Conversations with Deanna Hicks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deanna Hicks.

Hi Deanna, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In 2014, I left teaching third grade to pursue what I considered to be the best part of the everyday classroom – stories. The love of reading and talking about stories, connecting to the common human experience through the pages of books, and learning about the world and ourselves in the process.

Paper & Stars Studio was born from that love of books, and the wish to create dynamic, interesting, and fun experiences for kids. Everything I do at Paper & Stars is book-inspired. I held themed camps and birthday parties in our brick and mortar, and then went on to produce kid’s entertainment for Live & Local on Hillsborough Street, The Night Market Co, and Artsplosure. In 2017, I came across an article about a new children’s bookstore opening in downtown – Read With Me Children’s Books & Art. I took a chance and reached out to Christine Brenner, the owner, asking about holding some events in partnership with the store. We met and immediately hit it off, starting a partnership that would last until the store closed, and a friendship that will last forever. I produced camps, workshops, storytime crafts, and other themed events in partnership with Christine. During that time, I decided to try something I had always wanted to do – create a fairy festival. With the support of Raleigh Parks, our first Away With The Fairies festival was held in 2019, completely free to attend for all. Keeping these events free was very important to me – I wanted all families to be able to attend and create memories together regardless of financial standing, As of 2024, we produce 6 free book-inspired festivals annually, and have hosted over 23,500 attendees to date. We also hold ticketed Step Into The Story events in partnership with Enchanted Wishes and Hartwell.

This year, we added a new division of events under the Paper & Stars Studio umbrella. The Society of Stardust & Stories produces book-inspired, immersive fantasy events for adults. These bespoke events are the first of their kind based in NC – we are thrilled to offer events ranging from our upcoming Practical Magic Party at Hartwell on 10/6/2024, to Kingdom of Starlight on 2/15/2025 at the gorgeous Oxbow Estate, to our Midsummer Masquerade coming in June 2025. With the addition of Stardust & Stories, we hope to celebrate the same magic and love of stories with adults that we have shared with children for the past 10 years. Fantasy story-inspired book balls are having a moment, and we are so excited to offer these events for our community. Along with our existing catalog of events, we offer something for every age group – we love seeing old friends and new faces each time we gather!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It had definitely not been a road without obstacles! When people ask me about the journey, I always say it has been a long, meandering one. After I left teaching and poured my heart and soul into our brick and mortar, we lost that space within the first year of our lease. The space continually flooded with every heavy rain and became unusable. I was devastated, lost, and had no idea what to do next – I went through several iterations of what Paper & Stars has ultimately become, including teaching Tinkergarten and looking for another traditional job. Nothing clicked until David Dean, the director of Live It Up on Hillsborough Street, asked me if I’d be interested in running the kids’ zone for Live & Local – my love of events was born then, and was a natural extension of the love I had for themes and books.

The other main struggle was one we all went through – the Covid shutdown. In March of 2020, I coordinated what would be my last birthday party at Read With Me, although we didn’t know that at the time. Like everyone, we hoped for a quick resolution that didn’t come. During that difficult time, I held our events online in partnership with Christine. I was very uncertain about my festival events or any others coming back from that long period of inactivity – it turned out that people were very ready to get out and about once restrictions were lifted, and thankfully we were able to get back on track.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My company specializes in celebrating everyday magic. We produce book-based festivals, camps, workshops, immersive events, and more for all ages. We also have a line of products such as potion kits and magical holiday items which integrate with our immersive events and allow our community to continue the experiences at home.

We are most well-known for our free, family-friendly Wonderstruck Festivals in partnership with Raleigh Parks where we host thousands of attendees each year.

I am most proud of the experiences I have been able to bring to families over the past 10 years – I strive to produce a quality event with each and every one I create. I feel that I have been able to accomplish the main purpose of starting this company – bringing the magic of stories to all ages in our wonderful community.

I am very proud to have created a unique events company here in the triangle that is still thriving and growing today, We are the first and only book-based event company in NC and are so excited for our next chapter in growing our existing events and launching The Society of Stardust & Stories!

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I have learned is perseverance – everything won’t work out perfectly, and sometimes it won’t work out at all. But, if you continue to readjust, rethink, regroup – you can succeed. Your destination may not look the way you imagined, but it just might be better. It happened that way for me – I can’t imagine not experiencing the absolute joy I felt at that very first Away With The Fairies Festival watching kids dance among the bubbles wearing their fairy wings, but I would have never built this company this way if the huge loss of my brick and mortar never happened.

The other most important thing I learned is that no one does it alone – I have been so fortunate to have the support of my family, as well as so many people in this area who chose to take a chance on partnering with me, and those people have become lifelong friends. There really are so many supportive, kind people around who are willing to support other creative businesses in building the community we love here in Raleigh, and for that I am forever grateful!

Pricing:

• Free Wonderstruck Festivals
• $35 – $80 Step Into The Story Events
• $30 – $500 Stardust & Stories Events
• $7 – $150 Product Catalog

Contact Info:

• Website: www.paperandstarsstudio.com and www.societyofstardustandstories.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperandstarsstudio/ and https://www.instagram.com/thesocietyofstardustandstories/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paperandstarsstudio