Mother-son duo’s business ballooning into career

In life, there is a decision every person has to make when it comes to choosing a career: Should one work for money or gamble to pursue a passion?

As North Las Vegas balloon artist Steve Rosen twists, snips and ties colorful balloons together to create works of art, it becomes clear he chose the latter.

“You are never too old for a balloon,” Rosen said. “Everyone that I give a balloon to leaves with a smile, and that’s really the most rewarding aspect of this job.”

Rosen’s journey to becoming a balloon artist started when he was 10 years old and his mother, Dr. Susan Rosen, who works as a stage hypnotist, showed him and his brother how to twist a basic poodle balloon.

After three days of making balloon dogs at a fair, the boys made $84 but received little satisfaction from all of the exhaustion that the work brought them.

Almost 20 years later, Rosen was reintroduced to the art.

It was summer of 2011 when he traveled with his mother to Cancun, Mexico, for a gig. He saw a waiter make a balloon for a young girl, but it quickly fell apart.

“I went over to fix it, and she smiled from ear to ear,” Rosen said. “That really touched me. I knew right then and there that that’s what I wanted to do.”

He worked vigorously learning the tricks and trade of balloon artistry.

Last year, Rosen was able to quit his job as an armed security guard to pursue a career as a full-time balloon artist.

From an 8-foot Santa Claus to a firefighter jet pack and bulging-eyed ladybug, Rosen can do it all.

“Traveling in the fair industry with my mom has led me to meet the best balloon artists in the world,” Rosen said. “Everyone taught me something different.”

Children can spot him with his wagon that displays a variety of balloon colors, prints and sizes. For two to three hours, he will make balloons and interact with children.

“I like to get down to their level,” he said. “I enjoy making them laugh.”

He will also add unique aspects to his creations, such as squeaking sounds and light-up effects.

What’s the weirdest request he has ever received?

“One time, this kid asked me for a vacuum cleaner,” Rosen said. “I just looked it up and created it from an image I found online. If I don’t know how to make something, I can usually create it by looking at an image. Sometimes it’ll take me an hour or so to get it right.”

While growing up in Orange County, Calif., Rosen and his two brothers regularly traveled with their mother, better known by her on-stage name, the Mistress of Mesmerism, who began performing as a hypnotist in 1981.

As a single mother, Susan Rosen managed to continue her career while taking care of her children and balancing their school life.

“They’ve been all around the country with me and met interesting and famous people,” she said. “We are not carnies; we are entertainers, and many people we’ve met and traveled with have become our family.”

Susan Rosen became interested in hypnotherapy after receiving her Ph.D. in psychology.

“I wanted to help women overcome traumatic events,” she said. “Hypnotism is a natural thing. In simple terms, it’s a type of relaxation.”

For more than 20 years, she has toured across the nation and Canada and Mexico to entertain people on cruise ships and at colleges and theme parks.

In addition to being a certified hypnotherapist through the American Board of Hypnotherapy, she is the safety coordinator for Specialty Insurance Agency and trains all hypnotists in safety procedures.

She has also created self-help CDs and has used her methods for pain treatment with her family.

The mother-and-son duo continue to travel regularly and are available for county fairs, school events, fundraisers, restaurants, parties and other entertainment events.

They also have plans to create a new type of entertainment company called BalloonU.

The company is a ballooning station where children and adults can learn how to blow balloons using a helium tank to create simple balloon animals.

It was recently tested at county fairs and will soon be available to the public at balloonu.com, Susan Rosen said.

“This type of entertainment is an escape from reality,” she said. “Life is tough for everyone. Some people lose their homes, jobs or have medical trauma. If we can go out and make someone happy and smile, then it’s all worth it. Life becomes worth it.”

For more information, visit Steve’s page facebook.com/StevesFunBalloons or Susan’s page hypnotistsusanrosen.com.

To reach North View reporter Sandy Lopez, email slopez@viewnews.com or call 702-383-4686. Find her on Twitter: @JournalismSandy.