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HIDDEN AWAY IN KANSAS CITY'S CREATIVE COMMUNITY IS A SMALL
ARTISTIC SUBCULTURE WHICH MAKES ITS LIVING CREATING TOYS FOR SOME OF THE BIGGEST HOLLYWOOD
AND VIDEO GAME FRANCHISES IN THE WORLD. FROM INITIAL SCULPTURE TO THE
FINAL PROTOTYPE AND CASTING, THESE LOCAL ARTISTS PLAY A HUGE BUT UNSEEN ROLE IN BRINGING TOYS
TO TOY STORE SHELVES. THESE DAYS, YOU WOULD EXPECT LOTS OF COMPUTERS AND 3D
PRINTERS TO BE INVOLVED, BUT NOT SO MUCH. THE ARTISTS YOU'RE ABOUT TO MEET
AT THE LIVESTOCK EXCHANGE BUILDING IN THE WEST BOTTOMS STILL DO LOTS OF THEIR WORK BY
HAND. ANTHONY LADESICH OF MILE DEEP FILMS TAKES US INSIDE THIS FUN
AND FASCINATING CORNER OF THE TOY MAKING WORLD. MAKING TOYS FOR A LIVING IS A
VERY COOL JOB. THERE IS NO SOPHISTICATED WAY TO PUT IT.
IT'S JUST REALLY NEAT TO BE MAKING SOMETHING THAT WAS A BIG PART OF EVERYONE'S CHILDHOOD.
BEFORE I EVER GOT INTO THIS, I REMEMBER LOOKING AT TOYS AND JUST KIND OF FIGURING, WELL, A
COMPUTER MUST DO THAT OR SOMETHING. I DIDN'T EVEN GET THAT ACTUALLY
PEOPLE JUST SAT THERE AND SCULPTED ALL OF THIS STUFF, AND HONESTLY I WAS PRETTY AMAZED
THAT IT WAS DONE SO CLASSICALLY, THE SCULPTING OUT OF CLAY, AND THAT IT GOES THROUGH KANSAS
CITY. WHENEVER I TELL SOMEBODY WHAT I DO, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO THEY
ARE OR WHAT LINE OF WORK THEY'RE IN, THEY ALWAYS PERK RIGHT UP AND ARE FASCINATED.
TO ME, THERE IS A BIT OF IRONY TO THE FACT THAT I SCULPTED EVER SINCE I WAS A
LITTLE BOY, AND MY SISTER, WHO WAS ALWAYS VERY TALENTED AT EVERYTHING SHE DID, AND SHE WAS
AN ARTIST, BUT SHE NEVER SCULPTED. I DECIDED TO TRY TO HELP HER GET
SOME WORK WITH THE TOY COMPANIES, AND IT TURNS OUT, SHE IS, LIKE, A MIRACULOUS SCULPTOR
WITHOUT EVER HAVING DONE IT BEFORE IN HER LIFE. BASICALLY YOUR JOB IS TO
OBSERVE SOMETHING AS OBSESSIVELY AS POSSIBLE. THAT IS THE INVISIBLE PART OF
YOUR JOB, AND THE VISIBLE PART IS WHEN YOU DEPOSIT IT INTO THIS CLAY.
I LOVE AND HATE WHAT I DO, AND I THINK YOU'LL HEAR THAT FROM A LOT OF ARTISTS, BECAUSE
YOU CAN REALLY TORTURE YOURSELF WITH THE DETAILS. MOST PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY IF
YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING FROM A MOVIE THAT'S AN ICONIC MONSTER, AND YOU GO THERE'S 8 VEINS BACK
HERE. I PUT 7 VEINS BACK HERE. YOU CAN TELL, I DIDN'T HAVE THE
REFERENCE, BUT NOW THERE ARE PEOPLE ON THE FAN SIDE THAT FOUND THE PICTURE BEHIND BEHINDE
SCENES, AND YOU HATE YOURSELF FOR THAT. AND THEN YOU LOOK AT IT TWO
MONTHS LATER, AND YOU'RE LIKE THAT'S GREAT. THAT LOOKS FINE.
WE DO PROTOTYPE MOLD MAKING AND CASTING. WHAT THAT MEANS IS USUALLY WE
GET ORIGINAL SCULPTURES THAT ARE MADE OUT OF FRAGILE CLAY. GENERALLY, WHEN A PIECE COMES
IN, IT COMES IN MANY PARTS. YOU KNOW, THE ACTION FIGURES HAVE ALL THEIR MOVABLE JOINTS
AND CLOTHES AND HAIR. A LOT OF TIMES A PIECE MAY HAVE 20, 30, UPWARDS OF 50 PIECES FOR
ONE FIGURE. WE TAKE ALL OF THOSE INDIVIDUAL PIECES AND MAKE MOLDS OF EACH
INDIVIDUAL PIECE AND CASTINGS OF EACH PIECE, AND WE TURN THOSE INTO DURABLE PLASTIC PROTOTYPES
AND THEN MAKE SURE THEY ALL ASSEMBLE PROPERLY AND, YOU KNOW, SEND THEM OFF.
IT'S VERY MUCH AN ART.
I AM VERY MUCH A SCI FI FAN. FOR INSTANCE, I WILL GO TO A SCI FI MOVIE JUST BECAUSE IT'S SCI
FI EVEN THOUGH IT'S GETTING 30% ON ROTTEN TOMATOES OR SOMETHING.
¶
A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THIS INDUSTRY ARE DEFINITELY PASSIONATE COLLECTORS AND FANS.
I SUPPOSE AT THE END OF ALL OF IT WHAT YOU'RE REALLY DOING IS YOU'RE TRYING TO PUT, YOU KNOW,
A PROFESSIONAL SUIT ON THE WHOLE THING, BUT YOU'RE BASICALLY BEING A KID.
AND IT'S ALL DISGUISED WITH BUDGETS AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WORKS OUT AND TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT THE ANATOMY, BUT WHAT ALWAYS ENDS UP HAPPENING, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A
PERSONAL FAVORITE, YOU END UP GETTING IT BACK AND GET HAPPY LIKE CHRISTMAS AND START PLAYING
AROUND WITH IT AND SOMETIMES GET OUT THE PAINTS AND PAINT IT. INEVITABLY, YOU END UP WITH A
LOT OF TOYS STREWN AROUND THE ROOM, AND YOU'RE BACK TO THE SITUATION YOU WERE AS A KID
WHERE YOU'VE JUST GOT A LOT OF TOYS, ONLY THESE TOYS ARE TOYS THAT YOU'VE MADE.
TOWARDS THE DOWNTOWN CAMPUS --. JULIA IRENE KAUFFMAN'S
RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF A 20 MILLION-DOLLAR CHALLENGE GRANT TO HELP FUND A DOWNTOWN
ARTS CAMPUS WAS GREAT NEWS FOR THE UMKC CONSERVATORY. EVENTUALLY IT SHOULD MEAN
THAT HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS ASPIRING TO CAREERS IN MUSIC AND DANCE WILL BE SPENDING MANY OF
THOR DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE CENTER CITY. STUDENTS LIKE KERWIN YOUNG,
THOUGH AT 42, KERWIN HAS A FEW YEARS ON MOST OF HIS CLASSMATES. WHAT HE'S ALSO HAD IS THE MOST
UNUSUAL PATH TO GET WHERE HE IS. WHILE STILL A TEENAGER IN NEW YORK CITY, KERWIN WORKED WITH
THE RAP GROUP PUBLIC ENEMY, AS PART OF THE BOMB SQUAD. NOW HE'S STUDYING FOR HIS
MASTERS DEGREE IN COMPOSITION. NOW, WE CAUGHT UP WITH KERWIN SHORTLY AFTER HE'D RETURNED FROM
SEEING HIS OWN PALS, CHUCK D. AND FLAVOR FLAVIN DEDUCTED INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME.
¶
IT'S ACTUALLY PRONOUNCED FLICK, BUT WE SPELL IT FLEET. AND YOU WERE LIKE A
17-YEAR-OLD COMING UP FROM CHUCK BEING YOUR NEIGHBOR? YEAH, HE LIVED ON THE NEXT
CORNER. HOW I WAS INTRODUCED TO THE GROUP WASN'T THROUGH HIM,
ALTHOUGH I KNEW HIM. I WAS A MEMBER OF THE HEMP STEAD AND YOUTH COUNCIL, AND THERE
WERE TWO FAMILIES THERE AND THEY HAD A RAP GROUP AT THE TIME. THIS WAS 1987, THE SUMMER, AND I
TOLD MY DJ, AND WE CAME TOGETHER AND BECAME ACQUAINTED, AND THEY EVENTUALLY HAD A RECORDING
SESSION AT PUBLIC ENEMY'S STUDIO AND INVITED ME DOWN ONE WEEKEND. AND THAT FIRST DAY, WE MET SOME
OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BOMB SQUAD, AND THAT WAS IT. AROUND 1988, TOWARD THE END OF
MY HIGH SCHOOL YEAR, I STARTED JUST SPENDING MORE TIME THERE, AND I WAS GOING TO THE STORE,
GETTING THE GUYS FOOD AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AND JUST WORKED MY WAY UP.
BY 1989, I WAS IN IT. 1989, A PRETTY BIG YEAR. YEAH.
SPIKE LEE COMING AROUND. YEAH, AND THE WHOLE BREAKUP OF THE GROUP.
A LOT OF GOING ON THAT YEAR. AND YOU'RE STILL NOT EVEN 20 AT THAT POINT.
RIGHT. MANY YEARS HAVE PASSED WITH SOME PRETTY COOL CREDITS ALONG
THE WAY, SPIKE LEE MOVIE, MUSIC, HE GOT GAME. HE GOT GAME, TWO STREET
FIGHTERS, A MOVIE CALLED GREEN CARD WHICH CAME OUT IN 1990 AND THEN IN 1998 ALSO.
BUT THESE ARE STILL THINGS IN THAT GENRE, FOR THE MOST PART. YEAH.
WHICH SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY NO LONGER APPEALED TO YOU, IT SOUNDS LIKE?
NOT REALLY. HE GOT GAME WAS THE ONLY FILM I'D SAY THAT HAD -- WAS THE RAP
ELEMENT AND STREET FIGHT. SISTER ACT 2 WAS R AND B. BY 1994, I WAS TRYING TO STEP
AWAY FROM THE RAP MUSIC, DOING MORE CONVENTIONAL MUSE -- MUSIC, WORKING WITH INSTRUMENTS.
SPEAKING OF UNIVERSITIES, I KNOW YOU SPENT A LITTLE TIME AT SPELLMAN.
YEAH, FOR A YEAR, ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AS A RESIDENT COMPOSER.
THAT WAS A GOOD EXPERIENCE FOR ME. I HAD NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE
WRITING FOR STRINGS. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE. THE STUDENTS WERE LIKE, WHAT IS
THIS? THEY TOLD ME, I DON'T READ TREBEL CLEF.
IS THAT WHEN YOU THOUGHT, MAYBE I'M GOING TO UMKC TO HONE THIS?
IT WAS ABOUT THAT TIME. I FOUND HER ON MY SPACE AND EXPRESSED TO HER THAT I WAS
INTERESTED IN STUDYING ORCHESTRATION, BUT ONLY FOR ONE MONTH, NOT EVEN A SEMESTER, LIKE
ONE TO TWO MONTHS. SHE GOT BACK TO ME AND PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH JIM MOBERLY, AND JIM
EXPRESSED TO ME THAT WITH MY BACKGROUND I COULD BENEFIT A LOT MORE FROM A FULL DEGREE HERE AT
THE UNIVERSITY, AND THE SCHOOL COULD -- THE STUDENTS COULD BENEFIT FROM MY EXPERIENCE, AND
I COULD BE ABLE TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE WITH THEM, AND I THOUGHT ABOUT IT AND SAID, OKAY,
WHY NOT? SO THIS IS FOUR YEARS LATER, AND I FINISHED MY BACHELORS DEGREE
AND NOW I'M IN THE MASTER PROGRAM. IS IT JUST URBAN LEGEND THAT
CHUCK D WROTE YOUR RECOMMENDATION LETTER. YES, IT'S TRUE.
SHADOW ALSO WROTE ONE. IT'S AMAZING. I LOOK BACK AND THINK OF ALL THE
PEOPLE I'VE MED OVER THE YEARS WHO HAVE EITHER GIVEN ME SOUND ADVICE OR I'VE STUDIED WITH THE
COLLECTIVE OF THESE PEOPLE AT THE HIGH LEVELS, BUT I STILL HAVE TO WORK HARD.
IT'S A CHALLENGE. EVEN AFTER THE RECENT ROCK AND ROLL OF FAME INDUCTION OF PUBLIC
ENEMY AND EVERYTHING GOING ON, I STILL HAVE TO CONTEND WITH UNRETURNED PHONE CALLS AND
E-MAILS. I STILL HAVE TO WORK JUST AS HARD TO SOLICIT NEW MUSIC AND
TRY TO SECURE LICENSE AGREEMENTS, THAT SORT OF THING. TALKING ABOUT BOBBY WATSON.
YEAH, BOBBY WATSON, I WAS ABLE TO STUDY WITH HIM. I PETITIONED THE PROGRAM, YOU
KNOW, THAT IF I COULD STUDY WITH HIM FOR COMPOSITION, AND THEY AGREED.
HE'S BEEN GREAT. I CAN GET THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, CLASSICAL AND THE JAZZ.
FOR ME, BEING ABLE TO ORCHESTRATE HAS BEEN A BIG DEAL, BECAUSE I CAN COMPOSE.
I HAVE IDEAS. GETTING A FULL GRASP OF HOW HARMONY WORKS IS ANOTHER ADDED
FACTOR, BUT ORCHESTRATION, YOU HAVE TO HAVE TIME TO STUDY SCORES, SO I'VE BEEN SITTING IN
ON SEVERAL REHEARSALS, LOOKING AT THE SCORES WITH THE CONDUCTORS AT UMKC SEEING WHAT'S
GOING ON AND MAKING TIME FOR MYSELF TO GO THROUGH THEIR SCORES, AND QUINCY JONES ALSO --
MENTIONED SCORES TO ME, LOOK AT THOSE. YOU KNOW, SO I TOOK THAT TO
HEART, AND I SPENT A LOT OF MONEY BUYING SCORES. SHIF -- SHIFFRIN.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE COMPOSERS, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, THE SYMPHONY ABOUT THE QUEEN FROM HAWAII.
HIS BACKGROUND IS, LIKE, ACROSS THE BOARD. AND YEAH, THAT'S -- HE'S
DEFINITELY SOMEONE WHOSE CAREER IS ONE I'D LIKE TO MODEL, JUST HIS ABILITY TO START HERE AND
THEN HE'S GOING THROUGH THESE OTHER PHASES AND CAN STILL PUT IT ALL TOGETHER, YOU KNOW.
ONCE THAT DEGREE IS IN HAND, BACK TO ONE COAST OR THE OTHER? I'M NOT SURE.
ONCE I'M DONE WITH MY MASTER'S DEGREE, I'D LIKE TO PURSUE MY DOCTORATE SO I COULD TEACH.
I'M STILL THINKING ABOUT A FEW THINGS, AND I WANT TO TAKE MY TIME.
I WANT TO SCORE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE. I HAVEN'T DONE THAT.
I'VE ONLY WRITTEN MUSIC FOR, LIKE, SOUND TRACKS OR HAD SONGS IN A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE.
I HAVEN'T SCORED A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE. I WANT TO DO.
THAT I'D LIKE TO SCORE A WEEKLY DRAMA, TELEVISION DRAMA. WELL, IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE
KANSAS CITY IS A PLACE YOU'RE TRYING TO ESCAPE THE QUICKEST? NO.
I KIND OF LIKE IT HERE IN A WAY. AS FAR AS THE MUSIC AND THE ARTS ENVIRONMENT, IT'S CONDUCIVE TO
MY LIFESTYLE, AND THERE IS A LOT HERE THAT I CAN CONTINUE TO BE INVOLVED WITH.
WELL, GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE. WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO MORE STORIES FROM YOUR OWN
ACHIEVEMENTS. KERWIN YOUNG, GLAD TO HAVE YOU HERE ON THE LOCAL SHOW.
THANKS, RANDY. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. AND THAT IS ALL THE TIME WE
HAVE ON THIS EDITION OF THE LOCAL SHOW. BUT AS ALWAYS, YOU CAN LEARN
MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THE PLACES WE FEATURED HERE ONLINE AT THE LOCAL SHOW DOT ORG.
NEXT WEEK OUR PERFORM ARTS SERIES HEADS DOWN TO THE AMERICAN JAZZ MUSEUM, AND WE'LL
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PRINCIPLE FUNDING FOR THE LOCAL SHOW PROVIDED BY FRANCIS FAMILY FOUNDATION, FREDERICK AND
LOUISE HARTWIG FAMILY FUND, KAUFFMAN FOUNDATION, HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION OF GREATER KANSAS
CITY, JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, JOHN AND EFFY SPEES MEMORIAL TRUST, BANK OF AMERICA
TRUSTEE, RICHARD J STERN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS, COMMERCE BANK TRUSTEE, AND KCPT
MEMBERS. THANK YOU.