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magicman226 Loyal user San Antonio, Texas 234 Posts 
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I am having trouble (once again) on getting hired. I don't have the means to get ads in the newspaper or anything.
Does anyone have tips on inexpensive, but effective advertising? It's quite difficult when you're just a kid. Thank you, Michael |
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Corey Harris Inner circle Kansas City, MO 1230 Posts
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Word of Mouth. If you don't have a website, Check out freeservers. I do all my sites on there for my wrestling, Magic and IT stuff. Just a little code and it is searchable. If you are a member of your local IBM ring they may also be able to help you out. I havent done a show since I was 12 because I get to nervous now with magic. But I am doing a big corporate event on the 26th because a lot of the people at that bank know that I do magic. Here in KC our local ring has a magicians for hire page on the internet. Also another thing if you are a national IBM member you can get a free webpage through the IBM as well. Get some business cards made up at http://www.vistaprints.com you can get some nice ones for free, all you have to pay is like 5 or 6 bucks shipping and handling. Then post those on bulletin boards around town. Hope this helps some.
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magicman226 Loyal user San Antonio, Texas 234 Posts
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Thanks.
I get hired by the library, but that's about it. Word of mouth did good for me at the beginning, but lately, I don't get anything. Michael |
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sunnydolan Veteran user Opelika, Alabama 342 Posts
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Usually middle schools (3-6th grade) are having some sort of "feild day" about this time of the year, call the principle of the school, and ask if you could do some sort of show for the kids there. If you do perform in schools, I highly reccomend learning some balloon animals as well, kids love em'!!!
An amatuer practices untill he gets it right, a professinal practices untill he can't get it wrong.
Don't wait for oppurtunity to knock, throw open the door, grab it by the throat and drag it inside kicking and screaming. Magically yours |
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Corey Harris Inner circle Kansas City, MO 1230 Posts
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A lot of your drop off may be because of gas prices. We are spending so much money getting back and forth from work that we hardly have any money to spare. My wrestling shows have gone from 3 - 4 a month down to about 2 every 3 months. Since summer is approaching, I would probally try to hit up the day cares, I used to work the Daycares in idaho like a madman doing magic. It didn't pay great, But for the time being 7- 11 it payed good in my eyes. Then doing Daycares they could have like a weekend where the parents are there and you could promote your self that way as well.
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magicman226 Loyal user San Antonio, Texas 234 Posts
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Quote:
On 2006-05-14 15:57, sunnydolan wrote: The only problem with that is that could keep me out of school or something. I wouldn't want to do bad in finals. haha Thank you though. I'll try finding a school or something that I can perform at. Michael |
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Father Photius Grammar Host El Paso, TX (Formerly Amarillo) 17161 Posts
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You can always promote yourself as a magician at the places you go. If you go out to eat, do a trick for the waitress. If you go to the library, do one for the person at the check out desk when you check out ur books, if you got to a dry cleaners, do a trick for the person at the counter, etc. I do this all the time, and get a lot of free promotion and gigs out of it. It doesn't have to be much, maybe color changing knives or hotrod, or a tt trick, or any simple pocket type close up trick. Getting known as a magician is what gets you gigs, and to get known, you obviously have to do magic. It worked for me as both a kid and an adult.
"Now here's the man with the 25 cent hands, that two bit magician..."
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magicman226 Loyal user San Antonio, Texas 234 Posts
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Well I finished designing some business cards. They are simple, but pretty awesome. I can pass these out to those people I do magic for.
Thanks for the help, Michael |
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Kipp Sherry Elite user Boise, ID 477 Posts
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Michael,
Here's a great deal for getting business cards. FREE! No kidding! I've personally used these folks a couple of times now and there doesn't seem to be any catches. Vista Print Till we appear again, Kipp Sherry |
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Brad Burt Inner circle 2675 Posts
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Guerrilla Marketing : Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business (Guerrilla Marketing) -- by Jay Conrad Levinson; Paperback
Go to Amazon or your local book store and spend the small amount this book costs. It is the bible of small business marketing and will be well worth your while as you get started selling your show. Lot's of low cost and no cost things you can do. Here's my marketing secret weapon for magicians: Visit in person Part Shops in your area. Introduce youself and tell them what you do and what you charge. Offfer a nice flyer and business cards and tell them that you will give them a kick back on any show they book. 20% is a good figure. Remember you are trying to get shows and build up a clientle for repeat business. Think loooooong term here. So they book you to try you out. You do a great show. Ask the folks that booked you to call the party people and tell them how much they liked the show. PAY THE PARTY PEOPLE THEIR CUT AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!!! I can't emphasize this enough. Want more shows? Pay up and pay up fast. It will impress them with your professionalism, etc. As you get shows from the party shops, contact Party Planners. The folks that book the talent, etc. for corporate events...you get the idea. If you play this right and you can get IN...you can build a nice well paying client base for the future. Do it really right and YOU become the go to performer in your area. It is remarkable how few magicians that WANT to do shows aren't onto this. Give it a go and see what happens. Best,
Brad Burt
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nucinud Inner circle New York, New York 1298 Posts
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BradBurt is 100% correct, marketing is everything. Learn how to market yourself.
Go to the library and get some books on marketing if you can't afford to buy.
"We are what we pretend to be" Kurt Vonnegut, jr.
Now U C It Now U Don't Harry Mandel www.mandelmagic.com |
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jolyonjenkins Inner circle United Kingdom 1181 Posts
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I have a feeling it might be difficult while you're a kid. I'm speculating that perhaps people don't like to be fooled by someone so young.
The good news is that you are remedying it every day. Meanwhile, perhaps you need to find some way of capitalising on what is your USP.
Jolyon Jenkins
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Brad Burt Inner circle 2675 Posts
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I have known some 'kids' to do a lot of shows. You have to think and market yourself correctly. A 'cute' kid can go a long way in some venues and make some good money. It would take too long to go over the possible permutations, but hang in there. Get educated. Take theatre classes if possible. Read widely. Stay humble. Best,
Brad Burt
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dpe666 Inner circle 2895 Posts
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In addition to Brad's suggestion of theater classes, I would highly recommend voice training. Your voice, a lot of the time, is what creates your presence and persona. It is one of a performer's most valuable tools. Some might say, "Well, if you are doing a silent act, then you do not need voice training". BULL! You can't negotiate a contract silently.
:devilish: |
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ChristianR Veteran user 356 Posts
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Of course, as a kid, it is fun to kill the adult hecklers who think your a cute little kid that couldn't fool no one. Do a sucker effect on them but be nice about it, hand them a buisness card when your done and continue doing some nicer things. Make sure you can pull this off and read your audience.
Tarbell!
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actorscotty Veteran user wilmington nc 398 Posts
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Adding my 2 cents worth, I always do a trick or two at restaurants, bars, wherever I happen to be, give cards to anyone who shows interest.I call anyone who does, balloon decorating, party planning, wedding planning,also party supply stores , also google search for inflatables in the area(slides etc) call them offer to be on their source files, all of those people get calls for magic, balloon twisters, face painters etc,,,, long ago slowed down on this as I have more than I can do, I turn down several sghows for every one I do.... it works
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Cory Gallupe Inner circle Nova Scotia, Canada 1272 Posts
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Quote:
On 2006-05-15 10:59, BradBurt wrote: Are you promoting us kids to get talent agents? I thought about that, but I heard people say they are no good. So would you recommend hiring a talent agent? What will they do for us? How much money is involved? How would I go about doing this? Thanks. -Cory. |
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Brad Burt Inner circle 2675 Posts
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Talent agents and the owner of a party shop or party business are a different thing. A 'real' agent would work proactively to get you shows. But, making contacts with folks that could offer 'you' as another part of what will make a great party is just good marketing. I knew a fellow years ago that just put up a nice looking flyer in all the local party shops in town and got a ton of business! He still kicked back part of the fee to the shop owners and as they saw the profit in it they began to recommend him.
What you have to do is get your name out. Magic and magicians are still a kind of odd breed. Frankly a lot of folks that would hire a magician JUST DON'T THINK ABOUT IT UNTIL AFTER THE EVENT! Yep, that's correct. So you want your name out as widely as possible. You want to increase the 'possibility' that you will get called for a show. Once you get the call you better have some salesman chops down, etc. Best,
Brad Burt
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Jonta New user 9 Posts
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Websites are always good to have. I've got several, but no magic one yet. (Maybe I sould learn some tricks first?
 ) Anyway, go onto http:www.freewebs.com or http://www.geocities.com and make your own free website. If you don't want people to type in "www.freewebs.com/magicman226" or something, then go onto http://www.dot.tk and make an account there. Then you can have your website being something like "www.magicman226.tk". I'd ask local small supermarkets if you can hang a piece of paper telling about what you do and so on next to the missing cats on the pinboard, do the same at your school and your mother's and father's work, and friends's parent's work. (WARNING! Ask for permission.)
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magicman226 Loyal user San Antonio, Texas 234 Posts
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Thanks for all the help.
Jonta, on dot.tk, is it "fill-in-the-blank" where you fill in the information you want to show up, etc.? Michael |
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Posted: May 14, 2006 06:23 pm 
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