Magic: not just an experience, it’s a package experience!
April 18th, 2010 by admin
“Act in the next 10 minutes and you’ll also get…”
I love informercials. And they work on me. I don’t buy what they sell (usually), but I want to. It’s sound psychology. (As a Chicago magician I don’t just study magic; I study psychology, marketing and all kinds of topics.) And while some of the techniques are a bit too manipulative for me to want to use, there is one lesson I’ve adopted.
Create a package.
I talked previously about how I believe a birthday party show (or close up magic or corporate entertainment) should be an “experience.” One very practical way to do that is offer a kids party “package,” not just a magic show. So in addition to my magic show I also make balloon animals for the birthday child and all the other children attending. Acutally, the finale of my show is the production of a 6 foot tall balloon animal that I present to the birthday child, before making him or her a custom balloon animal of their choosing, after which I make balloons for everybody.
The reason I do this is that I want the parent to feel they are getting value when they hire me for a children’s birthday party. So I don’t just do a magic show. It’s a theatrical production that includes customized prizes for every child attending the party. I want the parents to feel that I’m contributing to their child’s special day and doing everything I can to make it extraordinary.
After all, that is my job. And I take it seriously.
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Magic: not a show, an experience!
April 16th, 2010 by admin
Being a full time Chicago magician I’ve learned a lot about marketing and positioning my magic show. And this applies not just to my birthday party show, but also to my close up magic and corporate entertainment magic shows (which I’ll talk about on my other magic blog shortly.)
What I’ve learned is that parents aren’t really looking for a magic show for their children’s birthday party. Well, they might be looking for a magic show, but what they really want is much more than that. They’re looking for their child to have an experience filled with fun, laughter and memories for a lifetime. Which has resulted in two things:
1) I designed my magic show so that it’s not just a series of tricks. Using audience participation, comedy and moments of empowerment I put together a show that is really live theater designed specifically to the tastes of children. It’s all about them.
2) When a parent calls me because they want a birthday party magician, I don’t just tell them the cost. I tell them about the show, how it’s designed with their child in mind and how I’ve worked to make sure my show will make their child’s birthday the best one ever.
The biggest advantage to talking about my birthday party show like this is that the parent appreciates what they’re getting. They understand that I’m not just a guy doing magic tricks. I care about their child’s special day and want to help them celebrate it in the best way possible. I want them to be reassured and confident that they are making the right decision in choosing me as their kids party entertainment.
But there’s another benefit to putting this much effort into my show and clearly communicating its benefits. See, I think that sometimes magic gets a bad rap. Magic isn’t considered an art by many and there are quite a few who don’t appreciate its potential. I don’t blame them. I just think they don’t really know. Many people have never seen a magic show before. And I treat my birthday party show as an opportunity to demonstrate the potential magic offers.
Even if it’s just for little Johnny’s birthday.
Actually, ESPECIALLY for little Johnny’s birthday.
After all, I’m probably the first magician he’s ever seen.
I need to set the bar high.
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The secret to really great birthday party magic shows
April 15th, 2010 by admin
I put a lot of effort, time and energy into my birthday party show. Whenever I perform at children’s birthday parties I want the magic show to be unforgettable and filled with fantastic memories. Many Chicago magicians, myself included, start by making their show as fun and funny as possible. In fact, if you do a magic show at kids parties and DON’T focus on the fun and funny, you won’t last long.
But there’s another ingredient that I add to my show that I think is just as important. I learned about the concept by studying the work of one of the greatest birthday party magicians around, Silly Billy. He has an extremely entertaining show for kids, but he doesn’t stop with entertainment. The magic ingredient he adds is…
Empowerment.
This may or may not seem obvious, but think of it from the child’s perspective. Kids depend on the adults around them, don’t have control over their lives and are constantly being reminded of what they don’t know. So I take the time to add moments to my kids party show where the kids feel powerful. I ask them questions they know the answer to. I teach them the magic word and have them say it to make the magic happen. And I make sure to act silly and make it look like I screwed up a LOT. They LOVE it.
The highlight of my show is a perfect example of empowerment, actually. In it the audience actually makes the magic happen, even though I don’t want them to. It’s probably the moment the kids talk about the most. (I know because I ask them what their favorite part was!)
So if you want a great birthday party show for your child’s birthday, know how much time, effort and energy I put into my show being the best magic show possible. You won’t regret it. (While I don’t use the same principles in my close up magic or corporate entertainment shows, I do work just as hard on those.)
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My magic birthday party show mentor
April 14th, 2010 by admin
I talk a lot about how much time and effort I put into my magic show, but I didn’t get to where I am in a vacuum. I know a lot of Chicago magicians, but I learned a lot of what I know about performing a kids party magic show from my good friend Dennis Michael, a fantastic Colorado magician. His extensive experience performing magic for kids, as well as his ability to adjust his magic show to different ages and different sized audiences, inspires me. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve turned to him over the years for advice on how to handle a particular situation and he’s had a brilliant and insightful suggestion. He’s also what we magicians call a “worker,” someone who performs magic all the time in the real world for real audiences. His knowledge and experience is practical and tested. I couldn’t ask for a better mentor. In fact, in addition to using his ideas in my children’s birthday parties shows, I have used them to improve both my close up magic and corporate entertainment shows.
So if you’re in Colorado and need a family or birthday party show, I promise you you won’t find anyone better!
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Close up magic for kids?
April 13th, 2010 by admin
As a Chicago magician, generally when I’m hired to perform for children it’s a either for a birthday party show, block party, company picnic or festival performance. And when I am, I’m hired to perform a formal magic show. On the other hand, when I’m hired to perform for adults, while sometimes I’m asked to perform my comedy stage magic show for corporate entertainment, mostly I’m hired to perform close up magic at a banquet, cocktail party or hospitality suite. I think most Chicago magicians would say they have the same experience.
What I’m rarely asked to do, and would love to do more of, is perform close up magic for kids. Not only is it very fun for me, but I think in one important way it does something no stage magic show can do.
Every kid gets to be a volunteer.
If you’ve ever been to a family magic show, either at a kids party or elsewhere, you’ve seen that, when the magician asks for a volunteer, nearly every child in the audience raises their hand high into the air and yells, “Pick me! Pick me!” Unfortunately, no matter how many magic tricks the magician does or how long the magic show is, there’s no way every kid can be onstage. If you’re a kid in the audience and don’t get picked, it can be very disappointing.
But close up magic is different.
A close up magic show is done for a handful of people and lasts 5 or 10 minutes. During that time I perform several magical effects, all of which are designed to involve the participation of one or more children. This means by the time the show is over every child has had his or her time in the spotlight. This also means that after 10 minutes I can find another audience and give several more children their opportunity to shine. Over the course of an hour or two I can involve 50 kids in my magic show. If there are a lot of children present it’s ideal because nobody is disappointed and everyone gets to participate.
It’s unfortunate more event planners and corporate meeting planners don’t consider close up magic for kids. Whether it’s for children’s birthday parties or a company picnic, they assume their only option is the birthday party show. While there is nothing wrong with that, there is something unique and special about giving a child the chance to participate one on one in a magic show. In fact, my friend Michael Walton, founder of Open Heart Magic, designed his volunteer hospital magician program around this very idea. With his organization every child gets a magic show in their room, as opposed to just being an audience member when there’s a magic show for the entire floor.
So the next time you need to entertain a group of kids, consider close up magic. You won’t be disappointed.
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How helping the birthday child’s parents helped me
April 12th, 2010 by admin
As a Chicago magician, when I’m hired to perform at a kids party I always send the family my list of “9 Tips For A Great Birthday Party Show.” I do this because it sets them up to have the best possible children’s birthday party and magic show that they can. I want parents to know that I care about their child’s birthday and want to give them all the resources I can provide for the day to be successful. I feel the more benefits I can provide, the more they will see the value in my services. What I didn’t notice is that it also makes my life easier.
I sent the family I performed for yesterday my list of 9 tips and they followed them exactly as I recommended. They set aside the perfect space for the show, fed the kids prior to my arrival and kept the kids away while I set up for the magic show. The show started on time, the kids laughed and laughed, and I left within the hour. It was a textbook birthday party show. As a birthday party magician it couldn’t have gone better.
While I originally created the list of tips for the parents, I’m also reaping the benefits. What a great surprise.
Makes me think I should do the same thing for my close up magic and corporate entertainment options.
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Birthday parties, ages 5 to 70!
April 10th, 2010 by admin
I’m performing a birthday party show for a 5 year old tomorrow afternoon, followed by a close up magic/stage comedy magic show for a 70 year old’s birthday in the evening.
I love my job!
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4th of 4 questions to ask a birthday party entertainer: Are you the cheapest?
April 9th, 2010 by admin
When looking for entertainment for children’s birthday parties here in Chicago, you now know to ask to see a video clip, find out if the birthday party magician performs full time and ask for a money back guarantee. (For the record, I perform full time, offer a money back guarantee and here’s a clip from my birthday party show.) So what’s the next important question?
#4) Are you the cheapest?
This is actually a trick question. Actually, it’s a trick answer. You don’t actually want the cheapest.
Before you stop reading, let me explain…
I’m not saying you should choose the most expensive kids party entertainer out there. (I’m not the most expensive and of course I want you to choose me!) But you shouldn’t choose the cheapest and here’s why. I would argue that the cheaper magicians in Chicago don’t value their show as much as more expensive performers do. And it’s likely because they haven’t invested the time, energy and resources into their show that more expensive children’s birthday party entertainers have. If a performer doesn’t value his or her show enough to charge a fair and reasonable price, then perhaps their magic show isn’t worth paying for.
Keep in mind, you’re inviting a stranger into your home to perform for your friends and family. Isn’t it worth it to pay a little bit more and be secure in the knowledge that you are hiring a professional magician, someone who is always performing at a birthday party for kids, someone who is proud of his magic show, and has put his heart and soul into a performance designed to bring laughter and empowerment to children of all ages?
So shop around and find out what the range of prices is for a birthday party show in Chicago. But when you choose an entertainer, choose someone who charges in the middle to upper range of the fees. I promise you, it’ll be worth a few extra dollars to make sure your child’s birthday party show is one they’ll remember forever! (The same goes for hiring a close up magician or corporate entertainer as well.)
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3rd of 4 questions to ask a birthday party entertainer: Do you offer a money back guarantee?
April 8th, 2010 by admin
When looking for entertainment for children’s birthday parties here in Chicago, you now know to ask to see a video clip and to find out if the birthday party magician performs full time. (For the record, I perform full time and here’s a clip from my birthday party show.) So what’s the next important question?
#3) Do you offer a money back guarantee?
I know it’s a risk hiring a stranger to entertain your children in your home, especially if you’ve never seen the person perform before. While you definitely want to have a great birthday party show, what’s more important is feeling comfortable and confident that you hired the right kids party magician. While a video clip of the show and testimonials from moms who loved the magic show are great, you can get a lot of peace of mind knowing that, if you’re not entirely satisfied with the performance, you can get all of your money back!
Only a performer who is confident in his birthday party show, one who has performed the show enough to know that it’s guaranteed to be fun, funny and amazing, would be willing to give his fee back if the customer wasn’t satisfied. Those magicians who don’t guarantee their work are probably afraid people will ask for their money back! In all my time performing, I have never had anyone ask for their money back (that includes my close up magic and corporate entertainment shows as well.) When you invest in my birthday party show, you get guaranteed results!
So when in doubt, ask for a money back guarantee. You can be sure the magician who agrees is confident and can stand behind his kids party show!
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2nd of 4 questions to ask a birthday party entertainer: Do you perform magic full time?
April 7th, 2010 by admin
When looking for entertainment for children’s birthday parties in Chicago, you now know to ask for video proof that the magician has a great, funny, fun and empowering show. (Here’s a clip from my birthday party show.) What’s the next important question?
#2) Are you a full time kids party entertainer?
Because magic at its simplest is about fooling the audience, there are people out there who think all they need to do is buy a bunch of tricks, read the instructions and that makes them a magician. That’s like saying all I need to be able to do brain surgery is buy a scalpel, read through the procedure and I’m good to go. Obviously I’m exaggerating here, but my point is that experience matters. Practice matters. Performing your show over and over again for different groups of kids is the only way to become an excellent kids party magician.
And while it’s possible to do that part time, I believe to be truly outstanding you need to be devoted to your craft, devoted to your product. I think about magic all the time. I study what children find entertaining. I’ve learned how they process information and what they understand at different ages. I know the importance of self-esteem and giving a child the opportunity to shine. I take the time to make sure that the birthday party show I perform for your child will make them laugh and make them feel good.
It’s a full time job.
(Actually it’s more than a full time job as I put the same amount of effort into my close up magic and corporate magic shows.)
So remember, when hiring entertainment for a birthday party for kids, pick a magician who spends his time working on making his show the best show possible. Hire a full time kids party entertainer.
For more ways to be certain you’ve picked the right birthday party entertainment, tune back in tomorrow!
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