Question to Wayne Houchin

[tironemagic]

hey wayne(and whoever is viewing). i have a really good question (and i think i speak fro alot of people here). ok so heres my question. you have made many tricks and sold many. but how did you get your first dvd produced. how did it get noticed and who did you do it with.

TironeMagic

P.S. can i have ur email or something. or PM me. i wanna chat with you about creating tricks. i have one on my hands that i cant get out

 

[waynehouchin]

Good question. The short answer is - I did it myself. I have been performing magic for audiences since I was 12 - I know that a lot of magician's will say that they started around that time, but I truly mean that I have been PERFORMING FOR AUDIENCES since I was 12. By the time I was 16 I had designed / promoted & sold out my first theater show. I continued doing theaters and busking, which led to local & eventually national corporate work. By the time I was 21 I had booked myself regularly at On The Rocks (a bar here in Chico) and I was touring - performing for schools & companies.

Throughout all of this I was creating & developing my own style. I produced videos that were sold at my shows. Back in 2004, I got a call from Criss Angel - this was before his A&E series. He had heard about some of the effects I had developed & was performing & wanted to talk about using them on a television series that he was working on. After my work with Criss, I was contacted by a lot of different people, Ellusionist was one of them. They wanted to do a project with me - I agreed, but I insisted that I produce the video myself... and I did. Stigmata was my first solo release - and was also my first self-produced feature length DVD.

I was successful long before I began releasing DVD's to the magic community. The best advice I can give you is: Don't wait to be "discovered." The chances are, that's not going to happen. Learn to do it yourself & you will only be limited by your own drive, tenacity & creativity.

 

[Aris.SA]

Amen man... Wayne I have a question for u... when someone asks you to make a trick and you only have a deck of cards, what trick do u perform to them? Besides stigmata

 

[Sergey]

that's a good reply, Iagree that you shouldn't wait to get discovered, but I also think that making your own DVD (thats for me) as the first trick is actually a little too much, maybe submit it to a site, and then when you get more comfortable with it make your own DVD but thats my 2 cents

 

[tironemagic]

i really appreciate your advice wayne, but how do you produce and market and copy and do the art and dvd art and editing and all that by yourself and how do you get the money to do all that. im not sure if it matters, but im only 13 an di dont think i can do that

 

[sky_lark]

I'm not Wayne, but I presume you should start off easy and go higher. Start off performing to your locals (family, friends, neighboorhood) and get feedback. They'll be supportive even if you are young. The next best thing is to expand. Hook up with a magic company, or if that's too hard, then perform for audiences and productions; set up a stand at a mall or common place.

Take every chance you can get. Being 13 doesn't matter. Practice, practice, practice, and perform whenever you get the chance. Keep thinking up new tricks and perfecting them. If you've done the above the best you can, chances are in a year or two (or less, or maybe a little more) you'll get your lucky break and be teaching aspiring magicians what to do when they're 13 and "not discovered".

Good luck.

 

[AKadmon]

Sky_lark is right. Start small. Once you've achieved a goal, raise the bar and work towards the new goal. Everything is possible, but the things that happen "as if by magic" are really the result of hard work and dedication to doing your best.

If you want to produce a DVD on your own, you can. But only after acquiring a lot of knowedge and skill. So start by shooting some videos, and editing them. And make sure you seek the opinions of people that aren't afraid to tell you when your video looks terrible. If someone tells you your sucky video looks great, they may think they're helping you, but their really only slowing down your progress. When you think that you have some good videos under your belt, get them into other peoples hands - post them here and elsewhere. Learn everything you can from the comments (especially the negative ones).

In the meantime, read books on success, video production, marketing, sociology, psychology, starting a business, budgeting, and of course magic and performing. When you see someone that is successful in an area that you're interested in, ask them what books they've read to help them achieve their success (you sort of did that with Wayne already. Good job!).

There is a lot to learn, but remember that you are only 13 right now. You have plenty of time to become excellent in anything you choose to do. If you strive for and achieve excellence, you will be rewarded with success.

As far as lucky breaks are concerned, luck is generally the byproduct of hard work. Just as 'magical wonders' that appear effortless are illusions that conceal the true efforts of the magician, 'lucky breaks' are illusions that conceal the true efforts of the lucky individual.

Here are some quotes regarding luck:

I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.
--Thomas Jefferson

Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

[element399]

so im just wondering what you were saying is if I came up with a trick i should put it in a dvd myself and get it out there??????

 

[Jack The Magician]

when someone asks you to make a trick and you only have a deck of cards, what trick do u perform to them? Besides stigmata

Probably Distortion.

so im just wondering what you were saying is if I came up with a trick i should put it in a dvd myself and get it out there??????

I would suggest reading the post directly above yours. I think that sums it up well.

You should want to get your name out there, but I wouldn't start with a DVD. First and foremost, you have perform. Performing for friends, parents, strangers, and even corporations -- start-off small. If you're able to advance as a magician with your tricks, consequently you will be able to get your name out there.

Additionally, take advantage of this internet generation. Get responsive feedback by posting your video for the world to see and critique. Maybe, try the Media Section -- http://media.theory11.com/ -- if it's good you'll know about it.

However, there are a plethora of facets regarding publishing tricks -- is the trick original, has it been done before, whom do you need to credit, if anyone, et al. -- too many get into right now.

I'm not trying to discourage you -- feel free to submit your trick, maybe it is that good -- but most magicians require some constructive and helpful feedback before going national with a DVD.

Cheers,
JTM

 

[Aris.SA]

but I mean impromptu man

 

[waynehouchin]

i really appreciate your advice wayne, but how do you produce and market and copy and do the art and dvd art and editing and all that by yourself and how do you get the money to do all that. im not sure if it matters, but im only 13 an di dont think i can do that

If you're only 13, I think that you would be mistaken to focus on producing & marketing a magic DVD. 13 is young. Very young & you still will have a lot to learn. What are your goals? What do you want to do with your life?

Everyone's path will be different, however, my goals at your age were to become a great performer. I practiced & read all that I could. When I was 12 I began organizing local tours of the retirement homes in Chico. Every week I would present a 20 minute magic show at a different retirement center. Eventually, this led to busking. I began busking on a weekly basis at our city's Thursday Night Farmer Market when I was 14. By the time I was 16 I had moved up to writing, producing, marketing, and presenting my own theater show. This led to corporate work - I am still doing those theater & corporate shows today.

My point is that it took years of experience, practice & development before I had gained even a bit of expertise in our art. It was never a goal of mine to produce & market DVD's to the magic community, although that has been an exciting development along my path.

But, as a reference, I did not begin thinking that I had something unique & worthwhile to offer other magicians until just a couple of years ago. You have a long way to go, the road will be difficult & exciting, but remember that THERE ARE NO SHORT-CUTS to success. You will have to earn every bit of it. We are all fortunate enough to live in a country where we are ONLY LIMITED by our own ambition & passion.

Be patient, be deliberate, stay focused on your goals & eventually you will achieve them.

 

[darosa.justin]

Well said Wayne. Great response!

What he is trying to say is that you shouldnt rush anything. Dont try and force a DVD or something. It will come, as you progress in life and magic. Odds are that your trick probably isnt the newest and most revolutionary thing is magic, but then again, you can still try.

I think you're in it for the money...getting the product and new trick out there as quick as possible.

I would suggest maybe adding it to your own, personal repertoire. A trick that is brand new, that nobody else knows. From there, you can proceed with showing in shows, etc. And who knows? Maybe one day someone from T11 will watch it and contact you!

 

[Shodan]

Bravo and well said. I think that Wayne's post merits careful consideration.