by The4thCircle » Jul 21st, '11, 08:46
I must admit I've had similar thoughts along these lines and I picked up a book called Out of Your Pocket by Merlin T Shute.
It gives a lot of good advice around the specifics of restaurant magic and in the part on self promotion it says that the #1 rule is to never ever work for free.
I've never performed magic professionally but in my current line of work I have encountered a phrase that you'll probably hear a lot. It's commonly spoken to graphic designers and musicians, but it's also frequently heard in reference to technical roles, especially in start-up companies.
The phrase is, "If you do a little free work for us, it'll really raise your profile."
Whether it's drawing in an artist on the basis they they need to have their work on display somewhere, so it may as well be on the website of a cheapskate company, or telling a software engineer that a little free coding will pad their CV out a little. Some will even add that if you do free work for them, and it is successful, there could be paid work down the line.
There never is.
By doing anything for free you are merely establishing your perceived value in the workplace. The book also says that your pitch to any restaurant manager should reinforce that you are worth the price you charge. They don't care how good your show is if it doesn't put bums on seats.
At this point I'm a little out of my depth so maybe another member can verify this, but I'd say that if you want to raise your profile, find a place where you can perform with no affiliation for no purpose other than promotion of yourself. A trip up to the fringe, or some other event where street performance is seen as less of a low art (I know a few busking magicians and whilst their performances are wonderful, even they don't deny there is a certain stigma attached to it) could achieve this, though a more focused event would also be suitable.
If I wanted to get a reputation as a corporate magician, I'd probably wander round a trade show doing stand-up effects and making sure to hand out cards to all spectators. I'm not sure if there are trade shows for the owners of eateries...
I guess the point I'm making is that if you do a free nights work *for* someone, you're immediately lowering the chances of them paying you in future, bizarre though that probably sounds, and word will get out that you're cheap.
You don't want people to think you're cheap do you?
-Stacy