THE SNAKE CHARMER

PIERSON TO PERSON

JULES SYLVESTER is Hollywood’s go-to guy for camera-ready reptiles, spiders and creepy crawlies of all kinds. Raised in Africa, Jules moved to America while in his twenties and joined a traveling circus before landing an animal training job that led to his working on hundreds of movies, including Snakes on a Plane. (40:29) EXPLICIT EPISODE NOTES: If you’ve been a Southern California moviegoer long enough you may remember the entertaining trailers the Los Angeles Times used to present as part of the Coming Attractions. These minute-docs profiled industry professionals working interesting behind-the-scenes jobs on movie sets. And one of them featured my favorite Hollywood animal trainer and wildlife expert, JULES SYLVESTER. Check out “The Bug Wrangler” In THE SNAKE CHARMER, Jules tells me the silver screen exposure led directly to his stepping in front of the camera to host three television series – two of which took him on exciting adventures around the world. Today, Jules is busier than ever supplying everything from alligators and pythons to scorpions and tarantulas for film, TV and commercial productions. BTW: It’s been 10 years since the release of “Snakes on a Plane.” Jules had a blast working on that “big, silly picture” and says Samuel L. Jackson loved hanging out with him and his snakes in between scenes. As for me, I love hanging out with Jules -- with or without his snakes -- because he’s larger than life, a first-rate raconteur, funny as heck and a truly decent human being. Have a listen to our kitchen table conversation and you’ll hear what I mean. Many thanks to the composers of the music featured in this episode royalty free through Creative Commons licensing: 1. "The Shoes They Wear" by Blue Dot Sessions - sessions.blue/sessions/ 2. "Artifact" by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com 3. "Try Anything Once" by Lee Rosevere - leerosevere.bandcamp.com 4. "Grand Caravan" by Blue Dot Sessions - sessions.blue/sessions/ 5. "Stale Case" by Blue Dot Sessions - sessions.blue/sessions/ 6. "Digya" by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com