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Ray Pierce Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 2607 Posts |
Yes, the Downtown Disney Magicians and Jugglers are a contracted act that conforms to all Disney standards but are not employees. One of the odd facets of the contract is that although their names are posted on large signs, they are forbidden to post anything about themselves performing there on any social media platforms. The original group was booked more for closeup type magic but they are currently using more parlour type street acts that draw 100+ size crowds. They only have one act doing 4 - 30 minute sets per night and now just on Friday & Saturday nights although they were doing 7 days at one point.
Ray Pierce
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Yehoshua Regular user Turnersville, NJ 159 Posts |
Any chance there's info on approximate income range of Boardwalk Performers? I'm quite curious if it's worth the move from NJ to FL. Also, despite not being actual "Cast Members" of Disney Parks, do the contracted performers still gain perks like free park access, etc?
I spoke to a performer years ago (Nick Paul) who was, at the time, performing on the Disney Boardwalk, about these things, but I'm sure it's all changed in years since. I've reached out to Disney directly with questions but have yet to hear back. Thanks for all this info! |
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thomasR Inner circle 1189 Posts |
Ray... You're talking about Downtown Disney in California correct?
Yehoshua... I doubt much has changed since you spoke to Nick. |
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Yehoshua Regular user Turnersville, NJ 159 Posts |
I'm hoping as much, though when I was visiting the area just a few weeks ago, I didn't see a single performer there, which was a stark contrast to my previous visit.
If indeed they are pulling back hours, I'm wondering if also they are pulling back the salary of those performers, and if indeed it is worth pursuing. My wife and I are considering moving to Florida, but I need to be sure there will be adequate means of making a living as a performer before I uproot and move away from all my current clientele, is all. I still have yet to find the opportunity to make it to Clearwater when I'm there. I had intended to see what the busking scene was like there. I reached out to fellow performers on Facebook, but got -0- replies, so...back to research, I suppose. |
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thomasR Inner circle 1189 Posts |
Interesting. When I was there earlier in the year it was business as usual with 3 performers nightly. How was the weather? If it's bad weather they will perform inside the lobby, or in one of the hotel bars.
What Ray described sounds like Downtown Disney in California. |
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Yehoshua Regular user Turnersville, NJ 159 Posts |
Well, it depends on your definition of "bad weather". lol If my friends in Florida are to be believed, they felt it was "too cold" ... but, to me, 55-60 degrees was nice. I WAS coming from snowstorms in NJ though, so...It wasn't a high bar that was set, lol
I did do a quick random performance for a table as I was passing through a "magic-themed" bar...the staff did not take kindly to that >.> No money or business cards were exchanged, but...meh. That being said, have you any experience with the magic scene in central Florida? Busking, even? |
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thomasR Inner circle 1189 Posts |
If it's "too cold" they will perform indoors. And I think they can choose a few locations indoors. I've seen them in the lobby and also in the bar near the lobby.
Brian Staron performing in the bar up there was so good. Those were the days. That would have been the AbracadaBar at the boardwalk. I can't imagine Disney would take kindly to that sort of thing cause it's... well Disney. Ha. There's the magic shop that does timed shows at Old Town (just down the road from Disney property). It's owned by Theatre Magic. Im sure they are always looking for performers and demonstrators (they have 2 "theatre" /stores in Universal, and 1 up in St. Augustine. Then there's Wizardz magic every Monday night. It's more of a magic club... Most of the audience is magicians. Really fun though. |
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Ray Pierce Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 2607 Posts |
Quote:
On Apr 2, 2018, thomasR wrote: Yes, I'm only discussing the Downtown Disney performers here in California. Yes, they are contracted performers who are paid considerably more than the traditional employees but the trade off is that they do not receive any of the typical employee "perks" such as park admission, comps or employee discounts. I will say that to my knowledge, they have a full team of performers and are not thinking of hiring any more artists at this time.
Ray Pierce
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Yehoshua Regular user Turnersville, NJ 159 Posts |
Thank you, thomasR! I appreciate the quick response! Yes, it was certainly the AbracadaBar. Figured a quick trick for some peeps wouldn't be too bad, but...I was wrong, lol! Ah well, had fun in any case, and no serious issues arose (i think!).
I know they audition for the Performers on the Boardwalk, and I'm sure I'm late for that one this year, in any case. Regardless, I need to figure out what I -can- do if I move. Old Town came up. I did stop in and check it out. I've personally managed 2 Magic Shops before, so I'm sure it'd be right up my alley, though last I reached out to the owner, he wasn't looking to hire for much. Still, in combination with other venues, it may be viable. That's a shame that the Boardwalk Performers don't get the Park Admission Perk Would have been worth its weight in gold, for sure! Granted, I'm sure I'd meet enough Cast Members, the point would probably be moot anyway. Well, I've got a ton of homework to do, then! |
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thomasR Inner circle 1189 Posts |
You can always send your resume / demo video in to Disney. They need people to fill in from time to time. Nick Paul got on because one of the regulars on the Boardwalk got injured and they needed someone asap. (It's on one of his podcast episodes). Disney also needs people for corporate work and private events.
Antwon (still a boardwalk regular) got hired by Disney because he was performing in an orlando area restaurant when a Disney manager came in with his family. (Story also from Nick Paul's podcast). I'm not sure what the full time Boardwalk performers get as far as park access. It's not necesarily the same as California though. By the way... Nick Paul performs in California now sometimes! I haven't caught him there yet but I hope to. Would be fun to have seen him on both coasts. |
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Ray Pierce Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 2607 Posts |
Quote:
On Apr 3, 2018, thomasR wrote: I believe Nick is a regular performer there. If you happened to be out there on Saturday April 21st... you could possibly be in luck.
Ray Pierce
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Yehoshua Regular user Turnersville, NJ 159 Posts |
Nick is friggin' fantastic! Big shoes to fill on the boardwalk at Disney Orlando lol
Valid points, though, about sending in an audition tape that, while it may not get me the boardwalk gig straight away, may lead to other work with the Mouse, which is a networking dream. Thank you, everyone, for your replies! |
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SleightlyChris Veteran user Lancashire, England 360 Posts |
Good luck! Our auditions and hiring process not just for magicians but for all entertainment has a high volume of traffic. Even our cruise line variety acts go on a long wait list.
I wouldn't uproot and move Florida unless you have a back up job. Perhaps make magic part time again then when you have more gigs or a regular paying one make the jump back into full time. There is a lot of opportunity in orlando, more restaurants than you can imagine so if you're a table hopper you might make it. The downside is orlando does have it's fair share of (great) magicians so competition is up! All the best |
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