I have a full time job but love my part time casual work as a children’s entertainer/brand ambassador/actor/spruiker/mascot all over Perth. So there is a very good chance you would have run into me at some point – I am everywhere!
I play basketball and do pilates during the week. I am a big fan of the Perth Wildcats and West Coast Eagles. If there are kids at parties wearing Wildcats or Eagles gear, I will make reference to it. I also like to travel overseas. So far I’ve been all over America, Europe, Asia …. What will be next? Aiming for South Africa. If I still have time after all that, I like to watch movies so I can battle my addiction to Facebook.
I enjoy it when the kids (and adults) talk to me as though I’m the character, not just as another actor. If I’m playing a movie character, I enjoy using quotes from the film. Lastly, when I’m finishing, I get a thrill when the kids/adults themselves ask to pose for a photo, ask for a goodbye hug, etc – as it’s what they especially want, not you having to ask them. I also like having the kids run after you as you leave the party… Even though they’re probably expecting to see the Bat mobile or see me fly off. Moral of that story – park far away.
My personal favourites would be Superman and Batman… However… the best reactions I have gotten from the kids is when I’ve dressed up as Transformers and Paw Patrol characters. The more the kids love a character, the more I love playing that character.
Once I was dressed up as Bumblebee from Transformers and this one particular kid (not the birthday boy luckily) said at the start to me, “You’re not real!” I did my best to say I was real but he kept saying I wasn’t. As the party went on, he started to stay beside me when the party games were played and he kept calling me Bumblebee. Then at the end of party, he gave me a big high five and a hug and whispered into my ear, “You’re my favourite Transformer.” Mission accomplished.
Working with the other performers. You never know what they’re going to bring on the day so while you’re entertaining the kids or the general public, you yourself get entertained watching what your fellow performer is doing and it enhances your performance too.