- Face Characters: In order to make things easier to manage, we have taken out mileage for face characters. Mileage ONLY remains for handlers. However, rates have dramatically increased with the opportunity to earn additional income if you do what is require of you for being a face character. When you are playing a face character, it is part of your job to get ready at the office and return your costume after. Men, we understand it’s make less sense for you arrive at the office is someone else on the event can easily grab your costume. If it is confirmed with Camille or myself that someone is OK to bring your costume, that is fine. However, Ladies, you will be compensated and additional $10 PER EVENT for managing your own costume. This means getting to the office with ample time to prepare and look nice without rushing others (NOT running in late and stressing to get out the door on time) and returning your costume nicely/ hanging it to dry. Face character rates are now $65 for drop-ins and $75 (up from $55) for the first hour of work and $55 for each additional hour, with the $10 bonus per party to manage and care for your own costume. That is a total of a potential $85 minimum for each 1 Hr event for doing the entirety of your job (regardless if it’s a photo package or an activity package - rates are the same across the board.) Our popular 1.5 Hour activity package will compensate a flat $100. If you have multiple parties in a day and you take your other costumes with you in order to change at home if it’s closer to your events, you can still claim the $10 costume compensation for each event. In order to get this additional compensation you must PICK UP and RETURN all of your costumes in the same day, and take the utmost care of them while using. Wigs must always be transported on wig heads/stands and never taken off without going directly onto a head. There is also additional compensation for travel to cities 20 MILES outside of honolulu. (For example, Laie = $20 additional compensation/ Haleiwa = $10)
- Mascot Characters : Mascot work will remain the same with the handlers being responsible for transporting the costumes and putting them away/allowing to air dry. Mascot actors will still continue to meet on site at their parties. Rates for mascot work have increased to $65 for the first hour and $55 each additional hour. $65 for drop-ins as well. As mascots are not responsible for anything other than showing up and being high energy during their events, there are no other additional compensation rates for mascot work.
- Glitter Tattoos : Rates will be raised to $65 for the first hour and $50 each additional hour. Please clean and return the glitter tattoo kits as they were given to you. Do NOT wipe brushes on the display table runner. It is for advertising only.
- Handling : Character handing rates have be raised to $17 per hour and milage is still included. You may charge a minimum of 2 hours handing for each event. For instance if you have a 1 hour event in Kapolei that took you 5 minutes to get to, you can still charge a full two hours. If you are handing a mascot event that is 30 mins, you may charge 2 hours. Handler are normally responsible for picking up and returning the costumes to the office (with some exceptions.) Handling time STARTS when you arrive at the office and ENDS when you return the costumes, hang them nicely and leave the office.
- Glam-on-the-Go : Package has been changed to a 2 hour min for 12 kids. Clients may also choose 3 hours for 20 kids. Glam artists must pick up and return the suitcases. You must be set up and ready to go at the time your event is set to begin. Compensation has been raised to 2 Hrs $130 and 3 Hours $180. Additional compensation will be added for certain cities.
- Bubble Parties - Bubble party assistants and show leads will be compensated a flat $75 for 1hr or $125 for 2 hours. This includes set up and teardown/loading of all equipment.
- Swimming Mermaids - Remain at $100 Per hour, Pirate assistants $75 flat rate.
- Swimming Princess Characters - $75 1hr with no pool activities. $100 for 1.5 hours with activities.
- Stage Shows - Show Host will be compensated $100 for 1 hr. Shows includes 2 mascot appearances by the same person inside each suit and 15 mins of photo time after the 40 mins show. If you are a mascot within a live show, compensation is $75.
- Face Painters - Rates will be raised to $125 for the first hour, additional hours will remain the same at $50 per hour. There is an additional $10 compensation per event if your using your own product (if you do not have one of our kits). There is also additional compensation for travel to cities 20 MILES outside of honolulu. (For example, Laie = $20 additional compensation/ Haleiwa = $10) Contracted artists are required to advertise Storybook for Storybook’s event by wearing a Storybook tee-shirt, using our printed table runner and sitting out our postcards. If you do not have these items, please let us know and we will arrange to get you some asap.
- Balloon Artists - Rates will be raised to $125 for the first hour, additional hours will remain the same at $50 per hour. There is an additional $10 compensation per event if you are able to display and work from the menu sign. This is intended to give artists incentive to learn these designs and keep our services the same across the board. There is also additional compensation for travel to cities 20 MILES outside of honolulu. (For example, Laie = $20 additional compensation/ Haleiwa = $10) Contracted artists are required to advertise Storybook for Storybook’s event by wearing a Storybook tee-shirt, displaying our printed table runner and sitting out our postcards.
- Storybook Station Character Events - As Storybook station parties simply require you to show up, put on the costume and play along..rates are remaining the same. However, parties have been changed.
1 HR Tea Parties $55. (Please be aware clients are sometimes 10 mins late, so be flexible with giving or taking 10 mins from start time. We cannot have the princess leaving before a full 1 HR is completed.)
Party appearances $55 - these have been changed to 1 hour visits during the crafting/storybook/games portions of our parties and the character leaving when the children change back into their clothing for the food portion. Choosing a characters is now an upgrade and not included in Storybook Station packages. These are incredibly easy gigs for character actors.
There is a entirely new invoicing system that will now be implemented as of today. There should be no more confusing about what each time of service pays as there is a unique invoice for each type of service. Please make sure to choose the right invoice for each event. All services EXCEPT handling , should invoice directly after each event - one invoice per event. This is different from how we have always had you invoice.
Handlers should continue sending in one invoice for the week.
When exploring the following link, you will see our new INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR ONBOARDING FORM. This is required and you must fill it out one time only so that we can onboard you into our new quickbooks system. You will now be paid via Direct Deposit to your bank account as we will no longer be paying via PayPal or Venmo. This will simplify things come tax time when you are requesting your 1099’s from us as we will have immediate access to your total yearly earnings.
****PLEASE NOTE : YOU WILL NOT GET PAID AGAIN UNTIL FILLING OUT THE ONBOARDING FORM****
Everyone who accepts work with us should have our scheduling app downloaded into their phone so they can keep track and review all of the events they are scheduled for. The app is called “Tracksmart Scheduling”. This app will give you important information regarding all of your bookings including the clients contact, Child’s name and age, address and contact info for every other Storybook staffer on your event. If you are not currently using the app and need assistance or an account created for you, please contact Camille at 808.428.9698
I want to thank everyone for doing a wonderful job, accepting work with us and working hard to maintain Storybook five star reputation. We are working hard everyday to make things run smoother so that we can continue to grow and provide artistic, fun work opportunities for years to come. We hope that you will continue working with us and that these pay raises will be an incentive to keep up the good work! We hope you understand that raising most of our event compensation by $25-$35, is a risk for us that we hope will pay off in the end. With these big changes on our side, we will be implementing some new standards to keep accountability across the board for all of our workers. Our new rates are set in stone and non negotiable.
- If you are a NO-SHOW to an event due to your own negligence of not keeping up with your personal schedule, you will promptly be removed from the schedule.
- If you bail out of your event without ample time for us to find a replacement, we may remove you from the schedule. This will be assessed on a per-situation basis.
- Camille normally TEXTS offers for bookings so she has a history of the conversation. If we do not get a response from you within a six hour time frame, we will move forward with offering the work to the next person. We cannot work on “Maybe I can” responses as we need to fill our schedule and it’s hard for us to remember to revisit the text. If you cannot, we appreciate a “Sorry, I cannot” so we know to move on immediately. If you consistently do not respond or take days to respond, will will take you off the roster.
- We have two new office staffers that will be dedicating time each week to following up with a phone call to each client after their event. Please be aware we will be asking if you were on-time, cheerful, high quality service was given and for characters actors that you embraced your character roll and were believable.
- As always, we will offer the most work to those who always do a great job, who are reliable and on time and who often want to accept work from us.
- If you damage or lose Storybook property, you may be liable for the cost to replace it. WAAAAAYY to many things are getting damaged and not returned. Rushing and panicking out will cause things to not be treated the way they should be including costumes, suitcases, pool tools, etc.
- You should plan plenty of time to get to your events to set up without rushing! If you are coming into the office to get ready, you should give yourself a 20 minute MINIMUM to get dressed and our the door. You may come as early as you would like and as always, you are welcome to spend downtime between parties at the Storybook office.
- We work very hard to keep our brand cohesive and we ask that our contracted artists put effort into making sure their displays are a good representation of Storybook. Table runners should be cared for, not wadded up and wrinkled or stained, black stretch table cloths are provided and should be used, cards should be displayed nicely and branded tees worn for our events. We want to stand apart for our competitors by giving our clients beautiful colorful displays as well as great service. It is only fair that we offer you reasonably compensated work that our business gets promoted during our events. We appreciate your understanding.
And also..if you want to be taken off the roster because you have moved on…. No offense taken! But we do ask that you let us know because we have to pay a per-person monthly fee for everyone we have added into our scheduling system.
Always feel welcome to come to Camille and I with any comments, questions or concerns! We want you to enjoy your gigs with Storybook :0) and we are happy to listen and be helpful whenever we are needed!