The Success Story Of The Mengel Brothers

[Mengel Brothers]

The Success Story of Mengel Brothers

Hello! We are Johannes and Joonas. If you are thinking why you haven't heard about the Mengel Brothers and their success story before, it's because it does not exist... YET. It's a project we are starting. Take a look at the video:

[video=youtube;ogC1La-U4JY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogC1La-U4JY[/video]

So that's why we also started this thread- to share our process how we are doing and to be able to ask advice from you guys along the way when we get stuck or don't know what to do. Hopefully this thread becomes helpful source of knowledge and inspiration for everybody who wants to realize their dream.

Our plan:

1. Find funding for equipment.
2. Create a company.
3. Film performance videos.
4. Film the explanation.
5. Create menus/logo/cover art.
6. Create a website.
7. Contact retailers (get "yes")
8. Create trailers.
9. Manufacture DVDs.
10. Launch the DVDs.

But what is your dream, your vision for you and your magic?

I mean where you ideally see yourself and your magic? Do you see yourself performing on stages to hundreds of people or being more "in the crowed" worker in restaurants and events. Or a successful busker travelling the world or having your own TV-show or producing and selling your own tricks or maybe non of the above- just being a happy hobbyist who occasionally amazes people he meets. Or maybe you already are living the vision you want for yourself?

It would be interesting to hear what are your visions and dreams you strive for. And let's be bold! Like it's said- "Dream big!"

 

[Mr.MadMan]

Okei äärmiselt hea idee mehed!
AGA, esiteks ma pole näinud teid Eesti Mustkunstnike Liidu koosolekutel, nende üritustel ega ma pole näinud teie aktiivsust siin foorumis. Teiseks ma täiesti nõustun teie loosungiga, kuid vaadake enne seda kui te alustate enda seiklusi siis võiks teil olla mingi kogemuste pagas seljataga. Ka selle foorumi/saidi looja JB oli noorena väga edukas mustkunstnik ning seetõttu ka teadis, mis kusalgi toimub. Teie, niisamuti nagu tema, peate algul saama enda seljataha esinemiskogemuse(ütlen teile viisakusest, et olen viimased 5 aastat olnud eesti mustkunstis väga aktiivne tegelane, edendades ja osaledes erinevates projektides seoses mustkunstiga. Olen olnud kirjutaja ning looja päris mitmele mustkunsti etendusele Pärnus ning minu ja ühe teise tegelasega Pärnust oleme koostanud etenduse mille rahastajaks saab ilmselt Red Bull.) Kuigi eesti tundub väike koht mustkunsti jaoks olevat siis tegelikkuses teile teadmata on käinud päris suur madin üle terve riigi, et taastada Veberi poolt lõhutud maine. Me areneme ja arendame mustkunsti Eesti mustkunstnike liidus niivõrd, et meie etendused on ühed suurimad terves vabariigis. Samuti on meil väga kõrge kvaliteedistandart ning kontroll, et meie esinejad oleksid võrdsed maailma standartitega.

Seega väga hea mõte, kuid tehke enne eeltööd ning tutvuge eluga enda ümber kui, et te hakkate kohe maailma poole pürgima. Seda tehakse siiski Londonis ja New Yorkis, sest sellist firmat ei saa rajada eestis juba üksainus maksude suuruse ja kauguse(USA'st ja muudest kõrge mustkunsti tasemega riikidest) poolest.

Kui teil tekib küsimusi siis võite minuga ühendust võtta: mikkparg@gmail.com või siin samas foorumis ning mõtleme välja süsteemi, kuidas me teie unistuse täide saaks viia.

M.

PS. Sorry guys for not speaking in English but this is something that was needed to be explained in Estonian.

 

[ReservoirRed]

Okei äärmiselt hea idee mehed!
AGA, esiteks ma pole näinud teid Eesti Mustkunstnike Liidu koosolekutel, nende üritustel ega ma pole näinud teie aktiivsust siin foorumis. Teiseks ma täiesti nõustun teie loosungiga, kuid vaadake enne seda kui te alustate enda seiklusi siis võiks teil olla mingi kogemuste pagas seljataga. Ka selle foorumi/saidi looja JB oli noorena väga edukas mustkunstnik ning seetõttu ka teadis, mis kusalgi toimub. Teie, niisamuti nagu tema, peate algul saama enda seljataha esinemiskogemuse(ütlen teile viisakusest, et olen viimased 5 aastat olnud eesti mustkunstis väga aktiivne tegelane, edendades ja osaledes erinevates projektides seoses mustkunstiga. Olen olnud kirjutaja ning looja päris mitmele mustkunsti etendusele Pärnus ning minu ja ühe teise tegelasega Pärnust oleme koostanud etenduse mille rahastajaks saab ilmselt Red Bull.) Kuigi eesti tundub väike koht mustkunsti jaoks olevat siis tegelikkuses teile teadmata on käinud päris suur madin üle terve riigi, et taastada Veberi poolt lõhutud maine. Me areneme ja arendame mustkunsti Eesti mustkunstnike liidus niivõrd, et meie etendused on ühed suurimad terves vabariigis. Samuti on meil väga kõrge kvaliteedistandart ning kontroll, et meie esinejad oleksid võrdsed maailma standartitega.

Seega väga hea mõte, kuid tehke enne eeltööd ning tutvuge eluga enda ümber kui, et te hakkate kohe maailma poole pürgima. Seda tehakse siiski Londonis ja New Yorkis, sest sellist firmat ei saa rajada eestis juba üksainus maksude suuruse ja kauguse(USA'st ja muudest kõrge mustkunsti tasemega riikidest) poolest.

Kui teil tekib küsimusi siis võite minuga ühendust võtta: mikkparg@gmail.com või siin samas foorumis ning mõtleme välja süsteemi, kuidas me teie unistuse täide saaks viia.

M.

PS. Sorry guys for not speaking in English but this is something that was needed to be explained in Estonian.

Im sure that isn't NEARLY as sinister as google translate makes it sound. But this is an english language magic forum. Send private messages in any language you wish.

 

[Mengel Brothers]

I think this deserves to be translated to English. I think it could lead us to an interesting discussion that helps us all. Here's my translation of what Mr. MadMan said:

OK, very good idea guys!
BUT, first of all I haven't seen you on the meetings or on the events of Society Of Estonian Magicians nor I have seen your activity here in the forum. Secondly I completely agree with your slogan, but listen, before you start with your adventures here you should have some experiences. Also the creator of this forum/site JB was very successful magician when he was young and that's why he knew how things work. You, just like he did, first have to get some performing experiences (I'll just mention out of politeness that I have been very active figure in Estonia's magic scene for the last 5 years, furthering and participating in different projects related to magic. I've been a writer and a creator to several magic shows in Pärnu and I've created with another person from Pärnu a show that will be probably sponsored by Red Bull.) Although Estonia seems like a small place for magic, then without your knowing a great work has been done in the country to restore the reputation that was damaged by Veber. We are evolving and developing magic in the Society Of Estonian Magicians so much that our shows are one of the biggest in the whole country. Also we have a very high quality standard and control that our performers would be equal to the world's standards.

So very good idea, but first do the homework and familiarize with the life around you before you start to aim for the world. That kind of things are done in London and New York, already because that kind of company cannot be created in Estonia because of the size of the taxes and the distance from USA and other countries that have high standards in magic.

If you have questions contact me: mikkparg@gmail.com or write here in the forum and let us think out how could we fulfill your dream.

M.

PS. Sorry guys for not speaking in English but this is something that was needed to be explained in Estonian.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before I respond to this, I would like to hear what other members of the forum have to say.

Your thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Mr.MadMan]

@ReservoirRed - It actually isnt. The fact i was trying to get across and what could(to me) be only done in Estonian was that i have never heard of these guys in Estonia. Nor have they had the chance to first get to know their surroundings on the subject. Estonia is very rapidly getting much recognition from surrounding countries. Having had Dani Da Ortiz and Miika Pelkonen here for exclusive workshops, the quality of magic in Estonia is rising nearly every day. Before the society was made we were literally broken up and the whole magic scene was run by 13 year olds. Can you imagine?
After 5 years of hard work almost half of the guys who started with magic at that time have vanished and the ones who stayed are determined to get magic in estonia to be the top entertainment choice for everyone. We have a wide variety of guys who all have their own style and preferences.

I would love it if you guys came by and checked out what we have to offer. We have so many talented guys who can give you insights before you publish the effects. As a pure knowledge front i'd suggest hopping by our meeting once or twice and kind of talking through what you want to accomplish and i believe we can help you get there. There are a lot of people around you who can help you a lot more than a forum can, especially at the start. So don't be afraid to e-mail me or call me(google is a good friend on finding my number) and come over to talk and discuss your project.

M.

 

[LBarnes]

Hey Mengal Brothers,

Don't take this as an insult but nobody is going to really get excited about yourselves or your future plans to open up yet another magic company before they see any of your magic. There was no need to make a video or thread about how you're going to be successful by opening up another magic shop. Instead, what you should have done, is show the magic community some of your work and allow the buzz to build by itself. If your work is as good as you believe it to be then word will get around quickly and you will become successful. Until we say anything from you though, not much, if anything at all is going to happen for you guys.

The old adage springs to mind, "Put your money where your mouth is."

I'm not trying to disrespect either of you, I just think you're a bit misguided and should've done things differently. If your work is awesome, I'll be the first to praise you. But until we see it, I'll wait with baited breath.

Lloyd

 

[Mengel Brothers]

@LBarnes

No insults taken! The point of this thread isn't get you excited about our plans, but just to share our vision and the progress me make and encourage people to paint out their visions...I believe when we have clear visions what we want to achieve or where we are heading in life, we are much more effective in our development, whatever it is- including learning magic.

And our dream wasn't about opening up another magic shop, but just having our own small company to produce our own effects. And I don't think we should have "proved ourselves" to the magic community before sharing our vision. It's not like you need to be qualified to have a vision. Don't worry, we are not planning to sell our products to you tomorrow, we know it takes years to get a proper product out.

We just thought it would be an interesting idea to share our progress, what we do right and what mistakes we do- how we step by step execute our vision so that others could learn from our story- will it be actually successful or not.

If your work is as good as you believe it to be then word will get around quickly and you will become successful.

So works also the opposite- if our stuff is rubbish we won't get anywhere anyway, so there's no reasons to worry that we are "doing it the wrong way." We want this thread to be where people can share their visions no matter how bold, crazy or "unreal" they might be. And in the end the guys who are going to make it are those who have a vision. This site wouldn't exist if there weren't a VISION of it first. So let it just be a place where we share and discuss our visions.

"Nothing happens unless first we dream."
-Carl Sandburg

 

[LBarnes]

@LBarnes

No insults taken! The point of this thread isn't get you excited about our plans, but to encourage people to paint out THEIR visions. We were just the first ones sharing ours... I believe when we have clear visions what we want to achieve or where we are heading in life, we are much more effective in our development, whatever it is- including learning magic.

And our dream wasn't about opening up another magic shop, but just having our own small company to produce our own effects. And I don't think we should have "proved ourselves" to the magic community before sharing our vision. It's not like you need to be qualified to have a vision. Don't worry, we are not planning to sell our products to you tomorrow, we know it takes years to get a proper product out.

We just thought it would be an interesting idea to share our progress, what we do right and what mistakes we do- how we step by step execute our vision so that others could learn from our story- will it be actually successful or not.



So works also the opposite- if our stuff is rubbish we won't get anywhere anyway, so there's no reasons to worry that we are "doing it the wrong way." We want this thread to be where people can share their visions no matter how bold, crazy or "unreal" they might be. And in the end the guys who are going to make it are those who have a vision. This site wouldn't exist if there weren't a VISION of it first. So let it just be a place where we share and discuss our visions. Let's just dream!

"Nothing happens unless first we dream."
-Carl Sandburg

Awesome! Good luck then fellas!

Lloyd

 

[Mengel Brothers]

@Mr.MadMan

very good idea, but first do the homework and familiarize with the life around you before you start to aim for the world.

I completely understand your reaction. Two guys from your town who you have never heard of before suddenly come and announce their plan to "conquer the world", so you have a reason to be skeptical. But whether you know us or not or do we belong to the Society Of Estonian Magicians isn't any indicator that shows our capability to "conquer the world". Maybe we have the necessary experiences... who knows? Our vision and plan is to aim for the world and we go for it... If we make it we make, if we don't we don't...

That kind of things are done in London and New York, already because that kind of company cannot be created in Estonia because of the size of the taxes and the distance from USA and other countries that have a high standards in magic.

Well... as a magician you should know that "cannot be done" is only a challenge for us, but not something impossible. And thank you for inviting to check out your meetings. We'll probably step by the next time.

 

[Mengel Brothers]

Some inspirational quotes about visions:

Nothing happens unless first we dream.
- Carl Sandburg

A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.
- Rosabeth Moss Kanter

You've got to think about big things while you're doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.
— Alvin Toffler

In the long run men hit only what they aim at.
— Henry David Thoreau

Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.
- Napoleon Hill

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.
- Joel A. Barke


It seems to me that most people are just passing time in their life- doing actions without a clear vision. In which category you fall in- vision without action, action without vision or vision with action?

Johannes

 

[Mengel Brothers]

A little update of our progress... We now officially have a company registered- Mengel Brothers (of course.) We wrote a business plan for our idea and applied for a start-up grant. After a long process we eventually got the grant. YEEEY! With this money we are able to buy the equipment we need to produce our DVDs.

To introduce ourselves a little bit more... Joonas is 21, studying entrepreneurship in university specializing in finance management and accounting. He has been to magic more than I have- about 5 years.

I'm 23. I'm not specializing in anything, well maybe in life... My passion is story-telling. I also would like to think that I play the piano. I'm writing a book right now, which actually is my main project. I hope it comes out the next year. So magic is more of a side-project for me, but it's something that connects me and my brother and it's fun to chase our common dream together.

We tried to introduce ourselves in a video, but got carried away with just having fun, so watching the video will not add much new info to what I've already shared. Enjoy anyways.


[video=youtube;VSf0PXdUc08]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSf0PXdUc08&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL[/video]

Johannes

 

[Mengel Brothers]

It seems that our different approach on how we do things in magic is not quite understood and it raises similar questions in the forums where we share our story. So I made the video as a response to your comments and hopefully it helps you to understand us and our project also a bit better.

Some of the questions and comments we have got have put us actually thinking why we do things exactly the way we do and that has made us understand ourselves also better. So thanks for that and keep the comments and questions coming!

[video=youtube;DUO5KFXvzB8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUO5KFXvzB8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL[/video]

Johannes

 

[Mengel Brothers]

Mengel Brothers' Magic

Here's our magic. So now you know what to expect from our DVDs.

[video=youtube;WQ4CVmw9V2E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ4CVmw9V2E[/video]

 

[Mengel Brothers]

Mengel Brothers' Equipment

Ok, here's finally the video showing the equipment we bought and we already have started filming material for the DVDs also. It has taken some time for us to learn how to use the camera, but I think we are handling it ok.

We have been quite busy filming on the streets and thinking everything through. We have filmed some performance videos already, but we are not happy with them so we keep filming...

If you have some comments and questions about how and what we are doing, then shoot, we will gladly share our experiences... More updates coming soon...

[video=youtube;VdPA32MLttA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdPA32MLttA&feature=mfu_channel&list=UL[/video]

 

[Mr.MadMan]

That looks sick!
Ma olin alguses tibake skeptiline teie plaanis, kuid ma loodan, et sellisele pealehakkamisele järgneb ka mingisugunegi edu!

Häid jõule!
Merry Christmas!

 

[Mengel Brothers]

That looks sick!
First I was a bit skeptical about your plan, but I hope that with your determination you'll achieve at least some success!

Häid jõule!
Merry Christmas!

Well yeah, it is quite sick how well everything has gone for us. Of course huge work is still ahead of us, but we feel so blessed that we are able to live for our dream like this. We will give our best to continue with our project and to truly create "The Success Story of Mengel Brothers"- a story of our road of realizing our dream- and not just the dream of getting our DVDs out, but to really live up to our slogan "Live to Inspire". That is our true dream... doing magic just happens to be how we try to fulfill it.

Merry Christmas!

 

[Mengel Brothers]

It has been a while since we last updated our progress... the winter has slowed us down a bit. It's really hard to shoot out-door performances when its -25*C... It promised even -37*C tomorrow, yeey. Everybody are welcome to come to Estonia for a vacation

So right now we try to figure out how to continue filming so that we wouldn't have to postpone our project until summer.

Some nice things have also happened for us. Our project and our doings have gotten some publicity in blogs. You can read one of the posts here:

http://barrymade.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/street-magic-secrets-unveiled

We had our first photo-shooting which was a very fun thing to do- we have started slowly to build our facebook page also...

Hopefully we find a way how to film out-door performances, we have one cool idea, but we'll keep you posted, will it work out...

Johannes

 

[Mengel Brothers]

DVDs ARE coming

Yes, our project is still alive even though we haven't updated on our progress. Lastly we were struggling with the Estonian cold weather. Because we wanted to use all the time we could get for filming we decided to travel to somewhere warm. Luckily we got some cheap tickets to Gran Canaria where we were able to continue filming. It was very good experience to perform abroad, but we were still not satisfied with the footage we got. So now we continue filming during the summer time here in Estonia. Everything takes SOOOO much more time than we thought, but we don't want to give less than our best. If it means another year of more work with the effects and filming then be it so. It would be nice if we could make it with this year though...

On our road we have had some doubts also about our effects, ourselves and our vision we strive for, but we have just kept going and everything gets better. Now I truly feel that I have given my all to shape my effect to be the best it could be. I'm pretty much done with performance videos. There are some moments I still would like to capture for the DVD, but overall I'm ready to shoot the explanation part. Hopefully we get all the performance footage we need for Joonas's DVD also with this summer.

Because we are doing this for the first time we learn a lot of course - about our own effects, performing, camera-work etc. When we started with our plan to give out our DVDs, we weren't ready, our effects weren't ready, but BECAUSE we started with this plan it MAKES us ready. Having this plan gives us a frame and a perspective that accelerates our progress. We just HAVE to learn everything that is necessary if we want to make it, we just have to stick to the process.

Hope to share our creations soon!

Johannes

 

[HaveOuts]

It's great to see you are not giving up, excellent!

Best of luck and I wish you success.

- Steve

 

[Mengel Brothers]

It's great to see you are not giving up, excellent!

Best of luck and I wish you success.

It's great to see that we have some support, excellent!

-Johannes