Roger has kindly volunteered    to answer the questions next week for us, so will have the usual suspect questions for him but if you want to ask Roger anything else then please fire away........

Graham Lee

Here are the first of the questions Roger, looking forward to reading your answers.

1, What road led you into balloon modelling?

2, when did you get started with balloons?

3, What's your best twisting experience?

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

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

6, What's your favourite age to entertain?

A little history about me outside balloons.
I left school and became a baker for about 10 years hated it.
Went to college and got C&G in electronics, Went to work for a satellite company.  
Then on to work for commodore computers.
Then a merchant bank 14 years (in IT)
Then Reuters news agency 2 years (IT again)
Now work for myself doing all things balloons and it's the best job ever.
 
Best moments of my life are marrying my wife the birth of my children and representing my country in World and European archery championships.
 
I am also an enthusiastic member of Round Table. I am a member of http://www.billericayroundtable.co.uk  and area secretary http://www.area33.org.uk.
At the moment we at Billericay table are very busy getting ready for our firework display.  
http://www.billericayfireworks.co.uk .
 
 
1, What road led you into balloon modelling?
 
Some 16 + years ago I was at a family party and one of my cousins had her boyfriend with her he was a magician. He made some balloons for the children at the party and I said that I had fancied having a go and he gave me the ½ bag of balloons he had left at the end of the party and that was it I was hooked. I just loved balloons went on some decorating courses and up until November last year I worked it in-between my full time jobs.
I now do it full time.  

2, when did you get started with balloons?
 
See above

3, What's your best twisting experience?

I have had loads of wonderful experiences but not one that I could pick out above the rest. The other day my wife said to one of her friends that she never sees me happier than when I make something for a child and they walk away with a beaming smile.

4, what is the worst thing that has ever happened to you during a ballooning/entertaining session?
 
As I decorate and entertain I will give you 2 one from each.
 
Once about 10 years ago I had decorated a wedding for a couple that I had got on with really well. I turned up nice and early and got stuck in (I worked this venue a lot and knew it well) I completed the wedding, took some photos and was just about to leave when the caterers turned up they to my surprise started to set up a lot of cooking equipment in the corner of the hall I thought this was a bit strange. Meanwhile they brought the wedding cake in and proceeded to drop the top tier. A few expletives flew around and I heard "well I don't know how to fix it" will have to stay like that I went over introduced my self and informed them that I could possibly help (I am a apprenticeship trained baker) so I fixed the cake it was not perfect but a lot better than it was. I then left as I had something else to do and I had to be back to entertain the children at the wedding in the evening. Well on my return I was dismayed to see the state of my balloon decoration all the latex was cloudy and deflating (I had used balloon shine on them) and the tulle ribbons looked horrible. I was then informed by the hall staff that it was down to the caterers. They were meant to have set up their steamers in another room but had put them in the corner of the main hall and had had the room like a sauna also they had put the wrong table cloths on the tables so they took all my table decorations off and put them by the steamers while they changed them. I could not believe it but there was nothing I could do about it. I got on did the children's show (largely balloon sculptures) but I left so distressed as I overheard  several people say how awful the balloon decorations were and how the couple should get their money back etc. Fortunately the hall staff informed the couple it was all down to the caterers but I hated the thought that most people were blaming me for it looking shabby (printed under the balloon weights were my contact details not a good advert).
 
With entertaining I have had 1 real disasters about 7 years ago I missed one event as the engine blew up on the people carrier I had, on the way to the job. It was for a friend and fortunately another friend picked up the pieces for he is a brilliant children's entertainer and in the end they were just pleased that the problem was dealt with. But I still feel terrible about it to this day.

5, What do you most enjoy about twisting & why?
 
I love the way that with a few bits of latex you can make people so happy.

6, what's your favourite age to entertain?
 
I don't have a favoured age I find I can have a good reaction from all ages and if I have a good reaction I am happy.

Hi Roger,

Would you say you a have a style?

When entertaining do you only make things you know or are you up for the weird and wonderful suggestions hurled at you?!

Decorating or Entertaining? If you had to choose!    :twisted:

Are you coming to the Millenium Jam?

thanks for doing the interview,  

Danny

Hi Danny
 
First I know it is me that is supposed to be being interviewed but I have a question for you. How did the first show go? I had really wanted to go and see it but unfortunately had something come up.
 
Would you say you a have a style?
 
Do I have a style hard one?
I would say if I have a style it is quite masculine as I tend to be quite bold and not go for the soft things e.g. the tank & tape measure I made for one of the games, and I like doing pirates and motorbikes. Also with my decoration I tend to be big and bold like the Chinese pagoda I made that is on the front of my website. http://www.iglobo.co.uk this was made for a London bank's annual party for the staff's children, which had a Chinese theme.
 
When entertaining do you only make things you know or are you up for the weird and wonderful suggestions hurled at you?!
 
I will do requests if time allows.  If I am short on time I will some times make a note and go home and try and work it out.
 
If I am asked to do something I would not normally do as standard, I would tend to try and use the basis of something I have made before or I have seen a picture of.
 
 Decorating or Entertaining? If you had to choose!
 
Almost impossible to answer to not decorate would be like cutting off my left arm and to not entertain would be to cut off my right. If the law would only allow me to do one I would  eer ummm have to go with errr ummm entertaining because the I find the people in the industry tend to be friendlier and I am a real people person.
 
Are you coming to the Millenium Jam?
 
No L it is just the worst week they could have picked. What on earth made them select one of the busiest weeks of the year!! A balloon convention the week of Halloween and fireworks what were they thinking!!!!!!!  Do they really care about the industry when they try to take most of the best people from the industry out of the market at such a busy time? A week earlier and there would have been loads of entertainers out there on at the top of their game all pumped up at the prospect of trying the new things they had learnt. (I am not including me in the best by the way I am proud of my work but I am well aware that there are some incredible talents out there).
Can you tell I am a bit fed up that I am too busy to go.    
 
Thanks for the questions.

 
Roger

Hi Roger, who would you most like to make a balloon model for, past or present, and why, and what would you make them

Thanks for your answers Roger, and your question too!

It was a weird one on Sunday....
There is a part of my show where I use a helium filled balloon. I found out 30 minutes before that I had run out of Helium gas  - the tank was completely empty. So panic set in rapidly and I just had to blag it. The rest of the show was good as it was the 1st time for a family audience (ie lots of young kids at the front) it was very interesting and I learnt a lot! Continual babble of the kids, kids creeping up onto the stage, endless copying of what I'm doing...etc

Having said all that a venue organiser came to see me and promptly the day after, booked a show for next year!

Triming and editing will be happening!

cheers
Danny  8-)

Roger

I think Halloween is just a USA & UK thing & Guy Fawkes is definately just UK.
So that may be one of the reasons they didn't consider when choosing the date, well maybe

More questions;

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

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

9, What is the most asked for model?

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

11, Who is your market aimed at?

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

Hi Roger, who would you most like to make a balloon model for, past or present, and why, and what would you make them
 
Hi Prof
Boy this is the hardest question for me so far.
I have several people I would love to meet most from the climbing world. (I use to go rock climbing every weekend, and not that long ago spent the day with one of the legends' of British mountaineering Alan Hinkes, he has climbed all 14 of the worlds highest mountains, all over 8000 metres. I never made him a balloon, just didn't feel right.)
 
I would be happier making a 3 twist dog for a person whose day it made than a complicated caricature for some super star who would say oh lovely and put it to one side.
 
So on that note I have decided to say it would be the children of an orphanage such as Billy Wiz goes to and I would make them whatever I could to make them smile.

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

I do not have an act as such, when I do a children's party it is frequently alongside a children's entertainer on the very odd occasion I do one it tends to be a disco with games and a lot of balloons . I really could do with a show but I don't know were to start.
 
I do not perform any magic that I would insult magicians by calling it magic. Just have a magic colouring book and a change bag.

8, what's your favourite thing to make at the moment?
 
At the moment I am quite keen on Bonnie's cobra hat it's quick simple but very effective.

9, what is the most asked for model?

Teddy Bear holding a heart .... it is so simple I know but I am always asked for them.

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

I have started using a board that I blue tack photos to and if it is the 'balloon production line' situation I will let them choose but from list of normally teddy bear, simple aeroplane, parrot on swing, a simple dog (not a 3 twist dog) the good old standards.

11, who is your market aimed at?
Anyone and everyone that will employ me. Restaurants (bit quiet at the moment) corporate e.g. working on stands, bring children to work days, company fun days, and weddings. But I don't make any effort with children's parties.

12, what kind of work do you do mostly - parties? Corporate? Etc
Corporate
 
I do get most of my work from big organizations NHS councils RHS and city institutions.

As it's been a few weeks since we've had someone being interviewed It makes a nice change to read the answers
& to get to know the person more.
Roger I'm enjoying reading your answers

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?

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

For decorating it is the big corporate event were they give me a theme and a budget and I get to use my imagination.

For twisting it would be an event like a wedding where there is a good mix of people all in a good mood and where I get to add to creations e.g. instead of just making Tinkerbelle I would have time to put her on a Lilly pad with a croc swimming around it.  

14, what irritates you most at a gig?

Well I think it is what irritates most of us that is rudeness e.g when a child asks for a complicated balloon that takes a while then deliberately bursts it and the parent expects to push in to the front of the queue to get it remade.

15, How do you book yourself?
I have taken this to mean how do I promote myself. Well I have the website and I will go to restaurants with a sculpture some thing that fits their theme. I tend to find that restaurants even if they turn you away do so nicely as you may be a customer the next day.
I will also send balloon deliveries to people that organise events. Normally a balloon in a box containing a sculpture, a letter of introduction and some of my publicity material, and yes I do get work this way.
For the decorating `I have done wedding fairs but they can be so competitive with several decorators at each one. I tend to try and get friendly with venue staff and get work by them recommending me. (after decorating a venue if I find out the boss has a young boy I will make a motorbike for him to take home things like that).

16, what's the biggest thing you've ever made?
In decorating I it would be a children's event up London I turned the venue into a winter wonderland with 8' Christmas trees candy canes and father Christmas flying across the main room in a sleigh pulled by the reindeer. (and here is a lesson for everyone I have no pictures of this at all; there was a professional photographer there and he was asked by the organisers (an event planners I work for a lot) to take pictures of the decoration he did this and as I was twisting at the event as well I did not take the time to take my own pictures. Well the photographer was there to take pictures of the children with Santa so he had taken loads of pics. A couple of days latter I received a phone call from the organisers to inform me that there had been a problem with the camera and there were no pictures. To say I was gutted was an understatement.

The largest sculpture was ha a rotary club event were I was working the tables I was asked for a skier racing down a mountain with a chair lift (I think they were joking but I made it anyway) again no pics this time as I have a real problem with taking pics at a twisting event I am being paid for it just feels wrong I will do it when it is less formal but at a shall we say a posh gig it just feels wrong.

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

It is a real stupid thing but my 12 year old daughter took some of my sculptures to school for her friends, and when she got home she said they all thought I was brilliant and she had a cool dad. And then she told me the teachers were all over them as well. Well I am cool dad what can you say.

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

Be nice to people even when every thing is going against you and others are moaning stay professional, if you have problems just get on and deal with them, don't go whinging to the organisers, don't worry they will know if you have sorted out a problem even if you don't think they have. I have got a lot of repeat business by sorting out problems like access to halls, not really my problem to sort out but you will enhance your reputation.

Be prepared. I always have more than perhaps I need but if say you are running low on 260's and you are offered a lot of money to stay an extra hour you have blown it or may be you need to decorate an extra table well its all profit. I have been asked to do both of these.


Any other questions from the standard I am finding them the more challenging and it is all ways good to be challenged. I also thought someone would have asked me why my company is called iglobo. Pronounced I glow bow

Roger

Oh go on then  

Roger

Why is your company called Iglobo :?:

is it because globo is Spanish for balloon and youve done the apple i-word thing. So in English it would be i-balloon?

do I get a prize?

 :ugeek:

Roger, a few more of the boring standard questions for you

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

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?