Thank you brehan... you get it... finally maybe I've been in school for marketing and my manager and promoters and I all got together along with some local establishments around town and came up with this idea. It didn't just come out of the blue, and it does what it's suppose to weather you notice it or not, stop looking at it like a magician and see it from the eyes of the ppl who see our shows.. It creates what ever is in your mind, W's I cater to a certain clientel and for what it's worth. I say once again It does what it's suppose to

Dude...get a grip! When you post ANYTHING on a public forum, it's open to ridicule and commentary. If you didn't want anyone to comment on it, then don't post it! I was not commenting to bring you down, nor was I commenting to insult you. It didn't make any sense to me at all so I was hoping you'd clairify your thought process on it to spark some intellegant conversation. But I guess not...

The Flavor Flav comment was a joke man. A poster of a black man with a giant clock that appears to be hanging around their neck would make me think of Flavor Flav. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought that...whether folks admit it or not.

So check your ego at the door...I was simply asking a question. No need to get yourself all up in a tizzy...geeze!

The lobby poster in question says nothing. After briefly thinking the W's, the patron quickly moves on to "what's for dinner?"

Lol there it goes if you wanted that intelligent conversation you should ask for it not any snide comments. My ego isn't apart of the issue, and barfly the only ppl that see that poster are the ones that are eating dinner that have paid for my show, so they don't move on. I don't work restaurants like most magicians, I have a contract and commitment already set. And the poster is already set so my contact info is already know by the patrons of my shows.

Whatever you say man...

Hmmm might I pipe in?

First I was a Graphic Artist for a Fortune 100 company, I went to Parson's School of Design in New York City, I have won several awards for poster design while in the Air Force AND have been doing Art for over 40 years.

Lion, this is a waste of money!!

The poster is WAY too dark.... even with the bad angle on this, placing in front of a window, really bad idea. From a distance it will look exactly how it looks in the photo. All I see is teeth, collar, clock and hands.

If everyone knows why your there then why have a poster? Brand recognition?

There is no contact info, no name, the picture tells no story, nor does it represent entertainment, it doesn't even tell what TIME you do something!!!

General public thinks in generalities and though you might not like the Flava Fav comment it is the first thing I thought. Before you get all racist on me too. I actually change my look several years ago because of misinterpretation of my look. I used to wear a lot of purple with a purple bowler hat..... overwhelmingly people would say "what are you? A Leprechaun?" My reaction was always " How many tall leprechaun wearing purple have you seen??"

While I do share an Irish heritage it was not what I want to be know as.

Here is a link to a friend of mine, really like the contrast in his photos:
http://ciaopaparazzi.smugmug.com/Portrai......58_pqtYK

I hope this helps you.

I like it, but you do need to have your head backlit/hairlit. It could be done in Photoshop.
Contact information is not appropriate in a lobby poster. your name is.

First bad to the ballon I didn't get all racist on anyone... you guys don't know the history between someone and I... so you wouldn't understand second as I stated before the poster works for my work, weather others think it doesn't work or it's to dark or anything, I don't need my name or contact info on there. It is not a waste of money if I continue working and have and continue getting work from it. It has already paid for itself. I do appreicate your post, but the one thing I find on the Café is everyone says what their opioions are and that's what the fourm is for, but no one hardly ever just says well if it works for that individual then that's all that matters. I am not someone who is new and just putting this poster out without consulation, as I have stated it came about with several months of study with marketing constultants for my area. If you were to see my show then I assure you the poster would make sense that's whats important.. From my shows I at least gain one or two private bookings just from the poster alone, which once more you can't appreiciate from the picture. I take no offense to anyone's posting regarding what I have put up on here, but if you notice the talk is about me... weather you see if or not, weather someone says good or bad about it.. I don't like some of the posters I have seen users post above, but it works for them..lol who am I to say they shouldn't use it if they have been and it's working.

Lion,

Re-read what I wrote.

I didn't claim you got racist, What I said is BEFORE you get racist about my comments her is a situation that happened to me. As I was making a comment about being stereotyped with imagery by the general public.

Make paragraphs so you points can be understood.

My name is Mark, it is in my tag line. If you noticed I actually took the time to look at you website and look up your name.

You are being defensive about you work, others here are trying to understand it. You have not articulated your point at all.

Even Alexander's Poster the most esoteric magic poster I have seen tells a story or at least begs a question.
http://www.nnmagic.com/posters_magicoriginal/posters_ab.htm

Well to add to the mayhem here is my new poster for my 11 year old engagement.... enjoy or harass!!

Can't get the image small enough: here is the link:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1......&theater

Well, Mark, now that I know your name, I'll address you by it, don't worry about my paragraphs, as I write the way I feel you obviously understood well enough to respond to what I wrote. I'm not being defensive about my work at all because no one on here has hired me and that's the only person I owe any type of explanation to of what's going to be placed in their event. You say others here are trying to understand it, if that was the case I have not once heard anyone say "hey how does that work for you, how does it bring business or what ever" Just heard a bunch of ppl I don't know say I don't get it looking at it from a magicians eyes. Funny how I got a call Monday and I appeared on our morning talk show Today, Excuse me as I clear my throat, as the call came to me with a question about my poster. I don't care about anyone else's poster and even if the greats of the past or future place their name and information on it, that works for them.

This thread as most of them do is becoming ridiculous, everyone is telling what I should do and shouldn't do, but I do what works for me once again. I look at your site and say to myself that wouldn't work for me, but it works for you so who am I to tell you that you should change something unless you ask for it. Sir that is my only point I have no issue with someone helping me out but I am not an amateur who has not studied what I need to in order to make my business run the way I want it. I see by your work and videos that you have what it takes, but I didn't ask anyone to tell me what I should change, the originally poster just asked for examples I placed mine here for that purpose. If he/she doesn't like it then I still have helped in some way, and you are correct I should have taken the time to see your name like you did mine, and for that I apologize. Even with the Alexander poster I simply see his name, no contact info..lol but it must have worked for him. So I'm ending with, thank you all for whatever was said about it, but if you'd like to continue to speak on my poster please do so I will not, but if you do speak about it.. Then it's doing what's it's meant for. Thanks to all and god bless



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc2lz21St9w

Did you perform on the show?

No not this time, they basically asked me questions about the poster around town, and the show that I'm doing that's coming up. That was the first step, but I performed for the general manager and staff. Got an invatation to come back and perform on a future show. I did however get a gig to perform at their company cookout next week.

Here is my poster that has just been done.

I have to agree with the other comments on here you should always put contact details and name on everything for example you would not see a world famous company like coca cola advertise on tv without the name being shown even though the whole world knows the brand

Just my thoughts

Click here to view attached image.

LOL how funny, as I saw a post that lead me back to this one over a year ago... I'll make this statement brief as I read back over some of the postings and for most of this I'll going to sum up in my own words.

I got from some of these that my lobby poster sucked, and it was a waste of money, also that no one would ever know how to contact me. Okay for anyone out there reading this that may be new or wondering of ideas. Here's my advice as of what I did which worked for me, stop feeding into everything that you hear from some ppl on here who have not proven that they know what they are talking about or they are not willing to prove to you that they have the track record and put your ideas down.

Do what I did invest your money into a person or team who knows marketing and promotion, this same lobby poster lead directly to a chain of events that sprung allot of good things that have happened since. This is the idea that my promotion team came up with from my vision that we spoke about. My direct link from this lobby poster came when the producer from my local tv station walked in to the restaurant that I was working. I'm assuming she asked the waiter first, but eventually asked the manager, what the poster was about... so the manager told her to wait one moment and she'll will find out. Called me over and the rest became history

Now I'm not saying that with any other lobby poster this would not have happened, but as stated in some of the other postings that for me that is what this was designed for to create that sort of curiosity. If I had all of my information and I'm a magician she might have known as soon as she saw it and not wanted anything to do with it as the negative connotation of magicians already, but as I stated before this works for me it may not work for others, for the way my show and status I've work is done it works great.

I performed and here is a direct result of her wanting to know what time it is? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45NaIjCK63g&feature=g-upl which in turn has lead to many other big gigs from it.. even to the point that I was the entertainment for a few big name celebrities during the Kentucky Derby this past week. Private and public shows for them, which in my mind came from that same poster being placed in a lobby one day in which a lady asked a question about, that I didn't take down because I didn't listen to a few ppl on the Magic Café that told me to get rid of it, because it didn't have my information on it. lol


I simply write this now, because there might be someone out there thinking what I'm thinking and they may let some remarks discourage them from some ideas, I simply say do what you feel will work for you in your vision... There are some great ideas that are given on here, please don't dismiss any of them without giving it the proper research due. Don't be afraid to take chances, and investing some money into classes and learning allot more of marketing and the business aspect of our craft. It has paid off for me ten times fold.

Respectfully,

Lion Fludd

Lion,

I agree. The entire point of the poster is to create interest. Its not just a matter of an image of all cards or a clock but whatever hits that spot in someone and invokes interest.

Great video BTW. I wasn't sure if you're the same guy but a few years ago I wasn't able to attend the Gatlinburg convention and my sister let me use her cabin. We're you one of the guys that stayed there? Also, we probably have a lot of the same friends because I lived in Lexington from 1997-2005 and hung out in the Louisville area a LOT. Brent Braun was a dear friend of mine as well as most of the magic guys in both Louisville and Cincinnati. I worked the derby for three years in a row (2001-2003) on board the Governors train from Franfort to Churchill Downs. Amazing times! All the best in your life and career : )

Hey Micheal,

Thank you first off and yes that is me, I stayed at the cabin with Kyle and some of the other guys. Yes I know Brent personally he has given me solid advice over some time and it has been in valuable. I saw the other post in which someone asked about it and this thread was a link in there so it brought back up the memories, I read it back and it was just funny how people give their opinion as fact. Derby is a big time around here, and you guys are really rocking with the restaurant magic live business as well. I've been speaking with Kostya, nice hearing from you again as well... lets keep in touch. I may be coming down there for the wizard theater soon.

Glad it worked...glad you got the gigs...it works for you. But it appears as much as chance as good promotion. If waiter hadn't connected person to manager...if manager was too busy, or not available, or you hadn't been in at that time...if you were tied up or unable to make it over to her before she left... you one lucky guy. But how many other potential contacts were missed?

Don't understand aspect of "negative connotation" You (or the establishment) don't want people to know they have magician? You'd rather wait until you approach them to let them know? Also, if they TV manager had negative connotation of magicians, doubtful if she would have booked you after meeting you, regardless of your poster.

Just some thoughts and observations for those here to consider. In the end it's working for you, you're working gigs...so good on you.

It's not chance, it's preparation, you can say the what ifs'... I can never know how many potential contacts were missed, none of us can unless there is some sort of survey conducted. I do know how many of the connections I make because of the conversations and bookings... That have come through that poster rather directly or indirectly. That one, that day, at that moment, I don't deal in what if's I deal in the fact that my team and I worked and found an image that worked for me. My only point was that and will more than likely always be some on the Café should understand our words can have a big impact on others rather we see it or not and shouldn't always try to give our opinion as fact and law.

If I had listened and scraped my idea then it wouldn't have been in the spot it was that day, and I know for a fact that she didn't like magicians because she said it from her mouth, "I don't like magicians, but you had me laughing the whole time" So her booking me for the show directly came from me showing her that there is more than the bad experience she had from others. So if my poster said the worlds greatest magician then I might not had even had the chance, but then again I might.. we can look it both ways always. I said it before and I say it again to anyone who may be reading this and wondering, invest your time and money into people who are skilled in the graphic, marketing,advertisement field, and other fields that can help you.

I've always offered this piece of advice when approaching anyone that never liked magic. Never be afraid to ask questions! In ANY scenario where I meet someone that doesn't like magic I always take a moment or two to know WHY exactly they don't care for it. By nature I'm very curious to know what turns people off about magic or magicians.

Was the last one cheesy, rude, amateurish, bad hygiene? What was it that turned you off? You then acknowledge their statement, empathize and then try and recall a similar situation you've experienced yourself. THEN you turn the negative into a positive by winning them over. "You know what __________, I COMPLETELY understand what you're talking about. I remember once not too long ago..." and then after you recall your story end with, " ...a lot of people I meet have felt the same way you did. Would you help me out with something? I would love for you to give me thirty seconds to change your mind and allow me to show you what true astonishment feels like. Are you ready to get started?!"

I have NEVER once received anything negative afterwards. Not once! Why? Because I took time to care about THEM and their experience. I didn't force anything upon them. Once you acknowledge and understand, the experience begins to shift to a positive feeling.