Hidden Gems: Meet Jan Levie of Handy Entertainment

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jan Levie.

Hi Jan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I founded Handy Entertainment because I believe events deserve to be about you, your guests, and connection.

Everywhere I went, all the events looked and felt the same.

I saw how disengaged attendees were at events and realized traditional entertainment frequently has NOTHING to do with business goals.

Everyone talks about interactive event entertainment. (They also talk about dieting and working out.)

Social events were tired. Lots of purple up lights, casino tables and loud music.

Attending trade shows was like running a gauntlet. I’d walk down a sterile aisle and see logos, banners, koozies, bad candy, and maybe, if it was my lucky day, some COFFEE!

Some vendors pitch immediately at the site of a person with a pulse, lurching at them like depraved carnival barkers;
Others curl up with their phones behind their table, hoping nobody sees them pretending not to be there.

Corporate events all seemed the same—boring. It was hard to even know whose event it was and why they were having it.

But fundraisers were a special kind of purgatory.

There is nothing like being prodded, cajoled, and publicly shamed to raise a paddle for something you don’t want or need.

The biggest obstacle is that there are two kinds of people in the world.

There are those who like to order the same thing from the same chain because they know what they like.

Then there are those who see or hear about something they don’t know and want to check it out.

Maybe it’s the difference between divergent and convergent thinking.

I don’t know. But I do know that most people are risk adverse.

Event planners are under enormous pressure to deliver results. Sometimes those results are about figuring out what their client wants, based on what they always do.
Other times, they look at what everybody else doing.

Most people aren’t aware of how those decisions get made.

For me, the AHA moment hit when I saw people lining up to see us at a trade show.

But when those same people got their colleagues and friends and brought them over to us, I was stunned.

This was at a Fintech conference.

Let me jump backwards a little: while we were setting up, the neighboring business booths had asked what we were doing.
We told them.
They smirked.

From the moment the trade show floor opened, people thronged to our client’s booth.

The neighbors’ booths were deserted. They kept staring at our booth and shaking their heads in disbelief.

People were lined up constantly for two days.

I realized that entertainment works best when it’s designed with purpose.

That purpose is to help attendees connect with each other, with the brand or company, or host, and with the experience itself.

Whether conference activations, experiential marketing, brand activations, or a purely social event, the only thing people will remember is how you made them feel.

It’s all about the attendee experience.

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?
The challenge is simple:

Who wants to go first?
Who will try something different?
Will you or your company use entertainment to connect people, or will you just settle for whatever fills the time and space?

If you are planning an event and are pressed for time, have a small budget, or are afraid of ‘doing it the wrong way’ – the easy way out is to do whatever they did last time.
It’s safe.
Efficient.

And you can use that green sequined backdrop in the supply closet!

But you don’t want to be embarrassed.

Don’t be that Grand Opening event where NOBODY shows up.
Your reputation and that of your company, product, and brand are on the line.

Whether you’re throwing a milestone personal event, organizing a trade show, producing a conference, corporate event, or a fundraiser, don’t be that boring party with the same tired entertainment your guests saw last week.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Thanks for asking!
We can get the Capulets and the Montagues tongue-kissing.

Our core entertainment offerings are based on personality analysis and the ancient art of fortune telling with a modern twist.

We create and produce activations (that means real interactive entertainment) that can strategically embed marketing in a highly personalized experience.

Here are some real examples: a major retailer hired us for a pop-up using their new line of lipsticks for Lip Print Analysis.

A Fintech company had us interpret autographs at their awards banquet.
High-end wedding? Oh, let me count the ways we can get people to connect!

Aura readings, anyone?
We also represent different variety performers and artists in many, many categories.

How do you define success?
My idea of success:

Cover my personal expenses;
Save for retirement;
Pay people well;
Treat them like the rockstars they are;
Help them meet their own goals;
Contribute to society by supporting organizations I believe in;
Work on projects that challenge me, teach me, and are of value to our clients.

Collaborating with great people on challenging and fulfilling projects is one of my greatest joys.

Pricing:

• Not the low-cost leader.
• Contingent on what, where, when, and for how many.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://handyentertainment.xyz
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handyentertainmentAtl
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handyentertainment.xyz
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janLevie
• Google for Business: https://g.co/kgs/PY23YGP
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@handyentertainment5746
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/handy-entertainment-atlanta
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@handyentertainmentAtl