Tommy Balaam, the creative genius behind Captain Fantastic, has captured the hearts of children and adults alike through his vibrant entertainment company and captivating books. As the founder and “Director of Fun,” Tommy juggles being an author, performer, and entrepreneur, all while inspiring young minds to embrace adventure and creativity. In this exclusive London Mums Q&A, Tommy shares insights into his magical world, from party misadventures to life lessons learnt from kids, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the joy and inspiration that fuel Captain Fantastic’s universe.
Monica: Captain Fantastic has been quite the hero for little ones! But between you and Winston, who do you think is the real star of the show? Be honest!
Tommy: Winston definitely steals the stage in our books, but for parties, we have a funny monkey called George who’s incredibly popular. Honestly, though, the real stars of the show are the kids. The adults see the entertainer “getting it wrong,” which we call the magician’s fail. It lowers expectations and makes the final reveal even more impactful. But more importantly, it lets the kids be the heroes – they fix the problem and perform the magic.
Monica: Your latest book, The Undersea Monster, is full of adventures and important life lessons. If Captain Fantastic had a life motto, what would it be – and how closely does it match your own?
Tommy: Captain Fantastic’s motto is “embrace the adventure.” We create a fun environment but weave in gentle reminders to shape good behavior, like “listen to warnings.” As a dad, I believe in finding fun while teaching a balance of freedom and rules for safety. It’s all about enjoying life to the fullest – because we only live once!
Monica: You’ve built an entire world around Captain Fantastic, from books to birthday parties. How do you juggle being both an author and ‘Director of Fun’? Do you ever find yourself using your party tricks at home with your kids?
Tommy: My kids are at an age where we can test out YouTube shows, jokes, or party tricks together – they love being involved! Balancing being a dad, entrepreneur, and business owner isn’t easy. Everyone dreams of passive income, but it takes sacrifices. I’m lucky my work spreads joy, and for me, it’s about more than financial gain – it’s about passion.
Monica: In The Undersea Monster, Captain Fantastic learns the hard way about not listening to warnings. Have you ever had a moment in life where you wish you had taken advice, or do you relate more to Captain Fantastic’s approach of diving in head-first?
Tommy: I am definitely someone who dives in head first. However, you don’t know how deep the water is until you jump in! I was about 15 years old, when my friend and I decided to take to a grade 3 river in Beddgelert, Wales. It was a waterway popular with kayakers, however, we had a rubber dingy and no life jackets. At first it was brilliant fun, we whizzed along, giggling and laughing about how fast we were going. Then we turned the corner and the rapids were upon us. A miracle meant we just missed one rock but the dingy got impaled on a tree branch and burst. We were swept off downstream by the current. We lived to tell the tale but we should have listened to warnings.
These days, although I still dive in head first: I am involved in so many projects from being in a band to writing books, performing at parties and managing a team, I’ve learnt I can’t do it all. Sometimes it’s about managing how much energy I have.
Monica: You’ve shared your experience with dyslexia. How has it shaped your creative process, and do you think it’s helped make Captain Fantastic even more relatable to children who face challenges?
Tommy: Struggling with dyslexia has taught me the importance of being honest about difficulties. As a child, I thought there was something wrong with me because I couldn’t keep up in English. If I’d been diagnosed earlier, I could’ve gotten the tools to progress more easily. Sharing these experiences makes kids and parents relax and feel understood. It creates a supportive environment for fun and growth.
Monica: Your parties are known for being high-energy and full of fun. Do you have any memorable stories where the party didn’t quite go to plan but ended up even better?
Tommy: Well, there was one memorable occasion where I was shooting smoke rings at a children’s birthday party, held in a rather nice hotel. I managed to set off the fire alarm and everyone in the entire facility was evacuated. When the fire crew turned up, embarrassed, I had to admit it was probably me who’d triggered the alarm. Thankfully, they were just pleased there was no real fire or risk to the guests in the hotel. The kids loved the excitement of the fire engine and the birthday boy’s party was made extra special with photos taken by the engine. We were permitted to carry on with the planned fun and games inside the hotel shortly afterwards!
Monica: The illustrations in The Undersea Monster are stunning. How do you collaborate with Daniel Howard to bring your stories to life?
Tommy: Daniel is fantastic! I found his work online and loved it. He lives abroad, so we’ve never met in person – we collaborate via email. I trust his creativity and give him the freedom to enhance the ideas, and it works brilliantly.
Monica: Captain Fantastic has made a name in books and party entertainment. What’s the wildest or most unexpected request you’ve ever had for a party?
Tommy: We arranged a fabulous private Christmas kids party at a very large residence near London. This massive house had a huge garden and we organised for Santa Clause to arrive in a helicopter and deliver gifts for all the guests. It was incredible and wonderful at the same time, but very nearly didn’t happen due to the weather!
Monica: With franchise opportunities expanding in the UK and the USA, what’s your dream vision for Captain Fantastic?
Tommy: I’d love to go intergalactic, but the thought of being in a small spaceship might start to trigger my claustrophobia! From the franchise’s point of view we are on a mission to make magical memories as far and wide as possible. Franchising offers us the opportunity to expand more quickly so our aim is to grow both in the UK and further afield in partnership with the right entertainers.
Often actors are not able to stay in the performance industry as there is so much competition and opportunities can be difficult to come by. After failed auditions they often drift away as they need to earn a wage to support themselves and their families. This is what essentially happened to me. Therefore, I created the Captain Fantastic franchise to entertain children but also to enable performers to stay in the industry, doing what they love and offering them the flexibility and financial support to pursue acting roles at the same time.
So if there are any budding actors or entertainers out there looking for a business opportunity which they can run alongside auditions and acting roles, give us a shout and we can certainly explain more!
Monica: If you could throw the ultimate Captain Fantastic party for adults, what would it look like?
Tommy: We actually do plenty of adult parties. The principles are essentially the same as with children’s parties: to have fun. However, adults take much longer to let loose. Usually it takes alcohol but this can turn people into idiots so we frame the perfect party as a ‘children’s party for adults’. This means adults know they can be silly and have fun.
We have recently created a ‘Bonkers Bingo’ party for adults which is based on the classic game which everyone knows. We add in the children’s party elements like limbo, a quiz and tricks too. It’s slightly more sophisticated than a kid’s party, but just as stupid!
Monica: After so many events, have you learnt any ‘magic tricks’ from children?
Tommy: Kids have taught us tons of jokes – they have the best sense of humour! More importantly, they’ve shown me the power of living in the moment. Someone once told me my job is “making kids happy,” and that’s the best life lesson I’ve ever learnt.
Monica: If Captain Fantastic had a sidekick from another children’s book or film, who would it be?
Tommy: Captain Fantastic admires Iron Man – he’s all about using his brain rather than superpowers. I’d love to be Iron Man’s sidekick and have him build me a spaceship to conquer my fear of small spaces!
Monica: Finally, with Christmas around the corner, what would Captain Fantastic’s perfect Christmas look like?
Tommy: Christmas is about family and teaching kids the joy of giving. We’ve created a festive show starring Captain Christmas, full of magic, dancing, and even snow! It’s a fun-filled celebration to get everyone in the holiday spirit.
For more about our shows and parties, visit www.captain-fantastic.co.uk.
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