice Dinnean interned at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, GA. Alice has performed in several Muppet/Henson productions, such as Sesame Street, Muppets Tonight, Muppets Take the Bowl, and non-Muppet projects like Men in Black II, Crank Yankers, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Thursday Jul 08, 2021
Thursday Jul 08, 2021
On this episode, The Barretta Brothers welcome Cook, and TV personality, Alton Brown. Plus, Muppet Supervisor, designer, puppet builder, sculptor, Ed Christie, AND designer, Creative Director, sculptor, and Visual Arts Educator, Ed Eyth.
ABOUT OUR GUESTS:
Alton Brown
In his words . . . “cook.”
Ed Christie
During his 35 years working with the Jim Henson Company, Ed Christie worked on almost all of Henson’s TV and film productions, including The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, The Jim Henson Hour, all of the Muppet movies as well as the 2 Sesame Street films, Follow That Bird and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland.
For 25 of those years he built & designed major and minor characters for Sesame Street as well as for 23 of its international coproductions (including South Africa, China, Japan, Russia, Mexico, Bangladesh, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Northern Ireland, England and The United Arab Emirates). He was the Muppet Supervisor for the domestic Sesame program for many years and then finally moved on as the VP/Muppet Workshop Manager.
Outside of Henson, has designed and created puppet characters for Broadway (Doonesbury: The musical) and regional theater (The Kennedy Center production of the musical, Carnival), as well as for foreign television kid shows and commercials.
Ed is now a mixed media sculptor, art gallery co-owner and craftsperson living on Cape Cod.
Ed Eyth
Edward Eyth is a designer, creative director, sculptor, and visual arts educator. He has provided creative concept & design for such films as Back to the Future II, The Rocketeer, Hook, Men in Black, and Happy Time Murders. His client list includes Columbia Pictures, the Disney Company, the Jim Henson Company, MPC Film, Paramount Studios, Smithsonian Institute, Marvel Comics, Mattel Toys. As an Advanced Visual Communications instructor at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena he received the “Great Teacher” award for outstanding contribution to education. He served as a Professor of Digital Art at Monterey Peninsula College and has lectured at UCLA, Parsons School of Design, New York, the School of Visual Arts, New York, the Society of Illustrators, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Boston Museum of Science, Arizona Science Center and for various other colleges and organizations. He was awarded the 2013 Sport Artist of the Year Award by the American Sport Art Museum and Archives, and has taught figure sculpture workshops at locations across the country, including annual workshops at the Scottsdale Artists School in Arizona. He currently resides in Savannah, Georgia with his wife and two sons and is a Professor of Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He can sing the entire Spongebob theme song, but has suffered with dry flakey scalp for most of his adult life.
Friday Jul 02, 2021
Friday Jul 02, 2021
On this episode, The Barretta Brothers welcome actor, voice actor, and comedian, Stuart Pankin.
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Stuart Pankin
Stuart Pankin: five time nominated, CableAce Award winning actor for HBO's Not Necessarily The News. Master's Degree in Theatre from Columbia University. Performed with the New York Shakespeare Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music Repertory Company, American Place Theatre, Lincoln Center, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Odyssey Theatre, Musical Theatre West, Reprise LA!. Starred in over seventy Off Broadway, summer, and regional theatre productions; Starred and/or featured in such movies as The Artist, Fatal Attraction, Arachnophobia, Life Stinks, Honey We Shrunk Ourselves, The Hollywood Knights, Irreconcilable Differences, and Striptease. Series regular on nine prime time television shows and pilots; Guest starred and recurred in over 350 television productions, including MOWs, Web series; voiced numerous cartoons including the award-winning Dinosaurs.
Friday Jul 02, 2021
Friday Jul 02, 2021
On this episode, The Barretta Brothers welcome Benjamin Franklin, as well as their first Muppet Trivia Contest with contestants, Jesse Oliver and John Papovich.
ABOUT OUR GUESTS:
Benjamin Franklin (Bill Ochester)
Printer, Statesman, Scientist, Inventor, Humanitarian, Cartoonist, Humorist, Musician, Diplomat, and Founder of The Unites States of America. Close, personal friend of Bill Ochester. www.bfranklinprinter.com
Jesse Oliver
Jesse Oliver is an animator and illustrator living in Maryland. www.oliverstwistedcartoons.com
John Papovich
John Papovitch works in film production. He once ran the Instagram page for The Muppet Mindset. He lives in New York state.
Thursday Jun 24, 2021
Thursday Jun 24, 2021
On this episode, The Barretta Brothers answer questions from the Live Youtube Chat during their 10th episode.
ABOUT OUR HOSTS:
Gene Barretta & Bill Barretta
“What are they up to now?” That was the popular question around their house and neighborhood while growing up. It was not unusual to see Gene and Bill dressed up in homemade costumes – filming Super 8mm dramas – attempting risky stunts in the ravine – animating GI Joes and weird-looking clay figures – building and performing clunky puppets – drawing offbeat comics, - and imitating The Beatles.
Today, life isn’t very different. In addition to personal projects and various acting roles, Bill has been a director, writer, producer and core performer with The Muppets for nearly 30 years. Gene is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books. He has also animated and illustrated for Sesame Street, Between the Lions, and The Jim Henson Company.
The best part of their careers is that they occasionally get to work together! Unfortunately, no one will pay them to imitate The Beatles.
Thursday Jun 24, 2021
Thursday Jun 24, 2021
On this episode, The Barretta Brothers welcome Director, Puppet Designer, Emmy-Award-Winner Puppeteer, and Co-Founder of DillonGale.
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Ryan Dillon
Ryan Dillon is the performer of Sesame Street’s Elmo. Inspired by the Muppets since childhood and encouraged by his family and teachers, Dillon did shows wherever he could. In his senior year of high school, he was asked to join the cast of Sesame Street and has been a Muppet Performer for the past fifteen years.
Ryan’s Daytime Emmy winning work as Elmo can be seen globally on television and the internet, with appearances on morning and late-night talk shows, CBeebies' The Furchester Hotel, as well as in toys, apps, live Sesame Street touring shows, and more. In addition to performing Elmo, Dillon has taken on performer duties for Sesame fan favorites Don Music, and Lefty the Salesman, as well as countless Anything Muppets.
When he’s not working on the Street, Dillon is a puppet designer, director, and puppet consultant. His work can be seen in national commercials and other television shows including work for The Jim Henson Company and Disney’s Muppets. Dillon built and performs several original puppet characters, and with his creative partner Mark Gale, produces online puppet content for DillonGale (IG : dillongaleidiots)
Thursday Jun 17, 2021
Thursday Jun 17, 2021
The Blasucci Family Show Notes
On this episode, The Barretta Brothers welcome Writer/Producer, Dick Blasucci. Writer/Producer Anthony Blasucci. And Writer/Producer, Actress, Maria Blasucci, to discuss their work on shows like Family Guy, SCTV, Muppets Tonight, Ghost Ghirls, and Drunk History, just to name a few.
ABOUT OUR GUESTS:
Dick Blasucci
Dick Blasucci began his career writing for “SCTV” the NBC late night sketch comedy show. While on SCTV he won two Emmy Awards for Best Writing and was nominated nine times.
Other writing and producing credits include: “MadTV” “The Larry Sanders Show” “Tracey Ullman Show” comedy specials for HBO including “I, Martin Short Goes Hollywood” “Billy Crystal: Don’t Get Me Started” and “Muppets Tonight” which won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program.
He is currently writing and producing the SCTV Anniversary Special for Netflix and teaching classes in sketch comedy writing at Pepperdine University and the Harold Ramis Film School at The Second City in Chicago.
Anthony Blasucci
Anthony is an Executive Producer, Writer, and Story Editor on Family Guy
Maria Blasucci
Maria Blasucci is an actor, producer, and comedy writer. She is best known for her roles on shows such as HBO’s Family Tree and Ghost Ghirls on Yahoo Screen. She was an associate producer on the 2016 film Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. She currently stars in the Comedy Central series Drunk History and can also be seen on Netflix in the films Mascots and Patchwork. She and Amanda Lund co-host the weekly podcast The Big Ones and is the co-founder of the podcast network, Earios.