Art, Community, and Resilience in East Oakland:: Hoodland Chronicles with Roy Miles, Filmmaker, Puppeteer, and Toymaker

Art Heals All Wounds

Today, I’m joined by Roy Miles, aka Ghetto Geppetto, a filmmaker, motion graphics artist, puppet maker and puppeteer, toymaker, and animation artist. On top of his impressive resume, Roy is also a former student of mine who stands out as one of the most creative people that I’ve had the pleasure of working with.

Roy has an animated universe called “Hoodland'' that's somewhat of a West Coast version of Sesame Street. Growing up in the 70s and 80s in East Oakland, Roy looks back fondly on his childhood of biking around the city with his friends and experiencing the liveliness of different neighborhoods. In our conversation, he describes how he draws on those memories to create the multidimensional characters and storylines in the Hoodland series.

Even though we can laugh at some of Oakland’s unique qualities and reflect on the rich history and culture of the city, there’s no denying how gun violence and disparity have deeply impacted the community. Roy looks back on how he leaned into his creative practice to cope with depression after his wife and children were caught in the crossfire of a shooting. He also explains why he’s not planning on leaving Oakland.

Listen, rate, and review Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

● Moments and people from Roy’s life that are represented in Hoodland

● Celebrating the multiculturalism and close-knit communities in East Oakland

● Struggling with creativity and a sense of artistic purpose after tragedy

● Honoring the creative ingenuity and expression of people from East Oakland

● Why Roy is committed to staying in East Oakland

Guest Info:

● Roy's Instagram

● Hoodland on YouTube

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