I'm going to be a senior in high school and I'm thinking about turning magic into my profession. This isn't set in stone, but it's what I hope to do. What does everyone think I should set my major as in College in order to be able to cover the business side of magic? I figured I could take theater classes too, but the last thing I need is to worry about my act every moment and then realize that I have no idea how to market myself. Perfecting my act isn't the problem, it's picking a major that I can apply to magic and still having something to fall back on if my magic fails or doesn't go in the direction I want it to go. Any thoughts?

Dave

If you intend on a career in magic I recommend the theater degree for a number of reasons. I majored in theater nearly three decades ago and still credit that education with helping me in my magic business today.

Regardless which branch of magic you ultimately decide to pursue, studying stage movement, voice, and technical theater will be be a big help. If you decide to focus on stage magic and illusions, it is essential.

As part of your theater training, be sure to take some arts management courses as well as acting and technical theater.

I can't comment on getting a business degree as I have never taken a business course. Keep in mind however, that few business courses focus on show business, so you might want to consider an internship or summer position in the marketing department of a theater and/or touring theater company.

Of course, if you decide to specialize in doing close-up for trade shows, I would recommend a major in marketing as you will be doing business with marketing and sales people.

Jim

I would agree with Jim, a theatre course is the way to go.

By the way, I convinced the State University of New York at Albany to award me an self-directed interdisciplinary second field (minor) in "the performance of magic." I combined children's theater classes with acting and movement classes and independent study courses.

For my independent study course I put together my first magic act, booked it around town and kept I journal of my experiences. I came across the journal a few weeks ago while cleaning out an office closet. What a trip down memory lane!

If you want to pursue a career in magic, put together an act and start booking shows. Besides, you will earn some money to pay for that big tuition bill!

Jim

Jim,

Is that Regent's College, now Excelsior?

I would say Major in Marketing and Minor in theater. The hardest part is getting the work not doing the work. I would say 65%-80% of your time will be on the business side. Now this might not be true for someone whom has performed for 10 plus years. They have a strong client base. For just starting out you will have to work hard at it.

I will pass along something the head of the youth division of Kodak told me years ago when I won the 4-H photography award. ..."Learn to work with people we can teach you the technical". Obviously, you are ahead in this game but I can stress working with people enough. I worked 20 years of newspaper as a photographer and most of the job was public relations.

I was lucky with a major in Photo Illustration that I had a lot of electives. I took Recreation classes that taught leadership, camp skills and such. I was still doing 4-H as a counselor but this stuff could really help in school show. I took graphics arts, advertising, copy writing. I wish I would have had more business classes. In theater, I took speech, stage craft, stage lighting and makeup. These were all requirements for my major but they were invaluable. I would have taken some movement classes if I could have.

So depending on how you want to go with this business, it will determine your major. Public Relations, Marketing, or Journalism give you great skills for this business and you can use in the real world just in case. There is no reason that you could not double major or minor in business. Theater might help you more in the performance but it is a tough degree to use in the outside world.

I hope thiis helps in some way.

BTW did you know that Johnny Ace Palmer, Peter Gossameir, Marty Hahne, Arcensio Hall and myself all graduated from Kent State? Odd but true.


Richard

Djbilan, no, SUNY Albany is located in Albany, NY. I did my undergraduate and graduate work there. Regent's College, now Excelsior, located in Saratoga Springs, offers accredited distance learning degree programs, and while it is art of the State University system, it is not connected to SUNY Albany.

I agree with Richard about the double major idea as well as the importance of Public Relations and Marketing studies. A theater degree is not really necessary in the "real" world, but the skills are. Talent is more important, and the technical theater skills can be learned on the job.

The most important thing is to study coursework that you enjoy and find challenging. You will never know when those studies work will pay off. When I was majoring in theater my friends used to ask, "Why are you majoring in theater, you'll never make any money with that degree?"

How wrong they are. If they only knew what I charge corporations to teach team building skills using theater imrovisation exercises I learned many years ago in college!

Jim

What ever you learn in college, much of it can be used in the magic business, if you think hard and learn to apply it. As a self-employed magician which is what most of us will be you must wear many hats. I majored in business with a management emphasis and I see how things that I learned now apply. For example no matter how while a prop is built or looks new after many uses it is still depreciated.

Don

When I got out of high school I was in the same boat, I wanted a degree that I could use any where. A Theater or Acting degree would be nice, but is it beneficial? What if you want to get a "real Job" (as my Mom would call it)? I got a degree in Business and since expanded my Magic business and now do corporate speaking.

With a Business degree you can do anything.

You would be best off learning advertisnig and marketing and sales. No matter what you major in take lost of these courses. I would not spend an entire major on theater as you can often get the same benifits of learning by taknig a minor. Learn the business stuff. It will have way more to do with how well you eat than the performance stuff.

Sales oriented classes will help you tremendously. I have a masters in marketing which I always joke with the audience I havn't used in 20 years. In reality I use it every day of my life.

Sales and marketing. This way if magic does not pan out you are better qualified to be in the job market as well. Also you can do work for entertainment marketing, which is a growing field to say the least.

Good Luck

Danny

Dave,

As an old marketing professor who is best known in professional marketing for work in personality marketing and the marketing of professional services, my bias is marketing. But that could be very wrong for Dave! It should fit you.

I don't know of a college degree that would prevent you from being a very successful magician / entertainer. Many of my friends in magic actually got their degrees in journalism, some in law and my wife in medicine (as did Billy McComb). Frankly, the opportunity costs for someone with a strong degree in marketing from a strong marketing school paired with valuable executive marketing experience, is too high be be a professional entertainer. Look at what would fit Dave best. Don't short change yourself! It's your life!

Good Luck!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I once got to ask Mark Wilson what his degree was in. It was "Marketing"!. Even though I have only been full time for 2 years my past was heavy in marketing. I was a techie but every time we convinced a department V.P. to spend 4 or 5 million $$'s so we could play with the new toys we were marketing.
Yours,
Aragorn

"it depends"

A degree in psychology or communications might be of some value to a mentalist.

A degree in Acting would help a mentalist and a stage magician.

A degree in writing would help the magician who is writing the next Tarbell Course.

A degree in marketing would help anyone wanting to get more gigs.

A degree in engineering might help with an inventor/magician. (What I wish I knew about torque ratios to create my own electronic reels!!)

A degree in business might also help you run your own magic shop or magician's collective.

I would MAJOR in something I could make a good living at and MINOR in theater. You may get sick of magic in a few years, you never know. Even 'Big Time" magic can be "chicken one day and feathers the next". Anything in Entertainment really can be very "iffie". Nothing would stop you from a magic career, you would just have more options. I wanted to be a Rock Star when I was in High School---thankfully my parents steered me toward a college degree, but I played music as well. You have a better chance hitting the Lottery than you do making it as a "Big Time" Musician, so had I not had a USUABLE degree I would be playing "Beer Joints" to eeck a living out instead of being in a medical profession. Sometimes parents aren't SO dumb. ha!---good luck!---------Jimeuax

David,
When I saw you at the Cape Cod Conclave last year I thought you were already in college. You seemed more mature than a high school student.

Expose yourself to a variety of courses sampling something from every area. Consider majoring in a field that you feel passionate about. That may be theatre, literature, business, marketing, english, psychology, engineering, philosophy, history, physics, art etc. A well rounded education will serve you well whether you use it for a magic career or a specific profession. College won't teach you how to be a magician but it will teach you how to think critically and understand people, who afterall, are your audience and customers. You may change you mind about what you are interested in. That's normal. I went from pre med to physics to mathematics and finally ended up a physician with a passion for magic.
It doesn't hurt to have a backup plan in case professional magic doesn't work out the way you want it to. The major you choose may provide that backup. Show business is a tough field but if magic is what you have your heart set on I say go for it. The best of luck to you.

I started out as an Acting Major, but soon decided to get my BFA in THeatre Design and Technology. My education had been invaluable for magic. I'm almost finished and my magic work would be nowhere near where it is now without it. My partner in crime...I mean magic...has a BFA in Creative Dramatics. It has been helpful for him, but at the same time, he says that I'm doing it right studying Design/Tech. I also am studying directing. It really depends on the type of magic you plan on doing. I would highly reccommend a theatre education. If you the design/Tech aspect, you should have no problem finding work in the field. PM if you have any questions.

Forget all of these. Go for a law degree. Take a minor in theatre and learn business law.

Then you can sit back and laugh at the funny ideas people have about intellectual property.

Seriously. A degree in theatre is fine, but a degree in marketing or in business will help you with a lot of areas that you really need. Don't forget what Mark Wilson has done:
1) Burger King
2) Poppin' Fresh
3) Magic Land of Alakazam
4) Consultant to many major theme parks
5) Arranged Mark Wilson illusion shows for several theme parks.

There is not a day that goes by that he isn't making money at magic. How? Marketing.

If you can't sell it, you aren't going to have a place to do your "theatre arts."

Another thing to consider -- nobody says you have to graduate in 4 years. Get one degree one place, then come back and take the other.

Well as usual Bill cuts straight to the point again. You CAN keep getting degrees. Bravo Bill as usual.

Indeed... I still plan on going to Grad school. Law is actually one of my front-running options. But pre-law as your undergraduate major is unneccessary. I've heard that from many attorneys and other law school graduates not practicing. You just have to have self-discipline, intelligence, and score well on your L-SAT. Most importantly though, enjoy what you're doing. I began college as an International Studies/Poli-Sci major... while it interests me, it wasn't enjoyable in the least, mostly because of the ignorant, uninformed people in the classes, with no regard for anyone, or anything, but themselves. That's why I switched to Acting, but only for a short time. I've already been working professionally in the Design/Tech field, so it is feasible.