You’ve got one life, you might as well live it to the fullest!
Written by Ruby Bradshaw
Thomas Lloyd began his career in entertainment in 2016 after graduating from university. He started out at Disneyland Paris doing character work, before moving on to Disney Cruises where he worked as an entertainer for three years. During lockdown, Tom taught himself how to DJ, which comes in handy now while working with DNA Kids. He says, “My school discos are more like raves” and describes his approach as “preparing kids for their first festival” with high energy.
“I learnt my craft through experience,” Tom explains. Working on Disney Cruises almost every day for six months gave him the opportunity to face all sorts of challenges, and now there is nothing that really surprises him. A major influence on his journey was Mark, one of the original entertainers, who took Tom under his wing and taught him everything he knows about working smarter and connecting with children on a deeper level. Tom also learnt the importance of making sure the adults in the room enjoy themselves just as much as the children.
He details how cut-throat the audition process can be for Disneyland. “It gets a little brutal but I was on a six-month contract and I really enjoyed the company at the time.” From there, Tom began hosting on the cruises. Fast forward to today and he is now leading children’s parties across the country, bringing his tailored approach and valuable lessons to every event he leads.
Reflecting on how he got into hosting, Tom says, “Well, it’s an odd one for me. I sort of approached it more like acting at first. With Disney it was different. We had proper shows, a stage manager, a director and we learnt scripts. So in my mind, that wasn’t really hosting. Some shows had guidelines, like ‘hit this point, then that point’, but everything else was fair game, so that was a bit looser.”
Tom says his first real taste of proper hosting came with DNA Kids. “My first ever gig was a magic show. And during training? I completely fluffed it,” he laughs. “I’m not great with my hands, which is weird considering I DJ now. But yeah, that moment hit hard. Suddenly I realised, this is all on me. You’ve got this six-year-old who’s been looking forward to their party all year and now it’s on you to get it right.”
Tom leans fully into his own style. “I can get the adults more involved, throw in a few cheeky jokes and some banter. And because of that, people often ask if I do adult parties too. I used to say no, but now I’ve jumped on that opportunity. It’s a weird tale, but it’s mine. And I love it.”
Even with the success of his new business, Tom stays committed to DNA Kids, where he is still working as his main source of income. “I’m trying to keep both things separate for now,” he explains. “DNA has been great to me, and I don’t want to mess that up. If my new business starts to take off, I’ll cut back at DNA and focus more on my own stuff, but for now, they’re my priority.
Since getting started, Tom says he has definitely become a bit of a perfectionist. He feels like his high energy is a big part of what makes his shows connect with both kids and adults. He is quick to point out that every entertainer has their own strengths, which is what makes the scene so fun and diverse. His advice to anyone starting out? Don’t try to copy someone else, find your own style and run with it.
If he wasn’t entertaining for a living, Tom thinks he would be in the social media space. He has been involved with his girlfriend’s comedy content and can’t see himself thriving in an office job. “I’d go stir crazy,” he says. However, Tom’s mantra is, “You’ve got one life, you may as well live it to the fullest,” explaining that he is not too bothered about what he is doing, as long as he is having a good time and making it fun. “There’s always a silver lining.”
For more info on Tom, you can visit his website here
