20 years of Nutty’s
I (Danny), still cannot quite believe it’s been 20 years this summer since Nutty’s was born.
It’s been a journey and a half, but I have to be honest and say it’s been so worth it and I am super proud of what I’ve achieved.
As an actor, it’s a god given fact that we have to find other avenues and work opportunities outside of auditions and waiting for your agent to call. Some actors spend years out of work and have to stay creative, it’s in our blood.
Not long before I started Nutty’s, I was doing lots of theatre, touring the country, interspersed with TV appearances, voice overs, DJing (which I still do) as well as working for a couple of children’s parties companies and other less glamorous jobs (including selling paint ball tickets on the street- that’s another story!)
After getting a part in a play one year and sadly severing ties with one of the said companies, I was already missing entertaining children. Using my acting skills to play a character, being truthful, improvising and making kids laugh. It was actually my mum who then suggested I start my own business.
And thus, in the summer of 2006 at the age of 30, Pirate Dan was the first character and still remains a top favourite for kids!
I took on some actor friends to keep up with demand (some of whom had never worked with children before!) and now? I have DJ’s, magicians and face painters who work for me.
I’ve learned so much about a running a business, mainly from making mistakes! And I’ve also been truly blessed to meet so many interesting and wonderful people along the way.
On Saturday night just gone, I threw a party for me and my team and we had great fun.
And that’s really the secret I think to succeeding in working with children: fun. Kids have such an incredible imagination, boundless energy and teach us adults so much about ourselves, mainly by not taking life so seriously.
So what’s next for Nutty’s? Well, more of the same I guess, plus perhaps some new exciting ideas which will be revealed soon.
But in the meantime, fun. That’s the main thing.
