Tourism Australia has just launched their fantastic new campaign that is sure to draw young people from around the world. The commercial for “The Best Jobs in the World” competition also stars a little furry koala named Sam, which was designed and constructed by Digital Seagull puppeteer and puppet maker Kay Yasugi.

The journey to make Sam was full of unique experiences, which included having extended conversations with a taxidermist, roaming around the Melbourne Museum, spending hours at a Koala sanctuary sketching sleeping koalas and even visiting a puppy parlour. However, the journey did not end there. 

Once Sam was completed, Kay travelled with the puppet to shoot part of the commercial on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The location was the stunningly picturesque Seal Bay, where Kay operated the puppet right on the beach - which was lined with sleeping seals! The film shoot also involved visiting Pardana Wildlife Park, where the crew was surrounded by a big group of very friendly and curious kangaroos.

The commercial is presented by Ben Southall, who is the winner of Tourism Queensland's 2009 ‘Best Job in the World’ competition.

So, if you want one of the Best Jobs in the World, check out the video to learn how you could be in the running!

Note: This competition is only for people outside of Australia

For more information about the campaign, visit www.australia.com/bestjobs

If you would like more information about custom made puppets, contact Kay at [email protected] 

Puppeteer and puppet maker Kay Yasugi from Digital Seagull worked on a unique and unconventional film project last year that explored the Herpes virus – with puppets! She designed and constructed 3 lip sync foam puppets for the film and operated them on screen.

About the Film
If using a condom is tricky to bring up when your date gets hot and heavy, try dropping the ‘H-Bomb’ - admitting you have genital herpes. In Dating The H*Bomb, Heidi, Hector and Michael candidly share intimate stories about life with the incurable and taboo herpes virus, from the shock of diagnosis to the search for true love. Re-enacted with puppets, these everyday Australians reveal what it’s like to negotiate love, sex and human relationships in the shadow of a disease that affects one in eight Australians.

This documentary was produced by Lala Pictures, with Director Jay Court, Producer Andrew Arbuthnot and Screen Writer Wendy Hanna. The film was premiered at the Cockatoo Island Film Festival in Sydney, then aired nationally on ABC2.

"Dating the H*Bomb" was part of the Opening Shot series on ABC2, which is an initiative between Screen Australia and ABC Television. 5 Australian filmmakers under the age of 35 were selected to produce cutting edge documentaries addressing taboo issues.

For more info about Opening Shot, visit http://openingshot.abc.net.au/
For more information about LaLa pictures, please visit http://www.lalapictures.com
Also check out the Dating the H*Bomb Facebook page

Watch the Behind the Scenes video below (see more info on the Opening Shot website):