Tom Bibo will be the person to answer your questions from the 2nd/8th June.
Tom is an excellent balloon artiste but also a great performer as well, a man I admire and who is a dear friend.
It was a pleasure to really get to know him in China last year.
So here's your chance to get advice from one of Europe's top performing artistes.
More details about Tom can be found at,
http://www.tombibo.be/

Graham Lee

Oh Wow..he's more charming than those Tom i knew...

Hi Tom, why don't you answer several emails via your website? I wanted to know the events where you are booked for twisting in Belgium so I can see a real pro on the job..Thx

Hi Parcival,

Nice of you too post, would you like to do an introduction post about yourself in the welcome section?
If you get the chance it is well worth going to see Tom as I personally rate him as one of the very best twister/entertainers that there is at the moment.

Graham Lee

Quote from: "Parcival"Hi Tom, why don't you answer several emails via your website? I wanted to know the events where you are booked for twisting in Belgium so I can see a real pro on the job..Thx

Hey Parcival,

My website is controlled by my management. So I don't get the messages personally.
We are working now on a guestbookpage that will be redirected inmediately to me.
We will also put on my schedule. You're welcome any time!


Tom

The interview starts on 2nd June, wow so few days left to prepare all my questions,
   

Hi Tom,

Here are a selection of the questions that members have put together for you, thought we'd start from the other end for a change.
Thanks for taking the time to do the interview and I'm sure more questions will come your way as the week progresses.

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

21, What are your balloon goals for the future?

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

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

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

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

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

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

28, What makes you laugh?

Graham Lee

_________________
"Lets Improve Our Art"
http://www.sempertexballoons.co.uk

Colin,

Have you prepared your questions yet
Only a day to go

Graham Lee

Hi Graham,

I will take an early start

20. When I go to perform I am always aiming to have fun. I like entertaining people and I get payed for it. I think I owe it to my public to have fun! If they see that I am having fun, it makes it so much easier for them to enjoy theirselves!

21. My future goals with balloons is doing what I have been doing so far, try to combine entertaining together with technique to get the public to love balloonentertainers, even more than they do now

22. I wouldn't change a thing, even though it's a hard way to make a living, every experience, good or bad, made me who I am today, and I like my life, so...

23. I think that balloonentertainers around the world are already changing the future. Everywhere I go I meet people with the same goal, to get  balloons on stage and to get our profession out there. We are a fairely new industry and haven't got the impact like e.g. magic, but I am sure that we are getting there! Just keep on twisting, ballooncomunity!

24. The most famous people? I made balloons for Colin Myles, who is a worldfamous fashion designer. And also for the next FISM winner!

25. Entertaining and finding new ways how to is what me keeps going, also my philosophy about making people laugh to help their and your own health. What excites me is that every day new people start doing balloons and how fast they pick up all the techniques. Also how fast their creativity adds to the known things. And ofcourse the professionals, who keep creating the most fantastic stuff people have ever seen!

26. Inspiration comes in different ways. Sometimes by just seeing things or people asking for specific designs. I try to get a clear picture in my brain and see the lines in which way I will model the balloons. Sometimes it works very well, sometimes not at all

27. I have the pleasure to have worked with great minds already, all over the world. I am planning to keep on doing so! Someone I would loved to have worked with though, was George Carl, who had a perfect timing regarding visual comedy.

28. Actually, I laugh very easily. As long as it's good comedy, whether visual or spoken, balloons, magic or stand up, TV, movies or theatre or at the bar . When a joke gets delliverd the right way, I will laugh and laugh and laugh!

Tom,
Here are some more selected questions from the members;

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

14, What irritates you most at a gig?

15, How do you book yourself?

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

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

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

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

There is also a question from Danny & Princess here;
http://www.balloonchat.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=285

Graham Lee

13. My abslote favourite kind of gigs are theatre gigs, whether I am just a piece of the show with a 4 min or 12 min bit or if it's my own full evening show. I like the idea of people coming to see the show rather than to go to gigs where you are 'filling'. I began as a professional 'filler' and I liked my job, but being on stage, doing your own thing, is much more satisfying!

14. Inpolite people. I have had my share of annoying children and parents that don't have the abbility to raise their childeren properely. I mean, most people aren't brought up anymore with a theatrical education. Now a days it's much easier to put them in front of the TV and let the little box raise them... I think it's a pity. They get the tendency to treat artists and people in general as taught on TV.
What also irritates me a lot, are people who book you that think that they are suddenly your boss, because they pay you. In that case, I usualy say this and if the situation doesn't get better, I just leave.

15. I have a manager who does my bookings for me. He contacted me, made me an offer I couldn't refuse (didn't involve dead horses in my bed though) and I accepted. It makes my life easier, mostly because I don't have to worry about finding gigs or doing paperwork, so I can concentrate more on the artistic side of our job.

16. In the past I did a lot of business trade shows, where I was booked by companies to build 'stuff' for them. I did a three week car trade show, where I builded a different car everyday where people, at the end of the day could sit in. I also builded an act (you may remeber it from the Millennium Jam) where I builded 28 till 30 hours (depending from the details) for a 12 minute act on stage (I performed this act for 5 years). Also a big tanker (ship) for shell, an oil company. This was all in the past, the biggest thing that I build last year, would have been my last balloon dress, which was a tiny mini skirt for a dutch model!

17. Achievement... dificult one... as far as prizes won, I am proud to have won the stage competition at the Millennium Jam 3 times, as well as the other in figure competitions around the world, also that I was asked to MC the event 3 times. Because it's really hard and exciting to perform for your peers, who know your job so well. It keeps me pushing myself to the limit all the time.
Also I am very proud to have my own TV balloon show. It's airing soon and I will keep you guys informed!

18. Work hard! When I started doing balloons, 16 years ago (my god, I feel old telling it like this!), I twisted about 40000 balloons a year. I trained my ass off! A balloonfigure was 'known' if I could make it behind my back (so I never have to watch my hands when I perform). In the beginning there weren't as many books and video's/ dvd's as now a days, so I had to create a lot of my own things, which was a good thing.
If I go on stage, I always try to give the public the best Tom that I can be. If you give your best, people will believe in you and will try to get their friends to see you.
To increase your business, good pr material is a must, but remember, we are in a job that sells itself the best when people 'see' what we do. It's our best sales pitch.
For example, I had balloons in my pocket all the time. Once I made balloons in a traffic jam. We were stuck, I pulled out my balloons and started to make simple stuff. People booked me... I pulled them out in restaurants, bars, highway gasstations, litteraly, everywhere! It got me booked a lot!
Now it's my manager's job to worry about how he gets me booked, but if I get to go on my own again, I would be a walking talking self selling machine again!

19. What I would really like is to assist younger artists one day, when I myself find the time... I am doing a lot of directing of shows these days, mostly circus, and I feel the tendency to build out this side of me. One day I hope I can be of service to balloonartists to help them build their acts.

Thank you for your interesting questions!
If some of the words don't seem right, it's because it seems quite difficult to me to write my first thoughts in English, so I think and rethink... Mea culpa!

Hi Danny, thank you for your questions!
Here we go

What is your favourite thing to make in balloons?

My absolute favourite is the rattle snake, taught to me by Sean Rooney and which altered the rest of my balloon life ever since! I try to find ultimate combinations between entertaining and technique, kind like a juggler or a magic manipulation act. I like for people to go 'WOW' or 'I never saw that in my life' while I am doing just average stuff.

What training in performance have you had?

I was fortunate to meet a known magician by the name of Rafael when I first started out. He pointed some stuff out. So I started pantomime Marcel Marceau direction, I studied Commedia dell arte and finally worked with the best clowns(for me) in the world, people like Carina Bonan and Joseph Collard, Gerard Aerts. I also attended Jeff McBride's Masterclass 5 times. Masterclass is a new way of thinking and a new way for us, balloonartists, to see our performances, led by one of the most innovative minds in the performing industry. (this will cost him! )
All these classes permitted me to create my own character. Every year I take at least one new class in some kind of performing art. Avner is on my 'most wanted' list!
The best training that I 've had, is the amount of shows that I perform. For example, this summer alone I do 150 shows in 35 days. This allows you to test your material inmediatelly and to change inmediatelly. These shows are theme park shows and aren't the shows that I am aiming for, but it's been proven to be the best school for me. Here I build the show for the next years to come.
Another good training are street performances, where your public changes all the time and where you get tested all the time.

Will you be at TMJ 2008?

Does a belgian guy drink beer? Ofcourse I will be at Millennium Jam!
And I will be your humble servant and host throughout the festival.

@ Princess.
Thank you for your question!

Hi Tom.. did u ever got embarassed by balloon popped on ur face in front of the audience or ur show..?

In the beginning I always 'died' when it happened, because childeren laughed with it and I didn't want parents to think that I sucked...
Later I realised that it doesn't matter at all, but when I was young and inexperienced, I thought it was hell.
Now I pop balloons a lot myself, sometimes to get the laugh, sometimes to prove that I suck

What I learned in my early days, is to close my eyes while I blow up balloons. I had one popping in my eye, causing me to finish my 4 hour gig with a thick, watery eye, not funny at all at that time, now a funny story to tell at the bar amongst balloonentertainers!

Thanks Tom.

I can highly recommend Avner. He does his main workshops twice a year, once in August at Celebration Barn (two weeks) and once in February in Hawaaii for two weeks. I've taken about five of his workshops and he has directed my stage balloon show.

I hope to see you in TMJ!

danny

Tom,

Do you want the rest of the questions now or shall we wait a while?
I've really enjoyed reading your answers and thanks for answering them so comprehensively.

Graham Lee