JOY SET ENTERTAINMENT

Whenever I am twisting balloons in Greenville,  Anderson, or Spartanburg, South Carolina I am almost certain to be asked.  Where did you learn to twist balloons?  I have covered that in one of my other blogs, but I did not mention balloon videos.  Ahh yes, that happy medium, where this Greenville balloon artist is happy to twist along, rewind, and go at my own pace.  Or even fast forward.

Over the years I have watched NUMEROUS balloon videos.  I have watched all of John Michael Holmes VHS (remember those) tapes.  And I own several balloon videos that are now out of print.  Actually I just counted my video collection.  I have over 127 different balloon videos on both DVD and VHS.  Most of my balloon videos are about twisting balloon animals, balloon planes, and other balloon creations.  A few of them are all about balloon decoration or balloon decor.  I even have one that teaches how to make tie dye balloons (and the “Tie Dye Balloon Guy” likes it very much, thank you).

At the end of this blog, I will provide some links to some of my favorite balloon videos.  I won’t get anything out of it if you do purchase some videos except the satisfaction of knowing I have helped out another aspiring balloon twister.  But right now, I want to do a review on two recent DVD’s from one of my favorite balloon artist, Dave Bartlett.  Dave (aka Mr. Rainbow) has been a professional clown and balloon twister since shortly after the world began (or maybe it just seems that way).  I owned most of his VHS until I replaced them with his remixed DVDs.  Dave was kind enough to combine two VHS tapes onto each DVD that he “re-released”

I had been planning to purchase Dave Bartlett’s DVD “E Unum Pluribus” for many months.  When I went to Mr. Rainbow’s web site to order, I happily discovered yet another DVD that he has just recently released, “Eat, Play, Twist.”  I ordered both and in just two short days, I had my newest balloon videos.  “E Unum Pluribus” showcases many different character creations.  He makes an Astronaut, Frankenstein, Leprechaun, Elf, Dracula, Darth Vader, Pirate Skeleton, Shrek, and a Clown.  Each one is quick enough that I could make them at any of the restaurants where I twist balloons.  And each one is able to be tweaked enough to be a special birthday creation for a birthday child.  I particularly liked “Eat, Play, Twist”.  This DVD contains mostly variation of bird designs (including some Angry Birds) with some dinosaurs tossed into the mix just to keep things interesting.  The Angry Birds were a huge hit at my twisting gigs.  I even added a green pig to make it a more interactive game. 

Pros:  These video moves along at a nice clip.  Dave carefully shows the basics of a design and then shows variations with that design.  I have other videos that about half of the time is taken up with making the same body structure over and over and over again.  Dave is lighthearted and conversational in his style.  He shares jokes  and bits of entertainment here and there.  And as mentioned above the balloons shown are impressive but can still be made fairly quickly by a good balloon twister.  Cons:  Part of “Eat, Play, Twist” is filmed outdoors.  This is not the best thing for someone with ADD to try to watch (oh look a butterfly just went by).  Bottom line: Both of these new DVDs have one or two creations that more than make them worth the price of admission.  Get them.

Other DVD links

Aeradeco Video:  Despite having a name that few can spell and fewer still can pronounce, Aeradeco Video has some top notch balloon videos for balloon decorators.

Diamondstorm:  is where to find some of the great balloon twisters and their fabulous videos.

Hey everyone.  I hope that all of you will consider helping to support a unique project from my friend Larry Moss.  Please see the link below and make a pledge of any amount.  Your money is only collected if the pledge amount is raised.  AND you can get some really cool items for different levels of giving.  Thanks so much

Balloon art so beautiful it will make you cry

Learning that face painting isn’t always on the face.

There are some truly great balloon twisters in Greenville, SC (and Anderson and Spartanburg … and Newberry  too).    And Greenville has its share of talented face painters as well.  But finding artists that do BOTH balloon twisting and facepainting is pretty hard.  That is why I am truly blessed to have Paula as my wife (and 70% owner of Joy Set Entertainment).   Joy Set is one of the very few companies in the Upstate of SC that has an entertainer capable of doing both balloon twisting and face painting.

Many people do not realize that it was Paula that taught me how to twist balloons.  I already knew the simple basic shapes like poodles and swords.  But I wanted to venture into some more elaborate balloon art.  She was able to read the balloon twisting books that I bought or borrowed from the library and explain it to me.  She continues to impress me by coming up with her own balloon creations.  I know that I would not be the balloon twister … or balloon artist if you will, if it were not for my lovely wife.

Not long after Joy Set Entertainment first started, we were helping some clowns with their restaurant entertainment.  On this particular occassion they were doing cheek art.  Paula picked up some brushes and was quickly doing hearts, flowers, butterflies and more on the faces of boys and girls.  I remarked “Well I guess we know who the face painter is for our company.”  When we would go to conventions, I would take the balloon twisting classes, and Paula would take the face painting classes.  Of course today, she is teaching face painting classes and I am teaching balloon twisting classes.

It is time for me to face paint as well.  That’s right folks, the Tie Dye Balloon Guy is going to be the Tie Dye Face Paint Guy too.  You see Joy Set does several birthday parties all over the Upstate of SC almost every weekend.   And more and more parents in Greenville, Anderson, and Spartanburg are wanting our complete party packages where we offer a comedy show, balloon twisting, face painting, and goody bags.   So it is time for me to step up to the plate … er paintbrush and take some of the load off of my busy wife.   Admittedly I have done face painting before, but I have to take it up a notch.  And Paula is helping me.  An unusual but effective piece of advice she gave me was “When you are painting a design, imagine how the balloon sculpture would look.”  I am finding that doing full face designs are actually easier than doing the small cheek art.   And now our kids are taking an interest in juggling.  Wonder where I put those fire torches? 

Carl “The Tie Dye Balloon Guy”

What do the following people and companies all have in common? JD the Balloon Guy (Jay Dee Productions), Lee (Face Painting by Lee), Ric Singleton (Comedy Magic of Ric and Event Designs), Kristin (KW Artistry from Spartanburg), Color Me Happy Faces Face Painting, Ralph Summer (Giggles the Clown), Marcie (The Balloon Fairy of Asheville), Steve Holt (Steve Holt Magic Show), The Balloon Pirates, Party Makers Entertainment, and Gwen (Gumdrop the Clown) are all my competitors. Yup all of these companies do the same or similar to Joy Set Entertainment. And they are all good at what they do. How do I know? I have hired or recommended them all for events. 

There are many reasons that Joy Set might use some of these other great companies.
(1) Large corporate events with many employees generally need multiple entertainers for their grand openings, company picnics, or holiday parties.  Quick Tip: Let Joy Set Entertainment handle all of your corporate entertainment needs to save you time and money. 

(2) Family time is to be a priority.  I have three great kids that do want to spend time with their Mom and Dad.  They are very understanding about our unusual work schedule, but they are also very happy when we get to do “normal” weekend activities with them as well.   So every so often the official players from Joy Set Entertainment will take a needed break.  But we always send in a more than adequate substitute.  Quick Tip: Cherish your family, they are the true treasure in this life! 

(3) Sickness or other emergencies can and do arise.  I know that the Moms out there will appreciate that the Tie Dye Balloon Guy doesn’t want to get little Johnny or Susie sick.  That is why Joy Set Entertainment networks with other qualified magicians, clowns, face painters, balloon artists, and more in the Greenville, SC area and beyond to ensure that your birthday entertainment is fun … and germ free.  Quick Tip:  Birthday parties and more are all covered under Joy Set Entertainment’s “The Show Must Go On” Guarantee. 

(4) Other performers excel in their own areas of expertise.   We love entertaining, but we are not a “jack of all trades.”  There are other companies in the Upstate of SC that promise everything from sand art to slushies for your special events.  Joy Set does not do that.  We focus on just a few key areas that we are trained and professional.  But due to our networking, we know just the people to recommend if you need a bounce house for your birthday, or a caricature artist for your school festival.  Quick Tip:  Anyone can unethically copy someone else’s work off a website, make sure that your entertainer is truly capable and professional. 

The bottom line is that we have worked side by side with these people and trust them as professional family friendly entertainers, people of integrity, and just generally great people to be around.  When any of them are booked by Joy Set Entertainment, they are also covered by our insurance.  So call us today to book your GUARANTEED event. 

The Balloon Fairy is talented and flexible

There is a new show on TLC called The Unpoppables.  It is a reality show about balloon artists that make incredible creations for their clients.  The first  show had the balloon twisting team creating a lifesize scene of a firetruck and a firefighter putting out a fire.    I encourage all of you to watch this exciting program Monday nights at 8 PM (7PM Central Time) on TLC.    The program has already generated some questions.

Have you seen that new show about the balloon twisters?  I can’t watch it when it airs because I twist balloons at Corona’s Mexican Restaurant in Greenville on Monday nights.  I have a DVR so I can watch it later.

What do you think about the show?  It looks pretty good so far.  I have worked on many large balloon  projects myself.  The Unpoppables accurately portrays the pressure and challenges of working with balloons on a large scale project.  Anything that brings attention to the incredible world of balloon art is a good thing.

Do you know any of the people on the show?  I have met them at balloon conventions and twisted side by side with at least one of them in a balloon jam.  But since all of the balloon twisters on the show live thousands of miles away from Greenville, South Carolina I don’t have the pleasure of truly calling any of them a friend.

Can you make me a lifesize firetruck?  Show me the money and we will talk!