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Moonshadows New user 37 Posts |
Hi,
I'm trying to develop my own effects, what advice would you give to someone that wants to make a living out of releasing magic. Is this what you actually do for living? It works for you, it's easy? What's the path? Thanks Andrew! |
andrewmayne V.I.P. 142 Posts |
The most important thing is to have experience and a niche. My first books on illusions were based upon my experience as an illusionist and the kind of problems I had to solve both technically and logistically. The ideas in those books were ones I'd either developed for myself or other working professionals.
When I got into shock magic it was because I was performing in comedy clubs and theatrical venues and developed far more material than I'd ever need. I started publishing that because friends who were performers thought it was going to be wasted if I didn't use it. As far as making a living from it, that's just kind of something that happens or it doesn't. I never made a conscious effort to make a career out of it. I just by luck ended up in a position where I could turn down the kind of work I didn't want to do and spend time on my publishing company. I don't know if there's any real clear path. There are very, very few "professional" magic creators. I'd probably be making a heck of a lot more money as a corporate entertainer who released stuff on the side. I probably made more money as a 19 year-old illusionist than I do as a creator. But I chose this route because I wanted to have the time available to follow some of my other crazy pursuits (filmmaking, science education, monkey army, etc.). I created Magiczine.com as a way for other up and coming creators to have an outlet to get seen. If you go there you'll see some of the people who I think may have a big future as performers/creators. Derek Merdinyan is a great example of that. He creates cool effects while he's studying at college. The biggest mistake a lot of young aspiring creators make is not having enough practical experience. You need to have gone out and done shows or worked in magic in some capacity to have a good grasp of what is and isn't a marketable idea. So here's the formula: Step 1: Have a good idea (usually based upon experience and solving a unique problem) Step 2: Share it with your own group of experts Step 3: If it's good, release it to the world. Repeat |
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