Jim and Jane Henson founded Muppets, Inc. in 1958. Now known as The Jim Henson Company, a leading innovator of puppetry, animatronics and digital animation, they created the iconic Muppet characters. The Muppet Show debuted in Britain in 1976 and ran for five seasons. Though headquartered in Los Angeles, The Jim Henson Company has additional offices in New York and London.
- The Muppet Show
- Fraggle Rock
- The Dark Crystal
- Dinosaurs
- Sid the Science Kid
The Muppets characters have been around for over 50 years, having been created in 1955 by Jim Henson. In May 2003, the rights to The Muppets were transferred to the Disney franchise, yet they remain some of the world’s most beloved characters.
Employment opportunities at The Jim Henson Company are highly specialized. Specific positions might be in Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, which includes a character-building and visual effects team with film, TV, and advertising clients. It also includes its soft puppet workshop; Jim Henson’s Creature Shop provided the animatronic suits and creature designs for the 2009 film, Where The Wild Things Are. It is a highly specific shop, so creating a demo reel of your work, showcasing your knowledge and acquiring a bachelor’s degree in computer animation or digital arts and design could be beneficial. Please note that Jim Henson’s Creature Shop does not teach puppeteering, puppet making, mold making, sculpting, or animatronic construction. These are skills that you may acquire outside of the company.
If you are experienced, puppeteering positions might be available; just send a brief five to 10-minute video to the New York office, showing your work with puppets and demonstrating a range of character voices.
A great way to get your toe in the company is via an internship. Paid internships are available in Jim Henson’s Creature Shop; intern duties include research, data entry, and general office assistant/runner duties. Interns must be proficient in Microsoft Office and Excel; Photoshop proficiency and interest in the film/TV industry or an artistic background is preferred. As an intern in the film department, you may assist in film development by reading scripts and writing coverage. Interns overall should be enthusiastic, organized, and mature as well as have a great sense of humor. Though a fun, relaxed place to work with a lot of creative energy, interns must be flexible with duties. The Jim Henson Company is a working studio, as most of the departments are set up with a Vice President, the Vice President’s assistant and one or two interns. Vacancies are typically listed on the company website.
