THE PARTY GURU

ERIC WELCH has been delighting the birthday boys and girls of celebrity clients such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Larry King and Ben Affleck for the last 15 years. When it comes to throwing awesome children's birthday parties for LA's junior well-to-do, Eric's AMAZING KID COMPANY is in a class all by itself. (39:41)

EPISODE NOTES:

There are all kinds of businesses in LA that cater to the rich and famous. And when it comes to the business of throwing awesome children's birthday parties for the junior well-to-do, THE AMAZING KID COMPANY is in a class by itself.

For the last 15 years, ERIC WELCH has been delighting the birthday boys and girls of celebrity clients such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Larry King and, more recently, Ben Affleck. As Eric reveals in THE PARTY GURU, it was difficult in the beginning for him to go to work in the homes of famous actors because, for a long time, he aspired to be a famous actor himself. (Eric had a recurring role as Corky's bully, Brian Russo, on the ABC series "Life Goes On.") "To be completely honest, it was a jealousy kind of thing. It was like, you know, here I am kid party entertainer guy going to the celebrity's house."

But as Eric continued to mastermind more and more birthday parties he began to genuinely embrace his new craft. And, in doing so, he developed a philosophy that guides him and his staff of 21 to this day. Eric says the foundation of that philosophy is, quite simply, love: "It's looking at a kid in the eyes and really having love for this fellow human being. When you come from the heart, it's much easier to make their birthday party the best day of their life."

Occasionally, that means showing a little tough love. Some of the kids Eric works with are used to getting whatever they want. "We don't necessarily give them everything they want. We may be the only people in their lives that tell them 'no'. But we know how to say 'no' in a way that they're not going to rebel. They're not going to hate us. That's because they know that when we say 'no' it's coming from a place of love."

Eric may only see these privileged kids once a year, but he sees them year after year, so he wants his contact with them to make a positive difference in their lives. "Children like this have money and they're always going to have money, so they're always going to have some sort of influence. So if that's the case, I want to have some influence on this person who's going to have influence."

Because The Amazing Kid Company creates parties for children of all ages, Eric has developed an uncommon ability to communicate with young people. "There's a key to every kid. It's just a matter of finding it." And that includes toddlers who don't yet have the power of speech. "There are ways to communicate with them without words and you can see God. Or spirit. Or the universe. Whatever you want to call it, you can see where this little person came from. Not just birthday parties is it, Brent?"

You got that right, Eric.

BP

Many thanks to the composers of the music featured in this episode royalty free through Creative Commons licensing:

1. "Good Times" by Podington Bear - soundofpicture.com

2. "Revved Up" by Adam Selzer - incompetech.com

3. "Curiosity" by Lee Rosevere - leerosevere.bandcamp.com

4. "Kitten" by Podington Bear - soundofpicture.com

5. "Buddy Guy" by Poddington Bear - soundofpicture.com