Russell Nauman began his career as a puppeteer in 2009 while living in Orlando, Florida. While taking roles in local productions of Avenue Q and Little Shop of Horrors, he quickly became interested in different forms of puppetry. He began working with Pinocchio's Marionette Theater where he learned to operate marionettes built by Howdy Doody puppeteer Pady Blackwood. In 2010, Russell was invited to join Jane Henson for the Orlando Puppet Festival where he worked with tabletop puppets designed and built by the Jim Henson Company. Relocating to Los Angeles in 2011, Russell continued his work in puppetry by training and performing with the Emmy Award winning puppeteer, Michael Earl. Russell's work can be seen in music videos for Panic! at the Disco, TimeFlies, The Radioactive Chicken Heads and pop singer Kelsey B. as well as the films Puppet Theory, Night Light, Growing Up Harry, Edgar, Mark and the Puppet, and Ragdoll.