Lord Geoff Interview 2nd/8th Aug

Started by Graham Lee, June 12, 2010, 09:41:47 AM

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Graham Lee

I keep chatting with Lord Geoff and he always agrees to do the interview and I forget to sort things out so have put it on line to remind me.
His website is; http://www.lordgeoffrey.co.uk/
"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

Lord Geoffrey

#1
That's great. Be pleased to do it. I'll be back in 20 minutes.
visit www.lordgeoffrey.co.uk
Twisting is more fun with balloons
http://www.lordgeoffrey.co.uk

Graham Lee

#2
Geoff can we sort a date for this, can you let me know in 20 mins?
"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

daveandrews

#3
That's funny  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Dave
https://www.partymagic.org.uk/

Winner \'People\'s Choice Award\' at KIDabra International Conference
for family and children\'s entertainers in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Lord Geoffrey

#4
Hi Graham.
20 min's are up. I'll give you a call Monday and set a date.

Geoff

www.lordgeoffrey.co.uk
Twisting is more fun with balloons
http://www.lordgeoffrey.co.uk

Graham Lee

#5
Lord Geoff has accepted the invertation to do the interview on Monday 2nd/8th Aug
"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

Lord Geoffrey

#6
Well I'm back. That was a long twenty minutes.

I feel honoured to be asked to do this interview. I shell post answers to a few of the standard questions each day this week. I shell try and answer any additional questions that any of you might have as we go along.  I must say just putting the answers together really brought back some good memories and made me think how lucky I am to be able to do what I do. I hope you find it interesting and have some supplement questions for me.

Here we go.

1, What road led you into balloon modelling?

This is a bit of a long story but I will cut a lot out and give you the short version.
I was a full time DJ working clubs, radio and private parties. I had a marriage that had broken. I was tiered with the way my life was going in the UK. My new girlfriend Karen (Who is now my wife) and I went to America for a holiday and feel in love with the place and wanted to live in there. My dad was an American citizen and sponsored me for a Green card. (Which in fact is pink. Go figure.) That done we decided to sell up and move to Florida. That was in 1994. After moving in to our apartment in Kissimmee, went to a Mall a cross the road. I saw a guy making things out of balloons and having a great time doing it. I turn to Karen and said that's what I want to do. She said go and talk to him and I did. His name was Lyle Balcom AKA the Wacky Wizard. Sadly he died last year at the age of 49. I owe a lot to him. He taught me how to make some simple but impressive balloons. I started busking on International Drive in Orlando. One night this guy who had been whatching me came to me and said "You should be working for us and gave me his card. He turned out to be the one man that every entertainer in Orlando wanted to meet. The casting director of Walt Disney World.
The rest as they say is History.

2, when did you get started with balloons?

 1994
3, What's your best twisting experience?

To be honest I don't have one. Every time I'm out working is a great experience.

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

Again I can't think of having a really bad thing happen while working. I did have one on the way to a job. I was driving on the M25 when the very old Nissan I was driving went BANG! I didn't have breakdown cover and I only had about 3 minutes credit on my phone. After doing the man thing of lifting the bonnet (Hood) and looking at the engine and pulling things as if I was a full time mechanic. I started to panic. I was due to start my job in an hour and I was a good thirty minutes away in a car that works. What to do? Brain wave. My wife Karen has AA cover and a lot of credit on her phone. So I phone her and asked her to phone the client and tell them I had broken down on the M25 but the AA were on their way and I will be with them soon. Then Karen got in her car and drove around the M25 until she saw me on the side of the road and pulled in. We swapped cars and I was on my way again. She called the AA and told them her car had broken down at whatever marker it was and needed help. Also she was a lone female with her baby daughter Because of the last bit the AA were with her in fifteen minutes. And I by the time was almost at my job only half an hour late.

That's it for now. I'll be back later today to see if any one has an more questions and answer the next four std questions.

Geoff
Lord Geoffrey "The Balloon Guy"
www.lordgeoffrey.co.uk
Twisting is more fun with balloons
http://www.lordgeoffrey.co.uk

Danny the Idiot

#7
Hi Geoff,

Thanks for doing this interview, its always interesting to see how people got into twisting.

Some questions for you....

Whats your favourite balloon colour?
Favourite shape/size of balloon?
Which is your least fave colour?
Least fave shape?
Sempertex or Qualatex or other?

Where did the phrase "Back in 20 minutes" originate from? Its so good!

Thats all for now

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

Lord Geoffrey

#8
Before I go on with the std questions here's my reply to Danny's

What's your favourite balloon colour?
Blue

Favourite shape/size of balloon?
Hexagon. Oh! Balloon shape. I mainly use 260's So anything that Looks good.

Which is your least fave colour?
Lilac

Least fave shape?
Octagon it's just a square showing off.

Sempertex or Qualatex or other?
Qualatex for 160's and 260's Sempertex for 360's

Where did the 20 minutes come from? Like most good things by accident. A long time ago I was finishing an event and was trying to get away on time. I just told everyone that came up that I was going for a break and would be back in 20 minutes. They said fine will I be here and I replied yes or over there somewhere. It worked so well I've done it ever since.
Twisting is more fun with balloons
http://www.lordgeoffrey.co.uk

Lord Geoffrey

#9
This is Fun. Onwards and upwards. The next four std q&a.

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

Everything. Each job is different and even if I make the same thing as I did on the last one. The reaction I get from the person or group in front of me give me a real buss.

6, What's your favourite age to entertain?

I have to say Mid teens and upwards. They appreciate the effort and the finished creation more. I do younger kids parties and I do get a kick out of them. Sometimes literally. What is it with young kids that they fell they have to kick the nice person making them something out of a balloon.

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

I don't have and act as such. I do the same for all. Only for the older ones I am more suggestive and langue is more adult.

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

A worm.  
No really I like to make my teddy bear as it looks good an even though we all make one. Whenever I make it NO ONE has ever seen a bear made out of a balloon. What's more, probably like most of you I make it without even looking and when I finish and present it. Well I'm sure you get the same reaction. Amazement from the person you are making it for and they say "I've never seen a bear made out of a balloon and you didn't even look as you did it."
Twisting is more fun with balloons
http://www.lordgeoffrey.co.uk

Graham Lee

#10
Geoff, Can you get me a good upgrade when we go to Vegas/Florida next time?
oh and on the way back!!
"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

Lord Geoffrey

#11
Let me know in advance and I'll see what I can do.
Twisting is more fun with balloons
http://www.lordgeoffrey.co.uk

Lord Geoffrey

#12
Early start today. Have a job in Regents Park London so here we go wiyh the next lot of answers.

9, What is the most asked for model?
A repeat of the last one I made.

10, What do you tend to do more of if stuck in the 'balloon production line' model?
Without giving away my rehearsed  ad lid one liner's. I cleverly suggest a worm.

11, Who is your market aimed at?
Aimed for the stars.

12, What kind of work do you do mostly - parties? Corporate? Etc
Corporate mainly along with weddings, hen nights and that sort of thing. If I am available I will do a kids party.  I love this job. Actually I don't like calling it a job. It's what I do. As soon as it becomes a JOB. It's time to change.
 
13, What is your favourite/ideal gig to do?
A good paying one

14, What irritates you most at a gig?
The one person that says "Please just one more. I've been waiting all day for a balloon."

Please if anyone has any questions post them here.
Twisting is more fun with balloons
http://www.lordgeoffrey.co.uk

Lord Geoffrey

#13
Well I am surprised. With over 170 views to this little Q&A only two questions.

Never mind here we go with the next set.
15, How do you book yourself?

Agents, word of mouth and the internet.

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

Nothing big and impressive. When I'm working an event, I like to do quality, quantity and quickly.
A one off I did for an Oscar party last year was an Oscar (30 balloons I think) and a old stile movie camera ( 24 balloons). They took me a day to make as I had never done them before and I was making it up as I went along.  

17, What has been your proudest achievement in our wonderful world of twisted latex?
Having someone copy one of my balloon creations. I know some people like to say they own that creation or that was my design and want to keep it to themselves. I don't mind at all if anyone copies or improves on my design and I don't get the credit. How many of us give credit to Don, Thelma, Graham or any of the other great creators. I know I spent the time creating it and if I didn't want it copied I wouldn't photograph it and put it on my web site

18, What advice would you give to someone starting out, or wanting to increase their business?
Don't run before you can walk. Practice six, one or two balloon creation so you can do them without thinking about it. Then you can interact with the person in front of you and make it more of an experience from them.
 
19, What road in latex do you see yourself taking in the future
Maybe making bigger creation. But I like the way I work now and it works for me. Making big racing cars and pirate ships that take two or three hours to make is very impressive but in all honesty it's not the real world of entertainment.

20, What is your personal goal when you set off to work? Is it money or to entertain etc?
Entertain first and I would be lying if I didn't say the money next.

21, What are your balloon goals for the future?
To keep on being the best I can be and making every person I make a balloon creation for feel that they are the special one.
Twisting is more fun with balloons
http://www.lordgeoffrey.co.uk

Martin

#14
Okay Lord G...

- What was it like working for Disney? Would you do so again?

- Who is the most famous person/ event you have twisted for?

- You have the last 2 balloons in the world, what will you make?

- I have read you do some stuff with Video editing. Do you have/ plan to do your own balloon DVDs?

- What do you carry your balloons in when you are working?