Keep Smiling with Ali

So I was lucky enough to be a part of the Keep Smiling with Ali benefit last week. Ali is a remarkable young woman who suffered a spinal cord injury last year. Her website can tell you a bit more: http://www.keepsmilingwithali.com/

I made balloon caricatures and donated a birthday party to help raise money. Here's some great shots by an up and coming photographer, Leah Laliccia: (www.leahlariccia.com)

New Craigslist Ad

So I was looking for a new way to get attention for my balloon artistry ad on Craigslist last night. Craigslist has actually been a decent source of referrals for me. I try to present as professional as possible. This ad I wrote injects a bit of humor. What do you think?

Title: Do you know the power of the balloon?

Location: Eastern Massachusetts

Message:

I know why you’re reading this. YOU have a balloon emergency! And you don’t know where to turn. No worries. I’m Jungle Jim. And I’m a balloon professional. I control the power of the balloon. Right now you are thinking ‘balloon artist? Aren’t they all just dogs and swords?’ But that is not the case. Have you ever seen a 4-foot tall penguin… made out of balloons? You will. How about a ladybug bracelet so cute that most large men cry when they see it? Get the Kleenex ready. I can turn your daughter into a princess and your son into Jedi Master Yoda, complete with green lightsaber. May the Force be with… the balloon.

Keep in mind, too, that the holidays lend to even more creativity. You may have thought Santa couldn’t shimmy all the way up a candy cane. But he can… with balloons. I will turn the most introverted child into Rudolph-the-Red-Balloon­-Nosed-Reindeer with my reindeer hat. I will create a Star of David that will make all of us say l'chaim! A kinara for kwanzaa? Kool!

So call. Or email. Or check out the blog, which in our completely biased opinion is amazing. Talk to you soon.

Jungle Jim's

617-223-1700

JungleJimBoston.blogspot.com

Had a great night at Applebee's last night. I have a number of regulars who come in, and its always great to see them. Well, two of my favorites are Sebastian and Bernadette. They and their lovely parents are here for a year of Dad's work. I believe they are from Russia, but I know its an Eastern European country. We made the 4-foot penguin last night for them to take home, and since they came in on the later end, I was able to sit down and teach them how to make a balloon dog.

Restaurant work is an important part of my business. I help build clientèle for the venue while marketing myself at the same time. It allows me to practice my balloon work and solidify what I do.

Hey, I came across this blog entry in a Google search. Its about a balloon artist in Miami from Russia. Check it out:
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2008/11/title-is-there.html

May the Force be with you!

Yesterday was Franco's 6th birthday party - Star Wars Jedi Knight Training! Desiree D'Agostino from my BNI group hired me to train Franco and his friends as Paduan learners. Franco asked if I was the balloon guy, but I explained that I was there to train him and his friends to be Jedi Knights.

Balloon Manor - A Boo-o-o-tiful Experience!

Balloon Manor 2008 was fantastic! Its hard to believe we used over 100,000 balloons in less than a week, but we did! I was grateful to work with an awesome crew. Included were Smarty Pants (www.SmartyPantsWorld.com), Swifty (www.SwiftytheClown.com) and my good friend Julie from Qualatex Balloons (www.Qualatex.com). I was battling a cold the whole project (my annual tradition), but I was still able to contribute and learn a lot.

Balloon Manor is what helped me get my start with the balloons. Two years ago I was invited to be a part of the event, knowing only simple balloons. Balloon Manor 2006 showed me what could be done with the medium, and introduced me to a lot of great people. I’m very grateful to Larry Moss and all who run the show. Its helped my life tremendously.

Press Release - Balloon Manor, 2008

For Immediate Release Contact: Jim Manning

617-223-1700

Jim@JungleJimBoston.com

JIM MANNING, LOCAL BALLOON ARTIST, TO PARTICIPATE IN BUILDING WORLD’S FIRST BALLOON MONSTER UNIVERSITY AT BALLOON MANOR 2008

-Fundraiser Attracts International Balloon Artists-

CAMBRIDGE, MASS., October 7, 2008 - To celebrate Halloween, local balloon professional Jim Manning of Inman Square will join 60 other balloon artists to help build the world-renowned, ten-room, 10,000-square-foot haunted house made from 100,000 balloons called Balloon Manor in Rochester, NY. Balloon Manor 2008 is themed Scare U: Ghoul School – a frightfully funny monster college featuring classes in Anti-Social Studies, Under-World History, Inhumanities and much more.

This will be Jungle Jim's third annual participation in Balloon Manor, which gave him his start in the world of professional balloon artistry two years ago. Balloon Manor is the world’s largest balloon project, and raises money for different charities. This year, the Manor is partnering exclusively with one local health organization, Teens Living with Cancer (TLC), which will underwrite the event as well as benefit from sales of all tour tickets and concessions. The previous three Manors combined donated more than $90,000 to Rochester health charities including Wilmot Cancer Center, Al Sigl Center, Golisano Children’s Hospital and TLC.

“I’m thrilled to be recognized for my balloon artistry and creativity. It’s truly an honor to be back for the third time among the top balloon artists in the country creating the Manor for a good cause.” says Jim Manning. “When it comes to balloons, my goal is to show people of all ages things they’ve never seen before with a medium they didn’t really know existed. In this case, a full-scale Haunted House will display inflated ingenuity and creativity. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to surprise and delight with my balloons.”

The artists, along with several hundred community volunteers, will build the 10,000-square-foot, 10-room, walk-through haunted house in just six-and-a-half days, starting on Saturday, October 11. BALLOON MANOR 2008 will be open to the public on Friday, October 17 through Sunday, October 26. The Manor will be closed Monday and Tuesday, October 20 and 21 for updates and repairs. Please visit www.balloonmanor.com for more information.

The previous three Manors (2004, 2006 and 2007) have attracted more than 20,000 visitors and many millions more have seen or heard about it through international press coverage. The Manor was the subject of an Associated Press story as well as a nationwide PBS feature, and has been featured multiple times on CNN Headline News. Artists from as far away as Israel, Japan and Ecuador, as well as hundreds of community volunteers, have participated. This unique art form of “scairigami” is the brainchild of Rochester’s Larry Moss, the creator of “airigami: the art of folding air in specially prepared latex containers” (www.airigami.com). Larry holds the Guinness World Record for the largest non-round balloon sculpture (Mol, Belgium, 2000), and he delights in bringing communities together for his incredible art projects.

-more-

Jim Manning, new to Cambridge, has been a family entertainer in Boston for over four years. After teaching and performing in South Korea for a year, he has been performing under the stage name Jungle Jim (www.JungleJimBoston.com). He has taken up balloon artistry within the past two years, and has moved quickly within his field. Most recently, he won the first ever Pioneer Visionary Scholarship, which sent him to Europe to study with top European balloon artists. This scholarship has provided him with credibility in the balloon twisting community and has given him the ability to advance his level of artistry, particularly that with which the American audiences have not seen. The scholarship from the Pioneer Company, a balloon manufacturer, has also helped launched him onto the international stage, with recent performances in Germany, Australia and Ireland. Jim’s clients include the Boston Red Sox, the American Broadcasting Company, Logan Airport, and most recently the Inman Square Business Association.

Please note: High resolution photos and broadcast-quality footage are available. Interviews and photo/footage opportunities can also be arranged. Email Jim@JungleJimBoston.com for more information.

###

The Hen Party!

You'll have to bear with me, but I can't stop thinking about how much fun Sonya and I had while in Europe for Nils' wedding. This was a true vacation, but somehow the balloons came out anyway. We were having dinner with our new friends from Australia in a wonderful Italian restaurant in Lubeck. I made a few balloons and much to our surprise a "Hen Party" came along. As you may know, the hen party in Europe is the bachelorette party over here. Check it out!

Mariella's Birthday Party

Yesterday was terrific! 14 hours off the plane from Germany, and I had a show. Andra, Mariella's mom, had seen me busking in the Boston Common and asked if I would visit Mariella and her friends for her birthday party. They live in a beautiful home right next to the State House. We all had such a good time!

Andra was smart enough to request "all the big stuff." When I make balloons on the Common, I want people to see balloons they never have before. The motto I use in BNI is: "Whatever the mind can imagine, the balloon can achieve."

The children were two and three years old, so we focused on bigger, simpler balloons. I have a balloon mentor, Allen Stay, (aka Swifty the Clown), out of Novelty OH. Allen's taught me a lot about ballooning, and his motto is bigger's better, smaller's cuter. I try and keep that as a focus as well.

Yesterday we did giraffes, a four-foot monkey on a tree (Don Caldwell's recipe), ladybugs and giant flowers. Leo got a jetpack, but then explained to me that he couldn't really fly. I'd have to say the highlight were the octopi. Andra had these giant helium balloons for the party, so I borrowed a few and made a flying octopus. The weight of the 260's balances out the
helium so the sculptures bounces up and down, much to the delight of my charges. So if you can picture it, giant octopus are flying all over the party!

Jungle Jim's First Entry

Greetings all!

I've just returned from Germany, and am excited to share with you some stories about my travels and my profession, balloon twisting. I am a professional balloon artist and entertainer in Boston. I'm very excited about what I do. I'm great at entertaining children, and I've come a long way in my two years as an artist. I'll be providing pictures of some of my work, and hopefully sharing with you some things you didn't know about the world of balloon art. I'm off to do an early morning show on Beacon Hill this morning, but I'll look forward to chatting with you later. Have a great day!

Jungle Jim