Job Spotlight: Shanda 'Dee' Hixon, Owner of D's Dream Party Entertainment

What if you could put an instant smile on someone's face, make a major moment in their life even more special, and earn good money doing it?

That's Shanda "Dee" Hixon's job. She's owner of D's Dream Party Entertainment, a home-based business the former Aflac customer service supervisor launched about 18 months ago after an interesting experience following a birthday party for her great nephew.

"We had a (costumed) Mickey Mouse there that we had hired from another company and weren't quite pleased with the service," she said. "But once I put the pictures on Facebook I got tons of hits asking if I had other characters available, as if it was my own business."

Hixon, a Columbus native who lives in the Midland area of the city, jumped on the opportunity after some quick research. She started with four characters -- Mickey, Minnie, Hello Kitty and SpongeBob. Today, she's up to 35 characters and does up to a dozen events each weekend.

Children's birthday parties are her bread and butter. But there are also corporate functions that have included The Growing Room summer programs, Columbus Technical College's back-to-school bash, and events for a day care center and wireless phone business.

The Ledger-Enquirer sat down recently with Hixon, 37, to discuss her job, the art of entertaining people with costumed characters, and the emotion that goes along with running such a company. The interview is edited a bit for length and clarity.

So how did your very first event go?

My first party was on April 15 (2013), and it was Hello Kitty. We were nervous. It was a birthday party for a little girl in Phenix City. It was my first one and I really didn't know how the kids were going to react to seeing the characters there. It really was a very good party. The little girl wanted Hello Kitty to herself ... Once I got the experience from that first party, it helped me to do the next one.

Where do you get your costumes?

They come from China and I order through three distributors, depending on the material and the product. A lot of times you'll see a picture, but it won't look like that when you get it. So you have to be very careful what you order. And, to me, appearance means a lot ... I always look at the quality of the product.

You researched other companies for this party business?

I looked at other companies outside of Columbus just to see what they were offering, what their prices were, just to kind of gauge how to introduce my business to the market. And I started off on the low end (price wise) to make myself more attractive to the area. I was new, so I didn't want to come out of the gate with high prices.

So I did a lot of research. Facebook helped a lot. I asked a lot of parents who had small kids: How much would you pay for a character? How long would you want the character there?

How do you find people to put on the costumes and entertain folks?

My children are part of it. And a lot of parents that know my kids (from school) hear their kids talk about it on Facebook and Instagram. Parents have contacted me and said: Hey, my child would like to be a part of D's Dream Party.

But I look for kids that are kid friendly, very enthusiastic, very outgoing and energetic ... I also have to interview the kids because it means a lot. That (child party customer), when they see their favorite character, it's coming out of the TV. So it takes a lot. I've had kids that (being a character) just wasn't for them, and I've had kids that have been with me since day one.

How many people do you use?

I have a pool of 10, and I'm actually looking for more. I look for kids that are between the ages of maybe 13 and 15, who can't actually work. (She pays them) It's just something to put in their pockets, a little extra money for helping out.

Do you ask customers what characters they want?

Normally, the parents will contact me and ask for a particular character. Sometimes they may say they want the character to do certain things. At one particular party, the parent wanted the character to bring in the big gift for them; it was a bike. So they may say they want Mickey to bring the bike in. Some of the characters have limited vision. But I always ask if there's anything particular they want the character to do so we can satisfy the needs of the parents. A lot of parents will see some of the parties on Facebook and they'll say: I want that person that was in Doc McStuffins (costume) on that date. So a lot of times they will request a certain kid to be in certain characters based on certain performances. They liked the way they interacted.

So there is definitely an entertainment element with a bit of acting ability involved?

Yes, they have to be able to entertain the kids. That's one of the things we promote. We interact, we entertain. No character will stand around. We do games with the kids. We may do children's songs, like "Wheels on the Bus." We interact with the kids from the time we come until the time we leave.

The characters don't speak?

No. We play the music and they dance along. Like if we do the "Wheels on the Bus," they'll do motions to the song. We interact with the kids, but they don't talk.

Is it an hour at a time?

We can do increments of 30 minutes or an hour. (Note: Prices range from $50 to $375, depending on the length of time and number of characters in attendance)

If they want more, we'll stay ... But a 30-minute appearance is normally toward the end of the party. We witness the singing of Happy Birthday, take a few pictures, interact and then we leave.

Have you ever donned a costume?

Not yet. I did say I would do one for the kids because that's something they are looking forward to, so I am going to get into one of the characters one day. It's just hard because I'm the driver.

Which one would you be?

Probably Doc McStuffins. She's a doctor that fixes toys. She's an African-American doctor. She's been very popular for the past year.

Birthdays are your bread and butter?

Yes. But we've also done events for deceased kids. We did one for a young girl who passed in June of last year. We did it in memory of her. Dora was her favorite character. She loved Dora and didn't get a chance to see Dora because she stayed very sickly. Her birthday's Aug. 9, so, since last year, we did it in memory of. The first year we did it in her home, and this year we went to the graveyard and took Dora there. We had a cake. It's something that her mom (wants) every year. We've just made it a ritual.

That sounds heartbreaking?

It is. My daughter actually played Dora and she was very heartbroken. She did it last year, but it wasn't as sad for her, I guess. But this year, when we were leaving the graveyard, she actually broke down crying. It was very touching, because her mom really hasn't gotten over her death, and she still finds a way to celebrate every year.

I presume lots of smiles and laughs are what you see most of the time?

We've had kids tremble. We've had kids just cry. They're so excited to see their favorite character outside of that TV. You don't know how much that makes me feel to be able to make that child's day so happy and special. Their eyes get really big, with smiles from ear to ear. It's really amazing.

Are some of them fearful of the costumed characters at first?

We have those that are fearful. Initially, they're kind of shell-shocked because this character is no longer on the TV, they're right there in person. They're looking up at them. Toward the end of the party they open up and take a few pictures and play with the character. But I would have to say 80 percent are very excited, very happy, very pleased to see their favorite character.

What are the most popular characters?

Mickey and Minnie are the all-time favorites. Doc McStuffins. They love Spider-Man. If I had to do a top five, it would be Mickey, Minnie, Spider-Man, Doc McStuffins and Ninja Turtles ... and the Georgia Bulldog has been very popular, too.

Do you have an Auburn Tiger or an Alabama elephant?

Not yet. I'm working on it. My best friend is an Auburn Tiger fan. I've researched some elephants because I've had some Alabama fans contact me about (parties). But I have to make sure the trunk is a certain way, and I haven't found the right elephant. I won't spend money on just anything to say I've got an elephant or a tiger. I have to make sure it's nice and presentable.

All costumes are not created equal?

No, and each distributor is different.

What do you look for in a good costume?

Really and truly, it's the price. The higher it is, the better the quality. The cheaper it is, the cheaper the quality, meaning the materials. My first Doc McStuffins, just to give you a ballpark figure, I paid like $400. The second one that I ordered I paid $150 and it was $150 worth. The first was $400 of quality work. So you can tell the difference ... An average price is $300 to $400, and I have to keep them cleaned.

It's a home-based business?

And (the costumes) have taken over my home. (laughs) They are in my garage and in my dining room and my living room.

Is there a seasonality to this, aside from birthday parties?

The summer months are my busiest months. The fall months, like in October, I have a lot of fall festivals. November and December are kind of slow months. Last year, I had a few Christmas parties, because I have a Christmas Mickey and Minnie. But I would say from January to August are my busiest months.

How far do you go to make people happy?

I've done (events in) Phenix City, Columbus, Fort Mitchell, Atlanta, Americus. We've done Auburn and Opelika. So we travel. If they're willing to pay the mileage, we'll go. I do require them to pay the mileage as a deposit, and then pay the balance once we get there.

Do you have any weekday events or parties?

I may have a few during the week because we do day-care and school appearances. We call them visits because, of course, we're not there as long. We do maybe a 30-minute visit ... The parent, instead of them doing a birthday party (at home), they've found that it's cheaper to bring a character to the school. That's where most of their friends are anyway, and they just let them celebrate with their friends.

When you're at the party with your characters, are you directing them?

I kind of stand back and talk to parents. Of course, they have questions. The characters have done it before and so long that they pretty much know what to do. So I don't really have to tell them anything. They know there's no standing around or goofing off. They're interacting with the guests, the birthday child, taking pictures. If you notice, in every picture you snap, they're waving. And we meet often, every other week or so, and go over things we can do to get better the next week. One of the things that I want them to do is be personable. I feel when (parents) take a picture, if you're waving, you're being personable because you can't talk. So body language means a lot. In every picture, they're waving or making a gesture or giving a hug.

Is there an association for this type of business?

No. I just have to make sure that I indicate that I'm not trademarked for any of the Disney characters. I want to make sure I don't get in trouble with trying to act on behalf of Disney. So I have to make sure I put that disclaimer out there, and that covers me. My logo is copyrighted. I have a business license. I have a tax ID number. I have an identification number for the distributor that keeps track of the things I order. I researched all of that before I even got involved.

What's the most challenging thing about your job?

The only thing I would say is difficult is turning down a parent, because you try to meet the needs of every parent and there are times when I can't. I average between 10 to 12 parties a weekend. But we do have a lot of last-minute parents say: Hey, can I get Doc McStuffins for my daughter's birthday. If I'm booked at that particular time, I'm not able to do it. I may offer another time, but they've already told their guests to arrive at a certain time. So that's the only thing I would say is very challenging.

What's the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Seeing a kid smile. It's very touching. To me it just melts my heart. I love kids.

What does the future hold for you?

My goal is to have my own Chuck E. Cheese. I want my own entertainment business ... Not THE Chuck E. Cheese, but a D's Dream Party Entertainment (location) to give the kids and parents a place they can go and get entertainment, and it will feature all age groups ... I want a physical location.

How long should that take?

I would say in the next three to five years.

This story was originally published October 11, 2014 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Job Spotlight: Shanda 'Dee' Hixon, Owner of D's Dream Party Entertainment."