Who is the best photographer in Boston?

Jim Manning

Birthday Party Expert, Celebration Coach, National Family Speaker 

866-33-JUNGLE (toll free)

Email@JungleJimBoston.com

FREE Birthday Party Tools at www.JungleJimBoston.com

I am delightfully exhausted!  Today I did a 5 hour photo shoot with Infinity Portrait Design.  Professional photos have been something we've been wanting to get done for a while, and Susan Symonds of Infinity Portrait Design in Beacon Hill in Boston was the one!  I knew Susan from BNI, and was finally excited to get together with her.  We did so many great photos.  My lovely fiancee Sonya came along for hair and makeup.  Annie, Susan's wife, provided merriment and Upper Crust Pizza.  And Kyle, son of one of Ansel Adams' students and former resident of Brookfield, CT, gave us some amazing ideas with the balloon stuff.  To the right is a photo Susan shot of me on 7/7/07.  If you want great photos, call Infinity Portrait Design: 617-367-9432, or visit them at 59 Beacon Street in Beacon Hill in Boston.  

Happy Easter!

As a professional family entertainer, I often work weekends and holidays. That's OK, I don't mind the sacrifice to do something I love. But I do miss my family in New York and Connecticut a great deal. That's why I decided to climb inside of a 6 foot balloon when Sonya and I visited for Easter. Because nothing says family holiday like climbing inside of a 6-foot balloon!

Jim Manning

Birthday Party Expert, Celebration Coach, National Family Speaker 

866-33-JUNGLE (toll free)

Email@JungleJimBoston.com

FREE Birthday Party Tools at www.JungleJimBoston.com

Groundhog Day!

I want to tell you all about an awesome experience I had on Saturday night. As many of you know, I am the official balloon artist for the Brockton Rox. The Rox are a minor-league baseball team on the South Shore of Massachusetts. This is my third year as their balloon artist. The Rox are my ideal kind of client, because they are family-friendly and focused on making sure everyone comes away with a terrific memory of their day.

What you may not know about the Brockton Rox is that Bill Murray, the actor, is part owner of the team. He and his family were visiting Campanelli Stadium this past weekend, and I had the opportunity to twist for him and his guests. His sons gave me many different balloon challenges, including Jedi Master Yoda, a giant dragon and lots of other great stuff. The most fun, however, was when his youngest son asked if I could make Mr. Murray out of balloons. It was as if it was the top of the ninth inning, I had to throw a Hail Mary pass and Pele was in goal. Actually, it was the top of the ninth, and I really wanted to make Mr. Murray out of balloons before the game ended, thus avoiding the awkward position: do we wait for the balloon guy, or do we beat the traffic?

As I raced to finish the balloon caricature, Mr. Murray came out and asked me what I was making. I told him "Actually, I am making you out of balloons." He chuckled and said that he was told that’s what I was attempting and he said it couldn't be done. I told him that I was easily the best balloon artist in the baseball stadium at that moment and that I was, in fact, up for the task.

By this point, the entire suite was watching me. I put the finishing touches on the sculpture and handed it to Professor Venkman. He looked at himself, smiled and said "that's really me." I suggested that the three of us take a picture together which you can see to your right.

Mr. Murray told me "You're balloons are really terrific. I've never seen anything like them before."

Jungle Jim... Balloon artist to the stars?

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.

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