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.

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