May Guild Meeting: Presenting Stinky Tales® plus the Basics & Tips of Grant Writing
Sun. May 16 from 3-5 pm
Times may vary slightly
3-3:30 SF Bay Area Guild Meeting led by Camilla Henneman – Puppet News & Events!
3:30-4:15ish Stinky Tales® with Doug & Annie Zesiger + Q &A
5 minute Social Break
4:20-4:55ish Grant writing for Puppeteers with Jill Valavanis + Q & A
Stinky Tales®
Meet the dynamic duo, Doug and Annie Zesiger, producers of the video series Stinky Tales®. They will share how they produce their own videos, shooting in their home studio. Doug has a true gift for talking to children in an empowering way, a new Mr. Rogers and Annie encapsulates the show’s life lessons in her memorable songs. Their presentation will be filled with samples of their videos and what they have learned over the years about children and puppets.
Stinky Tales® is an interactive puppet show helping kids navigate the challenges of social emotional learning. Dillard the dragon an
d his friends often need the help of the humans in the audience to help them find their way. As the kids help the puppets, they also help themselves, cementing some pretty important life skills along the way. Check it out at https://www.stinkytales.com/.
Doug & Annie Zesiger, Producers of Stinky Tales®
Doug & Annie are both teachers who work live, on the web and zoom. “Stinky Tales is a project in the making for many years, Doug and Anne Zesiger voice the lead characters, their son sings the theme song and their daughter creates all of the graphics. Anne also writes and performs original music for each of our full episodes.
Plus Grant Writing for Puppeteers
Jill Valavanis is an artist, educator and grant writer. She has years of experience in writing grants for the arts. She will share some basic information to get you started, some valuable tips and answer your questions.
Jill Valavanis completed her graduate work at California State University, Long Beach where she earned her Master of Fine Arts in Integrated Three-Dimensional Media, utilizing skills developed in working with fiber, metal, and wood. In addition to making and teaching art, she is a grant writer for a local nonprofit visual arts center. She recently joined the staff at the Sonoma Community Center as their Fine Arts Manager.