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GENII Magazine’s review of Sign Here

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Reprinted from Genii Magazine’s November 2014 issue, written by Danny Orleans

Sign Here
Todd Neufeld $30
: Easy-to-read 200-page book for freelance entertainers on how to write contracts for gigs. Written by a professional variety entertainer/New York lawyer. Great tool. Great investment.

TWO YEARS AGO, a Fortune 500 client of mine shuffled their tradeshow marketing directors around and I got a call canceling four trade shows. I was very disappointed, but so glad that I had signed contracts because, without even so much as a letter from my attorney, they respected the contracts and paid me a cancellation fee of $16,000.

That’s a lot of money—and a rare example. But it’s also just one of a whole bunch of good reasons why any freelance entertainer, full or part time, should have a legal contract with his or her client, whether it’s for a kid’s birthday party or an upscale corporate gig.

Thanks to Todd Neufeld, you can now create a great contract without having to pay a lawyer a fat fee. Todd is the only full-time balloon twister/ magician I know that passed the bar and still maintains credentials to practice law in the state of New York. And he’s written a straightforward book with many sample contracts, templates, and important clauses to choose from. In short, he’s made it easy to send your client a customized contract for any type of gig.

What you’ll like best about this book is that it’s written by a variety entertainer, for a variety entertainer. Even though Todd is a (non-practicing) lawyer, there is a minimum of legalese in this book. At times it’s actually funny! And you can read the whole thing in less than two hours. He totally understands the communication issues that we have with real-world clients about private parties and special events. He knows that contracts for most gigs can’t be too complex. He shows you how to think about contracts in sections so you can easily draw from a “bank” of clauses to customize a contract for a specific client.

There’s more. His book shows you how to actually use your contracts as a marketing tool to further promote your business. He starts at the beginning, defining what a contract is, the different parts of a contract, mistakes to avoid, payment terms, fine print, and a whole lot more.

If you read my column, then you know that I review items from the perspective of a working pro that deals with real-world performance and business challenges on a daily basis. If you are a performer that gets paid for gigs, I not only recommend, but I insist that you buy Sign Here and read Todd’s advice on how to create and use contracts to increase the accuracy of client communication, your business efficiency, and your income.

Sign Here • Todd Neufeld • $30 • www.balloonacademy.com/sign-here

Don’t forget that this is supposed to be fun

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We know that a balloon is light and delicate.  We know that we have to carefully avoid pops.  But do we remember that twisting balloons is fun?  It should be.  So smile.  Breathe.  Make eye contact.  Play.  And always remember, this is supposed to be fun.

At Kidabra this year I went to the after-hours balloon jam to play.  I didn’t have my own balloons to twist (I was sharing Buster’s bag) so I had a chance to watch everyone else for a change.  Have you ever just stopped and watched people twist balloons?  It’s really fun and illuminating.

These twisters were in ‘learning mode’ instead of the usual ‘entertaining mode’ that I usually see.  So naturally, they were seated and working by themselves.  You can’t miss the difference between the two modes.  It starts with the look of absolute concentration in the faces of the twisters:  Serious, focused, laser-eyes on the balloon.  Lips simultaneously pursed and pulled in.  Head and shoulders slightly rolled in to better work on the balloon.  And blinders to the people on the left and the right.  The newer twisters were slowly and painfully measuring each bubble and grimacing before each twist.  The experienced twisters were intently squeezing, tying, but still grimacing.  This is the side of balloon twisting that most people never see.  This is the lab.  The gym.  The work.  And it is fascinating to watch.

Watching the process reminded me that there are two sides to this coin:  The private side and the public side.  The ‘learning mode’ is the private side.  It’s the trial and error and practice and popping and frustration and success.  Otherwise know as Practice.  The public side is when you make the balloon for your adoring public, and they marvel that it looks so easy.  Of course it’s easy.  You practiced.

Trouble creeps in when you mix the two — such as blocking out your audience when you’re improvising a new balloon and your entire body language closes up.  So how do you stay in ‘entertaining mode’?  By forcing yourself to acknowledge your audience and the fun they want to have with you.  If you do it right, they will never know that you’re practicing!