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pierredan Special user Dai Vernon's birthplace 540 Posts |
Hello Steve.
Your bio reveals that you are not a full time magician. In a sense, this would make you a hobbyist. As a hobbyist myself, I find it hard to find a performance venue. There are always family and friends but the performances can be very sparse. Apart from magic conventions and other magicians, where do you find your performance venue? How often do you get to perform for this audience? How many effects would you usually do? Thank you. |
Steve Beam V.I.P. 169 Posts |
At this point in my life, I would describe myself as a professional amateur. "Hobbyist" or "student" work too. Regarding venues and frequency, I'm in an unusual situation with my daytime hobby. My company has an $80 million budget. As the CEO, there is the illusion that I control where those funds are spent. Unfortunately, it would be difficult to tell why I was being booked - for the show or the possibility of contracting with the company. So, 11 years ago I stopped performing locally out of concern regarding the appearance of conflicts of interest. I have kept a few long-term repeat gigs for friends - companies and associations that booked me years ago before the current job. (I take the conflict of interest so seriously that I won't book magic lectures in towns where the company has paid me to travel.)
My favorite venues are company parties, hospitality suites, and association gatherings. They are all different but filled with professionals who (especially in the last two examples) are looking for something to prevent them from feeling like wallflowers. I picked up lots of word-of-mouth business as a result. When I was in my early twenties, I found approaching people at these gatherings awkward. For the last twenty years, having attended countless events like these for my day job, I've become better at spotting small groups who would appreciate a little diversion. Medium size company parties are great because the coworkers see each other all the time around work but often find it difficult to talk about things outside work. Even if they feel comfortable, the spouses often will kill for a distraction to help pass the time. (Put that on your business card: Professional Distraction.) My advice which I offer in lieu of a great answer, is to think about what you want to get out of magic. If performing for pay is it, what are your favorite venues? Close-up? Club? Stage? Then talk with performers (not just magicians) who work those specific venues. They will be your best source for ideas for work. (And by the way, there's nothing wrong with being an unpaid amateur, student, or interested bystander.) Critical in the process I think is to identify the venues you don't want to work. This is why I eliminated events where I think my performance would be out of place. For example, few people want to pick a card a a wedding. There is enough other stuff going on around them to occupy their hands, minds, and livers. If I missed your question, let me know and I'll take another stab. |
pierredan Special user Dai Vernon's birthplace 540 Posts |
Thank you for your reply.
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