JOY SET ENTERTAINMENT

I wish this were my stretched limo, but it was just a loaner for a party

  One of my kids favorite songs is “How Many Clowns Can You Cram in a Car?”  And I will admit that I kind of like the song as well.  Since I have to drive all over Greenville, SC to entertain at birthday parties or do balloon twisting at restaurants, I spend a lot of time in my car.  If you also add in my trips to Anderson or Spartanburg, SC AND my annual trip to Cincinnati, OH for a balloon convention I spend a whole lot of time in my car.  Many people have vehicles that are reflections of their personalities.  And I guess that being an entertainer in the Upstate of SC I would have to have lots of personality.  I do comedy magic, I am a balloon twister, I even perform occassionally as a clown.  Here are some things that you will likely find in my car. 

• Balloons – I generally have a few bags of balloons somewhere.  You never know when you might be called to do a balloon delivery, or just get a chance to brighten someone’s day with a twisted creation.
• Markers - While I can make some pretty incredible balloon sculptures, markers can help add the finishing touches.
• Magic Tricks - Whether I am a birthday entertainer, or a corporate entertainer, I usually like to add some comedy magic to the show.  Some of the tricks even involve balloons which is an added bonus for me!
• Face Paints – my wife is the real talent here, but I am learning more to be a better face painter
• CDs – Since I might be driving for an hour or more, why not make my time a little more useful.  I like to listen to audio books on marketing, goal setting, and even jokes on compact disc.
• Gum – I have lost 24 pounds, but when I am in the car snacks can be a real temptation.   I don’t have any teachers around, so I can chew – chew away on some sugar free gum.
• Clown nose – I keep my red clown nose in my glove compartment.  Sometimes even when I am not entertaining as a clown, I will put my clown nose on and drive around just to give other drivers a relaxing laugh.

     My car is actually like a mobile office for my entertainment business.  So look for my little white Taurus with the “Tie Dye Balloon Guy” on the front license plate.  And if I am wearing my clown nose make sure you smile extra big.

I can’t remember whether we call this economic downturn a recession, depression, or hiccup. But everywhere from Greenville, SC to Thousand Oaks, CA, people are feeling the effects of less money. Or are they? In the same week I read about jobless rates over 14% in parts of the country, I also read that Avatar has taken in 1.85 BILLION dollars. Even in a slow economy, people want quality entertainment, kids are still going to have a birthday party EVERY year, and sometimes a little family friendly fun is a worthwhile investment since it can lift spirits.  It is no wonder that the entertainment industry as a whole thrived during the Great Depression.

Here are some tips from a professional entertainer on saving some money while still allowing for some great entertainment.

BUDGET :  Guess what?  Christmas comes around the same time every year.  Unlike Easter, which has a sneaky way of changing on the calendar every year, Christmas is always December 25.  Likewise birthday parties are an annual event.   When you have a need arise for entertainment, you generally have lots of advance notice.    So be smart and budget your time as well as money.  Check out my Squidoo article on themes for birthday parties for more of my thoughts on the subject.

It is not uncommon for birthday parties to cost several hundred dollars.  By planning ahead and setting aside just a few dollars a week, you can have that much more for your party.  Joy Set Entertainment can take a deposit either online or by phone for any of our events, which will make your budgeting that much easier.

COUPONS are more popular than ever.  Today you can use coupons to save on movies, vacations, and popular restaurants.  Clowns, face painters, balloon artists, and magicians also offer coupons from time to time.  Look in the phone book,  local parent guides, or on the internet to see if any performers in your area have money saving coupons.  And yes, Joy Set Entertainment does have a few coupons out there, you just have to know where to look.

SPECIAL OFFERS are out there as well, and like coupons they help generate additional awareness and business for the company and help you save money.  Don’t be afraid to ask the entertainment company if they have any special offers.  Did you know that Joy Set Entertainment has a special offer for discounts on additional entertainers at the same event?  So if you are looking to hire a magician, a face painter, a clown, and a balloon artist, you could save lots of money by getting them all from one location.   Here are some other discounts offered by Joy Set Entertainment:

• Nonprofits can secure most services offered by Joy Set at a great discounted rate.
• If you hire us more than once in the same year you can save some money.  Lots of corporate event planners have taken advantage of this.
• Discounts on birthday parties done Monday – Thursday. 
• When you make a deposit for your event, Joy Set will subtract ten dollars from the balance due.
• Joy Set offers party planning services including balloon decor.  Joy Set waives the set up fee when we are hired to do decor and entertain at a party.

     Hopefully this short blog has given you some ideas for saving money on entertainment and entertainers.  Feel free to share your own ideas by commenting in the section below.

Wow.  Hard to believe that not only is a new year upon us, but a new decade as well.  2009 was a great year for Joy Set Entertainment.  We did hundreds of birthday parties all over Greenville, SC and surrounding areas.  School events were in full swing with several school carnivals during October.  Churches also utilized us for clown ministry and other creative outreach opportunities throughout the year.  Our corporate events for 2009 were down somewhat compared with previous years.  However we still managed to make 2009 more profitable than previous years.  A big thanks to our loyal fans and friends for new and repeat business.

Joy Set entertainers and artists improved their skills in 2009.  The Tie Dye Balloon Guy continued to learn new balloons.    He concentrated more on balloon decor.  Joy Set Entertainment looks forward to seeing more fusion of balloon twisting and balloon decorating.  Our face painter, Paula, went to a face painting seminar in November.  With some of the techniques she learned, she is already been requested for repeat business by amazed customers.  We have begun to network with quality entertainers to be able to recommend the best.  If you are a family friendly entertainer in Anderson, Spartanburg, Greenville, Greer, or other upstate SC please contact us. 

Our goals for 2010 are to become the trusted source for  entertainment in Greenville, SC and the rest of the Upstate of SC.  Whether it is a balloon twister, or a birthday party entertainer, or a balloon twister, or a magician for a corporate picnic, come to Joy Set Entertainment.  Happy New Year!

What would you get him for Christmas?

There can be unique problems with being an entertainer in Greenville, SC.    What kind of Christmas present do you get for a clown?  What would be an appropriate present for our Greenville face painter?  Then there are all the other entertainers that we offer, such as the Tie Dye Balloon Guy, comedy magicians, and more.

Gift certificates are a popular option, but to me they are not personal enough.  So I have decided to turn this into a contest.  I want you to tell me what would be a good Christmas present for one or more of the following:

• Face painting by Paula:  a face painter that can be seen at grand openings, school festivals, and church events
• INRI: a hobo clown in the upstate of South Carolina (primarily Greenville, SC)
• B. Glad: an Auguste clown that does lots of birthday parties in Simpsonville, Mauldin, Easley, and Anderson, SC
• The Tie Dye Balloon Guy:  works all over Greenville at restaurants, birthday parties, corporate events, schools, and libraries

Use the comments section to give me your suggestions.  Your suggestion can be real or humorous.  I will chose one winner that will receive their choice of a balloon twisting kit (featuring the Tie Dye Balloon Guy) or $50.00 off any party package.  The winner will be announced on Christmas Adam (December 23rd … Adam came before Eve)

From all the artists and performers at Joy Set Entertainment:

Happy Thanksgiving

May this be a true day of gratitude for all the blessings of family and friends.