So.. You've done the hard work and put in the time to practice and develop an interesting magic act, or set of routines, building up knowledge and performing for your family and friends. What's the next step? Learning magic can be a very rewarding hobby and most people are fine keeping it as a recreational activity. However, what should you do if you want to move it further along and perform your act for money to the paying public.
Where are you going to perform?
How much are you going to charge?
How will you find work?
The answers to these questions are vital to your success as a working magician, yet information on the subject is usually missing from most instructions and training videos that come with the magic tricks you purchase.
It’s a catch 22 situation. It takes time to aquire knowledge of the business side of magic. There is no motivation to train magicians in these techniques, sometimes as a result of fear that it will generate competition in their working area. The more a magician learns about this side of the business, the less likely they will be to willingly teach others, risking their competitive edge.
The real danger is that this lack of this knowledge may cause beginners to run before they can walk, pitching to clients in an unprofessional way.
Four quick tips:
Don’t just cold call a restaurant or venue, dressed in your performing outfit and insist on showing the manager your magic tricks.
It's likely that the events manager is busy and your are expecting them stop everything and watch your audition is the last thing they need. Make contact first by letter, then follow up with a telephone call to make an appointment.Check if a magician is already working at the venue.
If you undercut a magician already working at the venue, it may make you look cheap and create a bad name for you in your area amongst the working professionals. Magic has its own network and news of bad practice like this spreads very fast. Many agents and venues have long term relationships with their performers, and a bad word about you, will destroy trust, and you may lose work in the long term.Don’t work for free.
Sooner or later, you will be asked to work for free or for a token payment, because you don’t have the experience or in the hope of gaining exposure to a wider audience. Once you start this process, it’s almost impossible to persuade the client to begin paying you a normal rate. After all, they know there are magicians out there happy to work for nothing. Instead, show the client how you can build value for their business with a tester booking (at your normal rate) with a promise of a reduction, should they wish to give you regular work.Assume they will not remember you.
Magic has a strange effect on people. A magician can totally amaze a group of spectators, show them the magic that makes their jaw drop and blows them away. Then 30 minutes later, none of the group will remember the performer’s name! There are several psychological theories to explain this phenomenon, but the practical implications for the magician mean you need to remind them who you were AFTER the performance. The cure is very easy: Give out business cards as much as possible!
Those are a few common mistakes, but what’s the right way to get gigs and market your magic skills? I asked one of the busiest full time professional magician’s I've worked with, Sean Heydon to provide a step by step guide to setting up your magic business and starting to perform magic tricks for money. It covers a huge range of practical steps, templates and tips to get you up and running as a working magician. After all, what is all the practice you have been doing for, if you don’t take it to the next level? You can download it free here:
