ALL ABOUT STARBOUND
StarBound Entertainment Company Profile
Toni McKay has entertained thousands and made millions of spectators clap with joy with her giant helium parade balloons.
When Toni McKay started her giant helium balloon company, StarBound Entertainment, her main motivation was to make a better life for herself and her daughter. And now, almost three decades later, she has managed to do just that…and more.
McKay has rented her giant parade balloons to countless national special events and parades. StarBound’s balloons have appeared in such prestigious events as the Kentucky Derby Pegasus Parade, the Cherry Blossom Parade in D.C., the Gator Bowl, Sun Bowl and Holiday Bowl Parades. And her company became the first balloon company to provide helium balloons for the famous nationally telecast Disney Christmas Parade on ABC Christmas morning!
Other events StarBound Entertainment’s balloons have flown in include such prominent parades as the Orange Bowl in Miami, the Pegasus Parade in Louisville, the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, the VP Parade in St Louis, the Indy 500, Oakland and San Jose Holiday Parades in California.
McKay’s balloons number over 350, and she is constantly making new designs and going after new character licenses.
Highlights of her career include an appearance at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, the Inauguration of Jacob’s Field, and she was there with her balloons to help Ted Turner launch his 24-hour Cartoon Network.
McKay has always set her eyes on the sky and dreamed big. Her goals and achievements have grown with the great success of her company.
In 1999, Toni McKay of StarBound Entertainment made history by creating and flying the first African-American balloons in history! It was important to her that all the faces of the children in the crowds be represented by the characters she created.
Next, Toni expanded her horizons and entered the world of international special event markets. And soon, with perseverance and hard work, McKay's dream came true - she was performing for audiences in London, Paris, Scotland, Germany, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Chile. Her balloons celebrated and welcomed in the new millennium as her balloons appeared in the Millennium New Year’s Day Parades for both London and Paris simultaneously.
In 2007, McKay was approached to create a balloon for a Hollywood movie. This led to her creating a crab balloon for the Russell Crowe/Ben Affleck film State of Play - - another dream come true!
In 2008, an ad agency approached her to create four balloons for a Coca-Cola Commercial to be aired during the 2008 Super Bowl. McKay produced the famous “UnderDog,” “Charlie Brown,” “Stewie” and Coke Bottle featured in that commercial. The commercial was a hit and was nominated for a Creative Emmy in 2008. She also got a delightful surprise when she saw the commercial being played at movie theaters nationwide during film previews and also featured during Fox’s American Idol.
In addition to further exploring places and events where she can bring joy to kids with her balloons, McKay’s next project is to write a book about her ongoing adventures!
This woman truly has the World on a String!
Who We Are
TONI MCKAY
Founder & CEO
Toni McKay
Founder and CEO of StarBound Entertainment, Toni McKay, a small town girl with big dreams, is a testament to the power of an individual to take the future into her own hands and turn her visions into reality. A natural born entertainer, Toni has taken her love for bringing smiles and enchantment to others from her childhood backyard; where she created and starred in productions for her family and neighborhood children to entertaining audiences across the United States and even the world. Her exuberant passion for life has fueled her success and her business has soared to heights that even Toni didn’t imagine. But dare to imagine she did. A scholar with two Master’s Degrees, one from Westminster College and one from Youngstown State University, this former teacher and Mental Health Professional was a struggling single mother, working full time, while needing to take on second and third jobs to make ends meet. Tired of the struggle, Toni took a leap of faith and with the help and blessing of her father, entered the world of Giant Helium Balloons. With five sketches, her charisma and unshakable faith in the power of her dreams, she met with and sold her first parade in Pittsburgh, PA. From those original five balloon designs, Toni has grown StarBound Entertainment worldwide and into the only woman owned Giant Helium Balloon Company. With an inventory of over 350 balloons, from licensed characters such as Garfield, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Care Bears and Curious George to original designs, corporate logos and even the Rock and Roll legend Buddy Holly, StarBound continues to flourish. If you can envision it, Toni can make it fly! The true Star of Toni’s world, the reason that StarBound Entertainment exists in the first place, is her beautiful daughter Aimee. The desire to make a better life for her daughter was the drive that motivated Toni to push on toward her dream, even when the odds seemed insurmountable. The desire to “give my daughter the world” prompted Toni to build a Balloon Empire that has allowed her to do just that. The love of making others smile has been passed from mother to daughter to granddaughter in this family of incredibly powerful and visionary women who dare to make their dreams come true. Her daughter Aimee, is a gifted entertainer who has pursued her passion through traveling the world. The true message of Toni’s vision is: never give up . . . if you can dream it, you can make your dream come true!