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sperris Special user http://www.Anti-Conjuror.com 881 Posts |
Hey guys, I just moved to a new area and a whole new state in general. I'm having to start over with marketing and forming a new client base. I'm in an area where there are many many magicians and clowns, etc. I thought kid shows would be an excellent way to start marketing and making contacts. What are some recommendations for advertising and just spreading the word out? I have my agencies that I work with, but those take me out of state but I want to start establishing a name locally in my new location. Thanks for the help!
sperris
DANSPERRY.COM
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Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
Dan,
For most people I would say birthday parties are the easy entry market shows. However, for you, I recommend that you approach the advertising agencies as talent, shopping malls, fairs (fall is loaded with them), country clubs and hotels. You have a real stage show that is commercial and plays to larger audiences. It is not a platform show or smaller that is better suited to an at home birthday party. From what I understand, nationally and in the good markets, birthday shows only pay $200-250 each. It is far from what stage magic pays. Stage magic is also performed under much better circumstances that you control. Besides that, your costuming is going to send Junior's parents through the ceiling. You need a more mature audience for your work that I have seen. It is there, but not at Junior's house. (Where are you now?) There may be much better opportunities. Even grand openings, sales events, and weddings pay better than birthday parties. The staging is better and you will find the schedules are more dependable. Birthday parties are fine, but it is not the best or highest paying route for dove magic. The costs of doing shows is not really different. The capacity of the employers to give you multiple bookings is very different and more visible to your market. Scheme! Uncle Bob |
Peter Marucci Inner circle 5389 Posts |
Sigh!
For about the umpteenth time, kids' shows are NOT an entry-level performance area. Far, far too many wannabe performers think that doing kids' shows (birthday parties, etc.) would be an easy way to pick up a few bucks, or an easy way to get started in performing for the public. Wrong! Doing kids' shows WELL is probably the hardest thing you will ever do in magic. Sure, any bozo can (and does) get a bunch of tricks together and demonstrate them for a bunch of kids. The bozo goes on far too long, the kids get resless and unruly, and the bozo complains later that his audience is to blame. |
Ron Reid Inner circle Phoenix, Arizona 2732 Posts |
Thank you, Peter. Well said, once again.
Ron |
magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Amen to that Bro Peter. That is so true. People often think that performing for kids is an easy solution. The reality is that kids are some of the hardest audience you will ever have to perform for.
Performing for kids "WELL" takes time and dedication and a devotion to learning, trying and adapting to changing situations. With that said, Sperris, can you tell us a bit more about your performance style and the type of show you currently have and are used to performing? Also tell us about your goals for this year and the future. This may help us get a better idea of what market might be best suited for you. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
Gentlemen,
Sperris is Dan Sperry, a very fine and awarded stage magician who has played the Magic Castle on multiple occasions and performs and lectures at magic conventions. Catch his act and lectures, if you can. He is a Chavez trained dove worker whose show is done completely to music. He is nineteen and attending college. His black and silver costuming is geared to that market with colored spiked hair, long black coat and combat boots with shinny chrome toes. Think MTV videos. No doubt you will see a lot of him for years to come. He has talent beyond what should be legal. I like his work. (And it is very different from mine!) Like most of us, who were professional performers when we started to college, he is land-locked at school most of the week, has commercial talent to sell, and is looking for alternative employment while in college. He is no amateur or hobbyist. He is merely trying to establish himself in a new geographic area. He is not claiming to be an expert at children’s magic. He is asking for advice. Peter, I don’t think anyone is disagreeing with you. Children’s markets are indeed a market unto themselves requiring no less professionalism than any other. If there is any disagreement at all, it is over the word “entry”. As an experienced founder and owner of an agency that functioned for many years as a booking agency and personal management agency for professional entertainers, I believe that virtually all markets are entry markets for the right performers. As Dan’s friend (and as Uncle Bob – his term), I advised him that children’s markets are not a good match for his current offering. Recall this quote? “Besides that, your costuming is going to send Junior's parents through the ceiling. You need a more mature audience for your work that I have seen. It is there, but not at Junior's house.” I think you would agree. My statement was, “For most people I would say birthday parties are the easy entry market shows.” That is based upon commercial experience. Most can’t travel, have little or no access to television production, stage productions, casinos, larger night clubs, theme parks, trade show facilities, or cruise ships, and it is the remaining alternative for the geographic location. It did not treat the content of the shows at all. We have no difference of opinion on show content. If I can hook Dan up with a company that sells popcorn, he will have to change the content to something that facilitates the popcorn employer. My reference to the dollar figures was based upon our discussions at KIDabra this fall. Money to a professional is just a fact of life. I certainly prefer the continuing checks for long-running commercials over nightclub magic. But I’ve done both. I prefer working fashion shows to fairs. But I’ve done both. You know the drill. At some points in a professional’s life it is about working for money. A young man starting out needs to know the realities of money in the markets. Let’s help him find his market while at college. This is not an attack on magic for children. It is a search. Bob PS I'm off to do a church party for kids. |
Lucy New user Alabama 26 Posts |
Dear Dan,
I'm Lucy, Bob's wife, and have seen your performances a number of times. The birthday parties you should consider are Sorority birthday parties. There I believe you would find a very appreciative audience. Your presentation is powerful and sophisticated and would be lost, if not wasted on five year olds. Children , at parties, are more interested in cake and presents. Nothing wrong with that I suppose, but then they want to handle your stuff, touch your coat, sit on your lap. Generally they have a tippling soft drink in one hand and the remains of frosting on the other, and a runny nose to boot, the contagion from which will keep you bed ridden and miserable for about three days, and coughing for a month. Believe me, I know, I am a Family Medicine Physician. Little children come into the world to spread pathogens among family and friends (and especially Grandparents). This ultimately results in killing off the elders, to make room for the younger ones to grow. It is natures way. Find yourself a sophistocated audience. You will be happier, they will be happier, and you may remain pathogen free. Lucy |
Peter Marucci Inner circle 5389 Posts |
Dan wrote "I thought kid shows would be an excellent way to start marketing and making contacts."
I -- apparently mistakenly -- assumed that meant that he thought kids shows would be an excellent way to start marketing and making contacts. But Bob points out that I was obviously wrong! |
Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
Peter,
You are never wrong. Sometimes the sentence just stops too soon. It needed some detail that was not furnished in time. We enjoyed "Showtime" in The Linking Ring one more time. Again! I dug out my Jardin Ellis ring. I think I paid about $6 for it long a go. How did they make it for that? Dan, Are there skating rinks there? The teen audience is a tough one to serve, but your act fits. And it is regular work. They are not a good fit for most acts but you would have an edge there. Outside sponsors frequently pay for the variety act or band and use it in their promotion. It has been many years since I did military bases. However, the skating rinks there were good work. Two shows a day (Mine have always been 22 minutes.) was $600 in the early 80s. Since the people moved frequently, it was almost like working a cruise ship. The bad news was that it took about six weeks to get paid. But you did get paid. Most booking agents simply avoid government bookings because of the paperwork and the time lags between the show and actual payment. (The law says you will get paid much sooner and the employers will tell you that. Be prepared to wait six weeks for your money. Government moves like a lame snail.) One of the best things about working military bases is that they will use you as a warm-up act for the big concerts. (They don’t know where to find them!) Especially the concerts for enlisted military use acts you would like. (No, it is not any faster paying.) Good Luck! Bob |
kenscott Inner circle 1869 Posts |
Dan
Start thinking about library shows. The book a reading programs every summer. It keeps my summer filled up every year. On top of that it produces me tons of birthday work. Now I am doing about 200 birthday years. Now that is scaled down as I used to do around 300 birthdays a year. That is right sometimes 5 birthdays on a Saturday. Schools (elem) shows have been very good for me. They are keeping me booked during the week so I don't have to work on weekends (my wife like that). Summer again has alot of Rec centers that are looking for magicians. This produces lots of birthdays. I place small effective ads in my local Atlanta Parent mags. Dan I have seen your act when we worked together at MagiFest and you KILLED!! How busy are you with that act? Someone as talented as you should have NO problem getting the work. Best, Ken |
Jewls Veteran user Michigan-USA 360 Posts |
Hello Sperris,
I was unable to open your web page but congratulations on your accomplishments! To answer you’re question about marketing yourself in a new area, (Changing schools?) let me recommend that you put together a nice promo package with a video or DVD of your show and send it to listed agents. They will recognize your talent and know where your market is. Be sure to include your stage requirements. If you are an organized businessperson you can then send promo material to libraries many of them have very nice auditoriums. Area business associations host community events with stage acts. Festivals and events planners usually book their acts months in advance. The birthday party calls will come from the exposure at these events, you can decide if you want to offer a smaller scale show. Go for the tween/teen market many parents are at a loss of what to do for that age, you will be their idol. If you can book into a local restaurant offering a weekly dinner show or close up that would be ideal. Other performance offers would follow. Put the Internet yellow pages to work and print some labels. Put together the most professional promo material that you can afford. Marketing your self is a never-ending job; it’s a cycle. After your first Hello I am now available in your area mailing, find out when planners will be booking their acts and set up your promotion cycle. Use press releases to drum up as much publicity humanly possible. Don't worry about the many others, focus on you. I hope this is helpful, Best of Luck!
Jewls
www.Jewlstheclown.com |
sperris Special user http://www.Anti-Conjuror.com 881 Posts |
Hey folks, sorry for the long time to reply. I appreciate everything with what you said. When I lived in Minnesota I did many kid's shows, these mainly came from word of mouth because as a ten year old I didn't know anything about marketing so word just kind of got out that I did magic. Then as I grew up I concentrated on corporate and small business parties/picnics, etc. These took my time away from kid's shows and allowed me to develop material for a more adult audience. So my kidshow material got put on the shelf for a few years. I still did the kid shows whenever I could, I really believe you're never too cool to do a kid's show, I actually really like doing it and enjoy it.
And yes, I comb my hair down and take out the fishing tackle that hangs off my face. The show I did then and am bringing back now lasts about 35 minutes. But I knew when I moved for college that I would run into my current problem of "how do I start over"? So, I only assumed to take the route I had back home many years ago in MN and that was going back to the kid shows. I, again, appreciate the help and input from everyone, and thanks Uncle Bob and Lucy for your kind words. To answer your question Ken, I get more mileage out of it now than I used to. Once I changed my character people seemed to like it more with the bright colored purple hair, the make up, etc. I use it as another whole show I can sell onto my stage shows and it works really well. I say I have my act that has taken me all across yada, yada, yada and tell them about the awards I've won and where I've been with it and reviews of it and about 8 out of 10 times they'll pay an extra 500 for me to do it. Its like a guy saying he'll do an illusion that cuts a girl in two and has smoke and this and that on top of what his client is hiring him for. I just don't want to mess with the illusion, just 9 birds and another hour set-up for an 8:30 opener. I'm actually doing a show with Marshall Brodein next month with the bird act. So when you market to the schools and businesses are you direct mail marketing? I've heard that doesn't really work all that great? With all the competition around Chicago I can't just rely on a yellow page ad anymore I'm afraid. Thanks again! sperris
DANSPERRY.COM
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kenscott Inner circle 1869 Posts |
Yes direct mail is what I have done in Atlanta for libraries and schools. I also do performer showcases where they bring hundreds of acts to perform in front of the school systems that book programs for their schools.
The best program I have used to book schools is http://www.schooldata.com They are MDR. You can tell them what type of schools you want and they find all in and area that you tell them. I do the whole State of GA. Give me call if you have any questions. Ken |
magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Direct mail does indeed work if done well and done consistently and if you test the results and track what you are doing.
You are right that you can not just rely on a yellow pages ad. You must do a lot more then that and you must start by building relationships with prospective clients and making them aware of not only the features you offer but the benefits as well. Prospects and suspects want to know what you can do for them. They want to know how you can solve their immediate needs. If you become a problem solver for them, and not just an entertainer, your value and worth increases. If you increase this worth, then you also increase their perception of you. This can result in both increased wages and repeat performances. I would reccomend checking out http://www.thedean.net. It is a valuable source for marketing information that is aimed directly at the magicial performer. I think you coould really benefit from it. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
WR Special user Utah 945 Posts |
One thing that has really helped me is a book By David Ginn: Three Ways to Book Your Show.
WR AND Peter is Never wrong! lol
"Tell Em WR sent Ya."
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
The James Snack course is also very good as well if you are serious about marketing your magic.
Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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