We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrew Raynor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andrew, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The idea for Trident Tails Entertainment was born from a very unusual career path. Long before I was running a company, I was performing as “Merman Andrew,” an underwater performance artist. I spent years traveling the world performing in aquariums, festivals, and live events, and through those experiences I began to see something fascinating happening in real time: audiences were completely captivated by underwater storytelling. Children would press their hands against the glass in awe, adults would become just as enchanted, and entire spaces would transform the moment a mermaid or merman entered the water.

But behind the magic, I also saw a gap in the industry.

Many venues wanted mermaid entertainment, but there was rarely a professional infrastructure around it. Safety standards varied, storytelling was inconsistent, and there was no company truly treating underwater performance as a high caliber entertainment discipline. As a certified freediver and professional performer, I knew it could be something far more elevated.

That realization was the spark.

I began imagining what mermaid entertainment could look like if it were approached the same way other world class live entertainment is approached. What if underwater performances were designed with cinematic storytelling, professional safety protocols, and highly trained performers? What if aquariums, festivals, and resorts could offer immersive aquatic shows that were not only magical but also expertly produced?

That idea became Trident Tails Entertainment.

The logic behind the business was clear. Venues were already investing heavily in experiences that would bring audiences through their doors, but few were offering immersive aquatic entertainment done at a professional level. By combining certified freediving performers with theatrical storytelling and bespoke programming, we could create something both unique and scalable. Our performances could live inside aquariums, renaissance festivals, luxury resorts, corporate events, and private experiences.

Today, that vision has grown into a global entertainment company that designs custom aquatic experiences around the world. Trident Tails performers have appeared everywhere from major aquariums and renaissance festivals to corporate events and media productions, bringing immersive underwater storytelling to audiences across the globe. 

What excites me most is that the original idea still drives everything we do: turning water into a stage and creating moments of wonder that people never forget. Every performance reminds me why this endeavor was worthwhile in the first place. When someone presses their hands to the glass and their eyes light up with disbelief and joy, you realize you’re not just producing entertainment. You’re creating real magic.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My career began in a place most people would never expect: underwater.

I am known professionally as “Merman Andrew,” an internationally recognized aquatic performance artist and the founder and CEO of Trident Tails Entertainment. What started as a passion for performance, storytelling, and the ocean eventually evolved into a completely unique career. Over the years I developed a specialty in underwater performance, combining freediving, theatrical movement, and immersive storytelling to create the illusion of real mermaids and mermen performing beneath the water.

As I traveled and performed around the world, I realized there was an opportunity to take what was often treated as novelty entertainment and elevate it into a professional, fully produced experience. That vision ultimately led me to create Trident Tails Entertainment.

Today, Trident Tails Entertainment is a global aquatic entertainment company that designs immersive experiences for aquariums, renaissance festivals, luxury resorts, corporate events, and private celebrations. Our performers are not just entertainers, they are trained professionals. Our team consists of certified freedivers and experienced performers who combine safety training, physical discipline, and theatrical artistry to bring underwater storytelling to life. 

What we provide goes far beyond simply putting a “mermaid in a tank.” We design fully customized entertainment experiences tailored to each venue’s goals. That can include underwater performances inside aquarium exhibits, interactive mermaid meet and greets, educational programming for families and children, and even large scale entertainment productions featuring pirates, aerialists, fire performers, and other live acts. 

One of the biggest problems we solve for our clients is turning spaces into unforgettable experiences. Aquariums, festivals, and resorts are always looking for ways to create something memorable that draws guests in and keeps them talking long after they leave. Underwater performance does exactly that. When a mermaid glides past a window in an aquarium tank or interacts with a child through the glass, it instantly transforms the environment into something magical.

What truly sets us apart is the way we approach the work. Safety and professionalism are at the core of everything we do. Our performers are trained in freediving and aquatic safety, and every experience is designed with careful attention to the environment and the venue we are working in. At the same time, we approach every performance with a strong focus on storytelling and artistry. We treat water as a stage and every show as an opportunity to create a moment of wonder.

I am incredibly proud of the journey that brought this company to life. What started as one performer following a very unusual passion has grown into a global network of talented entertainers performing across aquariums, festivals, and events around the world. Our team has appeared everywhere from major renaissance festivals and corporate events to internationally recognized venues and media productions. 

But what I am most proud of is the impact we have on audiences. There is something incredibly powerful about watching someone experience wonder in real time. When a child presses their hands against the glass of an aquarium and realizes a mermaid is swimming right in front of them, that moment becomes a memory they carry for the rest of their lives.

At the heart of everything we do is a simple idea: bringing imagination to life. Whether we are performing underwater, creating interactive guest experiences, or designing large scale entertainment programming, our goal is always the same. We want to create moments that feel magical, immersive, and unforgettable.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One of the biggest challenges in my journey has actually been the thing that makes my career unique: being a professional merman in an industry that has historically been almost entirely centered around mermaids.

When I first started performing, the idea of a male mermaid performer wasn’t widely understood or accepted. The industry had been built around the visual and cultural idea of mermaids for decades, and most opportunities were designed specifically with female performers in mind. In many spaces I would show up and people simply didn’t know what to do with a merman. Some thought it was a novelty, others assumed audiences wouldn’t connect with it, and many venues had simply never considered that a male aquatic performer could be part of the experience.

Instead of seeing that as a barrier, I chose to see it as an opportunity.

I realized that if the role didn’t exist yet, I would have to help create it. I focused on elevating the performance itself. I trained extensively in freediving so I could perform longer, safer, and more dynamic underwater routines. I leaned into storytelling and theatrical movement to make the character feel real and cinematic. I also focused on professionalism, treating underwater performance as a legitimate discipline that required training, safety standards, and artistry.

Slowly, that approach started to change how people saw the work.

Audiences didn’t just accept the idea of a merman, they loved it. Kids would see the character and immediately recognize him as part of the same magical world as the mermaids. Event organizers began realizing that adding mermen created richer storytelling and more dynamic interactions for guests. What once felt like a limitation became one of my biggest advantages.

That experience taught me an important lesson about resilience. Sometimes the industry you are stepping into does not yet have a space for what you do. In those moments you have two choices: try to fit into the mold that already exists or build something new.

I chose to build something new.

That mindset eventually led me to create Trident Tails Entertainment, where we now celebrate a diverse cast of mermaids, mermen, pirates, and aquatic performers working together to create immersive entertainment experiences around the world.

Looking back, the very thing that once made my journey more difficult ended up becoming the foundation for my brand and my career. Being a merman didn’t limit the path forward. It helped define it.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

For most of the early years of Trident Tails Entertainment, I was running the company completely on my own. I built the business as a solo founder while traveling and performing as “Merman Andrew,” slowly growing the brand from the ground up and building relationships across the entertainment and events industry. Over time I developed partnerships with venues, festivals, producers, and organizations that were looking for immersive and unique live experiences.

Then I met the person who would eventually become both my life partner and my business partner.

When Thomas and I first met, he wasn’t a merman at all. He came from a strong background in theater and marketing and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre Performance. He had experience working with major live entertainment productions and brands, so he already understood the world of performance and storytelling from a completely different angle.

As our relationship grew, he began seeing the world I had built around aquatic performance and immersive entertainment. Eventually he stepped into the water himself and trained to become a merman performer. What started as curiosity quickly turned into a genuine passion for the craft.

It also became clear that we had very complementary strengths. I had spent years developing the artistic vision, performance style, and operational side of Trident Tails. Thomas brought a deep understanding of storytelling, marketing, and audience engagement. Together we began shaping the company in a way that blended both of those perspectives.

Last year we got married, making the partnership official in more ways than one. Today Thomas works alongside me helping lead marketing, communications, and promotion for Trident Tails while also performing as a merman himself.

If you look him up online, you can find him across social platforms as @mermanthomas.

Building this company alongside someone who understands both the artistry and the business side of what we do has been incredibly meaningful. What started as my solo journey has grown into a shared vision, and together we continue working to bring immersive aquatic entertainment and storytelling to audiences around the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.tridenttails.com
• Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/Mermanandrew
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17fmPFSFjw/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mermanandrew?_r=1&_t=ZT-94Sx0oslk8z

  https://www.instagram.com/tridenttailsentertainment?igsh=c3Z2cXZmOGJycDkz&utm_source=qr

  Www.instagram.com/mermanthomas