Booking opens Friday, Oct. 31, for appointments at Holiday Magic Studios in Fresno, where people and pets can have their picture taken with Santa. So, pull on your favorite holiday sweater or matching pajamas and bring along your dog, cat, or chicken for a festive photo-op.
The company that sets up Santa’s studio in the heart of River Park welcomes furry and feathered clients — though most patrons are people.
“We’ve had a very wide variety of animals come into the studio,” said CEO Nico DeYoung. “We do see lots of adults with a pet. Then you’ll see the whole family come in and they’re all wearing matching pajamas, and they’ve got their chocolate lab with them and the chocolate lab’s wearing matching pajamas as well.”
Holiday Magic Studios got its start in the 1990s when River Park approached Peter DeYoung, then-president of Alliance Advertising & Public Relations, about bringing Santa photos to the then-new shopping center. While Peter is still a partner, son Nico is steering the sleigh, adding tech-savvy touches to keep the experience merry and bright.
“When it started, it was just Santa in a rented sleigh with a pop-up tent in front of the IMAX movie theater,” Nico DeYoung said.
Now Santa has a private photo studio glittering with holiday décor where the focus is on creating convenience through technology.
“We’ve eliminated the line to wait for Santa. That was the first thing that we tried to tackle with technology,” DeYoung said. “Everyone said, ‘My gosh, I hate waiting an hour in line with a crying child.’ So, we went entirely by reservation.”
Customers now reserve time slots through the company’s custom booking system. After their sessions, they can access their photos immediately through their accounts on the company’s website.
“So now people just walk up, they check in at our front door, and within about two or three minutes they should be inside seeing Santa in a private five-minute experience, and then they’re out the exit door and they have their photos in hand,” DeYoung said.
However, if customers don’t want to pose with Santa, the big guy is happy to step aside so the studio can be used as a festive backdrop for family portraits.
While Fresno’s River Park location is home base, the business has expanded to include locations in Hanford, Bakersfield, and Palo Alto.
Just as the studio’s footprint has grown, so has its mission to spread holiday joy. Its Million Magic Moments Campaign partners with local chapters of Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs, Toys for Tots, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation to provide 300 free photo sessions for children in Fresno who would otherwise not have an opportunity to experience the magic of photos with Santa. Through sponsorships, the company hopes to expand the campaign beyond Fresno to capture one million magic moments nationwide.
For more information or to schedule a photo session, visit holidaymagicstudios.com.
For more updates on Fresno County development and business initiatives, stay connected with the Fresno Chamber of Commerce.
