"Jase" Jason Murphy Interview Mon 16th May

Started by Graham Lee, May 10, 2011, 10:51:01 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Graham Lee

Jason has agreed to do the interview this week, well from the 16th May and Jason is a member of the balloon artistes guild  :D
If anyone else would like to volunteer?
"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

nippy99

#1
Graham - i would be happy to do an interview :-)
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

Graham Lee

#2
Thanks Darren, shall I put you down for the 30th May for the week?
Have sent Jason a PM about this weeks interview.
"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

nippy99

#3
Yes that's fine - I look forward to sharing what little wisdom I have :-)
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

jase

#4
Hi everyone, very sorry for the delay in posting for the interview - had a bit of a nightmare week with my daughter being bullied at school and it has taken up a lot of my time this week.

will get the questions posted today - and apologies again for the delay

jase

#5
Again sorry for the delay - here are the answers for the set questions, feel free to comment or ask anything you would like to know

1, What road led you into balloon modelling?

I started as a magician over 20 years ago and my friends and I used to go to the pubs and clubs around Manchester looking to practice on the public. No one was interested. I read somewhere that balloons are the best way to draw a croud and get people interested, so learnt a few basic balloons from the Michael Decker and Bob Wooding videos and went from  there. It worked to get people over and I got the bug.

2, when did you get started with balloons?

Started with basic ones around 20 years ago, only got into the more advanced stuff about 4 years ago

3, What's your best twisting experience?

I was working in Chiquitos and there was a child having a paddy. I went over to the table a little afterwards to do some magic. The kid was in a deep sulk. I said to the parents that I would guarantee that I could make him laugh. They said no way. I made a grumpy face from a 321 (guido verhoef's I think) which pokes it tongue out, and showed this to the kid - he burst out laughing, the parents were happy and I got a great tip.

4, What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you during a ballooning/entertaining session?

around 17 years ago I got asked to do a children's party, I had never done one before but thought "hey what the hell", and went to do some magic and balloons. I pre-made a load of balloons for all the children. It was the worst show EVER and the worst kids ever. When I eventually gave out the balloons, one of the kids shouted "lets pop 'em" and I saw all my hard work destroyed. Kids eh? Don't you just love 'em

5, What do you most enjoy about twisting & why?

How creative you can be, and how much people appreciate you taking the time to make something special. I love it when people say "wow, I've never seen something like that before"

6, What's your favourite age to entertain?

Don't really have a favourite - I enjoy all ages

jase

#6
7, Do you have the same act but vary the presentation for all ages or do you have set acts for different ages?

Begin a Magician and Balloon Twister, I tend to do different acts for different ages or situations. May Mix both, just do one - it can vary from party to party, not just on age.

8, What's your favourite thing to make at the moment?

The 321 moustache that Don Caldwell did on one of his recent Mad Hatz dvds

9, What is the most asked for model?

Boys mostly ask me for a Monkey and girls a Fairy or Princess

10, What do you tend to do more of if stuck in the 'balloon production line' model?

If I get to a point where I need to make quick models, then I would make some similar to the Wristy Twister's that Bob Wooding showed at last years Care and Share day

11, Who is your market aimed at?

Everyone

12, What kind of work do you do mostly - parties? Corporate? Etc

Fun Days and Private Parties

13, What is your favourite/ideal gig to do?

One where I can take more time to make the more impressive models.

14, What irritates you most at a gig?

People who push in and those who ask you to make them something after you have finished and won't take no for an answer

15, How do you book yourself?

Through my websites and word of mouth

16, What's the biggest thing you've ever made?

A 7 foot tall monkey

jase

#7
17, What has been your proudest achievement in our wonderful world of twisted latex?

I was asked to do an event for a Fire Station a few years ago - not long after I had started twisting more fancier designs. I said I would make a fire engine that the kids could sit in - it didn't look very good, but everyone commented on how good it was. Was the first big sculpture I made and completely my design

18, What advice would you give to someone starting out, or wanting to increase their business?

A few things - 1) Never stop having fun - as soon as it starts to become more work than fun then you will lose the desire. 2) Never stop learning - I don't mean new balloon designs, although that will always be helpful if you want to make advance models, but with business, marketing, promoting yourself etc. I have spent more money than I would like to say on marketing courses, balloon dvds, pdfs etc - I listen to lectures on the way to events, watch lectures and balloon dvds whenever I can and so on. 3) try and set yourself apart from everyone else, if you can do or offer something that other people don't then that is the best way to increase your business, it doesn't have to be the balloons that you do, it may be that you send a balloon bouquet to the person that books you, or you take a photo of each child at a party with their balloon and send them to the parents. Anything that makes you memorable.

19, What road in latex do you see yourself taking in the future

More weaving - looking at balloon dresses and more larger creations

20, What is your personal goal when you set off to work? Is it money or to entertain etc?

To have fun, and make sure everyone who gets a balloon leaves with a smile on their face

21, What are your balloon goals for the future?

To not have a "normal" job, and be a full time magician and balloon entertainer. Also to get to conventions more - like twist and shout, and millenium jam.

22, If you could start all over again, would you change anything?

I think the only thing would be to start at an earlier age and practice more. I started magic and balloons when I was 19 and would have loved to have had the chance to start when I was a child and more creative.

23, How would you like the future of balloon modelling to develop?

I would like to see it become a lot more popular in the UK - more restaurants hiring balloon entertainers, more conventions in the UK, more lectures. It seems like there is a small percentage of modellers in the UK doing the advanced stuff over basic stuff, whereas it seems the other way around in the US - although may be wrong.

jase

#8
24, Who's the most famous person you have made a balloon creation for?

Kim Wilde - did an event for a special needs hostel, she was there as part of the charity organising the event and one of the children asked me to make a diamond ring for her as he wanted to marry her!

25, How do you keep the enthusiasm going & what still excites you about our great world of latex

My biggest help is my wife, Rachel - she is also a children's entertainer and balloon twister. Feeding of each others enthusiasm keeps us motivated. The thing that excites me the most about balloons is just when you think you've seen it all, someone brings out a new technique or designs that changes everything and you want to play with. There is always something new with balloons, it just seems to grow and grow.

26, What inspires or is your thought process in coming up with a new design

Brainstorm with my wife - I cannot tell you how useful it is to have someone with the same interests but different ideas. Just throwing around a few ideas between us, it is amazing what we come up with.

27, Who would you like to work with dead or alive?

Well I'd much rather work with alive people, as I doubt dead ones will be much fun. There are two people in particular who inspire and amaze me in the balloon community who I would love to twist with - first is my friend Gilbert Adams who is just a wealth of new ideas every time I speak with him, and second is Sabina Kellner who I met a couple of years ago at the BBMC and her designs are just amazing, if you have not seen them, check her photos out on facebook - just brilliant.

28, What makes you laugh?

A good stand up comedian - my faves are Stewart Francis, Milton Jones and John Bishop. Films and Games which are funny - like Shaun of the Dead, Life of Brian, O' Brother Where Art Thou, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and the game Portal 2. Also my kids, Heather and Samantha who are the loves of my life and such characters - the things they say and do can keep me smiling for weeks.
Also... when you get a really horrible kid that you do a balloon for, they then go off without saying thank you, and the balloon bursts!!!