talkmagic.co.uk

does anyone know a cheap way of getting your foot in the door for magic shows, I'm still a kid and i've only done a few shows but that kind of thing hapens rarely. I'm looking to make it more frequent.

i've got myself some business card but i don't want to go as far as putting an add in the paper.

give your cards out to anyone you feel will be your target audience ie to mothers for kids parties, teenagers for street stuff etc.

put an add in the thomson local it free for online, make a website and stick it on a t shirt.

ask around your local clubs and organisations wether they are in the market for an entertainer, don't quote prices wait for replys.

do a leaflet drop around your local area, stick them through doors and on car windscreens.

You say your "a kid"... how old are we talking? I was doing shows in my backyard at age six and seven, on real stages by the time I was nine... it just takes DOING IT!

Get out there, get an actual act pulled together, get people that are theater oriented to help you knock off the rough spots and help you look and sound good, and just keep plugging away.

Get a solid competition act together and compete, that's one of the quickest and easiest ways of making things happen; Audition for every talent show and gong show night type deals you can find. Do FREE shows for area church groups, scout troops, kiddie schools and if you have the looks and some natural charm hit up those blue-haired old ladies at the Rotary Clubs and Card Joints (think of being the Artful Dodger with class and charm).

Having the support of your family is critical, I can't stress that enough. This typically means you need to prove yourself at several levels; keeping your grades up, your nose clean, and your attitude in check. Tend to your normal responsibilities without having to be told and then do a few more things on top of it all. Show your parents how magic can help you with your school work and vice versa -- math, memory development techniques, chemistry, psychology, physics, etc.

There are tons of opportunities available but you must also hold to what works best for someone of your age group. In other words, I wouldn't be telling folks that you're an NLP or Body Language expert in order to pull off some high end mentalism. Stick with TRICKS that are cute, pretty, and amusing... choreograph a manipulation act or two (can't go wrong with that) but hold to age appropriate material and get a teacher or someone that can help you with patter, practice, and presentation.

Another couple of areas you might want to look at would be puppets and juggling... a lot of young people do well when adding those elements, even just a little bit, into their shows.

Best of luck!

What a thoroughly fascinating thread this is!

The idea of £100 for an hour that is not quibbled tends to sit well in my mind. I'm looking to start taking bookings for kids' shows, and this seems to be the ball-park figure that I'm looking to start at.

Just wondering, if the spec has no idea, and we have no idea, then why not charge £120?!

A quesiton for the pros on the forum - do you find that upping your price results in a better class of clientele, a less stressful life and more income? I mean, does upping the income have a matching reduction in bookings?

Oh, that's two questions...

do you find that upping your price results in a better class of clientele, a less stressful life and more income?

in general being neer the top end does work and alows you to offer a discount.

I've heard more than one children's entertainer say that they set their fee as high as they can justify and stick to it.

On one side, there's the issue of perceived value. Keeping to a price tells the client that you're worth it.

And on the other, it seems to be common wisdom that the clients that haggle and try for a cheap deal are the ones that expect the earth and treat you like dirt.

I see it regularly in the freelance video market as well. These days when a potential client phones me and asks 'what's the cheapest wedding video you can do?', I simply explain that I don't work that way and say goodbye. Those people are more bother than they're worth.

pcwells wrote:These days when a potential client phones me and asks 'what's the cheapest wedding video you can do?', I simply explain that I don't work that way and say goodbye. Those people are more bother than they're worth.

Oh yeah. That's true everywhere. I usually say they pay for a Fiat but expect a Mercedes. They are the worse. I own a company events company and a travel agency, and the ones that look for the cheapest deal to go to the Caribbean, or the ones that want to overly press their events budget, are the ones that claim all sort of strange things. Perceived value / real value...

i'll give you a straight answer...

30 to 45mins...after dinner presentation...12 people or so (usually less)...

£100 to £150 (depending on what im doing), plus some red wine, and a couple of cigars...

i dont advertise, no business cards,just one e-mail adress - but i've managed to stumble upon word-of-mouth...complete fluke...but there you go...