If you look for it, the arts are all around Billings, Montana! Samantha P, for example, is a professional puppet builder, bringing creations to life from the comfort of her home office.
Working with Samantha for her branding session was nothing short of fun and colorful. Her passion just oozes out of these photos!
Through her business, Haan Puppets, Samantha has built puppets for productions at Billings Studio Theatre, Montana Actors’ Theatre in Havre, MT, and the Performing Arts Academy in Highlands Ranch, CO. However, she also builds puppets for anyone who wants one! Of course, she keeps a few for herself, including one of her favorite puppets: this little shark!
Samantha is also an actor, and one of her dream shows to build puppets for or be in is “Little Shop of Horrors.” She even built her own Audrey II, featured below:
This session happened to be one of the last ones I did out of my garage before moving into my new studio! It was a bittersweet moment, but now my team and I are hard at work turning my new downtown studio into the studio of my dreams. Be sure to check back for updates on that process 😉
Samantha already owned this puppet master shirt, which I love! And it works perfectly for her business. With branding shoots especially, I encourage individuals to show off their business in their own unique way. The puppets alone are amazing, but the shirt adds another element to the photos.
Working out of my garage meant my girls were present for this shoot. So, Samantha let them try out the puppets! As you can imagine, they were ecstatic! And who wouldn’t be with all these creatures?
One thing Samantha really wants to do more of is education through puppetry. She has taught classes on the history of puppets and basic puppet building here in town, but in January she and the Billings Symphony will be featured in the ‘Family Concert: A Puppet’s Plight’ at Alberta Bair Theater.
The free show is January 20th and geared toward kids in grades K-6, teaching them about instruments and puppets. My content manager, Brianna West, will also be in the show!
Follow Samantha Haan Puppetry on Instagram : @haanpuppets
Photos: Ashley Williams Photography
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