talkmagic.co.uk

Just done a corporate gig at a hotel for around 35 clients of the hotel. My angle for getting corporate work is "psychic entertainer" - it seperates me from the hordes of generic magicians currently populating the corporate entertainment world.

Anyway, as a genuine psychic who uses his gift to entertain, I did an hour of tarot readings, followed by a 60 minute show (centre tears, gaffed envelopes, and PK silverware heaven), followed by more tarot readings.

Afterwards the boss lady asked if I could recommend any other kinds of entertainment for her corporate clients. I innocently suggested a magician. "Oh no," she says, "magicians are too boring."

Bless her.

That is one of the reasons i regenerated into my new character, to offer something different

What is your angle stephen, if you dont mind my asking?

Shaun

Psychic entertainment and bizarre magick. Ancient rituals performed (not tricks). My new shows are presented as 'experiments'. Dressed in a Victorian Frock coat and carrying a gothic skull cane.

We often talk about people finding their "magical persona" or character. This is even more important these days for people who want to do this professionally. It's no good any more to stuff yourself into a suit & tie and go out into the corporate world as "a magician". You do have to offer something different, and that something different has to give your clients good value for money.

If you look on the corporate magicians website there are just reams and reams of smiling faces in shirt & tie. With that much competition, you need your angle now more than ever before.

Yep! that reminds me i need to supply corporate magcians website with my new character photograph! I grew bored of card tricks and such so took about a year to create a character. He is strange but friendly

Very good advice, but are there an awful lot of magicians who simply don't have a terribly interesting personality?

I think this is part of the reason for Brown and Blaine wannabes; the original performer is very good and has a great 'hook', so others copy it, thinking it will make them different (or simply because they admire the performer).

Of course, it doesn't work for them, partly because a successful perfoming persona is often an extension of the 'real' person and partly because it's already been done.

It's trite advice, but the world doesn't want the 'next' Criss Angel. It might, however, want YOU.

Well that's the first time I've heard the words "Blaine" and "terribly interesting personality" together

beeno wrote:Well that's the first time I've heard the words "Blaine" and "terribly interesting personality" together

You've missed Mr Blaine's very clever manipulation of performance expectations. In his case, the absence of apparent personality creates mystery. The effects speak for themselves, if you like. It's not simply a case of saying nothing.

What better antidote to chatty magicians asking for 'the clean hand'?

Then he started sitting in glass boxes and no one cared much any more!

Yes, one thing I have to work on is the art of shutting the hell up! I often find myself blathering on when I'm performing, when a nice 30 seconds of silence would be far more effective.

I've had a fairly bifurcated relationship with magic and mentalism. I got into mentalism through psychology, found magic through that, and have gradually found myself with one foot in each camp. It's really down to what people want from me. So, if someone demands "Show us a card trick" they'll get one, but if they say "Read my mind" they'll get that instead. It's really down to the difference between wanting to see something clever or inexplicable. Different people want different things. In my experience, some people want to see some nice, controlled card tricks because they think I really can read minds and the idea frightens them. Funny old world, innit...