The Kringle Group, LLC.

Hand-picked by Hollywood’s Original Honorary Mayor, Johnny Grant, Santa Tim Connaghan is now in his 43^rd year of wearing the “Red Suit” and will make his 8th appearance in the Hollywood Christmas Parade live on November 27, 2011, marking the 80^th Anniversary of the parade.

An accomplished entertainer, comedian, and professional speaker, he is author of “Behind the Red Suit – the Business of Santa Claus,” and has trained over 2000 Santas and Mrs. Claus.

He has two other books in the works, “Memories of Santa,” a collection of Santa experiences from our favorite celebrities and heroes, and “Advice from Santa,” suggestions, advice and handy hints on how to enjoy and get the most out of the holiday season.

His life story is part of a new Scott Rudin/Mike White movie “Santa Wars,” scheduled to begin production in 2012, at Paramount.

Santa Tim has been seen by millions, not only as Hollywood’s official Santa, but also on the Today Show, the Tonight Show, Dr. Phil, Deal or No Deal, The Doctors, Mad-TV, as Santa for all of the 2011 CBS Network Holiday promos, plus movies and in advertisements and commercials for Target, Kraft, Nabisco, Oreos, Planter's, Honey-Baked Ham, J.C. Penney, Ritz, Dannon, Old Navy, and Cool Whip.  (Click here to visit photos & videos)

A major figure at spectacular tree lightings and media events, tens of thousands of children and their families have been delighted with his appearances at The Kodak Theater, The Grove, Hollywood & Highland, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Capitol Records, Hallmark, In-N-Out Burgers, KIIS-FM, Los Angeles Country Club, Macy’s, McDonalds, Southwest Airlines, Von’s Corporation, The Regent Beverly Wilshire, The Salvation Army, The St. Regis Resort and Spa, K-Mart, The USO, Reese Witherspoon, Steven Spielberg, Marvin & Barbara Davis and the Spelling Family.

From 2003 to mid 2007 he served as Executive Director and then President of the “Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas” (AORBS), an organization which he marshaled from 250 members regionally, to becoming an international organization, the world’s largest, with over 1300 Santas in its registry.

In July of 2006 he produced “Discover Santa,” the world’s first ever ‘Real Santa’ Convention. 

As a “24/7/365 Santa” and an entrepreneur, Santa Tim is President of The Kringle Group, LLC, a collection of Santa and Christmas related companies including: RealSantas; School4Santas; SantasWardrobe; Casual Claus; Summer Santa; Premiere Santa; Santa Visits; Find a Santa; the Red Suit Society and Santa Hollywood.

RealSantas.com is one of America’s foremost Holiday event consultants and one of the nation’s largest suppliers of 'real bearded' Santas with clientele ranging from Fortune 500 companies, including Microsoft, Southwest Airlines, Coca-Cola, Purex, Bass Pro, Dixie Stampede, J.C. Penney, K-Mart, Knott’s Berry Farm, Kodak, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, the Space Needle, MasterCard and many more, plus providing Santas for families and local events.

SantasWardrobe.com and CasualClaus.com are specialized, web-based, retail outlets where Professional Santas find everything from custom-made Santa Suits, boots, belts and accessories, to special casual wear for the other 364 days of the year.

Seeing a need for quality, trained Santas, he started the “School4Santas,” officially known as the International University of Santa Claus, (IUSC), which is based on his book, “Behind the Red Suit.” Over 2000 Santas and Mrs. Claus are graduates of his school and as a result, are members of the alumni association, “The Red Suit Society.”

In recent years the school has been presented on select Princess Cruises in the Caribbean, Alaska, and in 2011, in Europe.  Today the IUSC is the largest annual Santa School in the World. 

As an RBS (Real Bearded Santa), and one who is very knowledgeable on the origins, evolution and history, from Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus, he is often called on as an expert or authority regarding Christmas facts and lore. 

In the role of “Kris Kringle,” he speaks on, “The Origins of Santa Claus,” “The Symbols of Christmas,” and “How to get a Head Start on the Holidays.”

Santa Tim’s annual release of Santa statistics is often quoted and well received, leading to appearances on the Neil Cavuto Show, CNN, NBC, Bloomberg News, Fox News, National Geographic, the Hallmark Channel, the USA Network and PBS, and his interviews have been featured in Time, The Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, Los Angeles Times and via hundreds of stories in many local, regional, national and international media.

A native Californian, his first experience as Santa occurred on December 23, 1969.  Wearing a beard of Barbasol shaving cream he handed out holiday packages to his fellow soldiers serving in Viet Nam.  The following Christmas (1970) he donned his first Red Suit, working at one of Macy’s Southern California department stores.

During the next thirty-plus years, he continued wearing the red suit every Christmas, for family, fellow employees and friends.

An education in broadcasting and marketing led Tim to a few years in radio as a News Director and radio personality.   While in radio he found he had a talent for fund raising which lead to a 25-year career in charity and corporate work, raising millions of dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the March of Dimes, the City of Hope, and The American Cancer Society. 

As a fund raiser he helped produce dinners, concerts, telethons and special events with the Beach Boys, Rick Springfield, Lucille Ball, George Burns, Florence Henderson, Marie Osmond, John Schneider, Bob Hope and many other celebrities. 

During this period he also served on numerous local Chambers of Commerce and spent over 15 years with the California Jaycees, moving from a local member all the way up to the position as State Vice President of Community Relations. 

In 2006 he retired from his work in marketing and fundraising.  He says his many years in a variety of jobs and positions, were God’s way of preparing him for the greatest job of all…..becoming Santa Claus.

He has entertained and produced special events for over 30 years, including community theatre, magic shows, producing shows at the Hollywood Bowl and Universal Amphitheater.

As “Kris K,” he is a stand-up comedian and has appeared at the Improv, the Comedy Store, and Pasadena’s Ice House.  He has served as a master of ceremonies for numerous local events, shows and pageants, and has been an announcer at the Los Angeles Coliseum. 

His voice ranges from the tenor & baritone styles of Gary Owens and Don Pardo to the bass styles of Thurl Ravenscroft,  to the comic diversity of characters including Mickey, Goofy, Bullwinkle, Barney, and Tony the Tiger, studying with famed character voice artist June Foray.  He is comfortable in front of any audience whether it is four, forty, or forty thousand.

A Viet-Nam Vet, he has over 2,000 hours in the air as a tactical observer and today loves riding roller coasters. He officially opened Knott's Berry Farm’s ‘The Silver Bullet,' the fastest, highest and longest roller coaster ride on the West Coast, riding the coaster 17 times opening day for live video feeds across the United States. 

He served in the U.S. Army’s 9^th Infantry Division, and is a recipient of the Bronze Star, and other awards. In February, 2008, he was awarded the Military Legion of Honor’s Humanitarian Award.

He attended both Long Beach City College and California State University Long Beach majoring in Communications, and has certificates in Corporate Communications, and Fund Raising from USC (University of Southern California.)

When not traveling, he divides his time between homes in Southern California and New York, which he shares with his wife of 25 years, Barbara and their daughter, Morgan, who recently received her MBA

For information or appearances, email: Santa@SantaHollywood.com.  A member of SAG and AFTRA, he is currently represented by Coast to Coast Talent: (323) 845-9200. 

For more info visit:

http://www.SantaHollywood.com

http://www.IMDb.com/name/nm2463122/#actor

http://www.youtube.com/user/SantaHollywood

http://www.theKringleGroup.com

Electronic Press Kit:

http://www.SantaHollywood.com/epk.htm

Facebook/Twitter/MySpace = Santa Hollywood

© 2010 – Timothy Connaghan; The Kringle Group, LLC

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This page was last edited September 14, 2011

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