Jonas Brothers Event!!

Jonas Brothers Red Carpet Event!
February 27th, 2009

Come see the Jonas Brothers concert in 3D!

Regal Cinemas at the Citrus Park MallFriday February 27th from 6pm - 7pm
Your Balloon Man, Mr. Fudge, will be entertaining before the 3D experience begins! Be sure to stop by and see him so that you can get your balloon!

Come dressed to impress because this is the Red Carpet experience! We’re talking red roses, tuxedos, and an actual red carpet!

SAVE YOUR JONAS BROTHERS TICKET!
All who show up tonight and over the weekend will be given exclusive discounts for your next party or event. Be sure to receive your coupon at the box office this weekend. Hurry though… This is a limited time offer and you can only get coupons while supplies last.

Hope to see you there!
Your Balloon Man,
Mr. Fudge

Overview of an Article

This post is to discuss the link below. It is a post on eHow.com that covers how to book restaurant gigs.

How to Book Restaurant Gigs

The article is very simple and short. I am a little biased, but I think it has enough information to get into a restaurant, but I know it doesn't have anywhere near enough information to keep one for any length of time.

There is definitely a difference between getting a restaurant to try you out and getting them to keep you for an extended period of time.

Different companies have taken different approaches on this subject. I am going to take only one aspect of how to manage this issue and discuss my views on it. I will be talking about having a single entertainer every week at a location verses having different artists show up on a rotation.

One Artist

Having one artist at the restaurant on a regular basis is great because:
-The restaurant will know your name
-The restaurant will get used to seeing you there and will come to expect it
-Patrons get used to seeing you and only you and consistency helps lead to more regulars

The hardest part I've found about being the only one at the restaurant is that:
-You must always keep it fresh and innovative
-Tips will lower slightly due to the fact that you become routine after a while (So keep it fresh!)
-My personal favorite... You must always be the one to show up at the same time every week without fail.

A Team of Artists

The benefits of having a team is that:
-Everyone shares responsibility of covering the gigs
-Variety is offered to the restaurant
-Everyone can be themselves and there is less need to innovate

Using a team can also be a bad thing. For instance:
-There is no way of knowing how well the other members of your team are doing
-One can mess it up for all of you
-There is less work for every artist on the team
-Quality is very difficult to maintain

Restaurant Entertaining Etiquette Question

So I've been a restaurant balloon twister for over a year now and I'd like to think that I have the basics down. Simple stuff, like smiling, be entertaining, and being able to make what people want is nice too. Then there is the side of pleasing the management and establishment. Don't get in the way of the servers,be professional while entertaining, and don't slow down business.

I had an issue with the last point recently. One of my "rules" is to not approach people when they have gotten their check, ESPECIALLY in a busy place when there are customers waiting to be seated.

Well, that is exactly what happened. I made balloons for a table of kids and next to them was a nice adult couple. I involved them in the performance and at the end just took a moment to tell them that we had a balloon twister every week at that location. Their change/bill came back and I moved to exit but the woman said that she wanted a balloon.

I did a fairly quick balloon (not a speed twist, but not a long performance) and moved on.

Later, the manager asked for a moment of my time. He asked me to not approach tables who have their check.

I bent my rule ONCE, because they ASKED for a balloon and management was aware and not pleased.

NOTE: Managers are busy and may only see 1 minute of all of your work. If that minute gives a negative impression, that is what they will remember.

So to novice restaurant workers: YES, management will notice if you are slowing down business.
To seasoned artists: How could I have handled these patrons more suitably?

Balloon Convention Time!

I'm off to yet another balloon convention where I can buld up my skills and improve my ability to entertain with balloons. This time I'm heading off to Las Angeles, California where I will be attending Twist and Shout, a major balloon convention put together by Royal and Patty Sorell.

My big goals are to network and meet other balloon artists from around the world and to help solidify my business plan for the rest of the year.

If you have not already attended one of these balloon conventions before, I highly recomend them. Though the McBride Master Class was much better in helping with business principles, I feel that the balloon artist run events are very good at teaching valuble information as well when it comes to entertainment.

Likewise, I plan on attending Diamond Jam this year as well. However, I'll have to wait and see how that turns out. As of right now, I'm not sure what the details are for the convention at the moment. Last year I was an instructor, but I do not believe I'll be taking part the same way as before.

Well, I'm off to work for the last time this week before I head to the convention. So, yay for twisting balloons!

Off to the restaurant,
Jonathan Fudge
Your Balloon Man

Pop Lines for the Balloon Entertainer

What happens if a balloon breaks? What do I do if I make a mistake while twisting?

Well, here are a serries of pop lines you can use if a balloon happens to pop while you're performing. If you think of anymore, please feel free to include them.

When a balloon pops, hold up the deflated carcass and proclaim, "Look! A dead worm..." Then, looking at the child, "You didn't want a dead worm, did you?"

Occasionally when a balloon pops, I'll just shy away and move on to make the next one. I'll soon stop and say, "What are you afraid of?! I'm the one at ground zero."

"That was a weasel!"

If the balloons are being particularly loud and squeeky, you can turn to your table with, "I wouldn't be suprized if this one pops." Immediately after, make a loud squeek and say, "Boom!"

"Aren't you glad I'm not working with Dynomite?"

"This is why I'm not a brain surgeon"

"May he rest in pieces."

"I always wanted to be a pop star!"


Well, that's all I have for now... Any other fun or exciting ones you can think of??

Your Balloon Man

I've been workin on my website recently and I would love for each of you to visit.

www.YourBalloonMan.com

It is my business website that I'm trying to use to advertise my services. If anyone has any suggestions for what I could do to improve it, I would greatly appreciate it. I am still starting out with the whole website thing, so I could use any suggestion I can get.

If you were my client, what would you want to see on my website?
What are you looking for when booking an entertainer for your event?

Regulars

So, I expected to have regulars when I started working at the restaurant I am at, but I didn't expect them to start coming so quickly.

If you look two posts back with the pictures of the parrot and the bunny that I made, those are brother and sister and they came back in again. Also, the girl that was playing her DS and is holding the mouse... She is a regular too.

What's this tell me??

Well, I should definately be careful what I say and to whom. Anyone at any table could be a potential regular. And out of those, there are plenty of life-long clients that I may be able to nurture as well.

This post isn't meant to be very long. It was just something that I realized and wanted to share.

Do any of you have regulars at your restaurants? Are you a regular at a restaurant? And what do you think keeps people coming back week after week?

And they say guys with balloons aren't cool...

I totally was able to pick up 8 or so gorgeous Hooters girls while I was in Vegas. How'd I do it??

With Balloons! That's right... I twisted about 10-15 bracelets while I was there to eat and they just flocked over one after the other. Now, don't get me wrong... I wasn't picking up numbers or anything (I don't think my girlfriend would appreciate that very much), but I was able to sit and chat and talk with a number of them for most of the night.

The best part of the whole night?? Well, to start off, I got a Free photo and Hooters frame to take home.

And more??

Of course! I also was able to make a balloon from Mr. Bobby Slayton and pulled some free tickets to his show. So, that was awesome!

That's a picture of him being happy that I made such a crazy-Huge balloon for him. (Notice how he also gave me one of his CDs. So, that's REALLY awesome!) I can't wait until I'm able to listen to it.

Cody's Roadhouse Photos

Okay... I feel like I've been slacking on the photos lately. So, I'm going to add a few in here to show everyone that I am indeed still twisting balloons.


This is a Tweety Bird I made for a young lady tonight...

I also decided that this lovely young lady would make a great princess. She also made a fantastic helper. She walked around with me and waved to everyone, making sure they were having a great meal. So, that was pretty awesome.

This young man wanted a special parrot. So, I got creative.

This is a Nemo Bracelet. She didn't want to get into the picture herself, but she was more than happy to be a hand model. Who knows?? Maybe she'll make some money in it one day...

And this pretty little lady was completely and utterly torn between watching me and watching her video game. It was definately fun harrassing her as I twisted a balloon for her.

And lastly, this bunny was a great little figure I picked up and tried out. It went over so well that I have made bunches of them since.

Oh!!! And for those that care, I'm totally working on a new website. So, be sure to check it out.

www.YourBalloonMan.com

Your Balloon Man,

Mr. Fudge

813-310-5900

Jeff McBride Master Class

So, for those that haven't heard of it, Jeff McBride's Master Class is an absolute must for any serious entertainer.

All I have to say about it... Wow!

I'll have posts about it soon. I have to finish typing my notes into my computer. Once that is done, I will focus on a more thorough post.

Yappy New Year!

It's officially New Years!

And to stick with the custom of having a new year's resolution, I am making a list here of a few things I would like to do this year. Some of these are goals and yet others are plans.

Fun/Enjoyable Work:
-Attend Jeff McBride's Master Class in Las Vegas
-Attend Twist and Shout in California
-Attend my cousin's Quince
-Go on a Disney Cruise

Balloon Business:
-Get a restaurant of my own and work there on a regular basis
-Build and employ a marketing strategy that will help me gain more clients

Education:
-Get, or at least get started on, my Degree

Other:
-Watch the full series of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis
-Keep up with my blog regularly
-Start (a better) website and maintain the proper SEO for it
-Learn SEO so that I can do it myself
-Start some type of business where I can make some money on the side (it can't hurt, right?)
-Learn to play Chess
-Learn to walk on a slack line


Well, that's more than enough to keep me busy for the next year or so. For those that follow this blog, keep me on my toes and keep me accountable with this stuff. I need all the help I can get.

And to the rest of you...

Happy New Year
And my you be blessed with great things!

How to Have a Great Birthday Party!

Get Bookings:
Before you can have a great party, you’ve got to have a great client. On another day, I’ll write some about advertising, lead generation, and database maintenance. For today, however, I’m just going to say that you’ve got to make sure you get your name out well enough to get the event in the first place.

Intel:
Make sure when you book the event that you get plenty of facts and information pertaining to the event. The more you know, the more you have to work with. On the same note, be sure not to ask too many questions or you may scare away an otherwise great potential client.

Directions:
It is always a good idea to map out your route to your event ahead of time. By doing so, you are well aware of the estimated time of travel and can allow yourself plenty of time for accidents and traffic delays along the way.

Giving 110%:
This section pertains to how you use your intel that you gathered to give your client more than they expect. For instance, if you find out that Birthday boy Sammy likes Batman, you can learn ahead of time how to make a great batman lootle. You can then go to the event prepared to awe and astound the crowds with an amazing sculpture you planned to make ahead of time.

Get there:
Get there early or on time. You do not want to have the party mom stress out over when you’ll be there. Know that she’s plenty stressed about the party already. She doesn’t need your help making her hair fall out.

Get Going:
I start with the birthday child and usually make the figure I planned out on the way there. If it is a boy, I’m usually making a super hero or a crazy costume. If it’s a girl, I make a full princess outfit with crown, dress, wand, and ear rings.

Nip it in the Bud:
Stop any and all problems before it gets too big to handle. If you notice a child is acting up as soon as you get there, make note of it and draw extra attention to them. Sometimes you’ll find that if you set the right tone in the very beginning, things will work out really great for the rest of the party. This section could be a whole book by itself (In fact, there are MANY books on it.), so I won’t be spending time on it other than letting you know it should be dealt with appropriately.

Heading Out:
When you leave, be sure to thank your client for their hospitality. Many times they are going out of their way to invite you into their homes. They are inviting some of their closest friends over and honoring you by presenting you to them as an entertainer and sometimes even a family friend. Do not take advantage of it; and, certainly you should be grateful.

Get Out:
This last point has been added to emphasize the importance of leaving on time. Your client has planned their event around the times you were scheduled to be there. Be sure not to get in their way by staying too late.

Last Notes:
Okay, so I know these weren’t complete notes on how to perform at a party or even how to get a party or go through with an event, but I hope that you’ve at least seen an outline for what I do and how I go about doing it. If you have any specific questions or you would like for me to expand on a certain section above, let me know and I’ll be more than glad to do what I can.

Merry Christmas!!

Yup... This is just a post to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Hope you are all doing well!!!

Stage Show: One bite at a time

I’ve always wanted to put together a stage show. I have always been fascinated by the idea and, though I didn’t really know where to start, I knew I needed to find a way to make my dream become reality.

This week I was able to get a step closer toward developing a stage show.

I have a habit of asking The Amazing Kenny (Insert Link) on a regular basis how I can improve myself as a performer. Not only do I ask him, but Jimmy Leo and Mike Clay. There are a number of others, but those are the ones I most often call for advice.

This week it was Kenny that helped me out. I asked him what I should do to improve my performance in the restaurant and he told me something quite amusing. He said “Act like Jimmy Leo.”

For those of you who know Jimmy Leo, you know exactly what he’s talking about. And for those of you that do not yet know who he is, I suggest you look him up and learn a little about him. Jimmy Leo is a GREAT entertainer and balloon artist. He is very creative and I can’t think of a better person to call when I need motivation on a new bit of performance I’m working on.

I went to work this week and I made sure to keep Kenny’s advice in the back of my head. And when the time came, I totally took on an aura of Jimmy Leo. Even better than that, I was able to use a storyline that I gathered from one of Guido Verhoff’s classes at Diamond Jam.

I went up to a table with 6 children and 4 adults and proceeded to tell a story of a prince and princess, dressing them in balloons and entertaining the entire section of the restaurant.

I’m not going to be going into detail about the specific story here, but I told a story as I made very simple balloons for each of the characters. Not only was it a LOT of fun, but I also noticed that it was VERY similar to a stage show.

That being said, I feel it has moved me a step closer to actually developing and presenting a full stage show of my own. From here on out, I am going to use my restaurant gigs to not only help with my individual gags and routines, but I will also be using them to help develop and refine entire stage shows.

With time, patience, sacrifice, and a little luck, I should be refining a stage show within a time frame of about 3-6 months. Once I have that refined, I will be able to attend Jeff McBride’s School of Mystery where I can get personalized coaching on my show, performance, and polish.

And for those of you who are restaurant entertainers out there… Have you developed a stage show yet? Have you tried it in the restaurant? If you don’t have a show, have you considered piecing one together in a restaurant setting?

And for those not in a restaurant… Have you ever considered piecing together a stage show from event bookings? What could you do at your next event to mimic a stage show and help yourself grow as a stage performer?

And my challenge for the week:
Attempt to tell a story with your balloons in a way you’ve never done before and at a place you’ve never considered. Let me know how it goes. I’m interested in hearing about it.