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Balloon artist, magician hopes to open eatery
By MARIE STEMPINSKI
| Article published on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/031908_cit-04.jpg) |
| Photo by MARIE STEMPINKSI |
| Mark Byrne wears his balloon creation based on the faces on Mount Rushmore. |
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CLEARWATER – A local magician and balloon artist is looking for a partner for a restaurant concept.
“I envision a mid-county restaurant. Something for the family, but with a magic and balloon theme. I’d like it to look like a giant sandcastle,” said Mark Byrne.
The restaurant idea is just one of the ways this graduate of New York-based Parsons The New School for Design differs from other illusionists and inflatable toy impresarios.
“I’ve always incorporated art into what I do,” said Byrne who owns “Funny Money Productions” and entertains at parties, family gatherings, trade shows and corporate functions.
He also had been at the Outback restaurant on Clearwater Beach on Friday evenings.
“I started doing balloon hat sculptures, something few other people do because they’re incredibly complex. But kids love them. Instead of trying to take them apart, they respect them and parents tell me the sculptures are around for months,” he said
A version of those sculptures won the Clearwater resident a second place award in the Diamond Jam 2008 in Phoenix recently. He competes a lot to keep up with what other artists are doing and to keep his talents sharp. For example, he’ll be in China at an international clown festival in October.
Byrne markets his business through word of mouth, a Web site, www.Balloonguy.net and two DVDs that are available on line.
“Bad to the Balloon” is a spook, he said, on a biker type of character who makes a motorcycle out of balloons and rides off.
The other DVD, “DogGone,” is a dark comedy melodrama. Both can be seen on Youtube. Byrne’s two daughters, Sidney, 1, and Sabrina, 10, are also into magic.
“They won the Florida State Magic competition for juniors in 2005,” he said.
Byrne is active in local magic organizations and encourages anyone interested in magic and ballooning to contact the Tampa Bay Magic Club. The club’s Web site is www.tampabaymagicclub.com.
But it’s that big restaurant idea that really floats Byrne into the air.
“It is something that has never been done before,” he said. “I believe it can be done nationwide.”
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Article published on Wednesday, March 19, 2008
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