Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Golden Curtis.
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Character Visits 4 U was created in 2014 with the purpose of bringing high-quality character entertainment to the Middle Tennessee area. In the beginning, co-owner and co-founder Peyton Chevalier and I (Elizabeth Golden Curtis) worked together to commission costumes with Peyton’s grandmother.
We were fueled by a dream of merging our love of performance and our love of fostering children’s imaginations. Peyton went on to follow her new dreams in Orlando, and I took the company over solely in 2018.
Eight years later, those same pillars exist, but now we service almost four times as many events and parties a month, have a cast of 28 “magic makers” as we call them, and have acquired the highest quality “theme park” costumes accessible by working with commissioners all around the globe.
This company is the embodiment of a dream that went further than either one of us could have imagined. I believe this community in Hendersonville was meant to experience the magic of character entertainment at this level- I am just really thankful I could be a vessel.
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?
Any small business faces numerous challenges, and ours was no different. I believe the challenges we have faced have only fortified our company, and have pushed me to create the next experience for our guests.
Many of the struggles we have faced are countered in equal strength by a community that rallies to protect and execute kindness and belief in the dream we see so clearly. The year our driver moved for the Christmas Parades? A helper by the name of Steven Ashworth came to the rescue to help us with all the craziness parade season brings.
Every large event we host, like Castle of Villains, produces a slew of challenges, but the Directors of the event- Easton Curtis and Sam and Jess Gilbert from Rock Castle- pour their everything into creating the experience for the public. When costumes and wigs need repairs or washing, cast members within our cast like Emma Harvey or Kimberly Golden are continually offering their time and talents.
All of these instances feature those who step up in the midst of a difficult moment to ensure the community receives the same level of quality experience. We would not be able to make magic without the dozens of community members and cast members who work tirelessly to make magic.
Adversity introduces them to us- so to adversity, I say: Thank you.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have grown up performing in various theaters across the Middle Tennessee area and continued to pursue that love of theatre once I hit college. I graduated from Lipscomb University with my BFA in Theatre Education with a license to teach in the state of Tennessee.
From there, I immediately moved to Walt Disney World to pursue all of my Disney Dreams. After landing my dream role I worked a total of 3 months before COVID sent me back home.
I’m thankful for the redirection because through that we have reformed our training program through our now annual “Magic Maker Academy”, launched our “Telecommagication” Services, and launched our “Hero Initiative” lineup featuring 11 brand new characters, which was our largest character launch in the history of the company.
I think this company and my training in character performance set me apart. It has refined my improvisation skills, challenges me in leadership, and creates opportunities to love others through the gifts myself and my cast have been given.
Oh! I also play the fiddle and sing with my father. Over COVID, we recorded songs together, and now are playing everywhere from 3rd and Lindsley to the Grand Ole Opry.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Our “Hero Initiative” launch was a bold financial and personal risk for our company as we introduced 11 brand new hero characters. We had no idea if a launch like this would be successful for our current demographic, as we have focused on princess entertainment for the last 7 years.
We invest around $1,000-$2, 000 in each new character we add, and this launch pushed that limit with introductions like our Iron Hero with a custom mix of 300 pieces of 3D print and EVA foam merged together with an electronic system to create the iconic hero as we all know and love him.
Every hero was individually commissioned. For example, our Spy Hero alone wears accessories customized for her from over 4 countries. To invest so much in a launch was a huge risk, especially considering our base of clients we’d built for so long.
Now, a year later after our Hero Initiative launch, we are booking equal parts hero and princess parties, events, and experiences.
Pricing:
- Hero or Princess Party: $150/hour.
- Meet and Greet (for businesses): $100/first hour and $85/every hour after.
- Extra Characters: $100/extra character.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: charactervisits4u.com
- Instagram: @charactervisits4u
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Character-Visits-4-U-649261708477313
Image Credits
Sarah Johnson Photography and Karlyn Stanley Photography
