puppets | Art of Evan K

Puppet News Now!

Apr 27, 2020

Puppet News Now!

Co-Creator | Performer

Uth Story Group

2021

Project Synopsis

Puppet News Now! is a fast-paced puppet short film created for a 48-Hour Film Festival, following an overconfident team of news anchor puppets as they deliver absurd, tongue-in-cheek coverage of local news. Blending mock-serious broadcast tropes with scrappy puppet comedy, the short satirizes traditional news formats while embracing the chaotic energy of its rapid production timeline.

Building on the short, we also developed a pitch document for Better LA, a longer-form series concept that expands the same puppet newsroom and characters into recurring segments, world-building, and heightened satire—reimagining local news as a surreal, character-driven comedy series.

The Newsroom

The 48 Hour FIlm Fest Video

This short film was created as part of a 48-Hour Film Festival, requiring the complete development of a concept, script, and finished edit within an intense production window. The project centered on a puppet-run newsroom, a contained setting that helped streamline locations while still demanding fast, creative problem-solving during filming and performance. From rapid scriptwriting to hands-on puppet cinematography and overnight editing, the process was a full sprint—but one driven by collaboration, improvisation, and humor. Despite the time pressure, the project was ultimately a fun and energizing exercise in quick-turn storytelling and practical production.

The better l.a. pitch

From the top to the bottom

Better L.A. is a satirical puppet news series set inside a local Los Angeles newsroom, where a cast of opinionated, underqualified puppet anchors attempt to report on the city’s daily headlines. Framed as a standard news broadcast but constantly derailed by personality clashes, absurd interpretations of events, and low-stakes chaos, the show uses puppetry to heighten the comedy and exaggerate familiar media tropes.

Through recurring segments, character-driven banter, and exaggerated “local news” urgency, Better L.A. reimagines civic reporting as a fast, irreverent comedy series that skewers both modern media and life in Los Angeles.

Behind the Scenes Gallery

Ikea Pets

May 5, 2018

Ikea Pets

Co-Creator | Co-Writer | Director

Personal Project

2016

Project Synopsis

Ikea Pets is a whimsical short-form series that follows a charming ensemble of plush toys as they navigate the everyday moments of their tiny world—with big, humorous results. Set entirely in environments built from items purchased at IKEA, each episode captures these soft characters experiencing humorous “real-life” scenarios, from shared meals to unexpected encounters, all staged with imaginative, handcrafted sets and props. The show highlights playful storytelling through expressive plush performances and clever use of everyday objects, turning ordinary furniture and décor into a delightfully quirky backdrop for their adventures.

The Ikea Pet Project

Behind the Scenes Gallery

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

Jun 2, 2017

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

Set Builder | Model-Maker

Screen Novelties

2017

Project Synopsis

Working alongside the talented Art Director Huy Vu, I had an absolute blast bringing the whimsical sock puppet sequence of the Captain Underpants movie to life. My role involved crafting vibrant environments, including a lively high school hallway and an expansive, bustling mall, all designed to complement the hilarity of our sock puppet characters.

This creative endeavor not only showcased the playful spirit of the film but also allowed me to explore imaginative design elements that enhanced the comedic timing and charm of this unforgettable scene. The blend of quirky puppetry and dynamic settings truly made this project a delightful highlight of my work.

Set Builds

Building the set for the Captain Underpants movie was an exhilarating challenge, as we designed a vibrant mall complete with a fully functioning escalator that needed to be puppeteered with precision. The blend of imaginative artistry and technical ingenuity brought the scene to life, allowing our puppeteers to navigate the whimsical chaos of the characters while ensuring the escalator moved seamlessly, adding a dynamic element to the storytelling. This unique setup not only showcased our team’s creativity but also highlighted the playful spirit of the film, transforming an everyday environment into a fantastical playground for adventure.

Puppeteering

Puppeteering the moving escalator in this set is a captivating dance of mechanics and artistry, where the intricate rope and pulley system requires a delicate hand to orchestrate the flow of movement. Each pull and release must be finely tuned to maintain a consistent speed, transforming a simple mechanism into a mesmerizing spectacle that draws the audience into its rhythm. With every ascent and descent, the puppeteer breathes life into the structure, creating an enchanting experience that blurs the line between reality and imagination.

Props & Models

In crafting the props for this vibrant set, we embraced a bold outline and cartoonish style that seamlessly integrates with the film’s whimsical visual language, creating a playful atmosphere that captivates the audience’s imagination. Each prop was meticulously designed with exaggerated features and vivid colors, transforming everyday objects into larger-than-life characters that leap off the screen. The collaboration between artists and designers brought an infectious energy to the set, ensuring that every piece not only served a functional purpose but also contributed to the overall narrative, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in a fantastical world where creativity knows no bounds.