Friedman, Gary

In 1987, after six years of puppetry studies in Charleville-Mézières in France, including a film and television puppetry course with the late-Muppet master Jim Henson, Gary Friedman started a non-governmental organisation with Puppets Against Aids to educate communities in Southern Africa. This project soon spread through Africa, Canada, Europe, Australia and the Pacific Islands and is still running many years later. In 1994 Gary was commissioned by the South African national broadcaster to cover the first historic post-Apartheid elections. His puppets interviewed President Nelson Mandela and other politicians for Puppets for Democracy. This was soon followed by Puppets in Prison, an education programme in South African prisons, as well as programmes such as Puppets Against Corruption in Kenya and Ê»Puppets Against Abuseʼ in South Africa. After 20 years of adult educational projects, Friedman took on the production of children's television shows, including a two-hour daily show for South African Television called School TV. In early 2002, Friedman was awarded a unique talent visa by the Australian Government to reside in Australia. Here, Friedman began teaching Puppetry for Film and Television at Sydney Film School and Puppetry in Education at TAFE. In 2005-2007, together with Occupational Therapist, Sharon Gelber, Friedman conducted puppetry & creativity workshops for all ages, in Europe, Canada and the United States; while developing a historical documentary film and educational theatre production, Looking for a Monster. In 2009, Friedman launched Corporate Creatures in Australia, together with a team of experienced corporate writer-entertainers and a highly skilled team of puppeteers, designers, and production crew. Corporate Creatures won the Best New Product of the Year Award at the Australian Business Events Expo 2009 and is attracting much attention due to its unique concept of combining puppetry and humour to communicate in the business environment. In 2010 & 2011, Friedman and Gelber embarked on Ê»puppetry for literacy education programmes in both primary and high schools, in collaboration with the Department of Education and Training (NSW). This was closely followed by international workshop tours of Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia, where they also conducted a highly successful pilot workshop program at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. In 2012 they relocated their headquarters to Melbourne, from where they now operate their highly successful education, television and theatre empire.