My real name is Mark Verge,
and I was born and raised in White Point, a small
community just outside Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada.
After I graduated from high school I moved to Ontario to
work. A few years later, I picked up a balloon kit and
started twisting my spare time away.
Over time I got better and better and I bought book
after book wanting to learn more. I would give the
balloons away to friends and children in my
neighborhood. To give a child a balloon and to see their
face light up with excitement, is why I gave notice at
my job and started entertaining full
time.
I started out as a
clown but I wanted to be more,
something different from everyone else, so I tried to
figure out what kind of character I wanted to be. After
a while it came to me, animals, I make balloon animals,
so I thought safari. So I came up with safari character
and named him Jungle Jack.
People often ask what is my favorite balloon to
twist, and it is not any particular one I like to make,
it is giant
sculptures that I enjoy doing the most. Like
this Raptor costume with my head
sticking out, I created him for the International
balloon sculpture competition held in the United States
and I won first place.
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