I look forward to the Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival every September. I have performed at the festival for eight consecutive years. While I don’t play sax or sing, I’m proud to be a featured artist. While, I don’t occupy space on the main stage; I always have an enthusiastic audience.
As a fan of jazz music, this is a great day for me. I get to make wonderful balloons, entertain my audience and listen to some fantastic music. The bands included the Dogtown Allstars, the Soulard Blues Band, the St Louis Jazz & Blues Revue and the Funky Butt Brass Band. While I didn't get to hear the Funky Butt Brass Band, Michael "Tunes" Brooks says their great. And that's good enough for me.
My own performance was interrupted several times by self-imposed “dance breaks” whenever the music moved me. Of course the crowd didn’t mind as they were usually tapping or snapping or head-bobbing to the beat anyway. Everyone was enjoying the great music and the cool vibe that moved through the air.
The Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival was founded in 2001 to promote music and culture in the Old Webster Groves Historic District. The festival has been a HUGE success over the years. The event started with a stage at the end of a street and four bands. Every year the festival has grown and now includes two stages on different streets, a kid’s area, food vendors, a jazz clinic, eleven bands and hundreds of music fans. By the late afternoon, the streets are full of folding chairs and blankets and families from miles around.
The organizers hire me to arrive early so I can get a good spot. Far enough from the stage to be able to entertain but close enough to hear every note. I get to listen to classics from the golden age of jazz, the funky rhythms of new age, the big bands, the sultry vocals, the percussion, the fat sax, the brassy horns.
This year, a light rain began to fall in the afternoon. Did the crowd scatter? Did the audience thin out? Not a chance. It was quite a sight seeing the umbrellas pop-up and start swaying to the beat.
Major congrats to the committee: Joe Rath, Jennifer Bellm, Dawn DeBlaze, Mary Chambers, and Katy Sommer. Of course, the biggest thanks to the hardest worker of all: Matt.
See you next year!
Thad James
SAMMY J Balloon Creations
www.sammyjballoons.com
“Balloon entertainment with a twist”
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
FOR APPEARANCE SAKE
A networking group I belong to holds a meeting for new members. This orientation is to inform them on the benefits of the group, the networking opportunities and the ways to benefit the member’s company by attending meetings. Because I’ve been an active member for many years, I am asked to speak to the new members about networking.
Before the orientation began, I was introducing myself to new faces in the crowd. The makeup of the group was typical; insurance rep, remodeling guy, banking woman, etc. A wide variety of business types. And a variety of business dress. The main presenter is a financial advisor and always wears a suit. The banking woman wore a jacket and skirt. I typically wear nice pants and a logo-embroidered polo shirt.
As I was talking to a couple of people, a woman walked in the room. She approached our group and made her introductions. She is the area representative for a well-known cosmetics company, (I don’t mention the name of the company for good reason). The woman was dressed in baggy gym shorts, a wrinkled and stained T-shirt and cheap flip-flops. Here she was, attending a networking meeting full of potential customers wearing clothes suitable for hanging around the house.
More importantly, we didn’t just represent potential customers; we are her referral agents. The number one marketing use of networking groups is the “I know someone” aspect. The people you meet may be your future clients. But they talk to their customers and when the topic of your business comes up, you should be their first thought.
I know this works. I am the only balloon entertainer in my networking group. I am the BALLOON GUY! All other ballooners in my market are compared to me for people in my group. When the topics of “balloons” or “entertainment” or “balloon dress emails” are mentioned, my fellow members (over 450 of them) think of me first. That’s 450 business people talking to thousands of their customers with me on their mind. Now that’s marketing power.
But that’s not the topic of the day.
The first impression of the cosmetics lady was: gym shorts and T-shirt. It was difficult to listen to anything she had to say after that. She was very knowledgeable about the long history of her company. She was enthusiastic about her involvement with the company. She was proud to be a representative. My attention was drawn to that wrinkled, stained shirt.
No, I don’t wear a suit and tie when I attend networking events. I’m not in a “suit and tie” business. (I only own a couple of jackets and a few ties!) And I can usually be found in lounge-wear while I’m writing or practicing my stage acts. That’s in my home-office. But we were in a room a business people. I don’t wear my “entertainer outfits” when I attend business meetings. Those clothes are for performances. The remolding guy didn’t wear his tool belt. The doctor didn’t bring is sphygmomanometer. And the karate guy wasn’t wearing his Gi and Obi.
I have worked very hard to be known as “The Balloon Guy” in my networking groups. I am educated about balloon events, trends, conventions. I can build the most amazing balloon sculptures. And yes, I know most of the artists in those balloon-dress emails.
More importantly, I am a business person. I dress professionally when I’m at meetings. I can speak to issues affecting small companies. I address micro-business marketing ideas. I discuss articles from the recent business magazine. That gives me the respect of being a serious business person.
The cosmetics lady may attend other meetings and she may wear more appropriate clothes. It will take a long time before people forget her shorts and shirt first appearance.
So how do you present yourself? Is your appearance appropriate to the event? Do you wear a tuxedo to a bar-b-que pool party? Do you wear a tropical print shirt to a funeral? (I got to do this for a parrot-head friend as his last request. He would have smiled at the entire crowd in outrageous attire.)
We in the entertainment industry need to advance the idea that we are fun. Just make sure you dress the part.
Thad James
SAMMY J Balloon Creations
www.sammyjballoons.com
“Balloon entertainment with a twist”
Before the orientation began, I was introducing myself to new faces in the crowd. The makeup of the group was typical; insurance rep, remodeling guy, banking woman, etc. A wide variety of business types. And a variety of business dress. The main presenter is a financial advisor and always wears a suit. The banking woman wore a jacket and skirt. I typically wear nice pants and a logo-embroidered polo shirt.
As I was talking to a couple of people, a woman walked in the room. She approached our group and made her introductions. She is the area representative for a well-known cosmetics company, (I don’t mention the name of the company for good reason). The woman was dressed in baggy gym shorts, a wrinkled and stained T-shirt and cheap flip-flops. Here she was, attending a networking meeting full of potential customers wearing clothes suitable for hanging around the house.
More importantly, we didn’t just represent potential customers; we are her referral agents. The number one marketing use of networking groups is the “I know someone” aspect. The people you meet may be your future clients. But they talk to their customers and when the topic of your business comes up, you should be their first thought.
I know this works. I am the only balloon entertainer in my networking group. I am the BALLOON GUY! All other ballooners in my market are compared to me for people in my group. When the topics of “balloons” or “entertainment” or “balloon dress emails” are mentioned, my fellow members (over 450 of them) think of me first. That’s 450 business people talking to thousands of their customers with me on their mind. Now that’s marketing power.
But that’s not the topic of the day.
The first impression of the cosmetics lady was: gym shorts and T-shirt. It was difficult to listen to anything she had to say after that. She was very knowledgeable about the long history of her company. She was enthusiastic about her involvement with the company. She was proud to be a representative. My attention was drawn to that wrinkled, stained shirt.
No, I don’t wear a suit and tie when I attend networking events. I’m not in a “suit and tie” business. (I only own a couple of jackets and a few ties!) And I can usually be found in lounge-wear while I’m writing or practicing my stage acts. That’s in my home-office. But we were in a room a business people. I don’t wear my “entertainer outfits” when I attend business meetings. Those clothes are for performances. The remolding guy didn’t wear his tool belt. The doctor didn’t bring is sphygmomanometer. And the karate guy wasn’t wearing his Gi and Obi.
I have worked very hard to be known as “The Balloon Guy” in my networking groups. I am educated about balloon events, trends, conventions. I can build the most amazing balloon sculptures. And yes, I know most of the artists in those balloon-dress emails.
More importantly, I am a business person. I dress professionally when I’m at meetings. I can speak to issues affecting small companies. I address micro-business marketing ideas. I discuss articles from the recent business magazine. That gives me the respect of being a serious business person.
The cosmetics lady may attend other meetings and she may wear more appropriate clothes. It will take a long time before people forget her shorts and shirt first appearance.
So how do you present yourself? Is your appearance appropriate to the event? Do you wear a tuxedo to a bar-b-que pool party? Do you wear a tropical print shirt to a funeral? (I got to do this for a parrot-head friend as his last request. He would have smiled at the entire crowd in outrageous attire.)
We in the entertainment industry need to advance the idea that we are fun. Just make sure you dress the part.
Thad James
SAMMY J Balloon Creations
www.sammyjballoons.com
“Balloon entertainment with a twist”
Friday, September 11, 2009
So I met this guy....
I had the opportunity to hear Scott speak. Who is Scott? He is “The Nametag Guy”. You know those sticky name tags you get at meetings that you write your name on so people can say your name when they talk to you? Most of us can’t wait to rip off that nametag and throw it away as soon as we leave the meeting.
Well, Scott left a meeting with his nametag on and realized that people were friendlier with their nametags on. People were more approachable with their nametags on. So he didn’t take his off. That was over 3,200 days ago. Scott has been wearing a handwritten nametag ever since. Scott wears a nametag every day, everywhere and for every occasion. He wears one on his jacket, another one under his jacket on his shirt and another one under his shirt that he never takes off. (Nice tat!) This gets him noticed. This makes him unique.
But Scott is more than just a nametag.
He has spoken to thousands of people at hundreds of companies about dozens of topics. He has written countless articles on ways to increase sales, build better customers, out-perform your competition, and attract more business. Scott has a daily blog. He has written multiple books. He Tweets.
But you can learn about all this on his website, http://www.hellomynameisscott.com/.
Or on his blog, http://www.hellomynameisscott.blogspot.com/
Or listen to his podcast. Or watch his YouTube videos. Or visit his MySpace page. Or his Squidoo page.
Is there anyplace this guy isn’t? Well, no. And that’s one of his main points (and he has a lot of great points). If you’re everywhere, there is no room for your competition to be anywhere. If everyone is visiting your website, they’re not viewing someone else’s. If everyone is reading your blog, they’re not looking at anybody else’s. If everyone is wondering what you will do next, they’re not thinking about your competition.
If you have the unique angle on your business, great. But if nobody knows about it, so what? You have to be noticed and you have to let people know that you’re being noticed. And being noticed by people means being in front of people. Networking works. Period. Scott stresses this in many of his writings. And he proves it by speaking to groups, being interviewed on TV, newspaper articles, magazine covers. He gets people talking about what he’s talking about.
Hey, that’s what this article is about! You’re reading about me noticing Scott!!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get the word out about how exceptional I am.
Thad James
SAMMY J Balloon Creations
http://www.sammyjballoons.com/
Balloon entertainment with a twist
Well, Scott left a meeting with his nametag on and realized that people were friendlier with their nametags on. People were more approachable with their nametags on. So he didn’t take his off. That was over 3,200 days ago. Scott has been wearing a handwritten nametag ever since. Scott wears a nametag every day, everywhere and for every occasion. He wears one on his jacket, another one under his jacket on his shirt and another one under his shirt that he never takes off. (Nice tat!) This gets him noticed. This makes him unique.
But Scott is more than just a nametag.
He has spoken to thousands of people at hundreds of companies about dozens of topics. He has written countless articles on ways to increase sales, build better customers, out-perform your competition, and attract more business. Scott has a daily blog. He has written multiple books. He Tweets.
But you can learn about all this on his website, http://www.hellomynameisscott.com/.
Or on his blog, http://www.hellomynameisscott.blogspot.com/
Or listen to his podcast. Or watch his YouTube videos. Or visit his MySpace page. Or his Squidoo page.
Is there anyplace this guy isn’t? Well, no. And that’s one of his main points (and he has a lot of great points). If you’re everywhere, there is no room for your competition to be anywhere. If everyone is visiting your website, they’re not viewing someone else’s. If everyone is reading your blog, they’re not looking at anybody else’s. If everyone is wondering what you will do next, they’re not thinking about your competition.
If you have the unique angle on your business, great. But if nobody knows about it, so what? You have to be noticed and you have to let people know that you’re being noticed. And being noticed by people means being in front of people. Networking works. Period. Scott stresses this in many of his writings. And he proves it by speaking to groups, being interviewed on TV, newspaper articles, magazine covers. He gets people talking about what he’s talking about.
Hey, that’s what this article is about! You’re reading about me noticing Scott!!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get the word out about how exceptional I am.
Thad James
SAMMY J Balloon Creations
http://www.sammyjballoons.com/
Balloon entertainment with a twist
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
A New Cake Every Week
A local restaurant, Maggie’s Lunchbox, hired me to make a balloon cake to promote their customized event cakes. The owner wanted something unique that would start a conversation about their offerings. Not only did they get a lot of interest in their baked goods, but I’ve received many compliments on my creations.
The first sculpture was so popular that the restaurant wants a different cake every week. The only criterion is that the sculptures be eye-catching and distinctive. I’m thrilled by the challenge of creating a new and unique design for them every Monday. I’ve already got weeks of ideas in my head. Colors and designs and shapes and weaves…..
More importantly, I’ve already received a couple of bookings from the sculptures.
So, what marketing plan did I put in to place to obtain this steady gig? Postcards? cold-calling? Coupons? Door-to-door offers? No. It would have been difficult to walk in to a breakfast/lunch restaurant and sell them on the idea of balloons. This never would have turned into a weekly “restaurant gig”. They’re not open for dinner, they get very few families and they don’t offer a kid’s menu. And since they just recently opened, they’ve had dozens of sales reps come in the door with great “marketing ideas” and “advertising opportunities”.
So how did I get me foot in the door?
I met the owner at a networking event hosted by the local Chamber of Commerce. I’ve been a member for several years and I got in the habit of bringing a different sculpture to every meeting, (read the July 1 blog). The event was a picnic and I created a hamburger and french fries on a plate. We began talking about the range of balloon sculptures and hatched the idea of promoting their custom event cakes using balloon cakes. They get business from customers asking about the balloons and I get business from people eating at the restaurant.
A win-win.
I can’t stress the importance of showing people what I do. I can explain balloon sculpture to them all I want, but nothing beats seeing something never seen before. But more importantly, I got a steady job by thinking differently about balloon art and getting a client to see the potential of increasing her profit.
If you’re in the area, stop by and see this week’s balloon dessert:
Maggie’s Lunchbox
867 Horan Dr
Fenton MO 63026
Let Kari or Ben know how much you like the balloons. And have one of Ben’s fresh baked cookies. You deserve it.
Thad James
SAMMY J Balloon Creations
“Balloon entertainment with a twist!”
The first sculpture was so popular that the restaurant wants a different cake every week. The only criterion is that the sculptures be eye-catching and distinctive. I’m thrilled by the challenge of creating a new and unique design for them every Monday. I’ve already got weeks of ideas in my head. Colors and designs and shapes and weaves…..
More importantly, I’ve already received a couple of bookings from the sculptures.
So, what marketing plan did I put in to place to obtain this steady gig? Postcards? cold-calling? Coupons? Door-to-door offers? No. It would have been difficult to walk in to a breakfast/lunch restaurant and sell them on the idea of balloons. This never would have turned into a weekly “restaurant gig”. They’re not open for dinner, they get very few families and they don’t offer a kid’s menu. And since they just recently opened, they’ve had dozens of sales reps come in the door with great “marketing ideas” and “advertising opportunities”.
So how did I get me foot in the door?
I met the owner at a networking event hosted by the local Chamber of Commerce. I’ve been a member for several years and I got in the habit of bringing a different sculpture to every meeting, (read the July 1 blog). The event was a picnic and I created a hamburger and french fries on a plate. We began talking about the range of balloon sculptures and hatched the idea of promoting their custom event cakes using balloon cakes. They get business from customers asking about the balloons and I get business from people eating at the restaurant.
A win-win.
I can’t stress the importance of showing people what I do. I can explain balloon sculpture to them all I want, but nothing beats seeing something never seen before. But more importantly, I got a steady job by thinking differently about balloon art and getting a client to see the potential of increasing her profit.
If you’re in the area, stop by and see this week’s balloon dessert:
Maggie’s Lunchbox
867 Horan Dr
Fenton MO 63026
Let Kari or Ben know how much you like the balloons. And have one of Ben’s fresh baked cookies. You deserve it.
Thad James
SAMMY J Balloon Creations
“Balloon entertainment with a twist!”
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Motorcycle Dude
This Motorcycle Dude was created for a Fenton Area Chamber of Commerce Member Luncheon as an attendence prize. So many people asked about it, I thought I answer some of the questions.How did you come up with the idea?
Like so many things, inspiration comes from many sources. I have a facsination with motorcycles, so I like playing with diffferent designs. Many elements were lifted from the DVDs of Stretch the Balloon Dude. The "rider" was taught by Ralph Dewey for his motorcycle. I made some minor adjustments.
How many balloons did you use?
How long did it take?
The motorcycle is three-feet long and over twenty-eight inches tall to the top of the rider. The frame is made mostly of 360's, the rider's body is 260's and the rear wheel is a 16" Geo. The gastank is a gold Link-O-Loon. The rider's head is two 6" blush hearts for the head and chin. The cheeks and nose are a 360 with a pinch twist in the back of the head to hold everything in place. The eyebrows are made from a 160 that also acts as the neck. The shirt and pants are made with a two-balloon flat weave.
I always enjoy creating new designs. Its one of the best parts of my business.Thad James
SAMMY J Balloon Creations
http://www.sammyjballoons.com/
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