Balloon Animals

A balloon in a balloon ranks high in Google’s keyword search. Who would have guessed that? How to put a balloon in a balloon baffles many people. I get asked all the time, “how did you get that balloon inside that balloon?” “You mean how did I get a balloon in a balloon?” I respond. “Yes”, they say. Here is the trick, I just stuff a balloon in a balloon – it is not a trick. Just stuff a balloon [...]

Share on Facebook

You may wonder how anybody could generate leads from Pinterest. Wikipedia has defined Pinterest as “a pinboard-style photo-sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, and hobbies”. Now that I explained what it is, let me explain how you can take advantage of Pinterest. There is a group of people, my wife being one of them, that likes to collect ideas for gardening, birthday parties, holiday decorations, kid’s crafts and a bunch more [...]

Share on Facebook

Smartphone picture quality is making it easier for me to capture balloon creations that I make while entertaining at a restaurant. Just a couple of years ago, images were dark, grainy, and unsalable for marketing. Nowadays, I use my Smartphone to record my YouTube videos blog. Yet, it does not matter how good the camera is, if the subject is not cooperating, the picture turns out bad. A child’s actions can quickly steal attention away from the balloon figure and [...]

Share on Facebook

I am not 100% sure, but I think it was my father, who taught me that 2 + 2 = 4. However, I could have learned it from a book. My son has beginner math books and is constantly surprising me with new things he has learned. I know that E=mc2 was derived by the twentieth-century physicist Albert Einstein. His work was published in mathematical journals and is still being quoted today. Einstein learned to protect his work. He would [...]

Share on Facebook

It is human nature to be complacent, we like consistency, we fear change. Yet, life forces us to change no matter how much you may fight it. It was a ritual to call my parents every Wednesday night while driving back from a restaurant. It was just a call to make sure everything was OK, they were in their 70′s and most of the time they were snacking and watching TV. In 2007 dad passed, and two years later mom left us. A void [...]

Share on Facebook

Over the years, I have learned that there is no quick way to build a fan base. You can try spamming everyone in the industry to “Like” your page, ask them to subscribe, beg them to follow, or just ask them to participate in a discussion, but human nature holds them back. Years ago, I read a marketing study that said it could take a customer seven times viewing an ad before they may react. Have you ever ordered carpeting from the company whose phone number is 588-you [...]

Share on Facebook

Gather a group of entertainers in a room and pass out balloons. Many will struggle to inflate and tie, but will eventually succeed. Each one will twist, twirl, and manipulate it into a basic balloon dog. I can think of very few entertainment skills that transcends beyond its industry, but the balloon dog does just that. I have met Aerialists, Magicians, Jugglers, Hypnotists, Comedians, Actors, Singers, and a couple of Musicians, who’s skills put them at the top of their field, [...]

Share on Facebook

The first balloon animal any performer learns to twist is the balloon dog. The balloon dog has become so popular that kids demonstrate to me how they can  make a balloon dog.  Which makes me think about how the simple balloon dog has developed over the seven decades of my life. In the early 1950′s balloon animals were limited in color and size.  The balloon dog was simple, quick, and required four balloons. In the 1960′s, the balloon dog was transformed into [...]

Share on Facebook

I first saw Star Wars at the movies when I was a child and, over the years, have seen bits and pieces of the trilogy. Yes, there are many generations of devoted fans. With Disney being the driving force behind the newest release, you are going to see a flood of marketing of new Star Wars products before the movie hits the big screen in 2015. This past weekend my son attended the birthday party of his 6-year old friend who likes Darth Vader. Being a good [...]

Share on Facebook

A milestone for an entertainer can be getting that first restaurant job, entertaining at a birthday party, or landing that first corporate gig.  In our personal life it may be schooling, marriage, children, or buying a house when the realization set in that “holy crap, I am an adult”. Never overlook the milestones in life no matter how small they may seem. If you achieve only 1% of your goal in a week, you are closer to setting a new milestone. [...]

Share on Facebook