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seadog93 Inner circle 3200 Posts |
Does anyone know about this and possibly used this successfully?
Obviously it's a very exciting idea, I just find myself wondering if it's something I would be successful. I see that some people have been very (very!) successful, but perhaps they are mostly established in their field and have something of an established network. Do you think it's likely that an upstart ( ...though incredibly enthusiastic, talented and good looking ) would be able to produce a stage show? Obviously it would take more than just setting up a kickstarter page and crossing your fingers, but what do you all think?
"Love is the magician who pulls man out of his own hat" - Ben Hecht
"Love says 'I am everything.' Wisdom says 'I am nothing'. Between the two, my life flows." -Nisargadatta Maharaj Seadog=C-Dawg=C.ou.rtn.ey Kol.b |
seadog93 Inner circle 3200 Posts |
If you (or more specifically ...I) were trying to produce a show, do you think a certain type of might be more appealing, more sexy, than others; or is it all in the presentation and networking?
Would séance theater or a bizarre magick one-man play be inherently more attractive than a mind reading show?
"Love is the magician who pulls man out of his own hat" - Ben Hecht
"Love says 'I am everything.' Wisdom says 'I am nothing'. Between the two, my life flows." -Nisargadatta Maharaj Seadog=C-Dawg=C.ou.rtn.ey Kol.b |
seadog93 Inner circle 3200 Posts |
Huh, I imagined this would be a hot topic.
...maybe you guys are all too busy working on your own kickstarter fundraisers to answer? Oh well, if I give it a try and it works I'll let you know.
"Love is the magician who pulls man out of his own hat" - Ben Hecht
"Love says 'I am everything.' Wisdom says 'I am nothing'. Between the two, my life flows." -Nisargadatta Maharaj Seadog=C-Dawg=C.ou.rtn.ey Kol.b |
MichaelDouglas Special user Portland, Oregon 766 Posts |
Hey Seadog. The lack of response may be due to the level of details you've provided. Maybe share what your performance background is and level of experience. Are you in a small town or a huge city? My thoughts are that a large stage show will take lots of investment in equipment and rehearsal. Do you already have that? If not, do you have the means to obtain the equipment? Storage facilities? Transportation for all of the equipment when moving the show from town to town? You don't clearly state wheather you are the performer or are you looking to hire the help and you take care of the logistics? The details on you omit to your thinking are huge.
My sense is that if you are looking to produce a large show, then you may need to get some experience working smaller shows first. Can you apprentice to someone else's operation and learn from them? I wish you the best. |
seadog93 Inner circle 3200 Posts |
Michael,
Thank you so much for your response, I appreciate it. When I see your questions I realize that I was really not giving any information at all, oops; it's so clear in my head I forgot no one else can see what I'm seeing ...yet. I have been doing magic and mentalism semi-professionally for 4 or 5 years. I have performed for up to a couple hundred people at times and I do have some experience. My thought was to do a one-man 'full evening show' in two parts with an intermission in a smaller theater. Really just a one time shot (maybe a weekend or a week) and if it's successful then looking into taking it on the road. My thought would be to rent a theater for a weekend (I haven't looked at prices, but I know that you can rent a staffed theater some places) and hire a director and an artist. All of this would, obviously, be good quality but not necessarily full time established professionals. I don't think I would really need much equipment other than the stuff I already have (I'm clueless as to lighting and sound stuff, but hoping I can make a deal with a theater.) I live in Berkeley, which is right across the bay from San Francisco.
"Love is the magician who pulls man out of his own hat" - Ben Hecht
"Love says 'I am everything.' Wisdom says 'I am nothing'. Between the two, my life flows." -Nisargadatta Maharaj Seadog=C-Dawg=C.ou.rtn.ey Kol.b |
Andrew Zuber Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 3014 Posts |
Assembling the show is one thing - marketing it is another. Have you considered the various methods of getting the word out about the show and how to fill the seats? An opener like a comedian and a band with an established fan base to pad the bill can always help, or even another magician or two.
The more you can get yourself out there and sell the project, the better off you will be in the back end. That's something to take into serious consideration. A strong web site that promotes you and the show are crucial. Posters, business cards, fliers - all of those things help. If you do busking you could find an area to perform and promote that was as well. You could contact the Magic Garage and Misdirections up there for ideas and people to contact. San Francisco isn't the cheapest market in the country to stage a show and they could certainly help you.
"I'm sorry - if you were right, I would agree with you." -Robin Williams, Awakenings
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charliecheckers Inner circle 1969 Posts |
I would suggest you try doing a small theater (perhaps linked to a community center) show for charity and having the charity sell the tickets for a few dollars and having a 50/50 drawing during intermission with all proceeds to the charity. This will give you valuable experience and allow you determine a next step. You will be surprised how hard it is to rent a theater, and even harder to fill it. Without a name and following, it is really really hard to sell seats. This would be probably be even more difficult where you live due to the name entertainment that is available readily. Even selling a charity on giving away your show is difficult, because they have other fundraisers and limited amount of volunteer hours. You need to convince them that they can raise a lot of money with relatively effort or they are not interested. Once you have done this, they will be able to leverage their membership resources to draw a crowd for your performance. Good luck.
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seadog93 Inner circle 3200 Posts |
Oh wow, this is good information. Thank you guys so much, it looks like there is a lot that I hadn't considered (there usually is).
I will be looking into all of your ideas. I did a little research on theater prices and they were a bit more than I had really thought. Charliecheckers, are they difficult to rent because of insurance and hassles like that, or is it a credibility thing? I did see a lot of churches and community center type places: does it sound like a good idea to put together a show, ideally with a director, polish it by doing free shows here and there (or fundraisers, even better) and then starting small by renting out one of these places? My thinking is that then I could spend more money on getting a whole promotion package together and if it is successful possibly move up. I also have (another) stupid question. I know that a graphic designer is the way to go for Posters, website, fliers and the like. I also imagine there would be someone who would know about where to advertise and promote a show. Is that a reasonable thing to look for, or would that be ridiculously expensive for such a small operation?
"Love is the magician who pulls man out of his own hat" - Ben Hecht
"Love says 'I am everything.' Wisdom says 'I am nothing'. Between the two, my life flows." -Nisargadatta Maharaj Seadog=C-Dawg=C.ou.rtn.ey Kol.b |
SpellbinderEntertainment Inner circle West Coast 3519 Posts |
I currently have a project on Kickstarter. You can get an idea of how it is set up and how it works from my link below…
While you’re at it please spread the word-- the clock is ticking, I have a way to go in pledges, and you have to reach your objective to receive the funds. Every few dollars adds up! The cool things are the “awards” the donor receives at certain levels of support. I do know two other performers that have had successful campaigns on Kickstarter for particular projects. Magically, Walt Reopening the San Francisco Magic Parlor! I’ve launched a project on “Kickstarter.” I’m re-creating and re-opening the Original San Francisco Magic Parlor, and asking my friends to network with their friends to pledge during July. (Remember “six-degrees-of-separation?) Kickstarter has a “must be fully funded” award policy. Astonishment! Magical Tales of San Francisco is theatrical Performance Art. A fresh approach to seamlessly blending classic storytelling with classical magic. Guests will enter an intimate Turn-of-the-Century-Parlor in the historic Chancellor Hotel where magical marvels and romantic tales of old San Francisco will unfold. I bring thirty-five years as a full-time magician and professional Equity actor to this project– I’ve assembled a “dream team” of artistic advisors and an amazing production design team. Wherever you are in the world, there’s a special table reserved for you in the San Francisco Magic Parlor– on the Cable Car line in the heart of downtown’s Union Square. all the information is on my Kickstarter page at: http://tinyurl.com/MagicParlor |
Blair Marshall Inner circle Montreal, Canada 3660 Posts |
Really good stuff Walt!!!
B
Visit My Facebook Fan Page At
www.Facebook.com/BlairMarshallMontrealMagician www.BlairMarshall.ca www.ShaZzamShow.com www.MontrealMagicien.com |
SpellbinderEntertainment Inner circle West Coast 3519 Posts |
It is a valuable resource if you're doing the right project that fits into their niche, and is of value to everyone involved.
Thanks Blair! Walt |
amakar Loyal user 235 Posts |
I haven't used Kickstarter for a performance-based product although the theatre based production is a good idea to fund your efforts.
Have you thought about producing an instructional magic DVD or an eBook as a kickstarter project? Andy |
SpellbinderEntertainment Inner circle West Coast 3519 Posts |
It is a fantastic website.. if you're committed to the Project and it has the merit to draw attention. It takes work and determination and an appealing project worth public support.
Ha! One project at a time! Once the Parlor is up and running, early next year I can thing about a DVD or book, but right now the idea is to achieve my Kickstarter goal for the San Francisco Parlor, the good news is I'm about 2/3 of the way there! Walt |
seadog93 Inner circle 3200 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-07-19 08:36, amakar wrote: Andy, I saw your post when you made and I just realized that I didn't actually post my response (I responded in my head ...did you hear it? ). Thanks for your suggestion. Whether I end up doing a kickstarter page for a theater show or not, that's got me thinking in that direction so I think that'll be my focus for now. I actually had two book ideas right before I found kickstarter and I had thought of trying to fund them, but I think those will be a future endeavor, if ever. I did also outline the best kids intro to magic book ever (based on my one time, but highly acclaimed week long magic camp), but I just can't make myself sit down to actually write it out. If the theater kickstarter page doesn't work maybe I should consider trying to get funded for voice recognition software and a copyeditor ...if I ever do write it I really do think it would be the best kids inroduction to magic book ever (or at least the kind that I would have wanted).
"Love is the magician who pulls man out of his own hat" - Ben Hecht
"Love says 'I am everything.' Wisdom says 'I am nothing'. Between the two, my life flows." -Nisargadatta Maharaj Seadog=C-Dawg=C.ou.rtn.ey Kol.b |
amakar Loyal user 235 Posts |
Hi Seadog -
One of my colleagues has used Kickstarter in a different business and it worked will for him to not only motivate him to create the product but also help test the market interest. I found one project where the owner raised several thousand dollars to create a ebook on a specific pod casting technique. Creating a Kickstarter campaign is straightforward enough but its the promotion and marketing of the Kickstarter campaign that you'll need. Ofcourse forum postings, press releases and creating your own blog around the book or Kickstarter effort will help! Magic books for kids and the public frequently have a publishing interest but at 5-10% royalties, your Kickstarter and self-published approach will provide better profitability. Andy |
SpellbinderEntertainment Inner circle West Coast 3519 Posts |
Yes if there is a secret to Kickstarter it is Marketing, marketing marketing, networking, networking, networking!
I'm 79% of the way there! Anyone want to help put the cap on the bottle? Walt |
charliecheckers Inner circle 1969 Posts |
Sorry for just getting back to you. Smaller community theaters should be easy to rent and you may be able to get the charity to deal with that end of it. Good luck.
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seadog93 Inner circle 3200 Posts |
Yep, marketing the kickstarter page. It always comes back to marketing! I guess someday I'll have to get good at that.
I think a small community theater is what I will look at; maybe for a longer term run like a month or two (or who knows, maybe more). Walt, I'm at a financial low point, but I am looking into contributing a little bit at least. I'd love to support the show and I hope to see it when it opens.
"Love is the magician who pulls man out of his own hat" - Ben Hecht
"Love says 'I am everything.' Wisdom says 'I am nothing'. Between the two, my life flows." -Nisargadatta Maharaj Seadog=C-Dawg=C.ou.rtn.ey Kol.b |
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