A Lot Like Clown

Sixteen years – and counting. Rocio Matute has been hosting children’s parties for this long – and has never grown tired of doing it.

“I enjoy my work so much. Maybe because I love kids, and I feel happy when I see them enjoying the party,” says Rocio who started in 1992 as a member of Clowning Around, one of the pioneering party planning companies in the country and also one of the first to introduce female hosts.

Rocio’s brother introduced her to Clowning Around. That time, she was a full-time pre-school teacher and not thinking of doing party hosting as a career - or in her case, a part-time career. She currently teaches at Kidz Academy in Katipunan, Quezon City on weekdays and hosts parties on weekends.

She relates, the first time she hosted a party she wore a Power Ranger costume. “I was the Pink one. At first, I felt kind of weird wearing the costume…not really worrying about the kids but the adult guests who were watching. But then (I realized) it was fun – and because you’re doing it for the kids.”

Even her mom wonders when she will ever stop hosting kiddie parties. But it appears, she has not yet pondered on giving up being Minnie Mouse, Cat Woman, Dora the Explorer, or even one of the valiant Ninja Turtles. One of these days, don’t be surprised if you see her dressed as Hannah Montana. She could be anyone a child or a teener loves to watch on TV or have as a friend; and that probably what thrills her.

Rocio is thankful for having such an exciting job. She willingly showed her photos taken as early as 1992, and gladly shared the different experiences she had, including the one party she hosted a few years back, where kids were really rowdy. Good thing, she knew how to handle such situation.

She only has kind words for Clowning Around. She attributed her being adaptable to the trainings she had with the party company. “We were trained every month. Professionals taught us how to approach situations and handle different behaviors of children. We would also meet regularly to update our games or improve our story-telling skills.”

She shares, “We found out most kids get scared of clowns because of the white make-up. What we did…we made a revised clown – no white make-up but instead, we paint shapes on the cheek and then we just put on glitter. It worked!”

Although Rocio now works as freelancer (she just started this 2008), she is still very much in touch with her former colleagues in Clowning Around. Her decision to shift from being an exclusive member of Clowning to becoming a freelancer can be considered a career move, since she can now be booked by other party companies. Perhaps, it is time for her to move on; anyway, she’s been loyal to Clowning for quite a long time. Willeth Laus

Get Rocio's contact information here.