I've been wanting to get myself a gig for a while now. But, I have no idea on how to start.
Where should I look? What types of effects should I include? Money negotiations? Advertising? I have no idea on this area, so go easy if I ask the wrong things. I'm just looking for some guidance and tips.
Ha ask all the questions! I'm more worried about the people who have it all figured out and don't want to learn anything!
Tons of great advice here. Also, I know nothing about kids magic or marketing to that demographic. I only do corporate clientele and private parties. I'm a minimalist and like to oversimplify, so how I see it is this:
1) Create a 50-60 minute show that will play for 30 - 300 people. a) Pile all your effects together and choose your A-List material.
b) Before, during, or after this process, try to think about the question: What do you want your audience to feel when they watch you? (and not just 'amazed' as an answer, but look for more and make a list. This will help you create your show.
c) Put your effects in order that makes some sense with regards to rising tension, theme, type, etc. Also choose your opening and closing effects.
d) Write your script. Probably the hardest part, but SO worth it.
e) test your show with people who you trust to give you honest feedback. I lied. THIS is the hardest part. All your hard work under scrutiny and criticism. Hammer it, refine it, test it again. You won't be finished, but you will have a good starting product.
f) Practice Practice Practice
2) Create 3 - 4 solid walk around sets. This is sets of 2-3 effects (about 5 minutes total for each set). Practice Practice Practice.
3) Do your market research. Call other magicians and find out what they charge. You can ask them straight up, you can have someone pretend to be a client and ask for a quote on your behalf. Doesn't matter really. The challenge is that when asked straight up, you may receive a different answer than what they would really quote. Being part of a magic club (Like IBM ring #23 in Cleavland) is super helpful in talking with others who are were you want to be in 5 years. Find out what they charge and work towards that. Price yourself fairly, yet lower because you are new to the scene. My first show was $80 for a private birthday party. My first corporate event was $250. Now I have set prices that work for my area (I hear that it's tacky to talk about prices, so forgive me if it's not polite- hopefully it's helpful). I was part of a discussion in my local magic group and someone who was where I wanted to eventually be, said that he found it annoying when other people undercut his business. The group (non-officially) decided that in our area it was completely acceptable to charge $500 for a show. I decided I would work towards that goal in 2 years; Raising my prices and bettering my show. Now my show is $600. It's not more because I think it's priced right for what it is and the current market, though some guys here change more (and deserve it!) and they should because their shows are exceptional. For walk around, my magic number has been $250 for the fist hour and $150 for each additional hour. Most corporate dinner gigs are 2 hours. Some people prefer a fluid pricing structure based on the person calling - A large corporation gets charged $1000, a small business $500, and a retirement party in someone's home $300: for the same show. I'm not a fan of that, but I respect that people reason that differently. Decide how you want to price yourself, and decide what you are worth and where you want to be in 5 years, then work towards that. (Side note: you always want to up-sell, meaning that you want every client to buy the 'whole package': Stand up show, and two hours of table magic. (or kids show, plus two hours of balloon animals etc).)
4) Make a website. Most of my traffic is from my website. You can make an excellent website for super cheap these days. My domain cost is $31 CAD for 2 years, and my website cost about $13/month. So for one $500 gig, it pays for the website for 2 and a half years.
*It's valuable (though unnecessary) to learn to advertise with Google especially if you have competition in the area that beats your search results. It is also valuable to learn a bit about Search Engine Optimization, the basics of how it works, and how your website can be more searchable. For instance, my website is linked in my signature, not because I want magicians to look at it, but because it helps with SEO. When I google Cleveland magicians, I get four websites from magicians. One website is very good, one is okay, and the other two are bad. Your site needs to be nicer than the second best one. You are not competing against Ricky Smith Jr.
5) Get hired by people you know. Talk with people you know and do some inexpensive shows for them first. Offer some family/friends discounts. I have had a lot of people say "no no, we have the money in the budget to pay you full price". These gigs will bring you both experience and some future gigs. You may even get some testimonials for your website.
6) Follow up on inquiries quickly and professionally. Write three form letters (templates that you can use over and over). One letter, thanking them for their inquiry, and politely asking more questions (when, where, how many people, setup of the event, etc). The second form letter is a quote. Both of these are adjusted based on the information you get. You might add to the price if there is travel involved, you might subtract from the price if they don't want the whole package. They are just templates so you can reply quickly (within two hours for the first reply is the goal). Then the third letter is one to use when you can't do the gig. I get inquiries for kids parties ALL the time. I have a list of guys I pass the business onto - people I know and respect their work. For gigs that I could normally do, but can't because I am already booked, or choose not to take because of other commitments, I have three guys that I trust implicitly with my clients and will pass on their info, as well as call them to let them know they may be getting a call. Clients and potential clients SO appreciate this, and message me back the next year when looking for a magician for their event the following year.
Table hopping: This is my most requested service, as well as my favorite to do! Basically let's say that you were hired to do a corporate gig. They ask for an hour of table hopping before dinner, then after dinner to do a show. For the table hopping portion, guests arrive at the event and as they trickle in and fill up the tables, (often this is referred to the 'cocktail hour' because drinks are served and people are mingling or sitting bored at their tables making small chat with the others at the table.) then you approach a table, introduce yourself and perform a 'set' (about 5 minutes of close up magic), you thank them and move on to the next table. You must be comfortable starting a conversation with strangers. You do this either for a certain time limit or until every table has had their own experience. An aside tip: When I do a quote for a client, I estimate about 7 minutes per table. This buffers for washroom breaks, transition times, water breaks, and any reset time. So if someone says they are expecting 150 people I divide that by 8 to give me the number of tables (because 8 people can sit at a table). So 19 tables (18.75). Then I multiply the number of tables by 7 minutes- so 133 minutes (or 66.5 minutes). So I now know that to reach every table I will need to make sure the client books me for two full hours. So in my quote I will mention that for every guest to experience close up magic, I recommend that I perform for an hour before dinner and an hour after (or 1.5 hours before and 30 minutes after) If there are more than 175 people I will recommend bringing on a second
magician (whom I choose when possible) to be able to reach everyone.
Anyhow, I realize that is super oversimplified, and that I by no means claim to have all the answers or have it all figured out (text makes it seem so arrogant). This is just what is from my head, so take it with a gain of salt! Take away what you want, and find what works best for you. If I have some more time, I will mention contracts (you need some form of written agreement/invoice!).
