Meet Jeghetto

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeghetto . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jeghetto , thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
My optimism comes from my belief that I am truly blessed to be here today. The fact that I came from a single mother home, raised on welfare in a drug infested housing projects in Pittsburgh, PA. To owning a home with a beautiful family here in rural North Carolina is a testament that things can change for the better. My childhood wasn’t that bad despite my environment growing up as a young child. Even though there were the negative aspects of the ghetto, there was still a sense of community and I remember the adults looking out for each other. When I got older, my high school years through my early 20’s was very traumatic. I have dozens of stories where I could be dead, seriously injured or serving time in prison just from my environment and associations with family and friends. In those “life or death” situations I was either able to make wise split second decisions or there was someone there that looked out for me. I’ve always felt protected by a higher power despite never being able to accept any organized religion (which drove my mother crazy.) I’m a very observant person and realized at a young age that everything is temporary. If you think you can win. You will win. If you think you will lose. You will lose. The choice is up to you.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My name is Tarish Pipkins aka Jeghetto. I’ve been building puppets for over 20 years and I’m the Artistic Director of Jeghetto’s entertainment LLC. I am a sitting board member of the Jim Henson Foundation. I’ve worked on music videos, commercials and television with celebrities such as Missy Elliott, Pharrell Williams and Alec Baldwin to name a few. I produce and direct my own shows in puppet theater as well as collaborations with other theaters on commission. I also do Interactive Puppet Installations. These are installations of giant puppets that the public can control and interact with. I have a background in foster care and teaching children with special needs so I also facilitate workshops from elementary through university level. I’m particularly passionate about my stage production titled THE HIP HOPERA OF 5P1N0K10 (Spinokio) it’s an afrofuturistic puppet show about an android who wants to be a real B boy. This show has been to Atlanta, NYC, Detroit, Chicago, NC and it will be in New Orleans in April 2024. I recently signed a book deal to have the story turned into a graphic novel. It was also adapted into a short film funded by Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams. To learn more about me and to get the heads up on future events you can go to my website Jeghetto.com. We have memberships on the sites that include discounts on merchandise and classes if you’re into puppetry.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back, I would say that the 3 qualities of being successful is 1. Having a high quality of work that speaks for itself with a superior work ethic. 2. Being dependable and always showing up to do the job you were asked to do while exceeding expectations. 3. Being a likable person with a positive attitude and good communication skills.

My advice to people starting out in their field is to do it now. Work on the list above. Don’t wait for that perfect time or those tools or fancy equipment that you think you need to get started. Start with what you have and build up as you gain experience. As long as you’re passionate about what you’re doing the resources will come. Surround yourself with a team of winners. Distance yourself from negativity people and situations. You have to be willing to cut off anyone and anything that stands between you and your success. That includes family, friends, loved ones and bad habits.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
It’s funny that you would ask what book played an important role in my career because the book is totally unexpected. The book is titled “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand. I did a lot of reading in my early twenties as a form of escapism. I would pick up random books from used book stores and this book was one of them. The book is about two architects who were friends and went school together. One took the mainstream route and became famous working for a popular firm. While the other one chose to do the opposite and start his own company and start from the bottom. When the famous architect would get a big commission and come across a problem or issue he couldn’t solve, he would go to his friend with the small business to help him. He would only help the famous architect if he promised not to tell anyone and the famous architect took all the credit. That was very powerful to me as a self taught artist who deliberately avoided the college route. Because chi knew I was naturally better than most artists with degrees at a young age. There was another character in the book who worked for a newspaper and had rich friends. This character was asked why he didn’t pursue money to be rich like his associates. His reply was something to the effect. “Why do I need to be be rich when I can spend my rich friends money?” That blew my mind. He was comfortable with his life and didn’t see the point of killing himself to obtain riches when he already had access to endless resources. His rich friends trusted him because he always came through and never did them wrong. Long story short. The underdog prevailed in the end. I see myself as the underdog. As I think most people do.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Robin Brown-Pipkins

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