Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Krupkin.
Hi Eric, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Back in elementary school, I remember the joy and excitement from hearing over the loudspeaker, “Today there will be an assembly!” I loved watching shows, presentations, and performances of all kinds. I am the son of two fabulous teachers and learned very early how to engage children by watching them. My father is a singer/songwriter and I enjoyed watching him prepare and perform live. In my classes, I was always excited about the “Wow” factor of science experiments and demonstrations. I have great memories of a few memorable teachers that really impressed me with their enthusiastic methods.
As I got older, I found opportunities to be that entertaining teacher or role model for groups of children. I worked as a camp counselor during summers and as a religious schoolteacher. I attended college at SUNY Albany and majored in Communications and Business. Looking for a fun and rewarding career, I moved to South Florida where I interviewed with several companies. I came upon an ad for Entertainer/Instructor. I went to a group interview where I watched a video of someone doing a science assembly at an elementary school. I felt that joy again. It was love at first sight. I was hired and was taught how to do those assemblies as well as parties and science workshops. I moved on and was hired to be a retail manager at a toy store chain. They had a stage in their store for shows about their products. I was using my skills to engage children and parents as well as developing my skills in management, advertising, and customer service. Meanwhile, I didn’t get the same feeling I did when I was constantly performing. That’s when Eric Energy was born. I felt that I could continue to do science shows on my own with different topics. I began advertising in the local parenting magazine and did shows in my spare time. I made an impression with the toy store and in 2001, I was transferred to their number one store which was in Maryland. I quickly realized that this area had several opportunities for Eric Energy and resumed performing.
I married my amazing wife in 2004 and we have 2 awesome boys. After 12 years of performing part-time. I had a chance to go full-time in 2010 and I haven’t looked back. I also began hiring and training Team Eric Energy. I currently have 3 instructors and I’m looking to grow. Each year, my word-of-mouth advertising was increasing. Each time I would perform an assembly, I would book a few parties and vice versa.
Social media and Google are incredible for my business. I give my best effort at every show. Even after all this time, I’m still excited every time I get to perform. Kids really appreciate my silliness and excitement. Teachers and parents really appreciate my ability to engage and educate. Now, my reach has increased exponentially, and people are sponsoring me to travel to faraway places. I certainly have found my niche and discovered who I am. I feel blessed that I am able to do what I love and get paid for it. I promise to continue to spread the smiles and the love of science.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My biggest obstacle was certainly the pandemic. My work involves direct contact with audiences. I need to be in schools, homes, and all kinds of public venues to provide my services. What happens when that is no longer possible? I was nowhere near an essential worker. I was basically unemployed, and I started to think that my business would never recover. Many times, I thought that this might be it. How can I engage my young audiences when I can’t even be allowed in the building? What can I do when everyone is staying at home? I kept in communication with my schools and other clients and began to use the internet to keep my name and my brand visible. I put up promotional videos on YouTube. I waited for the lockdown to end. When it continued to drag on, I realized that I needed to try something else. My wife told me to create a virtual show and miraculously, it was successful. I set up a studio space in my basement with a colorful backdrop and science equipment and I provided shows to anyone who could follow my link on the internet. I did them for free at first but soon began to charge a fee for them. I didn’t give up and gradually I began to regain some decent income. I started doing shows outside and with a mask on. Eventually, it all came back even better than before. Now my skills are needed to engage children without a screen.
Another huge challenge was deciding to take this business from part-time to full-time. In 2010, I was unexpectedly laid off from my job. My wife was pregnant with our second child, and we were building a townhome. It was not an ideal time for me to take a leap of faith. There were many doubts that entrepreneurship would be the right choice for me. How can you make a solid living and raise a family when you have to fill your own calendar every week? I went all in. After 6 months, I doubled my past salary and now it’s bigger than I ever dreamed.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I present interactive science shows to children of all ages. One of my strengths is my ability to engage with even the youngest kids. I present myself as a dynamic scientist…complete with lab coat and a full battery of scientific equipment…and I conduct live, exciting science experiments showcasing a broad variety of topics from electricity to weather to matter to polymers and beyond. I arrive at every venue, from birthday parties to auditoriums to large outdoor events, ready to vault into a high-energy performance. My shows are filled with music, dancing, and lots of group participation. The kids are actually part of the show, volunteering for fun experiments and learning a great deal about science. My real goal is to make them love learning about science and for them to use their curiosity to seek even more knowledge.
I’ve performed for groups of all kinds of beliefs and cultures, all varieties of special needs and abilities, young and old, small groups, and huge audiences.
I love to see the reactions of the children and I also love to hear responses from parents and teachers. They routinely ask me “How do you do it? The kids were glued to you for over an hour!” That’s high praise and I can honestly tell you that I always leave my shows with a sense of gratitude and pride. For me, this is really my dream job.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Social media is a slam dunk for networking. I’ve found that the connections I’ve made with other children’s entertainers can create a support system in which we all benefit. Communicating with each other and referring each other is a far better relationship than cutthroat competition. Responding to and “liking” each other’s social media promotions helps all of us and we can sometimes even help each other in finding new clients.
Photos posted online by clients provide an honest reflection and record of the work I do. The smiles on the kids’ faces and the testimonies from exuberant parents or parent organizations are priceless and extremely effective in maintaining my schedule of future shows.
In addition, I’ve established a YouTube channel and created virtual shows…a necessity during the pandemic…that allow me to present my services to many more groups both locally and otherwise.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ericenergy.com
- Instagram: @ericenergy
- Facebook: @ericenergyshow
- Linkedin: /in/ericenergyshow
- Twitter: @ericenergyshow
- Youtube: @ericenergyshow
Image Credits
James Lister
