After studying puppetry for film and television in 1987 with the late muppet master Jim Henson, Gary, together with fellow South African, Nyanga Tshabalala founded African Puppet Television. It was designed to reach audiences beyond the scope of live theatre.

Their best known project was producing 'Puppets for Democracy' during South Africa's first democratic election, where the puppets interviewed famous politicians like FW De Klerk and Nelson Mandela.