How did you get started in magic?
I was attracted to magic ever since my parents gave me a magic set for Christmas when I was six years old. My sisters used to tease me because I couldn't get some of the tricks right. Their criticism motivated me to practice and master as many magic tricks as I possibly could.

Then, when I was seven, I saw a young magician on a popular children's TV show called the Gene London Show. This young magician inspired me to make magic my career. I started working professionally when I was thirteen years old, and I expanded my repertoire to include balloon sculpture. As it turns out, that young magician, Marc DeSouza, is now an internationally respected magician, and I'm honored to be able to call him a friend.

When I was in grade school and high school I wasn't very athletic, and didn't fit in very well. Being skilled at magic made me feel special, and made me stand out. I found that through magic I could relate to people on a different level. I worked my way through college with my magic and balloons and now I have managed to make a living doing what I love.

My advice to young people, and young at heart people trying to find their niche is to stop and really think about what you would love to do, and what makes you feel special, and then to go and do your best to make it work for you.

Where did you learn to make these elaborate balloon sculptures?
I have way too much free time! I bought a few books on balloons and practiced a lot. Most of the balloon sculptures I create are my own designs.

Is your Guinness World Record® in the Guinness Book of World Records®?
Yes it is. My record is listed in the following books: the 2008 Edition, page 13; the 2007 Edition on page 93, the 2005 Edition on page 26; the 2004 Edition on page 23; and the 2002 Edition on page 68.

I checked an old Guinness Book and I didn't see your record listed. Why?
Due to the unbelievable number of world records on file with Guinness, they only can print a certain number of records at a time. They rotate the records from year to year.

What do you do when you're not blowing up balloons or making things disappear?
I relax with my wife, Jen, and our Bernese Mountain Dog, Maggie. My wife and I are in the process of restoring our 200-year-old farmhouse — that takes up a lot of our free time.

You move so fast - where do you get your energy?
Sugary snacks and caffeinated beverages.

I have never booked entertainment for a party or event before - is there any advice you can give me?
Absolutely! The best advice I give you is to try to see the entertainer(s) that you are considering before booking them - that way - you'll know if they are appropriate for your party.

Do you ever entertain for children ages 2-3 years old?
Actually, no I don't. Generally I recommend starting with balloon sculptures at age four and magic shows at age five. I would be happy recommend other entertainment options that would be more age-appropriate and hope that you would consider me again when the children are a little bit older.

I heard a rumor that in order to have you at my event I have to book you months in advance - is that really true?
No - not necessarily true. While some times of the year are more popular than others and tend to start booking further in advance, there is no definite pattern that bookings follow. Your best bet is to call as early as possible. If your plans are last minute, call and check availability anyway your particular date may be available.

I wanted to book you for my event but I found out that you are unavailable - now what do I do?
Don't worry! Call our office anyway. As a service to our clients, if I am unavailable for a particular date, we are very happy to offer assistance in finding alternative entertainment. Rest assured, we will only recommend entertainers that we have known and worked with for years and would have entertain at one of our own events.

I've read the web site, watched the videos and seen the photos - but I've never seen you before - how do I really know that you're any good?
Well - that's a really, really good question. Entertainment is subjective — what one person finds entertaining might be terribly boring for someone else. While I encourage people who have not seen me perform to visit the web site to get a better idea of who I am and what I do, my first recommendation is always to try to come out to see me perform at a public event so that you can decide for yourself if I would be appropriate for your event. Click here to check my schedule of public appearances.

If you do decide to come see me at one of these events, please come up and introduce yourself and feel free to ask me about types of entertainment for your event - especially if your needs are different than the needs of the event you are observing.

How can I book you for my event?
If you would like to book me for your event, call the office at 610-917-9927 and speak with either myself or my wife Jen to check availability and pricing. At this time we can only accept bookings via telephone. We try to customize entertainment to our client's specific needs - the only way to do that is to speak directly with our clients. After we have spoken with a client and we have decided on the type of entertainment for the event, we will send out a contract and request a deposit. All shows are booked on a "first come, first served" basis.

How should I contact you?
The absolute best way to contact me is via telephone at 610-917-9927. You are also welcome to email me, but calling the office will get the fastest response, since my voice mail is easier to access than email if I am traveling...believe it or not there are still a lot of hotels out there without internet access. Click here for additional contact information.

Can you recommend a good resource for someone who would like to learn magic?
One of the best things you can do is join one of the magic organizations in your area, for example, the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) or the Society of American Magicians (SAM) . They provide a place for magicians to meet, discuss their craft, learn new tricks and attend lectures given by professional magicians on a variety of magic-related topics.

Books are also a wonderful resource. The books that helped me the most when I was starting out were: "Now you see it , Now you don't!" by Bill Tarr and the "Mark Wilson Course in Magic" by Mark Wilson. If you are interested in more advanced reading, I can recommend some of my favorites: "The Books of Wonder" by Tommy Wonder; "Showmanship for Magicians" ,"The Trick Brian" , and "Magic by Misdirection" by Dariel Fitzkee; and any book by Eugene Burger, particularly "The Performance of Close-Up Magic" and "The Experience of Magic".

Do you ever teach magic or balloon sculpting?
While I have taught in the past - I don't teach anymore. Some people have a gift for teaching — I'm OK but I think that I'm a much better performer than teacher — so I think I'm going to stick with performing and leave teaching and lecturing to those who are more qualified than I am.

I'm a magician and I have seen you perform and I would like to do your tricks - can you tell me where you buy your supplies and how you do your tricks?
Sorry - but no - I don't teach the tricks and routines that I currently perform. I have spent considerable time, energy and money building and developing them. I have also gone to the effort of having them copyrighted. Copyrights for my shows are on file with the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington D.C. At this time I am retaining the copyright for my use only.

I am a clown and want to do your balloon sculptures - will you send me instructions?
Sorry - but no - I don't teach anyone how to create my original balloon sculptures. As with my magic routines I have spent a great deal of time creating and developing them. I have also gone to the effort of having them copyrighted. Copyrights for my original balloon sculptures are on file with the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington D.C. At this time I am retaining the copyright for my use only. There are plenty of wonderful balloon sculpting books and videos on the market today full of great material - I recommend looking into some of those.

Who came up with balloon sculpting anyway?
Actually, it all started with the Aztec Indians. They were the first people in history to make animal sculptures out of inflated cat bowels and present them to the gods as sacrifices.

Professor Michael Faraday invented the first rubber balloons in 1824 for use in experiments on hydrogen at the Royal Institution in London. Balloons made their world debut at the Paris Exposition of 1889. They resembled large hot air balloons, which had been around since 1783.

The art of balloon sculpture began in the 1920's, but didn't become popular until skinny balloons were invented after World War II and marketed in the 1950's