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Nick Kolenda New user 44 Posts |
Hey Guys,
So a few years ago, I made a stupid mistake. I launched an online course for mentalists, and I named it “The Mentalism Course.” I never intended to position it as an “end-all-be-all” course, so the name received some backlash (rightfully so). I spent the past few years enhancing the course and website, and I’ll be releasing the newly titled “Career in Mentalism” course in a couple weeks. The website is live now: www.careerinmentalism.com I plan to make the website an ongoing resource for mentalists, so I wanted to get some feedback from you guys. In particular, I wanted to understand some of your challenges in the business side of things. What types of things are you currently struggling with or what types of things would you want to learn more about? Your answers would help me keep the blog posts relevant and helpful. Any other feedback or suggestions would be very helpful as well. Best, Nick |
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charliecheckers Inner circle 1969 Posts |
My suggestion would be to focus on a much narrower offering where your insight and experience might be of true value to some individuals. Simply targeting mentalists is way too broad an offering for one who is not accomplished in the field. You are either ignoring or underestimating the numerous alternative offerings one can choose from to further their pursuit rather than from someone like yourself.
The question you have to ask yourself (and answer to perspective clients) is "why me?". I did not get a strong sense of that answer while glancing at your site. |
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Matt Chalk Regular user New Zealand 166 Posts |
Is this course original?
I remember you getting huge flac over your last course, so how can I be ensured that this is something new and useful to me as a young entertainer? |
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the Sponge Inner circle Atlanta 2771 Posts |
Lots of big name glowing reviews!
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Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
That is too often the case with things.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
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charliecheckers Inner circle 1969 Posts |
Perhaps those who offered reviews will join this discussion.
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Nick Kolenda New user 44 Posts |
Charliecheckers:
Thanks for the feedback. Could you clarify what you meant by focusing on a more “narrow” offering? My performing background is in mentalism, so I didn’t want to create a course for any type of magician or entertainer (so I thought that mentalism was a narrower focus where I could incorporate my background). I also have a professional background in digital marketing, so I created some video courses drawing on that side of my experience as well. But maybe I could make that clearer on the website? Matt Chalk: Everything in the course is original. I got some flac for the original course because of my boneheaded title and perceived positioning. I also had some marketing eBooks that were written by other people. I removed those items and developed all of the current marketing items myself. I stand by that content 100 percent. I tried to be very detailed and objective in my descriptions on the website. If you have any questions that I haven’t answered on it, I’d be happy to address them. the Sponge: I received some nice testimonials for my book, Showmanship for Mentalists, when I sent it to some performers a few years ago. Now that I finally finished the overall course, I’ll be sending it to some performers to get some unbiased reviews. |
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Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
Well I just edited the hell out of this. Good luck.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
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charliecheckers Inner circle 1969 Posts |
Quote:
On Sep 21, 2014, Nick Kolenda wrote: Nick - what I meant by more "narrow" is to perhaps focus on a specific market (ie college market) within mentalism or with specific marketing help for those new to mentalism. Perhaps focus on assistance in the launching phase of one going either part time or full time. Rather than offer grandiose money making opportunities, offer people the opportunity to pursue mentalism part time while getting an education. After all, this is your area of expertise, it seems. |
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The Hermit Veteran user 301 Posts |
I applaud all entrepreneurs, however I think a couple of things:
You are advertising a 'CAREER in Mentalism' course. You do not have a career in mentalism, you have a career in media marketing. If I want a career in something, I would rather know this guy has a full time job doing it. Maybe time for a new web name. TAM - Total Available Market - Just how many people, that want to be full time mentalists will want a course from you? I doubt enough to pay bandwidth. Site as hub for mentalists - Cassidy launched one. He has a rep and tons of material. Might be room for a community website, MagicCafe is already there. When faced with limited market, strong competition and a sketchy product proposition, Charlie was correct that you need to narrow the offering or expand the market. Marketing for Mentalists might be a better use of your skills and something that has more reach and application to guys trying to break the market. Good luck |
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Nick Kolenda New user 44 Posts |
Thanks for your input. I appreciate the feedback from everyone, and I definitely see where you guys are coming from.
However, I think that people are getting hung up on the marketing section of the course, which is only one small aspect. I would argue that the main pieces are the other two sections. For example, the course includes my book, Showmanship for Mentalists, which is a full-length book (around 50,000 words), and it also includes explanations to five stage routines (the explanations add up to around 100 pages and 30,000 words). So the marketing section is only one aspect of the course. As for making the website a “hub,” I’m not trying to make it THE hub. I just thought it could be a place where mentalists can collaborate on ideas. For example, I just launched this blog post, which explains how to incorporate some principles from neuroscience to enhance psychological suggestion routines: http://www.careerinmentalism.com/neurosc......gestion/ There’s not much content on the website yet because I’m just launching it now, but I’m hoping to produce a new piece of content each month. I’m not trying to take over the marketplace. I just compiled a list of helpful resources that I think could help other mentalists improve their career. |
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The Hermit Veteran user 301 Posts |
I get you have other stuff. To be successful at anything, you have to beat your competition. All the stuff you discuss above has lots of competition (showmanship and routines). What is your Compelling Proposition? Competitive Position? What do you offer, that I can't get elsewhere better, cheaper easier? IF you want eyeballs, those things have to be answered.
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Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
I would not defend yourself here. Just say thank you. Seriously. It does not really help your case.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
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Mindpro Eternal Order 10585 Posts |
Seems there is some confusion here. When Nick originally released this he asked for some professional's opinion, perspectives and reviews. After receiving the course I made a review. There have been some updates, additional content and revisionments to it since then but this should be a good starting point for those to better understand what this is. It is about the business (creation of your persona, show and the business taking your show to market/marketing of being a mentalist (or other specialty, novelty or magic) performer. I will update my review with the revised and additional content soon, hopefully later this week when I get a chance to review the vast content.
This original review as it applies to this new course as it was originally posted in another section of the Café which combined with this new thread is why I am re-posting it here... "(NOTE: Long Post Warning - If you just want my quick review, scroll to the bottom for my Final Thoughts & Overall Review) MY THOUGHTS This is packaged as a course. My first thought upon receiving this course was Holy Crap! there is a lot here. Well over 400 pages in pure content, plus hours of audio and video footage. So much content. In reality it is a complete book or manual by Nick, 5 nice routines with very detailed explanations, and nice videos of each routine as featured in two of Nick’s full-length performances. The rest of the content that makes up this course are contributions from others and related bonus materials. The course is broken down into 4 main Sections - Showmanship (your show), Marketing, Routines and Bonuses. The main course in Section 1 (pdf). It was written from a very academic and educational approach which was quite nice. It was very easy to read, understand and digest. Very well laid-out. First your approach to Mentalism and your show. This section stimulates a great deal of food for thought on how to exactly approach, create, write, adapt (works of others), stage, and execute your show from initial ideas and concepts to the stage performance. He challenges you to take a look at your show (if you currently have one) and carefully examine every detail in your show, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant it may appear. This really offers perspective. For those who do not yet have a show, it is a great basis and foundation on how to formulate or create your show. Very well explained and helpful on many levels. There are many valuable ideas and approaches to create, tighten, and execute a smooth, congruent flow to your show and complete overall performance. This was laid out as a journey from the very initial concept, ideas and thought process of becoming a Mentalist, creating your persona or character, creating and structuring your show with choices and decisions congruent with your persona, decided abilities and approach to Mentalism, and disclaimers, to designing, scripting, blocking, rehearsing and ultimately performing your show, with many other elements in between (including structuring, scripting, rehearsing, preparing for your show, appearance, opening effects, middle effects, closing effects, building and multiple climaxes, audience analyzation and management, rapport, hecklers, as well as equipment, microphones and sound systems, and much more). Very thorough, with great insight and perspective, especially from someone so young and with only minimal years of primary performing experience at this level. I agreed with his perspective that most Mentalists (and other performers) create their show backwards, which often leads to problems, inconsistencies, and conflicts in their performances and character. Very interesting theory and perspective. As a subtext to this course, Nick exposes us to, and takes us on his journey from beginning performer to his headlining performances at colleges, as seen on the videos included in this course. It’s a very good example of how to evolve as a Mentalist from a newbie or beginner, to a performer confident in their persona, style, choice of performance material & abilities, as a working Mentalist performer. One of the things that I see is that many writers or performers tend to only think from our (the performer’s) perspective. Nick offers precise thinking throughout the entire course on both the audience’s perspectives AND the performer’s perspectives. This I feel is extremely important and valuable, and a highlight of this material throughout. This is especially valuable to younger or newer performers, especially Magicians attempting to approach Mentalism. One thing missing that was only minimally referred to or mentioned was with regard to the many distinctive mentalities, approaches, beliefs and perceptions with regard to Mentalism vs. Magic. I feel a better understanding and explanation or elaboration of this early in the content would have been valuable. I do know he didn’t want to create a debate, and select or force sides, but to Magician’s who typically have trouble with this, more on this would have been valuable. It also helps knowing this to properly understand expectations and perception of an audience viewing Mentalism. Let me also say here, I did not care for how he refers to his Mentalism as “Magic”, which I guess is a personal peeve of mine. I’m a believer that Mentalism should stand on it’s own, with it’s own set of beliefs and perceptions and should intentionally be as far removed from Magic as possible, for both the good of the performer as well as the audience. Again, just my belief. While this material is geared towards and appeals to Mentalists, the core content can really be applied to most other types of performers - Speakers, Comedians, Magicians, Jugglers, Novelty Entertainers, Kids Party Entertainers, etc. I could see it working for strolling or close-up, although the perspective in the course and the accompanying videos are all from the stage perspective, which I really enjoyed. Throughout the material Nick does a great job crediting others and the influence on this project. Some of the additional and bonus material was quite academic and written like a college thesis, dissertation or essay, but well created, very clear and concise but a bit harder read. I must say, I enjoyed his perspectives. Mostly unbiased, yet offers his insight, opinions and reasoning for his choices in his performance, most of which I also would agree with. Many will benefit from this. This material is designed to be used by the performer, not the armchair Mentalist with ideas and theories, this is for the real-world worker or those serious about creating a sellable, live performance. This material will hit you directly and you will automatically think about how it pertains to you and your performance. In this respect I kept thinking how this read was much like Ken Weber’s Maximum Entertainment. It will really get you thinking about your show with perspective. The amount of material and details is vast. The author’s perspectives offer great ideas, thinking and insights from “stimulating yourself in the shower”, to assuming responsibility for every detail in your show. Not a lot of fluff, it was written to convey his points without any padding or filler. ROUTINES Nick includes the routines used as they appear (word for word) in his actual show. I must say some great thought and details have gone into his thinking and the creation of these routines. Most of the routines are based on existing concepts, methods and ideas (who’s aren’t), yet with some original application, ideas and creation. I know several of the routines will be serious considerations for purchaser’s performances. They are very strong commercial, fun routines, that are created and designed to serve a specific (and well explained) purpose in his show. I must say I really liked his thinking, creation and presentation of these routines. Some great adaptations and applications. Well done. The routines all offer in individual breakdowns in the absolute most detail, which was great. Then the routines were also offered in the video performances so you could see them in action rather than just trying to imagine them. VIDEOS I enjoyed the performance videos that were from full live college shows. No staged takes, retakes, but actual live performance footage. This was probably the most personal as you got to see and know Nick, see him perform and apply the materials he presents in the course, and see how it all culminates in his actual performance. It ties it all together. I like that one of the shows was taped from two different angles, straight-on, wide angle full shot, and also a mobile up close angle and perspective (although I do wish the close-up camera was on a tripod rather than handheld). This was very helpful and beneficial and one of the highlights of the program. It shows Nick’s level of performance, his confidence and comfort as a performer, and also his youth (not necessarily in a bad way). You see real audience spectators, and real audience reactions. A very nice addition and strong component of the course, both from an education perspective and from an entertainment perspective. You see him talking the talk, and walking the walk. I would have loved to have seen some more alternate and additional performances of all the routines for comparison purposes and a better understanding and different perspectives. MARKETING There is some useful valuable material here too. Is there anything new or earth-shattering here? No. Most of the Marketing things are well-known to working professionals, but I am certain may not be to beginners, newbies, amateurs, part-timers or those who are seeking to perform professionally, for a living or “full-time”. Please don’t take this to say the material is poor, as it isn’t. It’s just if you are looking for some new, breakthrough, never before seen or heard of Marketing superstar idea, you will not find them here. I wouldn’t expect anyone to truly expect that here, but just in case you expect secret, never before heard of tactics for this minimal price, I just wanted to clarify to prevent any misunderstanding. That said, the Café is filled with members asking basic questions about Search Engine Optimization, Adwords, Social Marketing, Facebook, Twitter, post-card marketing, and overall web marketing, you will find information on these topics included in the bonuses of this course. Some of the progress in these areas change or progress quickly, but for a good basic understanding of this area of marketing, I’m sure you will find some unknown and useful info here. There could have been more, with examples of Nick’s personal marketing efforts and results. It would have been nice to also see samples of Nick’’s promotional and marketing materials, post-cards, etc., as we saw samples of his performances. There could have been more to make this as thorough as the Showmanship section, but then again, this could be a whole course on it’s own. I feel he thought between what he provided and the additional bonus marketing materials from others, that much was covered, which I understand. But there is some valuable marketing material here. HYPNOSIS As a certified and professionally trained Hypnotist I have many problems with Hypnosis for Magicians and Mentalists. Hypnosis utilizes a different skillset and performance approach all together. I don’t care how in the Magic community (and Mentalism), Hypnosis is considered part of magic. It isn’t. It has nothing to do with tricks, moves, gimmicks, deceptions, slights or illusions. While I can see how the affiliated connection the Magic communities applies, this is really not true, as Hypnosis is a completely different process, mentality and type of performance execution. So many more components and elements are at work. Yes, there are some Mentalists that if they take the time and commit to the education, understanding and training to learn it, can have it co-exist with their Mentalism, but this is the exception to the rule, and requires a commitment and understanding that most in Magic or Mentalism simply are not willing to do. This then leads to an entire sham of pseudo-hypnosis or Magic or Mentalism effects using a Hypnosis theme or facade. I despise this, so I won’t go there. Nick does include hypnosis in this course (there is a basic Hypnosis resource in the Additional Bonus section), but oddly not in the written manual content, only in video performances. I’m not sure why, other than to show his other abilities that do make up the entire second half of his show. I think it will leave many questions in the mind of the readers, and not only is it not included, it really isn’t even addressed as to why it’s been omitted. Perhaps I’m putting to much emphasis on the hypnosis topic, but wonder why it was really included as part of this course, other perhaps than to establish his abilities. Just as a quick review while we’re on the topic, Nick does show his entire hypnosis performance. While it played well, I think it represents what hypnosis is to the Magic and Mentalism community, from this perspective he did fine. From a Hypnosis community perspective I would have some slight difference in perspectives. I think Nick’s hypnosis approach is fine, but is representative of what stage hypnosis has become to the younger performers in today’s generation. It was good, fun and I’m sure will be interesting to many, and it was only a section of his show, but it’s more of a brief inclusion of hypnosis rather than as in-depth, detailed, and amazing as it could be. OVERALL REVIEW & FINAL THOUGHTS 99% of the time I would not have high expectations for something from young or a virtually unknown performer, let alone publisher/author/creator. Most of the time this results in typical rehashed, basic content, from other’s previous published works. It may have been new to the author, but not to many others. This is really a refreshing exception to the rule. While much of the content I have come across in my nearly four decades in entertainment, this was nice to have an updated, all in one place resource. I wouldn’t at all call it rehashed material, but rather Nick’s perspective of perhaps some existing content and his personal education, with his additions, insight and personal experience and applications, which allows a fresh perspective and approach that should be useful and beneficial to anyone that reads this. For many, this will be an eye-opening experience. The lightbulb may finally go off above your head. It will make you a better performer. It did not disappoint. Much better and more than I expected. I’m not sure why Nick wrote this. Nick is young, proud and energetic and wanted to make his contribution in the industry. It is a culmination of his entertainment life experience so far, even at his young age. It didn’t seem to have an agenda, no negative or “I’m fed up with what’s out there” reasoning. There seems to be no need for notoriety or ego. Maybe it’s taking something he feel he knows and has been part of his life for a decade, and combining it with his major area of study which is Marketing, and together combined these two efforts into this release. But for whatever the reason his three year effort in this project is something that he should be proud of, and that it is something that should help fellow Mentalist performers, newer and established in their performance and business. I can see why Paul Romhany, Jim Snack, Craig Karges, Devin Knight and others spoke highly about this, as I agree it is a very useful, welcome addition to any performers resource library, filled with ideas and content you can use. I feel Nick was a victim of poor initial marketing and first impression. He apologizes for self-creating the promotional web site, which to me wasn’t the problem, but rather it looked and felt like the common shady infomercial web sites similar to Killer Mentalism and other sites that offer that feel of “but wait, there’s more” type of add-on, bonuses and bonuses to created perceived value, only to tell you the value is $100,000 but you can get yours for only $19.95, and if you order today we’ll throw in a lifetime supply of Ginsu Knives and Sham-wow! Regardless of what most gurus say (although they can be successful), this type of a web site is a turn off to many people. It seems to be representative of scam, shady, rip-off, etc. Unfortunately this affects the creator’s perception and perceived abilities, especially for an unknown. The problem is not about his abilities, it’s about the unfortunate format of the site and how it was perceived - the ever-important first impression and image of the product, the author, and content. VALUE Forget about the value he originally showed on his web site. My value perception is that the 5 main routines are great, well detailed and concisely written and could easily sell for $25.00 each (more than likely he’d have buyers at $37 or even $47) for a minimum value of $125 just for the routines. The book or manual to the course at over 400 pages of very good, practical useful content that I’m confident everyone that buys it will find several things at the absolute very least to use and apply, if not a complete transformation to your entire thinking and approach to your show, is easily valued at $49 if sold separately (if not $77 or even $97 as I’ve purchased others at these prices with far less usable content). As a stage hypnotist I record and sell every one of my performances at a price of $25. He includes two shows in this course so a value of $50, for this is easily acceptable. As someone else pointed out it’s rare to find full-length, unedited actual show performances, so this is a value. Plus the entire second close-up footage (another at least $20 value). The Marketing section does have some value in both audio programs and written content from Nick and others. Forget the resale rights or retail prices for some of the Marketing bonuses previously mentioned (although I do think many can still find some of the material in the bonuses helpful and of value), but the remainder of the material could easily be valued conservatively at $100 (if not double that if you figured actual retail costs of purchasing some of these resources and standard prices). Course Manual - $49 Routines - $125 Video $70 Marketing - $100 Bonuses - $40 Total Real Practical Value (based on my low end values) - $384 To me this would be a great value at $99, $139, $179, to some even higher. I’m not sure how much performing experience Nick has. Nick is a well presented performer for his age. Is he a slick high-polished top level pro? No, (not yet, but could easily be) he never claimed to be, but he is decent well constructed performer, with obvious experience. He is comfortable on stage (at least in the college performances included) and is well-written expressing himself, his thoughts, beliefs and processes. He practices what he preaches. He applies each and every item presented and offered in this manual, and explains why and how it works in his show. Nick’s youth also is evident in the Marketing sections of this book as it is obvious he is a Marketing student. Now, does this mean he has all of the answers and is a top marketer? No, of course not, as most at his college age have only minimal personal experience, and are eager to apply what they have studied into the real world. I enjoyed it and think most here could find this helpful, useful and of value, not to mention the benefit of seeing another working performer’s thoughts and performances from the inside out. " (End Of Original Review) I will tell you there are many more video modules to the new course. I will review the revised content, including all of the videos as an addition to my original review, hopefully later this week, time permitting with my schedule. Nick may have made a few original mistakes, but unlike many we see here, he listened to each and every bit of advice offered to him many many including myself, thanked each of us for it, never got defensive, attitude-y or p***y, and then admitted his miscalculations and errors, and seems to have worked diligently to heed the advice offered and made the revisions. This he should be applauded for, and I look forward to looking at this because of this. I should say, I do not know Nick in any way other than as others have here when this was first posted. I made it clear to Nick upon me agreeing to review it that I would give my honest, non-sugarcoated, blunt, call-it-as-I-see it review. He agreed. This too spoke volumes to me, especially in spite of how these types of things play out around here. |
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charliecheckers Inner circle 1969 Posts |
Quote:
On Sep 21, 2014, charliecheckers wrote: Mindpro (a reviewer) came in, and I am glad he did. I offered my input, not as an experienced mentalist, but rather just as a Café member. I did not extensively review Nick's offering, but while browsing through his information saw that he decided not to pursue a career in mentalism (or entertainment). I was surprised by this. It does not invalidate his offering, but it does put it in a different context. There is value a prolonged successful career that includes sustained success across a range of clients. The marketing needs also evolve and develop over time as one's career progresses. This is why I believe what Nick can offer has limitations. I also saw some verbiage in his material that elevates red flags. Including years spent prepubescent as experience in mentalism and show earning figures that seemed as though they were tossed in out of thin air. The title also speaks to over promising. If it read "The Complete Guide to Entering the College Market of Performing in Mentalism", I believe it would have greater appeal. This is why I suggested a more narrow approach in presenting his material. The two things I like most about Nick's offer, is that he seems like a stand up guy the way he presented himself here and responded to feedback and the fact that he was wise enough to have Mindpro review his material. That is huge for two reasons: 1- He impressed Mindpro with his offering and Mindpro was able to describe the offering in detail from the perspective of a true professional mentalist 2 - he demonstrated marketing savy missing from just about every other person who markets services here. He reached out and got an opinion from a trusted source. These alone may intrigue me enough to purchase Nick's product (price depending of course) and I have no interest in pursuing mentalism as a career. I enjoy learning from a variety of sources, and it sounds like Nick has a gift of teaching. |
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Nick Kolenda New user 44 Posts |
Thanks again for posting that, Mindpro (and for taking the time to go through both the original and updated course from an unbiased standpoint).
Based on everyone’s feedback, and after giving it more thought, I’m going to delay the official launch so that I have more time to get some additional unbiased reviews. I think those reviews will help ease any concerns that people have about the course. It will also give me a chance to get some final feedback so that I can change or add any material to the course if need be. As Mindpro can attest, I put a lot of time and effort into this project, trying to make it as insightful and helpful as possible for mentalists. I made a mistake with the original perceived positioning, so I want this new launch to get started on the right foot so that there isn’t any confusion. |
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Mindpro Eternal Order 10585 Posts |
As I posted a while ago, when it was announced that Nick Kolenda was releasing this course in it’s new and revised version, since I reviewed the original course, I felt I would offer an updated review of it in it’s new incarnation.
Someone complimented Nick on his ability to accept criticism, which to many magicians and performers, it is very hard to do. He has directly answered questions when asked, and when offered perspective and sound advice by some pros here with regard to his original course he listened, understood it and accepted it. No slamming, bashing or negative replies. He heard what was being said, and decided himself to pull the project off of the market and accept the information offered. That was in 2012. He has spent the last two years revising it, correcting it (the perceptions of his course) and changed it. The result is the new Career In Mentalism Course. As someone who is also updating and revising a previous course, now actually two courses due to so much interest and specific content, I can completely understand the effort, amount of time and labor of love that went into this course. It is called Career In Mentalism, but as Nick quickly points out, it is not just about mentalism, it applies and can be used the same for magicians, hypnotists, or other specialty or variety performers. Since Nick’s interest and focus was mentalism, this is what he refers to and is shown offering and demonstrating in the video portions of this course, but you can easily see that it could have just as easily been any type of variety performer. Upon receiving this course, it seemed quite fresh and updated. Gone were the controversial bonuses of the original course (which I liked and saw in the right perspective, other’s didn’t), which he had originally included as added value. This course also includes audio programs related to the business and marketing side of the career. One thing that seemed obvious to me, since I reviewed the original course, is Nick is at an age where the difference in a couple of years time is noticeable and shows in this updated course. Not that he was young and inexperienced in the original, but that he is now a bit older and more experienced, in several aspects related to this course - as a performer and as a marketer. With this said, he is still young and evolving as a marketer and performer. I will say that this course is based on Nick's personal experience. This is also based on his personal approach to mentalism. This includes some of his perceptions and foundational beliefs. I will say that I disagree with his foundational beliefs and approach to mentalism, but that is okay, this course is not about his specific foundational beliefs and approach, but rather creating your own foundational beliefs and approach, whether the same as Nick’s or not. He regularly states throughout he course that you should decide what is best for you and that “his may not be yours.” You do not have to subscribe to his beliefs about mentalism to apply the contents of this course. The reader is encouraged to create their own beliefs, approaches and perceptions with regard to their foundational positions and perceptions. (Nick refers to his mentalism as magic and part of magic. I don’t care how he states in one of the performance videos that he is the only such type of performer in the world. To me this sends a very confusing message that he is a magician and that all of his mentalism are tricks. I also don’t agree with his use of playing cards in a mental is show, but again that’s part of my personal foundations and beliefs). The book/manual Showmanship For Mentalists reminds me of Maximum Entertainment by Ken Weber. It kind of has the same feel in his approach towards performing. Many young performers just dive in and go for it, without regard for reason or why, but more of a just do it. Nick breaks the mentalities of things down as you approach your performance and explains his reasoning why. He details, explains and breaks down all of the routines and performance material in his mentalism show (what happened to the TOD explanation(?), which was I believe deliberately missing). Since the original course, he has added quite a bit of audio and video learning as part of the program. I liked this a lot overall. It was a nice addition and offers more added value than his former previous bonuses. One of the bonus audio modules of this course were two full recorded calls with industry experts - one a college programming/booking rep, and the other a professional event planner. Nick interviews them to gain their knowledge and insight into hiring mentalists or other similar type of entertainers. Listening to these interviews a few things come to mind. First it is based on Nick’s experience thus far in these markets or his desire to learn more about these markets through these interviews. I myself really didn’t care for the college audio interview. I thought the concept or idea was interesting but felt it fell short due primarily to Nick’s own lack of experience in working the college market (other than his own schools) on such a level of working with these programmers consistently, as a regular working performer (not just someone who has done a few gigs at his own or local colleges). There seemed to be some lack of understanding on Nick’s part to some of the advice provided by the guest, which showed his lack of experience in what she was speaking about. For example the guest refereed a couple of times to working with promoters which Nick seemed not to understand. Then later he references working with agents (which is much different than promoters) which seemed awkward after her answering the question referring to promoters). Many of the questions seemed sophomoric (which is great from a person's (listeners) perspective who has never done this themselves, you get to hear Nick tackle it) and he kept focusing on details in specific which the guest clearly knew little about. Then when he explains mentalism he refers to it as magic and magic-related which I always feel is a mistake. Especially to programmers. Later he mentions her hiring magicians and you clearly hear the hesitation and disdain in her voice. Now with that said, I think that some with little or no experience in this market may find the interview interesting, but there was what I feel was some poor information and perspectives offered. I didn’t care for the direction or leading of the questioning. Some key things were missing. Not a favorite part of mine in the course. I would have rather had the interview conducted by someone more familiar with the college system of booking. But again, it did offer insight from her personal opinion and based on the direction and questioning Nick led. The same kind of held true for the Event Planner interview. The problem with event planners is they are all quite independent and have their own ways and approaches to doing things. Their perspective, in my experience vary, sometimes greatly from person to person. We tend to think of entertainment being important, crucial or priority to event planners, when in reality it’s not. It’s simply one of the series they provide and typically not one of their favor as other areas offer much greater margins and profit potential. This is put n perspective when she discusses the budget for an event and then what portion of that is for entertainment. Again it was interesting on a beginning level, but again for example if I ( or someone with more experience in the market and dealing with such a person or professional) had been asked to do the interviews for these calls, which again were a great ideas, it would have been quite different. Again the difference may be insight, knowledge and experience. Again these were an added bonus to the course and should not be a deciding factor in purchasing this, as it is support content to the main course. The two greatest additions were the PPC (Pay Per Click) and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) content in the marketing section. These were like two mini-courses within the main course. Nick explains his dilemma of a couple of years ago in deciding to be come a full-time performer or pursuing his marketing degree and focus on marketing. He choose the marketing. His decision to so allowed this additional content to be added, which is a great component to this course. I see so many posts here about PPC, Adwords and SEO. So much get technical, hard to follow and understand and very “tech-y”. It gives you a headache. Nick has the great ability to offer a very well explained and demonstrated explanation, in easy to understand video, that makes getting a true understanding of this very welcoming. No geek overload, no tech-talk that mere mortals can’t follow, but well-defined and explained, quick mini-courses on each. I challenge anyone that does not know about these topics or only know a few basics not to gain a much better understanding of both. He actually gets you excited about this stuff without being overwhelmed. I really though Nick could have included a free mini-consultation with the course which could have probably allowed him to gain some more personal clients from this content, but he didn’t - no upsells or attempts for you spending more money. It did however make me think I would consider using his services. For only being a couple of years into this is is quite knowledgeable with a great bedside manner. He is not trying to present himself to be more than he is or something he is not. He openly admits his years in this and level of experience. In my earlier review I address some thoughts, concerns and perspectives I had for the hypnosis section of his performance. Nick addresses these and the hypnosis show is also included and a nice addition to the course. What I do like is it’s not the latest, newfangled “hypnosis for magicians” shortcut junk that is so popular today or “street hypnosis”, that is often passed off as hypnosis. Nick makes it clear that he takes his approach to hypnosis and his work quite seriously. He even includes his 19 page Research Project paper he did for college. A great starting point for anyone interested in seeing a stage hypnosis performance or hypnosis combined in the same show as mentalism. Nick covers a great deal in this course. While I think it got a great deal for the newbie or entry level mentalist or variety performer, it offers some great foundational content and perspectives. You get to take his journey right along with himself. Some may complain that he’s no longer a professional performer since he chose to pursue marking instead. The truth is this content is based on his personal knowledge and experience, that still remains whether he chooses to be a full-time performer or not. If anything his marketing knowledge and insights has created more value to the course. I still like it. I like the additions, Love the two mini-courses in the Marketing section and the rest of the updates. I think it is great for it’s intended audience. It is reminiscent to many courses today in that it’s about the show and then the marketing of that show. As most here know, I am a believer that there is a huge piece that comes between the two which is missing from this and most other courses. This is okay, as this is what my course will be about when it’s released (lol!). Don’t get hung up on this being just for mentalists, it’s not. There is great perspectives, knowledge and insight into many types of performers. Especially those that, like Nick, have to choose between performing and your job, school or other choices. This material works just as well for part-timers and full-timers. I wish Nick the best for this and think his time, effort and labor of love should be applauded. As for Matt Chalk's youthful perceptions, you are not remembering this quite correctly. Again it was this misperception that leads to incorrect information being shared. As Nick has explained, the flak he took was for the name of the course. Separate from that he included some free bonuses that he paid for to include from others - content that supported his own, and that he regarded as helpful to him and his learning process (this has since been removed from this new course due to just this very misperception). It was NOT the reason for the concern about his course. One or two may have misperceievd this but that is not what his intent was. Also it was free to that should have never been a concern or factor. As to how can you ensure it would be useful to a young entertainer such as yourself? Quite simple - you are a young entertainer - any information is useful to any young entertainer. Even IF it wasn't something new (which it is as it is original to Nick and his personal experience) it may still very well be new to you or any young performer. Also let's clarify to be certain - there wasn't "huge flack" over the original course, there was a handful of professionals that expressed concerns and their reason for concern over the title of the program, never the content. He actually received favorable support. I have always said, be careful as to who you listen to and what information you choose to accept. This is how incorrect information becomes spread and then guys like yourself remember only bits and pieces of the information which may prove to be incorrect. It is for this reason Nick has asked a seasoned performer and professional for such a review and perspective. Nick is likely too nice a guy to tell you this himself. |
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Nick Kolenda New user 44 Posts |
Mindpro,
Thank you so much again for going through the updated course. I really value your feedback and comments, and I’m glad that you could appreciate the content. I’m very much looking forward to your course - as is everyone else, I’m sure I also completely agree about the interviews. I was initially planning on conducting more interviews because I think the concept is a great idea (with a lot of potential to gain some very helpful insights). However, once I finished the first few interviews, I realized that they would be better handled by someone more familiar with college and corporate bookings. Once I had that realization, I put more focus on the SEO and PPC sections of the course (which is my main background in marketing). Everyone, Based on feedback, I made a change to the website last weekend. Although I’ll still have the “Career in Mentalism” course, I added a “Products” page, so that people can purchase individual items: www.careerinmentalism.com/products That way, if you still have any hesitations, you can test the waters to get a feel for the type of content, without making a big investment. I still need to make some final adjustments to the website, but I’ll post an update once everything is available. Best, Nick |
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charliecheckers Inner circle 1969 Posts |
Thanks again for the review, Mindpro.
I have come to respect Nick and his offering. I am not a big fan of those who only come here when they want to sell their products for free, so I do wish Nick would either become a regular poster, or pay for advertising here (or both ideally). I believe there is benefit to learning from those who have recently accomplished what I am attempting to accomplish myself. So while Nick's inexperience may come across in portions of his material, it may play stronger for those of us who are newer to performing. For example, I recall purchasing several courses that either exclusively or in part discussed marketing to the Library Market for children entertainers. Often the perspective shared was good advice for someone who was a well established performer looking to add libraries to their list of markets they pursued. But what about someone who was newer to performing and trying to break into the library market as a way of building their base business from which to then grow? I had recently accomplished this and believe my insights would have been perhaps more beneficial to someone trying to do likewise. Of course I am not as experienced and made mistakes, but I also have a fresh memory of the challenges and details of the strategic approach I pursued, and I did so having the perspective of someone newer to performing and not already established. In Nick's course, if he lacked experience in college markets, it is okay because a beginner would likely greatly benefit from even landing a few local gigs. They should not be concerning themselves with higher end opportunities at that point ( in my opinion). After a performer gets themselves to the point where Nick's course leads them, they may be in a better position to leverage a course that takes it to a more professional level. This is why I think it is important for Nick to better define his target market. He can take what is perceived to be a negative and turn it into a strength, for the right potential customer. Marketing to newer performers would also change the way he puts the course together, with respect to what is his emphasis. |
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Nick Kolenda New user 44 Posts |
Thanks, Charlie. I agree that the course offers a few unique angles that would be helpful to some performers who are just beginning (and I think the material would still be interesting and useful for seasoned performers).
Also, just for the record, I sent an email to Steve Brooks last month asking to advertise on the site. I never heard back, so I was going to follow up this month. As for becoming a regular poster, I want to mention something. I usually try to leave emotion out of my posts, but I want to bring up this point because I feel very strongly about it. I think that both the magic and mentalism communities place too much association between expertise and post count. I absolutely agree that regular contributors should be given more respect. However, if someone has a low post count, they’re usually deemed as a newcomer with no value to provide. And I think that should change. I’ve never involved myself with either community because each time that I tried, I didn’t feel welcomed (granted one of my attempts deserved some backlash because of the perceived positioning of my product). But I see this happen with many other people on this forum, and it’s very disheartening. The Café seems like a herd of lions, just waiting for one little thing to be wrong so that they can pounce. I have a huge amount of respect for the art, and I respect anyone who shares that same passion. However, I think that the fields of magic and mentalism would benefit from more open-mindedness and supportiveness. Even if someone isn’t a full-time professional, they often have experiences in other domains (which can provide unique perspective and insight, as Charlie alluded to). I’m not accusing anyone – I just wanted to explain why I haven’t contributed in the past. That may change moving forward, but if it doesn’t, you should know that I’ll be advertising on the site (and not trying to take advantage of “free” advertising via posts). |
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