As the winter nights draw in and the first Christmas advertisements start appearing, we can have mixed feelings. But one thing that cheers many parents is the opportunity to take their child to see Santa Claus. Experiences may vary, of course, but my personal recommendation is to visit a Santa that has been trained by James Lovell.
This is not the only ‘string to his bow’. His main activity is as Creative Director of Feejee Mermaid, the company he co-founded with PR legend Mark Borkowski. They organize events, experiential campaigns and PR stunts for companies looking to generate positive media coverage for their brands. So if you need the world’s largest loo roll, 100-dancers performing at Piccadilly Circus or a clown on Downing Street, then this is the place to go.
James Lovell is a combination of court jester, clown and stuntster. While the rest of us may aspire to being sensible at work, he has always embraced the absurd and often plain silly side of life to raise a smile and thus deliver increased media coverage to ambitious marketing departments.
A long-standing inspiration is P.T. Barnum, whom he describes as ‘a 19th Century Purveyor of Stunts, Ballyhoo and the Inventor of Experiential Marketing’. Interestingly, they share the same birthday.
The name of his company Feejee Mermaid is a nod to one of P.T. Barnum’s earliest stunts, in 1842, for which Barnum sold tickets to see a Mermaid in his museum in New York. He claimed it had been caught by fishermen off the coast of Fiji. The exhibit was eventually revealed to be the torso and head of a juvenile monkey sewn to the back half of a fish.
James was asked to leave school prematurely for painting the cricket pavilion pink and marking the roads with indelible footprints. He went off to drama school and, to get his Equity card, started Bonkers Clowning Company, enjoying it so much he remained in ‘white face’ for the next fifteen years.
In 1996, dressed as an elf, he provided the entertainment for families queuing up to see Santa at Selfridges, which started his lifelong obsession with one of the most famous characters and effective marketing brands of all time. Our image of a jolly man with a big white beard, while not specifically invented by Coca Cola, was extensively used in their advertising campaigns from 1931. Santa Claus has now become anchored in the public’s mind.
James explained to me that preparing for the role of Santa Claus requires as much research, training and preparation as enjoyed by any actor who is very serious about getting under the skin of a character. We marvel at Michael Sheen being able to turn himself into a convincing Tony Blair, Nigel Clough, David Frost, and, most recently, Prince Andrew.
The Santa Claus character is just as strong and challenging. Few acting roles require you to be so close to your audience, and must be perfect in every respect for children of all ages and backgrounds.
First, you really have to look the part. James’ beard and red outfit both cost over £1,000 and most actors do need the extra padding, as no child expects to see a skinny Santa Claus. Your glasses need to be perched on the end of the nose so you can look over them. If you are short sighted, they need to have real lenses as well, because sometimes a child will bring something for you to look at.
You have to be absolutely and unequivocally ‘in character’. The child needs to believe this is the real Santa Claus and this starts with a convincing delivery of ‘Ho! Ho! Ho!’. There is no other fixed script, of course, but the list of things you can and cannot talk about are well established.
For example, you must never ask them their name; Santa should already know who they are (you saw them lastChristmas!) You should not ask what they want for Christmas; they have already written to you. You must know whether they have a chimney or not, and always thank them for the mince pie, sherry and other snacks they left you last year, including the carrots left for the reindeer.
You should be able to name all nine of your reindeer individually without hesitation: Donder, Dasher, Cupid and Vixen, Dancer, Prancer, Comet and Blitzen … and Rudolph, all of whom have distinct characters and specific added value. For example, Rudolph’s glowing nose acts as a headlight, which is very handy when you are flying through the fog over Norway on Christmas Eve. Santa Claus does not need GPS.
Some children are initially terrified by the circumstances and drama of meeting the Real Santa and will hide behind their parents. Others will be cheeky and naughty. You need to be able to deal with every situation, as well as ensuring that the meeting ends precisely on schedule.
The ability to improvise is essential, often aided by hints from the parents. James’ view is that if you are a professional in full ‘Santa mode’, you should be able to outwit a child who might ask tricky questions around a matter of detail. Much more difficult is when Santa gets genuinely heart-wrenching questions about his ability to ‘bring Daddy home for Christmas’, or ‘make me better’. Santa should be ready for anything.
Santa also has his Elves who manage the process of getting the children in and out, as well as amusing them while they wait. This is the perfect apprenticeship for one day being Santa himself and James puts as much effort into training Apprentice Elves how to perform magic tricks, make balloon animals and embrace the joy of being in green tights.
Both roles are not for the faint-hearted, of course. You have to be dedicated, relentlessly jolly and able to laugh at yourself. But, when you get it right, you can be proud of the fact that you are bringing joy to children and making the world a better place.
James illustrates this perfectly when he says that, when he is walking down the street dressed as Santa, the reaction of the general public is 100% positive.
Maybe this is because, for a few moments, they are taken back to when they themselves were wide-eyed children meeting Santa Claus. But perhaps we should all aspire to be more like James Lovell, who loves what he does and has a very successful business. But he has never grown up.
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