Mark Byrne Interview 21/27th April

Started by Graham Lee, April 06, 2008, 04:14:33 PM

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Bad to the Balloon

#30
I have had a few inquiries about my DVDs and other products. I have several items in Stock. Shipping to UK is $15 up to a pound. So if your getting DVDs you may want to get both and save on shipping cost.

Funny Money Productions has come out with some fantastic new products for balloon twisters and magicians. go to http://WWW.BalloonGuy.NET click on Store.

• Bad to the Balloon Issue #1 "Poolside favorites" DVD Retail $24.99
• Bad to the Balloon Issue #2 "Animal House"  DVD Retail $24.99
• Pneumatic Anatomica poster prints  Retail $24.99
• Twinkle...twinkle Sponge Magic Retail $24.99
• My Bunny Daryl Sponge Magic Retail $9.99
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Bad to the Balloon DVD #1 & #2 Retail $24.99 each
First is the Bad to the Balloon instructional balloon hat making DVDs. Bad To The Balloon follows a renegade biker balloon artist (Mark Byrne) as he teaches how to make balloons cool. His goal in creating balloon hats is to make them fast and make them great. Most hats take 45 seconds to 2 minutes to create. There is a detailed twist menu for beginners.

BTTB#1 "Poolside Favorites" Includes instructions to make:
Shark • Dolphin • Mermaid •  Surfer • Tiki • Duck • Gator  • One-Eyed Monster • Pirate • Tower • Swan • Dragon

BTTB#2 "Animal House" Included is: Monkey in Tree • Moose • Butterfly • Dinosaur • Cow • Horse
Fishing pole • Fly • Elephant • Penguin  • Flamingo • Dog • Cat

All are original designs or modified designs simplified for speed. It uses mostly 260 balloons, with some rounds, 350's and 160's too. About one hour of instructional fun!!

See the original Bad to the Balloon opening segment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNXzX4tM ... er&search=
NOW WITH OVER 7,000+ hits!! Included on BTTB #1 & #2

See "Dog Gone" here on YouTube.com:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiFHnsCwDmI
NOW WITH OVER 1,000+ hits!!  Included on BTTB #2

What do other think.....

mbd2.com Forum
"First this is a professionally done DVD with pro video production and pro sound work. It is a first-class deal."

"Well done, nice designs, and quick!  You nailed it Mark."


BalloonHQ.com Entertainer Forum
"It was the most professionally done DVD I've seen yet."

"The sculptures in the video are excellent.  They are simple, yet impressive.  These are things that can be done in your line work, or in your restaurants."

"The cost is probably one of the biggest advantages of this video. It’s only $25, and you get A LOT of great balloon ideas from this video."

"I like Mark Byrne's style and acting"

TheMagicCafe.com
"The production level surprised me greatly. I enjoyed it, will be using all the designs"

"The DVD great quality, the man is fast.........am having..........to go into....warp drive to keep up. Some easy some harder. They are quick once you get the hang of them, which didn't take me long. I am a relative newbie. So thanks Mark! I am eagerly waiting for the next installment."

"The designs are simple and practical. The way Mark teaches without speaking is very unique and he does the job well. In the dvd, you also wouldn't hear the squeaking sounds of balloon being twisted. Some of the scenes are funny too. I highly recommend this dvd. "

"Marks DVD has designs that balloon twisters will USE and that is the difference."


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Pneumatic Anatomica poster prints  Retail $24.99
Wow what a great poster for any twister. It is an anatomical poster of the inner workings or the beloved balloon dog. Bone structure, heart lungs and circulatory system all in this hilarious poster. A sample of poster is viewable in the attachments.

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Twinkle...twinkle Sponge Magic  Retail $24.99
Twinkle ... twinkle included are 10 Super Soft Goshman sponge stars and two pages of written instructions.

The magician talks about the stars in the sky while illustrating it with magic. This is a complete routine, which follows logical sequences of
events, leaving the magician clean. It also resets after each presentation.

Magical happenings are production, multiplication, and transposition. It is an interactive routine and almost all the magic happens in the spectator's hands.

What you get:
• 10 SUPER SOFT sponge stars in yellow.
• You supply the one pocket this routine works out of.
• Six phase routine that is less than 5 minutes long

An amazing series of magical transpositions that happen in the spectator's hand:
• Make a wish
• Blink,blink
• Shooting Star
• Constellations
• Billions & billions
• Sunrise finish

If you have ever done the bunny trick and had the audience gasp imagine their reaction to a table full of sponge stars.

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My Bunny Daryl Sponge Magic Retail $9.99
Meet Daryl and his other brother Daryl and Daryl Hanna. These bunnies are fast!! Jumping from magician's hand to spectator's. Finishing with Giant Momma Rabbit. A complete routine with Special cut Soft Goshman bunnies, Patter, Jokes and Moves. This will become one of your favorite family friendly routine!

• Wanna meet my Bunny?
• His Other Brother
• The Race
• Where is the sister?
• The Momma Bunny

Mark Byrne AKA Mark the Balloon Guy:
"I love the sponge bunnies, it might be one of the most powerful tricks in magic. However for years the ending has not been family friendly. The rabbits they well ... do you know what, in someone's hand. The ending of
this routine ends in a most pleasing way. It is a trick you can show Grandma and she will approve. "

Cody Fisher :
"Finally a sponge bunny routine I can show  the whole family. Every where I
have gone magicians went nuts over the quality of this prop. Definitely an all round winner "
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy
Tampa Bay\'s The"Original" Balloon Guy for over 20 years
"Bad to the Balloon"
http://www.balloonguy.net
http://www.youtube.com/theballoonguy
http://www.myspace.com/markballoonguy

Dean Spruce

#31
Thank you Mark for answering my questions.

Anyone who has not seend Marks DVD's I suggest you buy them ASAP as the dolphin Hat is worth the price of the DVD oni ts own.

Dean

Bad to the Balloon

#32
Quote from: "Dean Spruce"Thank you Mark for answering my questions.

Anyone who has not seend Marks DVD's I suggest you buy them ASAP as the dolphin Hat is worth the price of the DVD oni ts own.

Dean
Your welcome Dean!!!  

Hey don't I have 4 more days of this! Come on folks throw me a bone will ya!
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy
Tampa Bay\'s The"Original" Balloon Guy for over 20 years
"Bad to the Balloon"
http://www.balloonguy.net
http://www.youtube.com/theballoonguy
http://www.myspace.com/markballoonguy

Bad to the Balloon

#33
Well I'll tell you about my last week...

Short of the discussions I have had about the Denver "Thingy" goings on. Can't probably talk about it till after the weekend or so.

The exciting thing is I am now a commissioned artist!!! I was hired by a school to create a art installation that is artistic, interactive and a permanent fixture at the school.

An artist from Washington DC was originally commissioned to do an art piece for the school; the school only raised half the money. My secretary's daughter goes to the school and asked if I could help.

Below is a picture of the form we had made by a custom foam manufacturer. It was then Hardcoated to withstand the elements.

The children were instructed to bring in broken or unwanted toys and objects. For the last 3 days we have been gluing on the toys and objects to form a mosaic.

We did an Art Auction night to promote the proposed sculpture. Below are the 4 dresses I made for the event.
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy
Tampa Bay\'s The"Original" Balloon Guy for over 20 years
"Bad to the Balloon"
http://www.balloonguy.net
http://www.youtube.com/theballoonguy
http://www.myspace.com/markballoonguy

Bad to the Balloon

#34
Seems I need more text to post pictures!
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy
Tampa Bay\'s The"Original" Balloon Guy for over 20 years
"Bad to the Balloon"
http://www.balloonguy.net
http://www.youtube.com/theballoonguy
http://www.myspace.com/markballoonguy

Bad to the Balloon

#35
Lobster hat from last weekend. Uses 321s
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy
Tampa Bay\'s The"Original" Balloon Guy for over 20 years
"Bad to the Balloon"
http://www.balloonguy.net
http://www.youtube.com/theballoonguy
http://www.myspace.com/markballoonguy

cashmagic

#36
hi mark do you sit at home trying to come up with new stuff or do you do it out working?

I see that you use 321s you should make a hat dvd with just them I know you do the beer bottle and now the lobster what else do you use them for?

Would you ever do a book?

Who would you like to work with dead or alive?

whats your fave color balloon to work with?
life is full of twist and turns i just twist it first !!!
http://www.twistandmake.co.uk

Graham Lee

#37
Mark,

What is it about latex that excites you so much :)

The eagle is looking very colourful; did it start out as polystyrene with an outer protective layer then put over?
"Lets Improve Our Art"
Balloon Excellence 2012 Award Winner
For Services to the Balloon Community.
https://www.balloonartwholesale.co.uk
http://www.sempertexballoons.co.uk

Dean Spruce

#38
Greetings Mark

I love the dresses they are so impressive.

Where can I find out more information about weaving?

Well done on the art project it looks wonderfull.

My question is what is your personal goal when you set off to work ? is it money or to entertain etc?

Dean

Danny the Idiot

#39
Hi Mark,

I too know little about weaving - where's the the best place to start learning about it? In your new DVD?

What irritates you most at a gig?

where do you get your inspiration from for a life with latex?

why don't you talk on BTTB DVD's?

Do you want more questions?

Danny
Danny Schlesinger
Balloon Excellence Award Winner
https://dannytheidiot.com
https://www.CircoRidiculoso.com
Follow me on Twitter at @danny_the_idiot

Bad to the Balloon

#40
Cashy: hi mark do you sit at home trying to come up with new stuff or do you do it out working?

Mark: I am asked this question all the time... my pat answer is "No I come here and do it!" the reality is I usually if I have an idea work it out where ever. I have broken balloons out at the doctors office and started twisting.

Cashy: I see that you use 321s you should make a hat dvd with just them I know you do the beer bottle and now the lobster what else do you use them for?

MArk: 321's are so spanking new!! I try to use them any where I see I can save a balloon. Many times I need the variation of 3" vs 2", and I hate wasting the other half of a balloon. I use my scrape pocket alot.
Beer Bottle • Lobster • Baseball bat • club • faces are a few designs.

Cashy: Would you ever do a book?

Mark: as a graphic artist I hate to say this ... print is dead. I love books, but the reality hard costs I can put out a DVD for about $2 a piece and books base cost is on the low end $5 each. Also the amount of work to make a book is sooo much more than shooting DVD. Problem with DVD you need at least 2 people.

Cashy: Who would you like to work with dead or alive?

Mark: there are several people I would like .... Oops that isn't the question.
• Dead: Merlin, Leonardo Da Vinci (I think I could relate), Rene Magritte, Doug Henning, Bob MacAllister (childhood hero).
• Alive: Larry Moss, Guido, Suzanne Haring, All the So. Callifornia people, Michael Gjerek, wow I really think I want to work with everyone except Ben Alexander (mainly because he doesn't pay anything)

Cashy: what's your fave color balloon to work with?
Favorite colors? Black, red and Purple even though Black isn't a color. Colors I use the most? Red, green & blush. Color I use the least and I don't know why? Blue and I carry 4 hues of it.
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy
Tampa Bay\'s The"Original" Balloon Guy for over 20 years
"Bad to the Balloon"
http://www.balloonguy.net
http://www.youtube.com/theballoonguy
http://www.myspace.com/markballoonguy

Bad to the Balloon

#41
Quote from: "Graham Lee"Mark,

What is it about latex that excites you so much :)

The eagle is looking very colourful; did it start out as polystyrene with an outer protective layer then put over?

Instant gratification ... I can make a work of art in less than 2 minutes and get paid for it. Average tip $5 multiple that by 25 that is $125 per hour working for tips ... far more than I ever made sweating over an oil painting or working on a computer designing art.

the benefits suck but that is what wives are for :o

The Eagle project is cut buy a computer, glued by hand, hand sanded and then spray coated with a hard urethane coating. this is the first endeavor of this kind for me. I came about this by desperation.

Here in the states (or the lost colonies) we have several city art projects called Tour of Turtles, Cows on Parade, guitars on Go .... well I think you get the idea. A charity foundation will have a theme base sculpture that all the artist use. and then they go wild on it.
See here: http://outdoorartsfoundation.com/totartists.html

I looked into getting an Eagle fiberglass model. Plain they are around $700 .... shipping was $600!!!! So I researched other options. (I love the internet!!) Found a company within 100 miles of me that could make anything out of styrofoam and they were cost effective. $382 I got a 6 foot tall structure.

The commission for the project was generous ... depending on how much time I have into it. Since it is during the day it really doesn't take away from my day to day activity, heck it gets me in the sun!

The Eagle is not finished!! It is colorful because we are using junk to make it. Once all the stuff is on it we will be Priming it white and then I will spray it Eagle colors. Finished project will take about 2.5 weeks to complete.
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy
Tampa Bay\'s The"Original" Balloon Guy for over 20 years
"Bad to the Balloon"
http://www.balloonguy.net
http://www.youtube.com/theballoonguy
http://www.myspace.com/markballoonguy

Bad to the Balloon

#42
Dean: I love the dresses they are so impressive.

Mark: thank you

Dean: Where can I find out more information about weaving?

Mark: Larry Moss has some basics on Balloon HQ.
http://www.balloonhq.com/faq/weave/
I also think Larry has a DVD on it to.

This is going to sound stupid ... I don't own any balloon DVDs. everything I learn about balloons is strictly from observation. I am glad people buy DVDs (especially mine!) occasionally I will watch a twister and pick up a technique. I have an innate ability to mentally tear things apart and put them back together. When the MATRIX movies came out, I told people "that is how I think!"

Dean: Well done on the art project it looks wonderfull.

Mark: Thank you again!!

My question is what is your personal goal when you set off to work ? is it money or to entertain etc?

Mark: "Time to feed the kids ... again" Yes I do have those moments. "Gawd I don't want to make another f******g mermaid!!" Usually when I reach for my balloon case just before a restaurant. I stop and think of everything else I have done for money in my life....

Often I am asked "Is this your REAL Job?" sick as I am of the question the line that gets me through the day is : "Yes ... isn't this enough?" I also use the mantra "Beats getting a real job ... had one of those it sucks"

My goal in life is to be creative or be perceived as such. Also I really don't know what else I could do that makes this much money and is this much fun. (Well I do but that is illegal here)
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy
Tampa Bay\'s The"Original" Balloon Guy for over 20 years
"Bad to the Balloon"
http://www.balloonguy.net
http://www.youtube.com/theballoonguy
http://www.myspace.com/markballoonguy

Bad to the Balloon

#43
Danny: I too know little about weaving - where's the the best place to start learning about it? In your new DVD?

MArk: See above post  :geek: there are people who weave much better than I. Rie I hear is goingto put out a DVD ... she is a goddess of latex "Izanagi anf Izanami".

Danny: What irritates you most at a gig?

Mark: Adults.... They treat their kids like idiots that can't have a conversation without their help. They will also change a kid's mind right after I start working on it. (Hey Lady Shut up!!!)

I had a paradigm shift in performing many years ago. I started to hate my audience. More specifically the adults. You would go to a party and you would be marginalized as being the nanny or just for the kids.

I decided to aim my show at the FAMILY market. Disney, Universal and All the G-rated movies now appeal to the adults as much as the kids. They use aside techniques or a phrase I coined "Bi-Level Humor" What this means is the Jokes are for the adults and the situational comedy is for the kids.

Danny: where do you get your inspiration from for a life with latex?

Mark: I don't like status quo for anything in life. That is why I refuse to do swords and poodles.

Danny: why don't you talk on BTTB DVD's?

Mark: I really don't want anyone stealing my shtick :twisted: Often I have seen magic DVDs done where a performer uses his performance to show the trick ... next convention you see 18 people doing his act word for word. You see the same thing with people at balloon conventions. I call them the "Cauldwellians". I wanted to teach, but I didn't want to give up my character. So I made up a character I thought nobody would want to steal.

the contrast of a Lorenzo Lamas, biker, renegade making balloons tickles me to no end. I think it is the ultimate parody. What two things could be more diametrically opposed?

Also I find it annoying, the very few Balloon DVDs, I have seen how the same jokes are told over and over again. Yes I know that is an ear twist... I can see that.... endless banter tires my ears.

Lastly people learn better when music is used, I relate it to dancing your mind creates action to relate to the music. BTW all the music is original on my DVDs or Copyfree. The Song Parody is just that a parody, which is considered a new work and copyright by me!!!! Replications of that song is illegal, unless with my consent.

Danny: Do you want more questions?

Mark: Yes Please!!!!
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy
Tampa Bay\'s The"Original" Balloon Guy for over 20 years
"Bad to the Balloon"
http://www.balloonguy.net
http://www.youtube.com/theballoonguy
http://www.myspace.com/markballoonguy

Dave

#44
How has things changed in the entertainment world out there with this recession?

If you were entertaining at a 6yr old girls party what would you make the birthday child?

Would you make balloon's for the under 3s?
A load of hot air
http://www.davehickory.co.uk