If you made it to The Cleveland Moms Halloween Spooktacular last October, I am super excited to share more about Castle on a Cloud Entertainment who brought Batman & Cinderella to join in on the fun! If you didn’t get the chance to attend, Castle on a Cloud Entertainment is a local business that provides character entertainment to events/parties all around Northeast Ohio & is owned by Makayla McIntosh.
Hi Makayla – please tell The Cleveland Moms readers about how you got to where you are today!
When I was three years old, my mom took me to see “Anastasia” at the movies. Within a week, I could sing every lyric of every song, on pitch, and danced around the house. I think almost every little girl dreams of being a princess, including myself. At five, my parents reluctantly took me to see “Beauty and the Beast” on Broadway, thinking I would not be able to sit still for two and half hours, but I was so mesmerized during the show, I barely moved a muscle as I stayed fixated on the show. I think deep down, I knew I wanted to have that same impact on others someday.
At eighteen years old, I accidentally did my first princess party, and after it was a huge success, applied for a license for my “accidental business”, Castle On A Cloud Entertainment LLC. I never dreamed of opening a business, but thirteen years and thousands of parties and events later, we’ve touched lives in a way I never imagined. While we started with birthday parties, we’ve evolved into creating concerts, like the Miss Americanas – A Tribute to Taylor Swift, princess concerts, princess balls, tea parties, and other events.
It’s our mission to bring unforgettable experiences through the magic of professional entertainment. Through this, it’s our mission to encourage creativity in kids, to be present in a world driven by technology, to explore our greatest gift: the imagination, to inspire kids to follow their hearts and passions, to encourage children to be kind and treat all people the way they want to be treated, and to bring hope to children who have little – those in hospitals, those fighting for their life, those from broken homes, those that have lost a loved one
We are a small team, that would not be possible without the Wonder Woman like efforts of our cast and team. My mom has been an essential part of what we are able to do: she packs all of the suitcases for the parties each week, organizes the costumes and wigs, and makes sure that the performers have everything they need for the parties. She advertises for me everywhere she goes: work, doctor’s offices, stores, friends, family, etc. My aunt and cousin maintain all of our costumes and wigs so they are the highest quality.
Secondly, I would not be able to maintain the business without my incredibly talented cast. Some days I wonder how the party requests keep flooding in, and then I receive reviews back from parties and events that my cast have done, and I am reminded why; they have the most beautiful hearts for children. I believe that much of success in life is not measured by what you do, but who you are, which is reflected by the impact you leave on others.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road & if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road, especially through the pandemic. We took a hard hit, like many businesses, especially entertainment. Live performance took one of the hardest hits, so we have slowly been re-opening and bouncing back.
Other big challenges were growing faster than we were ready for, and then many other companies popping up. We work very hard to maintain the highest quality of experience and product, and it can be difficult to communicate that when other companies charge significantly less. We are not able to do that and pay our performers for their tremendous work, and the thousands of dollars we invest into each costume.
What else should our readers know about your work & what you’re currently focused on?
I’m Makayla, and I fell in love with the performing arts and creating when my mom took me to a local showing of Anastasia at three years old. My deep love of Anastasia and musicals blossomed into a passion for film, acting, and dance. I received a BFA in Musical Theater from Belmont University and moved to NYC post-graduation to pursue a professional career in film and dance.
I enjoyed performing in the premiere Grand Ole Opry cast of How the Grinch Stole Christmas the Musical as Punky/Reno, regional equity houses around the country, and performing on Disney Cruise lines as the female swing! Highlight of my musical theater career was touring with the National Tour of A Chorus Line, working with Baayork Lee, performing the roles of Vicki, Cassie, and Val.
From the creative side, I choreographed Chicago for the Millennial Theater Company, winning a Broadway World Award for best choreography in 2019. I received my equity card as a performer, associate choreographer, and dance captain for Shrek the Musical at the Beck Center for the Arts. Currently, I run Castle On A Cloud Entertainment and make movies. I live a beautiful and creative life, surrounded by inspiration and people I love, and dogs.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with anyone is reading this?
We need the arts more than ever. During the pandemic, we realized how much we miss human connection and magic. Singing is magic. Dance is magic. Dreaming keeps us alive. Never stop dreaming. If you are still alive, you can still live out your dreams. Be kind. Help others along in their journey.
To learn more about Castle on a Cloud Entertainment or to book your favorite characters at your next event, visit: castleonacloudentertainment.com
