May 8, 2017

Meet Amy Nehrig of Twist and Shout

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Nehrig.

Amy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was teaching during the day and at Long Beach State beginning my Master’s Degree. David was twisting balloons at night, he had been twisting since high school. We had a strong desire to travel and surf and not get caught up in the typical rat race life style. The track we were on would have taken us there and we wanted to resist it with everything in us. We kept hearing the voice in our head saying you can’t build a business on balloons! But opportunities kept coming across our path and it kept growing and growing. I learned balloons alongside of David and we began training more and more people. We realized that we had something unique here that could really catch fire if we get over our own insecurities. On the way to filing our business license, we called my mom and said “What should we name this thing?” And on that day, Twist and Shout was born.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Our biggest struggle has been to ignore the negative voices around us. So many people thought that we were crazy. I had worked so hard to pay my way through college and then to drop the bomb that I am quitting everything to do balloons stunned a lot of people. The second most challenging thing we have encountered is running a business as a husband and wife partnership. Twist and Shout can so easily take over every part of our life, family, and marriage. We have to be really deliberate about turning off our phones. Fortunately, we have some of the best office staff ever that allow us to do that!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Twist and Shout – what should we know?
Twist and Shout is a family owned and operated business that has been twisting balloons since 1997. We provide the highest quality balloon twisters, face painters, caricature, henna, and airbrush artists for your event. Our creations can be customized according to your theme and/or request, and we can twist or paint 1000’s of different creations during your event! The thing that really sets us apart from other companies is our speed. Our twisters are twisting 365 days a year at Downtown Disney as well as many other restaurants. When a Twist and Shout entertainer comes to your event, you know you are getting someone reliable, personable, and professional.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The people that truly deserve credit for Twist and Shout’s success is our amazing team. We have been so fortunate to work with the most wonderful people. When you join the Twist and Shout team you become family. Interviews are typically done over dinner with us and our four kids. We even had one interview where a twister moved my parents from their home in Venice to their new one further south. After seeing how hard he worked, we knew that was someone we wanted on our team. So much of our business is built on trust with the people that we send out to make the most incredible memories for our clients.

Contact Info: