Express Yourself started about 15 years ago when I was singing for a national, franchised singing telegram company then located in Bloomington, Minnesota. I had been a member of the SPEBSQSA (Barbershop quarteting) for years and years and also a toastmaster for 50 years so when my wife saw the ad in the classified, (Bass singers needed) and told me about it, it didn't take long before I was in their office filling out an application. The manager figured she'd blow me away in no time so she gave me a video of channel 2 who followed one of their singers a year or two ago and filmed his acts.

She said, "watch the tape, see if you can pretend I'm a customer and then perform an act for my birthday, like the performer on the tape. The theater trainer they used was in her office at the time and stayed to see if I could perform. I watched it for 20 minutes or so and figured I could sing that well and, even though I couldn't memorize the songs in that short period, I could sing some of my own stuff and my own patter and jokes!

When I came in her office again, I went through the routine, using my own stuff and she said, "You're on"! At first I got all the extra grams and ones 20/30 miles out that no one else wanted but as time went on they began to use me for more and more as some of their part-timers were leaving for theatre work and I was stepping in. Within 6 months I was handling 10/15 different costumes and as many as 10/12 a week. As time went on, I began putting together my own costumes as I thought theirs were cheap and well worn. I began getting good reviews and reports from my shows and many referrals.

When the firm never offered to pay for my new costumes or upgrading of theirs and never gave me a bonus for exceptional work, I figured, "Why don't I go out on my own?" And so I did. From a handful of costumes at that time 10 years ago, I've advanced to 55 different high-class costumes and book 3/4 different female and 1/2 different male performers in addition to all my shows. I also handle barbershop quartets, caricature artists, palm readers, fortune tellers, belly dancers, hula dancers, strolling performers and many, many more acts.

The company I started out with has been sold several times and gone through some tough times. I never regretted leaving and I now treat my contract performers just the way I would have wanted to be treated (and never was) when I worked for my competition. We try very hard to have professional performances with good costumes, scripts and singing. When we book a show for a day, date and time, that's what you get and when you get it! We're now at the stage where over 15% of our business is referrals and growing every day!

Fritz, your host.
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