1
00:00:08,257 --> 00:00:09,457
Speaker 1: Life audio.

2
00:00:11,137 --> 00:00:14,537
Speaker 2: Find inspiration as close as your phone. Download the Jesus

3
00:00:14,576 --> 00:00:17,416
Speaker 2: Calling app and get started today for free. Look for

4
00:00:17,457 --> 00:00:20,097
Speaker 2: the Jesus Calling app in both the Apple and Google

5
00:00:20,137 --> 00:00:20,776
Speaker 2: Play stores.

6
00:00:24,297 --> 00:00:27,417
Speaker 3: I grew up watching Sesame Street. It was one of

7
00:00:27,497 --> 00:00:30,377
Speaker 3: the very first television shows that I had ever seen,

8
00:00:30,897 --> 00:00:33,217
Speaker 3: and as a kid, I didn't realize that I was

9
00:00:33,257 --> 00:00:36,577
Speaker 3: watching puppetry. The characters on the street were my friends.

10
00:00:36,617 --> 00:00:39,336
Speaker 3: And actually to Sesame Street the birthday party when I

11
00:00:39,417 --> 00:00:41,336
Speaker 3: was three years old and got to meet Oh Well

12
00:00:41,577 --> 00:00:44,777
Speaker 3: you Kicking Muster. And when I was a little bit older,

13
00:00:44,817 --> 00:00:47,457
Speaker 3: that's when I realized that puppetry was something that you

14
00:00:47,497 --> 00:00:50,537
Speaker 3: could learn and something that you could do for other

15
00:00:50,577 --> 00:00:52,336
Speaker 3: people and do for kids.

16
00:00:53,737 --> 00:00:56,737
Speaker 2: Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. This week, we'll hear

17
00:00:56,777 --> 00:01:00,537
Speaker 2: from Megan Pypus, a puppeteer and ventriloquist known for playing

18
00:01:00,577 --> 00:01:03,977
Speaker 2: Gabrielle on Sesame Street. She'll share how a childhood spent

19
00:01:03,977 --> 00:01:06,537
Speaker 2: in her father's church letter to an opportunity at the

20
00:01:06,577 --> 00:01:09,737
Speaker 2: Jim Henson Company, and how she since used puppetry to

21
00:01:09,777 --> 00:01:12,977
Speaker 2: teach kids about God's love. You'll also meet her puppet,

22
00:01:13,057 --> 00:01:16,737
Speaker 2: June Buck, who joins in throughout the conversation and occasionally

23
00:01:16,817 --> 00:01:19,817
Speaker 2: jumps in to help tell the story. Next, we'll hear

24
00:01:19,857 --> 00:01:23,817
Speaker 2: from legendary voice actor Jim Cummings, whose iconic performances as

25
00:01:23,857 --> 00:01:27,937
Speaker 2: Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Darkwing Duck, and countless other beloved

26
00:01:28,017 --> 00:01:32,257
Speaker 2: characters have brought comfort and joy to generations. Jim reflects

27
00:01:32,297 --> 00:01:34,937
Speaker 2: on discovering his gift at a young age, the surprising

28
00:01:35,017 --> 00:01:37,817
Speaker 2: path that led him into voice acting, and the unforgettable

29
00:01:37,857 --> 00:01:40,217
Speaker 2: moments when the work became a source of hope for

30
00:01:40,337 --> 00:01:44,937
Speaker 2: people facing difficult circumstances. Let's begin with Megan's story.

31
00:01:46,617 --> 00:01:50,937
Speaker 3: I am Megan Pifez and I am a puppeteer in finchiloquiz.

32
00:01:51,737 --> 00:01:55,057
Speaker 3: I started puppetry when I was very young. Oh yeah,

33
00:01:55,177 --> 00:01:58,537
Speaker 3: very young? What are you doing? I think I help

34
00:01:58,617 --> 00:02:02,617
Speaker 3: you out? What did you think I need you? I know, yes,

35
00:02:03,057 --> 00:02:06,417
Speaker 3: you're super shy. She's very shy. Guys, don't glorry. I'll

36
00:02:06,457 --> 00:02:06,937
Speaker 3: talk to you.

37
00:02:06,977 --> 00:02:08,217
Speaker 2: No, I can talk myself.

38
00:02:08,337 --> 00:02:08,776
Speaker 1: Are you sure?

39
00:02:08,937 --> 00:02:12,057
Speaker 3: Yeah? I was just telling them how I got into puppetry,

40
00:02:12,257 --> 00:02:15,177
Speaker 3: and Eventulo goes, oh, I know, I know. How did

41
00:02:15,217 --> 00:02:19,417
Speaker 3: I get into puppetry? And ventulas rare? She started talking

42
00:02:19,417 --> 00:02:21,977
Speaker 3: to puppets because she didn't have no fans. No, that

43
00:02:22,137 --> 00:02:25,897
Speaker 3: is not true too. I was very shy and I

44
00:02:25,937 --> 00:02:28,497
Speaker 3: had a hard time opening up and sharing my voice.

45
00:02:28,577 --> 00:02:31,817
Speaker 3: Yet she had a hard time talking to fans. So

46
00:02:32,697 --> 00:02:35,497
Speaker 3: I started talking with puppets and I found my boys.

47
00:02:36,897 --> 00:02:40,057
Speaker 3: I first started puppetry and Ventchulouism when I was ten

48
00:02:40,177 --> 00:02:43,017
Speaker 3: years old. The church was at the center of my community.

49
00:02:43,377 --> 00:02:46,617
Speaker 3: My dad is a pastor and my mom is a teacher,

50
00:02:46,657 --> 00:02:49,417
Speaker 3: but she also worked in the church as a teacher

51
00:02:49,457 --> 00:02:53,817
Speaker 3: and a pastor. So I grew up going to dance ministry,

52
00:02:53,977 --> 00:02:56,697
Speaker 3: children's choir, and when I was ten years old, the

53
00:02:56,737 --> 00:03:00,337
Speaker 3: puppet ministry. And that's how I was exposed to puppetry

54
00:03:00,377 --> 00:03:02,577
Speaker 3: as an art form was through the church. There was

55
00:03:02,617 --> 00:03:07,137
Speaker 3: a lady who taught vacation Bible school found a conference

56
00:03:07,217 --> 00:03:10,137
Speaker 3: that taught churches how to do puppetry, and she assembled

57
00:03:10,137 --> 00:03:13,177
Speaker 3: a group of teenagers and preteens together and I was

58
00:03:13,217 --> 00:03:15,457
Speaker 3: one of them, and that was my first exposure to

59
00:03:15,457 --> 00:03:19,617
Speaker 3: puppetry as a craft. As a kid, I was performing

60
00:03:19,777 --> 00:03:26,137
Speaker 3: at schools, churches, festivals, birthday parties, funerals, nursing homes wherever

61
00:03:26,297 --> 00:03:28,977
Speaker 3: I was asked, And there was a point when I

62
00:03:29,057 --> 00:03:33,657
Speaker 3: realized that something was different when kids actually fell in

63
00:03:33,657 --> 00:03:37,497
Speaker 3: love with you. Jim buck Reel. Yeah, there was a

64
00:03:37,537 --> 00:03:40,817
Speaker 3: certain magic that I could see in Kids' eyes would

65
00:03:40,897 --> 00:03:43,617
Speaker 3: completely light up and they would forget that I was

66
00:03:43,657 --> 00:03:46,697
Speaker 3: there and they would fall in love with you. And

67
00:03:46,817 --> 00:03:49,737
Speaker 3: at that moment, I realized that I was sparking the

68
00:03:49,817 --> 00:03:53,217
Speaker 3: imagination of kids because they fully believed in you.

69
00:03:53,897 --> 00:03:54,977
Speaker 2: Do you believe in me?

70
00:03:55,337 --> 00:04:01,057
Speaker 3: I believe in you any anticip.

71
00:04:02,497 --> 00:04:02,897
Speaker 1: Thank you.

72
00:04:07,657 --> 00:04:10,817
Speaker 3: I grew up watching Sesame Street. It was one of

73
00:04:10,817 --> 00:04:13,737
Speaker 3: the very first television shows that I had ever seen,

74
00:04:14,257 --> 00:04:16,537
Speaker 3: and as a kid, I didn't realize that I was

75
00:04:16,577 --> 00:04:19,937
Speaker 3: watching puppetry. The characters on the Street were my friends,

76
00:04:19,976 --> 00:04:22,616
Speaker 3: and actually had a Sesame Street thing birthday party when

77
00:04:22,616 --> 00:04:24,417
Speaker 3: I was three years old and got to meet oh

78
00:04:24,496 --> 00:04:27,577
Speaker 3: Well and Cookie Master. And when I was a little

79
00:04:27,616 --> 00:04:30,537
Speaker 3: bit older, that's when I realized that puppetry was something

80
00:04:30,577 --> 00:04:33,416
Speaker 3: that you could learn and something that you could do

81
00:04:33,537 --> 00:04:36,696
Speaker 3: for other people and do for kids. So after I

82
00:04:36,697 --> 00:04:40,177
Speaker 3: started puppetry, I always aspired to the level of puppetry

83
00:04:40,217 --> 00:04:42,256
Speaker 3: that Sesame Street did, but I never thought I would

84
00:04:42,296 --> 00:04:45,297
Speaker 3: make it on the show. Actually never applied to our

85
00:04:45,457 --> 00:04:48,777
Speaker 3: audition for the show, actually sent an audition packet to

86
00:04:48,816 --> 00:04:51,896
Speaker 3: the Jim Hinson Company in twenty seventeen, when I was

87
00:04:51,936 --> 00:04:54,896
Speaker 3: working full time in a completely other industry, but I

88
00:04:54,936 --> 00:04:57,577
Speaker 3: still had hope that I could someday be a full

89
00:04:57,616 --> 00:05:00,376
Speaker 3: time entertainer in children's entertainment. So I sent them this

90
00:05:00,496 --> 00:05:03,337
Speaker 3: packet and I didn't expect to hear back because it

91
00:05:03,376 --> 00:05:06,097
Speaker 3: clearly said on their website we are not accepting auditions,

92
00:05:06,097 --> 00:05:09,256
Speaker 3: but I sent it anyway, and three years later, in

93
00:05:09,296 --> 00:05:12,217
Speaker 3: twenty twenty, in a time where I at least expected

94
00:05:12,257 --> 00:05:15,577
Speaker 3: to hear a response from anyone, I got a message

95
00:05:15,577 --> 00:05:17,736
Speaker 3: from one of the producers at Sesame Street and said

96
00:05:17,976 --> 00:05:20,976
Speaker 3: we had to stop production because of the pandemic. And

97
00:05:21,056 --> 00:05:24,057
Speaker 3: I have access to the letters and packets at the

98
00:05:24,137 --> 00:05:27,256
Speaker 3: Jim Hansen Company. By the letter that you wrote, I

99
00:05:27,296 --> 00:05:30,097
Speaker 3: think you would be interested in learning our style of puppetry.

100
00:05:30,376 --> 00:05:32,976
Speaker 3: And from there I was invited to join Sesame Street's

101
00:05:33,056 --> 00:05:36,577
Speaker 3: mentorship program. And so I joined with just the hopes

102
00:05:36,577 --> 00:05:39,936
Speaker 3: of learning from everyone on the Street and being trained

103
00:05:39,976 --> 00:05:42,897
Speaker 3: by the best in the world who were on the show.

104
00:05:43,257 --> 00:05:46,097
Speaker 3: And within three months of being in the mentorship program,

105
00:05:46,137 --> 00:05:49,176
Speaker 3: I got the opportunity to audition for the role of Gabrielle,

106
00:05:49,816 --> 00:05:52,616
Speaker 3: and so I've been playing Gabrielle since twenty twenty and

107
00:05:52,856 --> 00:05:57,856
Speaker 3: it was absolutely incredibly fulfilling to play the role of Gabrielle.

108
00:05:58,056 --> 00:06:01,976
Speaker 3: My first role and playing her was for CNN's town

109
00:06:02,017 --> 00:06:05,497
Speaker 3: Hall on Racism as a response to the George Floyd protin,

110
00:06:05,936 --> 00:06:09,976
Speaker 3: so my very first performance as Gabrielle was something incredibly

111
00:06:10,056 --> 00:06:14,256
Speaker 3: meaningful for our communities and for our kids to understand

112
00:06:14,816 --> 00:06:19,137
Speaker 3: what was happening in the world. I believe that God's

113
00:06:19,217 --> 00:06:23,816
Speaker 3: timing is perfect and divine, and I knew very early

114
00:06:23,897 --> 00:06:26,657
Speaker 3: that I had a calling to use those gifts to

115
00:06:26,777 --> 00:06:30,176
Speaker 3: teach kids about God's love, but the timing for me

116
00:06:30,257 --> 00:06:32,296
Speaker 3: to be able to do that full time didn't come

117
00:06:32,376 --> 00:06:35,416
Speaker 3: until much later, and so there were times where I

118
00:06:35,457 --> 00:06:38,697
Speaker 3: felt like maybe I should give up, or maybe this

119
00:06:38,736 --> 00:06:41,496
Speaker 3: isn't the path for me. But I was so blessed

120
00:06:41,537 --> 00:06:46,457
Speaker 3: to have a persevering spirit and people around me that

121
00:06:46,537 --> 00:06:49,176
Speaker 3: would encourage me to keep going and to keep trying.

122
00:06:49,496 --> 00:06:52,056
Speaker 3: And I'll never forget. There's a day just I felt

123
00:06:52,056 --> 00:06:56,016
Speaker 3: completely down and felt like I wasn't walking in my

124
00:06:56,097 --> 00:06:59,337
Speaker 3: purpose full time like I wanted to, and my sister

125
00:06:59,496 --> 00:07:02,216
Speaker 3: sent me a Bible verse and I wrote it down

126
00:07:02,257 --> 00:07:05,217
Speaker 3: and I pinned it on my wall along with my

127
00:07:05,257 --> 00:07:10,017
Speaker 3: big dreams, my dreams for sharing hope through puppets to kids,

128
00:07:10,057 --> 00:07:12,017
Speaker 3: the type of shows that I wanted to work on,

129
00:07:12,577 --> 00:07:17,696
Speaker 3: and that verse was songs one, twenty six and six.

130
00:07:18,617 --> 00:07:21,017
Speaker 3: Those who go out weeping, caring seed to sew will

131
00:07:21,057 --> 00:07:24,897
Speaker 3: return with the songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

132
00:07:25,577 --> 00:07:28,656
Speaker 3: And so everything that I had sewed into the ground

133
00:07:28,857 --> 00:07:31,657
Speaker 3: came back with so much beauty and joy and of

134
00:07:31,697 --> 00:07:36,017
Speaker 3: course all the crazy, beautiful Sesame Street songs that we sang.

135
00:07:36,057 --> 00:07:39,537
Speaker 3: And I also ended up doing two children's albums after

136
00:07:39,577 --> 00:07:42,937
Speaker 3: I started working with Sesame Street, and it's been a

137
00:07:42,937 --> 00:07:47,016
Speaker 3: beautiful harvest that came by waiting in God's defying timing.

138
00:07:48,737 --> 00:07:51,537
Speaker 3: I released Cinderella Sweep and it was one of the

139
00:07:51,577 --> 00:07:55,617
Speaker 3: most fulfilling projects that I've ever worked on. We recorded

140
00:07:55,657 --> 00:08:00,097
Speaker 3: the album with over sixty girls across the US through

141
00:08:00,097 --> 00:08:03,896
Speaker 3: a nonprofit called Saving Our Daughters that mentors girls and

142
00:08:03,937 --> 00:08:07,337
Speaker 3: the arts and they pair them with different leaders of

143
00:08:07,417 --> 00:08:11,617
Speaker 3: different industries, and so, as a god parent within the organization,

144
00:08:11,697 --> 00:08:14,217
Speaker 3: I thought, what if we did a whole album with

145
00:08:14,257 --> 00:08:16,977
Speaker 3: the girls and gave them a recording experience, and so

146
00:08:17,017 --> 00:08:21,256
Speaker 3: we went to Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York, and Chicago

147
00:08:21,297 --> 00:08:24,417
Speaker 3: and brought the girls into the studios. They learned how

148
00:08:24,457 --> 00:08:26,857
Speaker 3: to record and sing together as a choir, and for

149
00:08:27,177 --> 00:08:29,737
Speaker 3: many of the girls it was their first time ever

150
00:08:29,777 --> 00:08:34,057
Speaker 3: singing or singing as a choir and the possibilities for

151
00:08:34,177 --> 00:08:38,697
Speaker 3: what they could be just exploded. And surprisingly, after the recordings,

152
00:08:38,737 --> 00:08:41,297
Speaker 3: the girls didn't say, oh, we all would be singers now.

153
00:08:41,777 --> 00:08:45,297
Speaker 3: They were just beaming with excitement about anything that they

154
00:08:45,297 --> 00:08:47,017
Speaker 3: could be. So in every city we line them up

155
00:08:47,017 --> 00:08:49,297
Speaker 3: one by one and said what do you want to

156
00:08:49,297 --> 00:08:50,857
Speaker 3: be when you grew up? And after the recording the

157
00:08:50,857 --> 00:08:52,937
Speaker 3: girls would say, I want to be a CEO, I

158
00:08:52,977 --> 00:08:54,457
Speaker 3: want to be a judge, I want to be a

159
00:08:54,537 --> 00:08:56,977
Speaker 3: chief financial officer. I want to be a baker. So

160
00:08:57,377 --> 00:09:01,057
Speaker 3: by teaching them something new, they were inspired to be anything.

161
00:09:01,857 --> 00:09:04,537
Speaker 3: It is so important for young girls to see them

162
00:09:06,017 --> 00:09:10,257
Speaker 3: represent it in the most diverse spaces and unique spaces.

163
00:09:10,777 --> 00:09:12,937
Speaker 3: I'm in the career i am in today because I

164
00:09:13,057 --> 00:09:17,297
Speaker 3: saw representation of women in a very unique field. I'll

165
00:09:17,297 --> 00:09:20,857
Speaker 3: never forget the first time that I saw women ventuloquiz

166
00:09:20,977 --> 00:09:26,057
Speaker 3: on stage singing songs and talking about God. And Bible stories.

167
00:09:26,417 --> 00:09:31,977
Speaker 3: And when I saw that combination of puppetry, storytelling, and song,

168
00:09:32,497 --> 00:09:35,097
Speaker 3: I immediately knew that I wanted to do the same.

169
00:09:35,457 --> 00:09:38,697
Speaker 3: And I was so blessed to gain mentors that were

170
00:09:38,697 --> 00:09:42,457
Speaker 3: women in the field and Christian ventuloquist that helped mentor

171
00:09:42,617 --> 00:09:46,217
Speaker 3: me and guide me. And so I'm a firm believer

172
00:09:46,897 --> 00:09:50,537
Speaker 3: in representation for young girls. And that's why we did

173
00:09:50,577 --> 00:09:54,297
Speaker 3: Cinderella Sweep, because I was beneficiary of that support and

174
00:09:54,377 --> 00:10:02,177
Speaker 3: it's now our turn to give it back. Oftentimes kids

175
00:10:02,217 --> 00:10:04,537
Speaker 3: are told, well, I don't know if you can do that,

176
00:10:04,817 --> 00:10:08,017
Speaker 3: or I don't if that's possible, And so as we

177
00:10:08,097 --> 00:10:12,177
Speaker 3: get older, our world slowly confines into a space of

178
00:10:12,537 --> 00:10:16,217
Speaker 3: what we see is possible and what the world tells

179
00:10:16,297 --> 00:10:19,697
Speaker 3: us is possible. But what I loved about puppetry is

180
00:10:19,737 --> 00:10:21,977
Speaker 3: it kind of broke a lot of those rules. It

181
00:10:22,017 --> 00:10:26,657
Speaker 3: broke the walls of what's possible. I will be reading

182
00:10:26,777 --> 00:10:31,577
Speaker 3: a part of Jesus' listeners reading. Can I read too short?

183
00:10:31,617 --> 00:10:34,377
Speaker 3: Jing Book? You can wait, June book. You're still learning

184
00:10:34,377 --> 00:10:37,217
Speaker 3: how to read that. I believe in amazing Greece. Okay,

185
00:10:37,457 --> 00:10:40,137
Speaker 3: all right, I'll help you, ogy go ahead.

186
00:10:40,177 --> 00:10:42,817
Speaker 1: Those are the words. Jesus listens.

187
00:10:43,057 --> 00:10:47,297
Speaker 3: Good job you gotta ask me. Oh okay, January three.

188
00:10:47,577 --> 00:10:48,897
Speaker 2: Okay, I'll hope you some more.

189
00:10:49,817 --> 00:10:54,057
Speaker 3: Compassionate Lord, you tell me and your word, I have

190
00:10:54,257 --> 00:10:57,897
Speaker 3: loved you with an everlasting love. I've drawn you with

191
00:10:58,137 --> 00:11:03,057
Speaker 3: loving kindness. I didn't think it's good job. I can't draw.

192
00:11:03,537 --> 00:11:06,177
Speaker 3: Let me just keep going. Okay, okay. And this means

193
00:11:06,217 --> 00:11:09,697
Speaker 3: that you knew me and loved me before time began. Yet,

194
00:11:09,697 --> 00:11:13,417
Speaker 3: for years I swam around in a sea of meaningless,

195
00:11:14,457 --> 00:11:19,097
Speaker 3: the hell long long time, searching for love, hoping for hope.

196
00:11:19,457 --> 00:11:23,057
Speaker 3: All that time, you were pursuing me, ready to embrace

197
00:11:23,137 --> 00:11:26,217
Speaker 3: me in your compassionate arms. Oh it is so nice.

198
00:11:26,257 --> 00:11:30,417
Speaker 3: I'll get you a hood. You need another hook yet, hey,

199
00:11:30,537 --> 00:11:35,057
Speaker 3: oh thank you too. When the time was right, you

200
00:11:35,137 --> 00:11:37,897
Speaker 3: revealed yourself to me. You lifted me out of that

201
00:11:38,017 --> 00:11:41,057
Speaker 3: sea of despair and set me down on a firm foundation.

202
00:11:41,777 --> 00:11:44,777
Speaker 3: You sang me a love song whose beginning and are

203
00:11:44,857 --> 00:11:48,737
Speaker 3: veiled in eternity. You infuse meaning into my mind and

204
00:11:48,817 --> 00:11:51,937
Speaker 3: harmony into my heart. I want to join you in

205
00:11:52,017 --> 00:11:55,537
Speaker 3: singing your song. Please use my voice and whatever way

206
00:11:55,577 --> 00:11:58,297
Speaker 3: you will as you call people out of darkness into

207
00:11:58,337 --> 00:12:04,297
Speaker 3: your marvelous light and your brilliant name, Jesus a theen Go.

208
00:12:09,977 --> 00:12:12,897
Speaker 2: If you want to see Megan and Junebug together on video,

209
00:12:13,337 --> 00:12:16,377
Speaker 2: please visit the Jesus Calling YouTube channel, and of course

210
00:12:16,417 --> 00:12:19,177
Speaker 2: you can tune into Sesame Street on PPS to see

211
00:12:19,217 --> 00:12:23,137
Speaker 2: Megan's buddy Gabrielle. Stay tuned to Jim Cummings story after

212
00:12:23,177 --> 00:12:34,737
Speaker 2: a brief message. With more than fifty million copies sold,

213
00:12:34,897 --> 00:12:38,177
Speaker 2: the original classic edition of Jesus Calling is your daily

214
00:12:38,177 --> 00:12:41,577
Speaker 2: guide to living a more peaceful life. Experience a deeper

215
00:12:41,617 --> 00:12:44,417
Speaker 2: relationship with Jesus as you savor the presence of the

216
00:12:44,417 --> 00:12:47,897
Speaker 2: one who understands you perfectly and loves you forever. With

217
00:12:48,017 --> 00:12:51,457
Speaker 2: scripture and personal reflections, Jesus Calling is your year long

218
00:12:51,497 --> 00:12:54,377
Speaker 2: guide to living a more peaceful life. Its price and

219
00:12:54,497 --> 00:12:57,257
Speaker 2: size also make it the perfect gift for anyone who

220
00:12:57,337 --> 00:13:07,097
Speaker 2: needs encouragement. Find Jesus Calling wherever you buy books. Our

221
00:13:07,177 --> 00:13:10,177
Speaker 2: next guest is voice actor Jim Cummings, who is behind

222
00:13:10,177 --> 00:13:13,457
Speaker 2: some of the most iconic children's characters, including Winni, Depooh,

223
00:13:13,697 --> 00:13:16,257
Speaker 2: Checker and others, and now looks back on the first

224
00:13:16,257 --> 00:13:19,577
Speaker 2: time he realized voices could become more than a childhood

225
00:13:19,577 --> 00:13:23,257
Speaker 2: fascination and the surprising realization that his work was reaching

226
00:13:23,297 --> 00:13:25,097
Speaker 2: people in ways he never imagined.

227
00:13:26,457 --> 00:13:27,937
Speaker 1: Hi, folks, Tim Cummings here.

228
00:13:28,417 --> 00:13:33,977
Speaker 4: I am a voice artist and voice actor and a singer.

229
00:13:34,657 --> 00:13:37,417
Speaker 4: And it's the kind of thing I've been doing since

230
00:13:37,537 --> 00:13:38,697
Speaker 4: the age of five.

231
00:13:38,777 --> 00:13:39,457
Speaker 1: Believe it or not.

232
00:13:40,177 --> 00:13:43,337
Speaker 4: And I've been called the voice of your childhood. So

233
00:13:44,017 --> 00:13:48,457
Speaker 4: I'll take it, and I'm glad to be here. I

234
00:13:48,617 --> 00:13:51,337
Speaker 4: remember when I was about five years old watching the

235
00:13:51,457 --> 00:13:54,617
Speaker 4: Jack Benny program and mel Blank, the Great Melt Blank,

236
00:13:55,137 --> 00:13:58,257
Speaker 4: he was on there and he was a regular, and

237
00:13:58,577 --> 00:13:59,457
Speaker 4: my dad says, you.

238
00:13:59,417 --> 00:14:01,777
Speaker 1: See this guy. See this guy? I said, yeah, he goes.

239
00:14:01,817 --> 00:14:03,537
Speaker 4: He's the one that does all that bugs Bunny and

240
00:14:03,537 --> 00:14:06,617
Speaker 4: the Daffy Duck and the taz and YadA YadA that

241
00:14:06,697 --> 00:14:07,777
Speaker 4: you watch on Saturday morning.

242
00:14:07,817 --> 00:14:10,217
Speaker 1: He does the voices. And I was thinking, well, he

243
00:14:10,257 --> 00:14:12,577
Speaker 1: doesn't have to stand in the corner for being strange.

244
00:14:12,777 --> 00:14:15,857
Speaker 1: I'll do that. Everybody likes him, so I'll be him

245
00:14:15,897 --> 00:14:16,577
Speaker 1: when I grew up.

246
00:14:17,177 --> 00:14:20,097
Speaker 4: So I did my best. And you know, I was

247
00:14:20,137 --> 00:14:22,057
Speaker 4: always in a lot of plays as a child, and

248
00:14:22,297 --> 00:14:25,737
Speaker 4: I didn't want to be you know, the student prints

249
00:14:25,817 --> 00:14:27,577
Speaker 4: or this and that. I wanted to be the troll

250
00:14:28,177 --> 00:14:31,697
Speaker 4: that lived under the bridge or you know, something like that.

251
00:14:32,297 --> 00:14:36,217
Speaker 4: And I was inadvertently doing research for what I was

252
00:14:36,257 --> 00:14:39,657
Speaker 4: going to ultimately do when I grew up. You know,

253
00:14:39,697 --> 00:14:42,017
Speaker 4: I started off. I made a demo tape that was

254
00:14:42,257 --> 00:14:46,457
Speaker 4: Day one and it was basically a tape of I

255
00:14:46,537 --> 00:14:48,857
Speaker 4: made it sound like a guy from India and a

256
00:14:48,897 --> 00:14:52,657
Speaker 4: guy from Ireland sitting down to watch television and then

257
00:14:52,697 --> 00:14:55,657
Speaker 4: flipping through all the channels, and I was both the

258
00:14:55,697 --> 00:14:58,777
Speaker 4: guys and I was also all the TV commercials that

259
00:14:58,857 --> 00:14:59,577
Speaker 4: they listened to.

260
00:15:00,297 --> 00:15:00,777
Speaker 1: You know what.

261
00:15:00,937 --> 00:15:04,457
Speaker 5: I was no county, wish to bailor there and hey

262
00:15:04,497 --> 00:15:06,297
Speaker 5: we fake you every day.

263
00:15:06,737 --> 00:15:07,497
Speaker 1: Record that was.

264
00:15:07,497 --> 00:15:12,817
Speaker 5: Ever coworking and another one was a good guy kind

265
00:15:12,817 --> 00:15:16,017
Speaker 5: of slapped Saint MAXI kind of took too many punches,

266
00:15:16,097 --> 00:15:18,297
Speaker 5: cut ahead and you know, and I just went down

267
00:15:18,337 --> 00:15:19,497
Speaker 5: the line with this one and that one.

268
00:15:19,657 --> 00:15:27,657
Speaker 4: That was my intro into the business. It was about

269
00:15:27,697 --> 00:15:30,817
Speaker 4: five years after I was in the business. Luckily, knock

270
00:15:30,857 --> 00:15:33,577
Speaker 4: on Wood got my first job that I auditioned for

271
00:15:33,697 --> 00:15:35,817
Speaker 4: and that lasted a year and a half, so that

272
00:15:35,937 --> 00:15:38,617
Speaker 4: gave me a good hold. I was able to make

273
00:15:38,617 --> 00:15:42,457
Speaker 4: a living and still I didn't have an agent, which

274
00:15:42,497 --> 00:15:45,737
Speaker 4: is kind of unheard of. So uh, at that point

275
00:15:45,817 --> 00:15:48,577
Speaker 4: I took advantage of the moment and got myself an agent,

276
00:15:48,697 --> 00:15:52,977
Speaker 4: made a professional demo tape, and then one after another.

277
00:15:53,137 --> 00:15:57,257
Speaker 4: I was there, fortunately when the Disney Afternoon was getting

278
00:15:57,297 --> 00:16:01,617
Speaker 4: ready to take off, and so uh, I auditioned for

279
00:16:01,657 --> 00:16:04,137
Speaker 4: this job and that job, and Bunkers and dark Wing

280
00:16:04,217 --> 00:16:09,017
Speaker 4: and Jazz and Pete and Hondo Naka and Winnie the

281
00:16:09,057 --> 00:16:12,857
Speaker 4: Pooh and Tigger and all of these projects were starting

282
00:16:12,937 --> 00:16:16,377
Speaker 4: up in Earnest and I was there. So I was

283
00:16:16,497 --> 00:16:18,817
Speaker 4: very grateful for that. And now I'm here and I'm

284
00:16:18,817 --> 00:16:23,537
Speaker 4: grateful for that. You look at the drawing, like dark Wing,

285
00:16:23,617 --> 00:16:26,097
Speaker 4: for example, he's not super big, he's not super small.

286
00:16:26,177 --> 00:16:28,977
Speaker 4: So a big giant boy who had a little pity place,

287
00:16:29,417 --> 00:16:31,497
Speaker 4: you know, that wouldn't do. So you meet right in

288
00:16:31,537 --> 00:16:34,457
Speaker 4: the middle, and then from there you inform it the

289
00:16:34,537 --> 00:16:38,297
Speaker 4: vocal quality with his characteristics, like he's got a huge ego,

290
00:16:38,857 --> 00:16:44,017
Speaker 4: he's very sarcastic, his boiling point is fairly low. You know,

291
00:16:44,057 --> 00:16:46,297
Speaker 4: it doesn't take much to get him kicked off. And

292
00:16:46,617 --> 00:16:49,497
Speaker 4: you put all those things together and there you have it.

293
00:16:49,617 --> 00:16:52,777
Speaker 4: The terret that flaps in the night, Duck Wake Duck

294
00:16:54,057 --> 00:16:54,897
Speaker 4: with Winnie.

295
00:16:54,617 --> 00:16:55,297
Speaker 1: The Pooh and Tigger.

296
00:16:55,377 --> 00:16:58,657
Speaker 4: They were established already from the early sixties. They made

297
00:16:58,697 --> 00:17:02,137
Speaker 4: those first three shorts that they put together to make

298
00:17:02,617 --> 00:17:06,256
Speaker 4: a feature length, and they won an Academy Award, and

299
00:17:06,817 --> 00:17:13,097
Speaker 4: inexplicably they did nothing for the next twenty plus years.

300
00:17:14,097 --> 00:17:15,777
Speaker 1: Which was fine with me because it gave me a

301
00:17:15,817 --> 00:17:16,496
Speaker 1: chance to grow up.

302
00:17:17,257 --> 00:17:20,377
Speaker 4: And then at one point I had my agent, and

303
00:17:20,417 --> 00:17:23,057
Speaker 4: it was right when I was very like the first

304
00:17:23,177 --> 00:17:24,497
Speaker 4: year or so I was in the business.

305
00:17:24,737 --> 00:17:27,257
Speaker 1: They said, well, you know, they're casting for the whole

306
00:17:27,337 --> 00:17:29,457
Speaker 1: hundred acre Wood and I said, oh gosh.

307
00:17:29,497 --> 00:17:33,936
Speaker 4: So I auditioned for Eyor and Tigger and Pooh.

308
00:17:33,817 --> 00:17:38,337
Speaker 1: And oddly enough, I thought I really nailed Eyor. And

309
00:17:38,417 --> 00:17:39,257
Speaker 1: I called my agent.

310
00:17:39,537 --> 00:17:41,857
Speaker 4: She says, oh, you think you nailed e Oh yeah, yeah.

311
00:17:42,057 --> 00:17:44,817
Speaker 4: So I'm waiting and waiting, waiting. Ten days later, I

312
00:17:44,817 --> 00:17:46,577
Speaker 4: get a folk up. She goes, well, I have good

313
00:17:46,577 --> 00:17:48,137
Speaker 4: news and I have bad news. And I said, okay,

314
00:17:48,137 --> 00:17:51,177
Speaker 4: what's the bad news. He goes, You're not Eyor. I said,

315
00:17:51,177 --> 00:17:51,657
Speaker 4: you're kidding.

316
00:17:51,657 --> 00:17:52,097
Speaker 1: Who's Eor?

317
00:17:52,217 --> 00:17:54,977
Speaker 4: She gives, well, Peter Cullen And I said, well, Peter Culin,

318
00:17:55,017 --> 00:17:55,977
Speaker 4: the Great Peter Culor.

319
00:17:56,457 --> 00:17:58,456
Speaker 1: You know, you lose a job. To Peter Cullen, you

320
00:17:58,497 --> 00:17:59,776
Speaker 1: didn't lose it. He just won it.

321
00:18:00,297 --> 00:18:03,617
Speaker 4: He's good, he's it. And I said, so, what's the

322
00:18:03,657 --> 00:18:05,857
Speaker 4: good news? She goes, well, you're winning the po and

323
00:18:05,897 --> 00:18:11,097
Speaker 4: Tigger too. I went e or shmi or so I

324
00:18:11,137 --> 00:18:13,977
Speaker 4: had to console myself with being Winny the Pooh and too.

325
00:18:15,137 --> 00:18:18,017
Speaker 4: You know, Pooh's a good comfort. He's like comfort pood

326
00:18:18,057 --> 00:18:20,577
Speaker 4: for the soul. Winny the Pooh is you know, you're

327
00:18:20,617 --> 00:18:24,097
Speaker 4: braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter

328
00:18:24,257 --> 00:18:27,377
Speaker 4: than you think. And he's got a lot of that

329
00:18:27,457 --> 00:18:30,337
Speaker 4: sort of folksing wisdom that people rely on to get

330
00:18:30,377 --> 00:18:34,977
Speaker 4: through tough times. I've just been very, very fortunate to

331
00:18:34,977 --> 00:18:38,216
Speaker 4: be a part of that. I think the keyword with

332
00:18:38,337 --> 00:18:40,817
Speaker 4: Winny the Pooh and the whole hundred Acre Wood Gang

333
00:18:41,697 --> 00:18:45,737
Speaker 4: is sincerity. They're not tied to a greeting card line.

334
00:18:45,777 --> 00:18:49,017
Speaker 4: They're not selling toys of any type. He's not even

335
00:18:49,057 --> 00:18:54,977
Speaker 4: really selling honey. So it's all just the interaction between friends,

336
00:18:55,777 --> 00:18:58,976
Speaker 4: and it's that bonding time and it's a celebration of

337
00:18:59,017 --> 00:19:02,017
Speaker 4: the time in life when everything's magical, you know, when

338
00:19:02,057 --> 00:19:04,897
Speaker 4: you're five or six or seven, and it's not a bad.

339
00:19:04,737 --> 00:19:06,177
Speaker 1: Place to be trans imported too.

340
00:19:06,777 --> 00:19:16,457
Speaker 4: He's just comfort food for the soul for sure. Twenty

341
00:19:16,497 --> 00:19:21,377
Speaker 4: five years ago, I'd been contacted to perhaps speak with

342
00:19:21,817 --> 00:19:27,017
Speaker 4: autistic little guy, and he wasn't overly reactive. He didn't

343
00:19:27,097 --> 00:19:29,017
Speaker 4: interact with a lot of people. He was very much

344
00:19:29,057 --> 00:19:32,577
Speaker 4: in his own world. God bless him. And his dad

345
00:19:32,737 --> 00:19:36,657
Speaker 4: arranged through my agent to have me call on a

346
00:19:36,697 --> 00:19:40,137
Speaker 4: weekend so that there was no pressure for work or whatever.

347
00:19:40,537 --> 00:19:43,257
Speaker 4: And so I gave him a call and his dad said, well,

348
00:19:43,657 --> 00:19:47,537
Speaker 4: are you the Rustolium guy And I said yeah, oh yeah,

349
00:19:47,577 --> 00:19:48,417
Speaker 4: the TV commercially.

350
00:19:48,457 --> 00:19:48,617
Speaker 1: Yeah.

351
00:19:48,657 --> 00:19:51,177
Speaker 4: He goes, are you the Valveline guy too, and I

352
00:19:51,177 --> 00:19:54,937
Speaker 4: go yeah. He goes, wow, yeah, well he picked you out.

353
00:19:55,537 --> 00:19:58,537
Speaker 4: I said, no kidding, Well that's pretty good. And you

354
00:19:58,577 --> 00:20:00,857
Speaker 4: know the sun and we'll.

355
00:20:00,657 --> 00:20:01,617
Speaker 1: Call him Ronnie.

356
00:20:01,937 --> 00:20:04,617
Speaker 4: Ronnie's here and he wants to talk to you, I hope,

357
00:20:05,097 --> 00:20:07,817
Speaker 4: and my his mother and I we have two video

358
00:20:07,897 --> 00:20:11,337
Speaker 4: cameras up, so we're gonna see what happens if that's okay.

359
00:20:11,377 --> 00:20:13,617
Speaker 1: They go, yeah, that's fine, that's right. You know, they

360
00:20:13,657 --> 00:20:15,337
Speaker 1: couldn't see me anyway. I was on the phone.

361
00:20:15,777 --> 00:20:19,137
Speaker 4: And so he gets on there and he goes, okay, good,

362
00:20:19,377 --> 00:20:21,017
Speaker 4: now I think that you should do the voice of

363
00:20:21,057 --> 00:20:23,217
Speaker 4: Bunker Steve Popcat, who is of course the first tune

364
00:20:23,257 --> 00:20:26,377
Speaker 4: detective in Tune down in the Hollywood Tuned Division.

365
00:20:26,657 --> 00:20:28,417
Speaker 1: Now, I think that you should do the voice of

366
00:20:28,497 --> 00:20:29,657
Speaker 1: Lucky Piquel, who.

367
00:20:29,497 --> 00:20:31,817
Speaker 4: Is of course his very first tune and he was

368
00:20:31,857 --> 00:20:33,657
Speaker 4: the human kind of part to the Lucy who was

369
00:20:33,697 --> 00:20:37,537
Speaker 4: in the Hollywood Toned Division. Well, okay, boll good, Now

370
00:20:37,617 --> 00:20:39,817
Speaker 4: I think that you should do the organ Gride, who

371
00:20:39,857 --> 00:20:42,057
Speaker 4: was in the third episode of The Mask, and I

372
00:20:42,097 --> 00:20:45,417
Speaker 4: believe he was of Norwegian descent. Uh yeah, I said

373
00:20:45,457 --> 00:20:47,777
Speaker 4: that though as a right. Good, Now, I think that

374
00:20:47,817 --> 00:20:50,976
Speaker 4: you should do the voice. He did this for almost

375
00:20:51,017 --> 00:20:54,857
Speaker 4: an hour straight, and so I finally I said, we

376
00:20:54,977 --> 00:20:58,737
Speaker 4: know this is fun everything, but I'm just wondering, can

377
00:20:58,777 --> 00:21:00,057
Speaker 4: I speak to your dad again?

378
00:21:00,177 --> 00:21:01,377
Speaker 1: Can we get him on the phone.

379
00:21:01,857 --> 00:21:04,537
Speaker 4: And he gets on there and he goes, holy crumb,

380
00:21:04,577 --> 00:21:07,537
Speaker 4: you know I know what to say? I don't know,

381
00:21:07,577 --> 00:21:10,377
Speaker 4: And I go, oh, yeah, I don't worry about it. Oh, well, hey,

382
00:21:10,417 --> 00:21:12,697
Speaker 4: his mother wants to talk to you. So his mother

383
00:21:12,737 --> 00:21:16,017
Speaker 4: gets on the phone and she's crying. She's crying, she's crying,

384
00:21:16,617 --> 00:21:18,137
Speaker 4: and she says, I'm so sorry.

385
00:21:18,337 --> 00:21:18,977
Speaker 1: We didn't.

386
00:21:19,417 --> 00:21:24,057
Speaker 4: We didn't have any idea that this was we're videotaping

387
00:21:24,097 --> 00:21:25,936
Speaker 4: this and and I just can't believe it.

388
00:21:26,137 --> 00:21:28,737
Speaker 1: And I said, oh, don't worry about it. I mean

389
00:21:28,777 --> 00:21:29,977
Speaker 1: I would have done the same thing.

390
00:21:30,417 --> 00:21:32,097
Speaker 4: If I was nine years old and I talked to

391
00:21:32,217 --> 00:21:34,177
Speaker 4: you know, mel blank or something like that, I would

392
00:21:34,177 --> 00:21:35,377
Speaker 4: have done the same thing.

393
00:21:35,417 --> 00:21:38,617
Speaker 1: She goes, oh, oh, I see what you mean. No, no, no,

394
00:21:38,657 --> 00:21:41,257
Speaker 1: that's not it. Ronnie doesn't speak.

395
00:21:42,257 --> 00:21:48,057
Speaker 4: I said, this chatterbox, this little guy that I couldn't

396
00:21:48,057 --> 00:21:51,257
Speaker 4: shut him up. He he's the one who doesn't speak.

397
00:21:51,817 --> 00:21:54,657
Speaker 1: She goes, we heard him when he was three. That

398
00:21:54,817 --> 00:21:57,697
Speaker 1: was the last time we heard his voice. He was nine.

399
00:21:59,457 --> 00:22:02,617
Speaker 4: And I went, Holy and she's crying and I'm just

400
00:22:02,657 --> 00:22:03,857
Speaker 4: about crying.

401
00:22:04,337 --> 00:22:07,057
Speaker 1: And I go, oh, my lord, getting back on this

402
00:22:07,177 --> 00:22:07,937
Speaker 1: phone right now.

403
00:22:08,177 --> 00:22:12,496
Speaker 4: You know, we chatted and talked and talked, and to

404
00:22:12,537 --> 00:22:14,737
Speaker 4: this day he's a buddy of mine. He's out there

405
00:22:14,737 --> 00:22:17,737
Speaker 4: in the world. He still has his cross to bear,

406
00:22:18,017 --> 00:22:19,217
Speaker 4: but he's doing fine.

407
00:22:19,697 --> 00:22:20,377
Speaker 1: Knock on wood.

408
00:22:22,377 --> 00:22:26,857
Speaker 2: To learn more about Jim Cummings, visit jimcummingsworld dot com

409
00:22:27,217 --> 00:22:29,417
Speaker 2: if you'd like to hear more stories about using our

410
00:22:29,457 --> 00:22:33,137
Speaker 2: gifts to inspire others. Check out our interview with ray Lynn.

411
00:22:38,177 --> 00:22:41,537
Speaker 2: Next time on the Jesus Calling podcast, we're joined by author,

412
00:22:41,657 --> 00:22:45,297
Speaker 2: counselor and professor Chuck de Grot, who has spent decades

413
00:22:45,297 --> 00:22:48,737
Speaker 2: helping people navigate pain and change. Chuck shares the truth

414
00:22:48,777 --> 00:22:50,577
Speaker 2: of what it really looks like to reckon with the

415
00:22:50,617 --> 00:22:53,177
Speaker 2: second half of our lives and the questions we may

416
00:22:53,217 --> 00:22:54,577
Speaker 2: ask ourselves.

417
00:22:55,497 --> 00:22:58,177
Speaker 6: What I thought I needed to chase after That usually

418
00:22:58,217 --> 00:23:00,857
Speaker 6: comes with a lot of shoulds, and we've got to

419
00:23:00,937 --> 00:23:04,177
Speaker 6: trace that story back off into early childhood. Where do

420
00:23:04,257 --> 00:23:07,577
Speaker 6: those shoulds and oughts come from? And what was the

421
00:23:07,617 --> 00:23:10,497
Speaker 6: deeper dream? What was the deeper longing the deeper vision.

422
00:23:17,417 --> 00:23:19,937
Speaker 2: Thanks for listening to the Jesus Calling Stories of Faith

423
00:23:19,977 --> 00:23:23,857
Speaker 2: podcast on the Life Audio Network. Every week we'll bring

424
00:23:23,857 --> 00:23:26,456
Speaker 2: you stories from people who share their journeys of faith

425
00:23:26,817 --> 00:23:30,496
Speaker 2: and how prayer and a relationship with God transformed their lives.

426
00:23:31,297 --> 00:23:34,657
Speaker 2: Be sure to follow us on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or

427
00:23:34,697 --> 00:23:37,976
Speaker 2: wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a review

428
00:23:38,057 --> 00:23:42,257
Speaker 2: so others can be inspired weekly by these stories of faith. Finally,

429
00:23:42,537 --> 00:23:46,017
Speaker 2: you can find encouragement resources and more on the Jesus

430
00:23:46,097 --> 00:23:48,857
Speaker 2: Calling website at jesuscalling dot com,