I'm just getting started out doing paid performances.

Last night I got an adult birthday party bid request on Gig Salad.

The party is TONIGHT.

Is it unusual to get a last-minute booking request like this?

I traded some text messages with them over the past couple hours and sent them a
PayPal invoice today and told them I need to be paid before the event.

The party is at 6:30 PM and I told them I need to be paid by 2:00 PM in order to confirm the gig.

It's now 2:00 PM and I have not received payment yet. I may send a text and say "sorry, I can't wait any longer" and withdraw
my bid.

Am I being too hard-nosed?

Frankly, I don't need the money and don't really care if I don't get the gig.

I'm just trying to act like a professional. I don't want people to think that I will just show up
and hope to get paid for a gig.

How do you professional performers handle situations like this?

Update, I just got paid for the gig. I'm charging only $350 for one hour of mix&mingle mentalism because it's very close to my house.

So setting a deadline really worked to get paid up front.

Still curious to know how others handle last minute gigs.

I probably get a last minute gig request (within 2 or 3 days) about every other month. Always from a gig service. I always respond with, "Prior Committment." I'm not going to juggle my schedule for what is likely to be a client that will be difficult to work with. (Price/organization/interest). If they really wanted a magician, they wouldn't think about it the day before.

Hudson

That makes sense, although I have to say that the people who hired me for the last-minute birthday party that I performed at tonight were very nice and very pleased.

The only "bad" thing was there were a LOT of young kids at the party, and I was not expecting that. You can read the gory details in my post in "Inner Thoughts"

When just starting out you often will take pretty much any bookings that may come along. It is part of your learning and educational process. However, while there are some basic benefits to doing these (stage time in front of an actual live audience (although not paid attendees), chance to grab some video for your own review later, an opportunity to work on timing, stagecraft, experience with sound systems, tweaking you material, changing content order/dropping/adding, learning which gets the best reactions, business execution aspects such as phone or booking process, contract, deposits, collecting payments, requirements, dealing with prospects and clients,etc.), you will soon find they are typically not the most optimal gigs and usually have a variety of challenges that actually make things harder than in what would actually be your preferred type of shows.

Also in the beginning as you are taking many different types of sporadic gigs that come up, you don't have the opportunity to select your desired performance markets and begin specialization and tailoring your show to that market(s). As its referred to in the business, it is "a place to go to to be bad." Although not saying you shouldn't do your best at all time or use it as an accepted excuse for a poor performance.

With all of that said, after 40 years in entertainment and live performing, the one thing I can also most assure you is the majority of the time any last minute gigs or booking opportunities usually have problems and potential disaster written all over them. I would go as far to say of all of the performances that incurred some type of problems in either my performing career or just in the thousands of bookings my agencies do for other artists, I would, in all honestly say 95% of the time last minute bookings are the sole cause.

It is usually because of the certain types of dynamics that come along with these gig (which are all usually bad or negative elements). Most of these also tend to occur and be more commonplace in consumer markets. Most accept them only for initial experience or because of the need for income or a paycheck. Some can be okay or salvageable but others will be among the lowlights of most careers.

I think they are more common today than a generation or two ago and the client today usually have more options than previously, mostly due to access and technology. They just start contacting one after another until they find someone. Of course this is not in any way the plan or foundation for a successful business, which is why most only do these in the beginning, in desperation or on a personal as needed basis. However this lead generation sites are good for throwing some of these your way due to their positioning and quick direct access to many performers.

Good for you that you got payment in advance, although more and more people are paying by cards and Paypal and then disputing charges later (screwing the performer) which is an entirely other situation (but does regularly result as part of the whole last minute gigs arena, so be careful/aware or insist on cash as an option). Again something more common today than previously.

I think part that determines if you get many last minute opportunities is how you promote yourself and when you are listed. Sites like Gigmasters and Gig Salad seem to incur quite a bit of these (again by their nature alone).

Glad to hear you have a pretty decent experience. The kids thing, if you're going to do home events or the family market (consumer) is something you should be prepared for (again people don't know how to buy/book entertainment so you have to educate and ask such questions/topics, although often they will tell you one thing and another actually happens). In mentalism, never give kids the opportunity or control over something than can affect the outcome of an effect. Forces, MO, IS, DR or basic presented choice is usually best. There are a whole set of uninviting performance dynamics that come with home parties and closeup mentalism that you must be prepared for if you are going to work this market and accept these types of gigs as a mentalist.

Glad all went well for you.

Mindpro, thanks for the great advice!

Your posts on this forum are always extremely valuable.