Petite Princess Company has been making children’s dreams come true for over a decade.
Owned by former LSU mass communication professor Venessa Lewis, Petite Princess Company allows people to hire character performers to make an appearance at children’s birthday parties and other events. These characters include princesses, superheroes and even swimming mermaids for pool parties.
Lewis didn’t always see herself owning a children’s entertainment company. She taught visual communication at LSU and was a professional graphic designer before purchasing the company from a graduate student.
“It’s interesting how it kind of just fell into my lap, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Lewis said. “It’s been the best experience, the best career. I love being able to wake up and– our mission is to create joy for people. You can’t ask for a better mission in your job than that.”
A typical birthday party involves a cast member getting into costume and driving to the venue. Once there, the cast member starts by taking pictures with the children, leading a sing-a-long, reading a storybook and maybe playing a game or two. To finish off, the cast member will sing “Happy Birthday” with the rest of the guests, take a few more pictures and leave.
Starting with only four cast members in 2015, the company now employs 22 cast members and boasts nearly 20,000 followers on Facebook. Petite Princess’ success is thanks to Lewis’ background in marketing and the dedication from cast members that make every child feel included.
“I think a lot of my favorite moments throughout these years have been just kind of watching my cast members get on the level with these children,” Lewis said. “And whether it’s– for instance, a deaf child, and we had a cast member learn some sign language just so she could be able to communicate with that child.”
This sort of special care and attention that Petite Princess Company shows its customers is exactly how it has become so beloved in the Baton Rouge area. Even the cast members themselves have fallen in love with the company.
Zeah Reviere, a first year LSU student majoring in digital advertising and a new addition to the company, is fulfilling her childhood dream of seeing herself in a big, fluffy ball gown. But more than that, Reviere is honored to be a real-life role model for these children.
Growing up as a Black girl who loved stereotypical girly things, Reviere recognized the importance of bonding with the young Black girls she meets at parties and events, so they feel just as seen as everyone else. She recounted her recent experience of playing everyone’s favorite frog princess at the company’s Mardi Gras Ball and meeting a little girl dressed like her.
“I was like, ‘a little frog hopped down the bayou and told me what your name was,’ and then she got the biggest smile on her face,” Reviere said. “She was like, ‘oh my gosh, the princess knows my name.’ So that was also really nice.”
Veteran cast member Varland Owens has worked for the company for five years and is a member of Petite Princess’ Hall of Fame. Before applying for Petite Princess Company, Owens had extensive experience in performance, having trained vocally for 10 years and even participated in professional and community theatre. Petite Princess seemed like the perfect fit. Still, there’s more to the job than meets the eye.
People often misunderstand how much time goes into it, Owens said. After the time it takes to get into costume and put on makeup, drive to the party, perform at the party, drive back and get out of costume, a single party can take up an entire day.
But regardless of the time commitment and other challenges that may arise, the cast members wouldn’t trade the magical memories they have made for the world.
Daniel Brandenburg, a first-year student at LSU majoring in film and television, juggles a video editing internship, a start-up photography business and his job at Petite Princess Company all at once. Despite his busy schedule, Brandenburg is so grateful to help these kids make such amazing memories.
“It is so fun and it really warms my heart to be able to be at those parties and be able to see the joy that it brings the kids and even all the guests at the party too,” Brandenburg said. “Whenever I’m at parties, whether I’m assisting a character or playing a character, I find myself smiling all the time because it’s just so joyful.”
For more information about Petite Princess Company, visit its website here.
