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Magic_Steve Inner circle Maryland 1476 Posts |
Hey all. Just got off work, and I'm in a pretty decent mood. I just had a little meeting with the director of entertainment for the Charles County Fair. A little info on how it went...
He came in, and pretty much thought I was working for free. He said that "I'm sure you'll book plenty of shows off of all the publicity you'll get". My response: "But you can't guarantee that, and publicity won't pay my car insurance, will it?" So, then he asked how much I charge. I told him $125 an hour. The thing I love the most about it was that we were completely silent for about the next 3 minutes. The one thing I remembered from here (I think Danny said it "Don't will silence with words). Then he asked if I could do 2 hours. Deal. So...I'm booked for 2 hours on September 15th. I haven't signed anything yet, but he said he'd call me soon. I would have liked more hours, but oh well. Just happy I got the gig. Thanks for all the advice everyone gave me. I really do appreciate it. I know I say that one a lot, but I'm serious. Many of you have given me a lot of great advice. Best. Steve |
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mrunge Inner circle Charleston, SC 3716 Posts |
Congratulations! Great job getting "the job."
Good luck with the show. Knock them out and you'll be invited back next year...hopefully for more time. Mark. |
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wittypainter New user australia 6 Posts |
Good one Steve!
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MichaelKent Special user 560 Posts |
Great work.
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DanielSteep Inner circle 1409 Posts |
Congrats steve!
make sure to have one of the fair directors watch the show... I do that at everyshow... and then they like it so much they hire you back the next year to do two shows!.. anyways I'm just out the door to finish packing for a fair I'm doing 3 shows at tomorrow ! Shall be a very busy day for me.. but enough about me.. CONGRATS!@! |
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Jim Snack Inner circle 1338 Posts |
Good advice from Daniel. Make sure you do a few sets near the fair office and stop inside and do a few tricks for the office staff who are stuck in there all day. A little good will goes a long way.
Also, when you finish a great set, ask audience members to stop by the fair office on the way out and tell them how much they liked the magic. Furthermore, if it is appropriate, volunteer to help out with any talent show or pie eating contest, etc. Be a team player, deliver more value than they expect and you will be invited back year after year. Jim |
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Cory Gallupe Inner circle Nova Scotia, Canada 1272 Posts |
Are we talking a 2 hour long show, or walkaround?
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Bob Sanders Grammar Supervisor Magic Valley Ranch, Clanton, Alabama 20504 Posts |
Congratulations!
Now you are hooked! Give them your best. It shows folks what is available. Please don't forget us when it's over. We'll need the follow up report! Bob Sanders Magic By Sander |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Also just make 100% sure you get a contract with them and have them sign it. This is what I do for every fair and festival I perform at through the year from April till October. A contract is critical to make sure you and the fair comittee are on the same page as to what is expected of you for the services you are providing to them.
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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Magic_Steve Inner circle Maryland 1476 Posts |
Thanks everyone. For the contract, HE'S sending ME a contract. I thought that was strange, but oh well. I'll still send him one from me, just for my records as well.
Cory, we're talking 2 hours of strolling magic. I can barely do a 30 minute show, let alone a 2 hour standup show. Yikes! Bob, don't worry, I'll definitely give you the cliff notes on it! Thanks everyone! Steve |
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Donald Dunphy Inner circle Victoria, BC, Canada 7563 Posts |
Well done, Steve.
You stood your ground, and sold your show. Keep it up! BTW, in-person sales meetings work very well for many entertainers I know. It's not the perfect solution for selling every type of show. But it sounds like it was a wise choice for you. - Donald
Donald Dunphy is a Victoria Magician, British Columbia, Canada.
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Fairs will always send you a contract. Just make sure you know there is a huge difference between a festival and a fair. Yours that you are being booked for is a fair and fairs differ from festivals in that they are 1) usually mutplie day events and are organized by a hired fair committee who gets paid as a salary to do what they do. Because of this they are also more used to running the event and you will usually always get contracts from the fair committee. That is normal to see happen so do not be alarmed by it.
Just make sure that when you receive their contract you read it over word for word and make sure you agree to the contract. if there is anything wrong or if you feel you need to add an addendum or technical rider to the contract, let them know and supply that to them. I do this a lot as often times the fair's copntract does not cover off on things I need that we discussed at the meeting. If you do this in a professional manner, they should not have a problem with it and it helps make sure that both parties are in agreement long before the event date arrives. I can help yopu with this if you have any furtrher questions Steve. it would be my pleasure to do so. Also, when you do your strolling at the fair, there are a few things and pointers I can give to you as I do them a lot as my main market each year. Let me know if you could use d=some of this information. Be my pleasure to share it with you. 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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Magic_Steve Inner circle Maryland 1476 Posts |
Thanks Donald! An in-person meeting was a good choice. That way, he had a chance to see how I interact with an audience, and see their reactions. That sold the show right there!
Kyle, Thanks for the great advice man! The only thing I could see me adding is that I get atleast 50% of the money, regardless of the whether. That would probably be it. And even then, I'll still be performing inside, so not a whole lot of worries. If it rains, that'd be even better. Then a lot of people would be inside. And yes, I would definitely love for you to shsre some pointers with me. This is the first time I've ever done a show of this size, and that would definitely help me out! Thanks! Steve |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
My pleasure Steve. Just read over their contract carefully and keep in mind this statement while reading it, "never ever assume anything". Basically what it means is that if you hear phrases like we will give you a stage or we will provide a sound system, you will want calrity on that. The idea here is that often times terms are used on contracts but your definition of a stage or a sound system, may be totally different then their own. Just be careful and get everything confirmed ahead of time and you will be fine.
Now as to strolling magic for fairs and festivals here are some pointers to keep in mind at all times: - You will want to make sure they give you a parking pass and main gate access passes. This way you can park as close to your performance area as possible and it allows you into the fair at an early time for your set up. It also means less you have to walk to get things you may need. All fairs can supply you with this if you ask for it up front. - Get there early and get set up and walk the grounds. This ia a key for you to get familiar with the area and to find spots you think may be most ideal for your performances. It is a way for you to properly get the lay of the land. - When you get there always meet up first with your contact person. Shake hands and just let them know you are there and rready and luisten to any further instructions they may give you. I usually ask them if there are certain areas of the fair they may want me to work most and see what they have to say. Thisway you are acting as a solutions provider for them and they will appreciate you aksing them. - Another golden tip or secret I do is this. This will make you look very good in the eyes of the fair. When you get there ask the contact if there is a listing of the events and happenings that day. When you get it, tell him that you wanted this list so that you can act as a roving MC at each of your strolling shows. You tell him that after each mini-show, you will let the audiences know about other things going ojn that day that they may want to check out. Fairs LOVE when I do this as it adds value. - Now something that you may encounter thatyou must be aware of is vendors getting angry with you. It sounds silly but it happens and there are ways around this. What tends to happen is that you are doing a show, people are coming to watch and you are creating a crowd (which is what you are supposed to do). However, in the eyes of the vendors, you may be blocking their booth, or taking customers away from them. Just be aware of this. here is the way I handle this problem. - When I am walking the grounds as I get there to just check out the lay of the land, I greet and meet with as many vendors as possible. I just introduce myself as the strolling entertainer, show interest in their wares and wish them best if success and hope to be able to see them later in the day. Now when I go and find a spot to perform my stolling gig. I make sure I am in a spot that is I draw a crowd I am not blocking a vendor. So look for these areas as you walk around and keep that in mind. Now before you set up and begin, go and talk to the nearest vendors to you. Greet them and tell them that you are the stolling magician that the fair has hired to perform magical entertainment. Ask them that you will be drawing a crowd and want to know if it is ok with them that you mention theitr booth and produst in your show and tell folks to visit their booths at the end of your show. trust me on this. This is a HUGE tip and it works. They will never say no. They will always be so haoppy about you working with them and they will appreciate it greatly. Now you have them on your side and you only need to mention them in your show and tell folks to visit the vendors after your show is over. I do this all the time and not only do the vendors love it, they often times give me free stuff as well. It helps prevent any probvlems from happening between you and the vendors. - keep your stuff easy to carry, mobile and easy reset. The fairs are very large and you will want to be ready to move at a moments notice. Keep your shows simple and sweet and engage the entire audience. I would do a set no longer then 15 minutes tops pending on the crowd you have watching you. I have more but I will post these for now. I hope this is of help to you. 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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mrunge Inner circle Charleston, SC 3716 Posts |
Wow...that's a LOT of great advice guys.
Mark. |
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Magic_Steve Inner circle Maryland 1476 Posts |
I second Mark's opinion. Wow! Thanks a lot Kyle! I really appreciate that man!
One more question, what do you usually wear when strolling at a fair? I'm going to need more pockets than for a restaurant gig I think. I'm not entirely sure on what I'm wearing at this point. Thanks agian! Steve |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Thanks Mark. My pleasure to give as much advice as I can. I work mainly festivals and fairs as my primrary market for years and I really enjoy it. there is so much I have learned over the years and if I can share that information with others, I am happy to do so.
Steve raises a good question. You will want to always do the following at a fair or festival: - You always want to dress 1 or 2 levels above the people at the event. You want to look professional and dress that way and look like a magician. Now you also want to be comfortable so what I wear is a shiort sleeve light weight tux shirt. These shirts I get from a company that basically makes them for waiters for outdoor Cafés. they are very light weigth and looks professional. I get them from a place online called happychef.com. look for their shirts section and you will see them. them I wear my light weigth tux pants and my new shoes that look like black and white spats. in the shoes I wear gel insoles to really pad the shoes so I am comfortable walking around. this is a must. I then always always wear a black fedora hat. it not only fits my style and character but keeps the sun out of my eyes and prevents my head from burning in the sun. That is what works for me. What works for you masy be different,. The idea though is that even though it may be hot, you still must dress professionally and must not show up in jeans and a t-shirt or jean shorts,. That just does not send the right message to the client. - Now in regards to pockets and such there are 2 ways I get around this. 1) I wear a large leather black hip pouch that fastens around my waist. they were made for travlers and for cakeras and such but the one I have is perfect for magic and zips up and is water proof. I place this on and I am set and hands free for anywhere I go. It works great. 2) now if you have more stuff and larger props, you may want to get an a-frame carry on table. this is small table that can be set up with ease and carry around with you to location to location. just make sure if you are doing this, that you have the room at the fair to be able to handle it. Hope this helps. I am off to do a magic show and will check in later this afternoon. Any additional questions please do not hesitate to ask. 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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Magic_Steve Inner circle Maryland 1476 Posts |
Kyle. Thank you very much. Not quite my style, but once again you offer some great advice. Thanks a lot. And BTW, I think this is the link you were talking about.
http://www.happychefuniforms.com/800-347......Category |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Thank you steve. Certainly what you wear and how yuou stroll around is up to the indvidual performer. you have to wear what fits your style and character you portray. naturally the only one to really know that is you yourself. =)
Yes that looks to be the site for sure. They have different light weight shirts that work great for outdoor work. Thanks for posting that for others as it may be of help to them as well. Let me know if I can help you in any way possible to prepare for this event. Myt pleasure to do so. 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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Magic_Steve Inner circle Maryland 1476 Posts |
Hey! Well...I think I have an idea what I'm planning on wearing. I'm aiming towards black pants (what I wear in the restaurant), colored t-shirt (matched with hawiian shirt), and a hawaiian style shirt over that. I'm not entirely sure, but I need something to cover the assassins pouch I'm going to be wearing for pocket space.
As for the effects I'll be performing, the list goes: Malini Egg Bag Spongeballs Card stuff (ACR, Weighted Aces, Asher twist, etc) Any thoughts? Hawaiian shirt at a fair? I'm not sure, but I don't want to dress like I'm performing at Red Robin. I want to be nice, but this is Charles County! Dressed up down here means a collared shirt and black jeans! |
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