Moving mermaids: Halifax Mermaids would get nowhere without their Merwrangler Sean Norman

There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into an event featuring the Halifax Mermaids, including the role filled by Sean Norman.

Norman is the co-owner of Halifax Mermaids with his partner Stephanie Brown, but at mermaid events, Brown is known as Raina Mermaid and Norman is known as Merwrangler Sean. Norman is often seen standing off to the side making sure everything runs smoothly and carrying the mermaids around.

His job has grown over the years, but initially Norman didn’t think he’d be doing much when they started the company in 2010.

“I didn’t necessarily know what I was getting myself into, but being a mermaid made her [Brown] so happy, so I thought I should at least help,” he says. “Once she gets the tail on she’s kind of stuck, so I said ‘ok, where do you want to go?’ and it took off from there.”

Brown adds that having Norman available can help them out in other ways, especially when they need to be moved in an emergency.

“He’s our legs,” says Brown. “I could spend forever trying to get the tail off, but he can take it off me quickly or carry me out if he needs to.”

While he spends a lot of time carrying and moving the mermaids around, Norman is much more than a mode of transportation. He also does administrative duties, takes the company’s official photos, helps the mermaids put on their tails, manages supplies and ensures event locations are safe.

“I’ll do a couple walkthroughs to make sure it’s safe and that there is enough space … a mermaid can be eight to 10 feet, depending how long the mermaid and the tail is,” he says. “They could hit someone or bounce off of something, so I have to be really careful when carrying them or pushing them around [on a dolly or in wheelchair].”

He’s also available if guests need medical assistance, as the mermaids are limited in how quickly they can move.

“Sean’s had to jump into a pool to save someone from drowning,” says Brown. “Sometimes kids will be in a state where they’re getting in over their head; the mermaids are there, but they’re not always able to get to them in time.”

Despite having a prominent role, Norman doesn’t have any desire to be in the limelight.

“To be honest, I’m not comfortable in the spotlight,” he says. “If you like it when others are in the spotlight and want to help if you still help out, this is the perfect role.”

While there is a lot of work involved in his job, Norman finds it’s a rewarding experience.

“It’s a lot of fun,” he says. “You can’t help but have fun because you’re putting smiles on people’s faces; it’s keeping the magic alive for kids.”

After all, Halifax Mermaids is a team effort and each role is essential to the business’ day-to-day operations.

“I definitely would not be successful without Sean,” says Brown. “I’d just be sitting there, flopping around.”

Alongside their work in Nova Scotia, the Halifax Mermaids recently attended a mermaid convention in North Carolina.

Mer-Maina 2016 was held Jan. 2 to 5 and attracted mermaids and other industry professionals from around the world. As part of the event, the Halifax Mermaids gave various workshops including those on professional development, social media and safety.

“We are recognized experts in the area of the monofin and so we did a safety workshop on it,” says Brown.

Along with sharing their own expertise, they used the convention to learn from others who may have more insight into other aspects of their work.

“Here, we’re trailblazers,” says Brown. “We created Halifax Mermaids … and there’s no one above us who we can learn from, [so] we go to these events and I just soak everything in.”

Brown also likes the networking part of the convention, as they are able to connect with mermaids or mermen they might like to work with.

“It is like any other business going to a conference, we just happen to wear costumes,” she says.

Since they’ve been going to Mer-Mania for three years, Brown and Norman find each passing year shows how much the professional mermaid industry has evolved.

“We’re a tight night group, but it seems like it’s growing more and more,” says Norman. “There were almost 300 mermaids there and it was the biggest gathering so far.”