The Pricing Balancing Act: From Kohl’s to Entertainers

Price blog banner for blog post about how to establish an entertainment price.

The Pricing Dilemma in Entertainment Business Kohl’s is a retail store that offers everything at discounted prices. When I was a child, Kmart had a special in-store discount called the Blue Light special, which required a physical presence. Additionally, some stores even promised to match prices if you found the same item elsewhere for a … Read more

New Grim Reaper Candy Cup for Halloween

Grim Reaper Candy Cup Balloon Instructions

Halloween is that time of year when I, a balloon entertainer, get creative with my ideas. The cute balloon figures are transformed into ghoulish Halloween treats. A trend that has been happening for several years now has been the balloon candy cup treats. My goal is to create a Halloween balloon candy cup party treat. … Read more

Halloween Ghost that is Easy to Make

Balloon ghost made from a 11 in round balloon

One of my favorite holidays is Halloween. It’s not the gore or the scariness of Halloween that I enjoy — it’s the creativity. That is why my favorite Halloween balloon design is the ghost, as I can use my imagination to change its appearance. I can transform the ghost design into a scary, silly, or … Read more

Don’t Make This Mistake While Shooting A TV Segment

WGN Morning Show back stage

When I arrive at the WGN Studio at 7:30 AM, I was greeted by the WGN helicopter landing in the parking lot.  I walk in the studio with Traffic Reporter Sarah Jindra. I was directed to the cafeteria by security to wait.  Nothing special as it just a room with vending machines, tables, two TVs … Read more

A List Of The Must-Haves For Balloon Entertainers At Halloween

Halloween balloon pumpkin

When the leaves show the first signs of changing color, I start preparing my balloon inventory for Halloween. I avoid the specialty balloon. I’m just not a fan of imprinted balloons due to the cost and the fact that I can never use them all up in one season. I spend the next 11 months … Read more

How To Take Two Simple Halloween Balloon Figures And Make It Awesome

Halloween ghost photobomb

I have always been a fan of combining balloon figures and Halloween is the time of year when I like putting a twist on designs. Popular among the kids is photobombing, and I thought what would happen if a ghost decided to photobomb a teenager. What would that look like? Well a couple of balloon … Read more

Quick and Impressive Ghost for Halloween

Ghost balloon body

For years, I have been making a Ghost for Halloween and this year I have modified it to be able to make it faster, while still keeping the wow factor in the design. Use one 350 white balloons and inflate it halfway. In the center of the balloon, I make two pinch twists. The pinch … Read more

How I Calculate Balloons Made Per Hour

Balloon Festival hat

The event is over and my pocket is bulging. Today was that rare day when everyone wanted to tip. I did not ask for it. I was not encouraging it. It just happened. The event was a two hour public event and when it was over I walked away with one $10, two $5 and … Read more

Summer Fun Means Marketing for Fall

Dale Obrochta

This is the time of year when I struggle to keep focused. Nice weather, family activities, and the weather drain me physically. It is nice getting up in the morning and having breakfast outside on the deck, watching the birds feed at the bird feeder. I check to see how the vegetable garden is progressing … Read more

Quality vs Quantity, A Balloon Entertainers Conflict

Pumpkin-Chicago-Bulls

Ford or Ferrari Entertainer The world changed when Henry Ford created the assembly line. The handcrafted era was ending, and the era of quick, easy to produce, and uniqueness was worked out of the production equation, and everything is standard.   As I entertained at the Chicago Bull’s pre-game on Halloween, an array of quickly produced … Read more