Wacky Man: The Rise of a Puppeteer (2016)

Every puppet has a human. The first word Zach Woliner ever spoke was 'Ernie,' the name of the orange half of the famous Sesame Street duo Bert and Ernie. Over the next three decades, his childhood affinity for the Muppets would become a lifelong passion, a hobby, and--if Zach has his way--a career. In 2008, Zach created his own puppet, Wally Wackiman, a Jewish, self-aware character who advocates puppet freedom and equality with humans. Since then, Zach has struggled to balance his art with daily life and turn his aspiration into action. Wacky Man: The Rise of a Puppeteer is a feature-length documentary from director Anthony Desiato (My Comic Shop DocumentARy, By Spoon!) following Zach as he pursues a career in the puppetry industry.