Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacki.
Jacki , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Even as a youngster in Iowa, I was intrigued with the arts. I took piano lessons, was in my high school band (we marched in the King Kamehameha parade in Honolulu, Hawaii), put on neighborhood plays with my sisters and brother, and took a class in theater at the University of Iowa. When I was in grade school, my mom took my friends and me to a small marionette show and I loved it. But that was the extent of puppets for me for a time. Then when I was well in to adulthood, I met Howie Olson, ventriloquist, magician, and wooden figure maker. The spark for the love of puppets was re-ignited. I started studying ventriloquism show business, and performing for children under the mentorship of Howie Olson in Madison, Wisconsin in 1989. Howie was a ventriloquist who had a children’s TV show in Houston, TX in the 50’s called Phenix Phil, and one in Madison, WI in the 60’s & 70’s called Circus Three. After a move to Orlando, Florida in 1992, I became friends with local magicians and clowns. I soon began entertaining children with puppets, ventriloquism, magic, balloons, face painting, and clowning. Even though I was a teacher in Seminole County and Orange County Public Schools, I still entertained full time. Whenever kids were not in school I was not in school, and so I entertained. It worked out perfectly. I left teaching 5 years ago, to focus more on having fun. I do a minimum of 200 shows a year. These are birthday parties, schools, summer camps, summer reading programs at libraries, daycares, preschools, restaurants for kids’ night, fairs, festivals, and anywhere you can find a kid who wants to have a whole lot of fun! I have created and produced many shows to fit the occasion, and I guarantee they are all fun, funny, and fabulous!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve been riding the wave of fun since the get go! I don’t look at struggles or challenges in a negative way. I look at growing my business like growing a garden. Though I plan and prepare, certain things are only accomplished by trial and error. And like a garden, my business goes through seasons and I have to be ready with puppets or magic or face painting or balloons for the demand. For example, summer is for libraries, daycares, and summer camps. The holidays are obvious; Fall Festivals, Christmas, Passover, Easter. Birthday parties are year round, of course. I pick up new ideas along the way from my friends in the business, change the show over and over to meet the needs of clients, try new marketing ideas, new looks, new technology, etc. So I believe, yes, it has been a smooth road for me. I have great work ethic and I just keep growing my business and reputation party by party. Each party is full of new experiences, meeting new people, and traveling to new places. I’ve always loved to travel. I used to live in France as well as worked on cruise ships. But that’s another story. This story, my show business, started in 1989 in Wisconsin and grew tremendously in Orlando. It’s funny to think of how I advertised in the beginning; from newspapers, to the Yellow Pages, to magazines, and now to the internet and social media. If I had to pinpoint a challenge, it would be: getting the word out that I’m here and I’m the best kids entertainer in Florida! I couldn’t understand how I was the, self named, Queen of Birthday Parties in Orlando and yet one would google birthday party entertainment and I was no where to be found. I fixed that. My good friend and genius with internet presence helped me. I built my website with his coaching. Now I’m all over the internet and social media. People search my keywords which describe what I specialize in and find me! You would think that another struggle along the way was the 2020 shut down. Many, if not all my friends, in live show biz suffered for many months, even years with no work on stage. It didn’t happen that way for me. Yes, all my scheduled shows got cancelled March and April of 2020. But then summer came and my phone rang off the hook! Summer camps and daycares needed entertainment for the kids. They could’t take them out on field trips so they hired me to bring my show to them. I had a very successful summer in 2020 and it has been on the rise every year! Everyone wants amazing children’s entertainment that they can trust. I have performed around 5000 shows in my career, so with that and my experience as a teacher and parent, people trust me with their kids and trust me to deliver really good entertainment to them.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am known as the best children’s entertainer in Florida. I am also the only ventriloquist for children in Florida. I use several puppets in my show all with different voices and personalities. My shows are funny, fun, silly, exciting, engaging, and hilarious to say the least. I also mix in some kids magic; magic that is colorful and full of surprises; magic that makes the adults’ jaw drop and the kids scream. I create a show for birthday parties that puts the birthday child in the spotlight. I create a new show every year for the summer reading program in libraries to align with their theme. And I create a special show for schools who want a specific message promoting reading or math or science. Could you say that I am a “Jacki of All Trades”? I just love being happy and making people happy.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Success of my business, any business, does not rely on just one or a few qualities. Yes, my ability to relate to children and make them laugh has contributed a lot to my success. My trustworthiness and dependability is also key, especially for parents. But there is a lot more to show business. Not only am I a great performer on stage, but I am a great business woman. I have an A-type personality. I’m good at record keeping, paperwork, communication (written and oral) with clients, and money management. I’m good at costume design and creating routines that kids love. Most of all, children sense and know that I really like them. And that I love to play on stage with them, tickling their funny bone and sparking their creativity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mannaentertainment.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackimanna.ventriloquist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackimannakidsentertainer/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jackimanna
Image Credits
Craig Fennessy
