What began as a fun hobby in second grade grew into a thriving business. In 1997 I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Lukiemia (ALL) in first grade. I had it, all—sorry, bad joke. Once in remission, I had checkups at Dana-Farber and was enrolled in their patient-partner program for the Boston Marathon in 1998. The program pairs patients with people running the marathon for Dana-Farber. I was matched with Franson Tom, a dentist and dental professor at Harvard and Tufts. He did balloon art as a party trick and for charity. When we would go to events together, he would always take his balloons out. Eventually, he sat me down and showed me how to do it. He then gave me a bag of balloons and a pump. I always thought it was a cool party trick. This was my train of thought through middle school.

 

In high school, a teacher asked me how much I would charge for a church function. From then on, it became a hobby. I would do about six events in a year. I believe my second or third event ever was the Buddy Walk in Wakefield that I still do every year. During high school I wanted to up my game, so I enrolled in an adult education course for balloon animals. I learned a bit, but was introduced to the local balloon scene by the instructor. From there I met some of the great artists in the area and started doing events for them, turning my hobby into a side hustle.

 

In college, I increased the number of events and kept building my network. I was at Wheelock College in Boston, and as a result, did not have a car. So I was limited in transportation and relied on the “T” to get everywhere. This is where part of my signature outfit was born.

 

After college, I was able to start performing for the Red Sox as a fill-in in 2013 and was officially added to the roster in 2014. That increased my number of appearances greatly. Then in 2017 I started at Unos in Burlington, MA. That would only last a year due to the store closing.

 

In 2017 I graduated from Simmons College in Boston. I graduated with a Master of Science in Special Education. In 2022, I earned my Transition Specialist certification. I am a licensed teacher in severe and moderate special education in Massachusetts.

 

Every year the business continued to grow. I now have artists; I will send out under my company when I am not available. Now the business has gone from a side hustle to a second job. Beyond being an insured entertainer, I have years of experience working with children. I would love to hear from you about how we can help at your next party or event. This has been about Jonah; hope you learned something. 

Want to know more about Jonah? Check out this 2025 article from The Jewish Journal.