Help with Interview Questions!!!

Hi Theory11,

I am performing magic at a downtown event. Here is the link to the event. The website promoting the event is doing a 10 question interview with me.

These answers are the 2nd draft ones and are not the final answers. Feel free to comment about my answers, if i can word anything better, any grammar mistakes, things that i should add or take away, or even things you would say? I look forward to your comments.

AND REMEMBER: This interview is going to be read by laymen.. so think from their point of view. If i mentioned triumph.. it would mean absolutely nothing to them.

1. How long have you been a magician?

It all started when my mom bought me a magic book when I was 13. I would take that book everywhere and read it well over 100 times. Ever since I got the book, 8 years ago, I have been honing and perfecting the skills I will be putting on display at 'Take a Bite' Glens Falls.

2. What is your favorite trick to do?

I have a person select any card from the deck. Then have them place their card back into the deck. I take the deck and shuffle the cards face up and face down, so the deck is a complete mess, with face up and face down cards mixed together. I then do a magical move and the entire deck corrects itself and is facing one way, except for the selected card.

3. Who is your favorite magician?

There are many great magicians who inspire me but my favorite magic act would have to be Penn and Teller. They got their start doing street magic at festivals just like 'Take-A-Bite' Glens Falls.

4. What is the most challenging trick you have ever done?

Each different magic effect has its own challenges. One my most memorable moments was when I was at University. I was in the student center and had 30-40 people surrounding me. I had someone select any card he wanted. I then took that card and ripped a corner off the playing card. I took the corner piece and slowly rubbed it in my hands until the corner piece completely disappeared. The room exploded with excitement and everyone was wondering where the piece went. I looked at the person who selected the card and asked him to check his pockets. The room got dead silent as he reached in his pockets and pulled out the corner piece of the card. When he lined up the pieces they matched perfectly, the room exploded again and everyone told me to do the trick on them. I ended up making cards jump into two more people pockets that night.

5. Do you know when you are performing at ‘Take a Bite’ in Glens Falls?

I will be performing for the entirety of the event. Come out and see me every Wednesday, starting July 18th – August 29th.

6. When did you try your first magic trick?

When I was a kid I used to perform lots of tricks for my family, but my family didn’t start taking my magic seriously, until I was 17 years old. During my first year of college is when I really started to delve into magic and also started to perform for complete strangers. I would walk around the computer lab for hours performing for students. I created a name for myself around campus and I would get routinely stopped and asked to show them some magic.

7. What attracted you to this type of entertainment?

I love seeing the look of astonishment on people’s faces after I perform a miracle right in front of their eyes. Plus it’s also a great way to meet new people.

8. How many tricks do you know?

The amount of magic effects that a person’s knows is limited only by their imagination. Let’s just say, well over the 100s.

9. Are you practicing any new tricks, if so what are they?

I know a lot of magic with cards but I’m expanding out to ropes, coins, mind reading and even the Rubik’s Cube.

10. What is the greatest magic trick ever successfully completed?

The greatest magic effect that a magician can do is a trick that makes you feel like you have witnessed the impossible. Come to ‘Take-A-Bite’ Glens Falls to enjoy great food, listen to live entertainment and witness the impossible.
 

Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah
It looks like you have the chance to dispel a couple of common misconceptions about magicians. I think that your answers are well worded.

The one question that I would answer differently is number 8. I like the part about you imagination but instead of saying that I know hundreds of magic tricks I would point out that I'd rather be the master of a few than poor at many.
 
It looks like you have the chance to dispel a couple of common misconceptions about magicians. I think that your answers are well worded.

The one question that I would answer differently is number 8. I like the part about you imagination but instead of saying that I know hundreds of magic tricks I would point out that I'd rather be the master of a few than poor at many.

hmmmmm.... good idea. i will have to think about that.

Side Note: I was talking to my cousin who dosent do magic. On question 2, he said it was really confusing and boring to read. So i might also change that. I can see how it can get quite confusing for a non-magician.
 
Sep 1, 2007
1,395
8
37
Belgrade, Serbia
hmmmmm.... good idea. i will have to think about that.

Side Note: I was talking to my cousin who dosent do magic. On question 2, he said it was really confusing and boring to read. So i might also change that. I can see how it can get quite confusing for a non-magician.
Yeah, you may wanna change number 2 lol. Make it sound recognizable, ie. "my favorite trick is cutting the lady in half" or "turn one dollar bill into a hundred dollar bill", something that is easy to visualize and sounds impossible.
 
Yeah, you may wanna change number 2 lol. Make it sound recognizable, ie. "my favorite trick is cutting the lady in half" or "turn one dollar bill into a hundred dollar bill", something that is easy to visualize and sounds impossible.

Great Idea! Even though a bill change isnt my favorite trick.. i can at least get the audience to connect with the bill changes. I also went to the bank and got 6 hundred dollar bills... so i can do a bill change at the event.
 
Sep 1, 2007
1,395
8
37
Belgrade, Serbia
Great Idea! Even though a bill change isnt my favorite trick.. i can at least get the audience to connect with the bill changes. I also went to the bank and got 6 hundred dollar bills... so i can do a bill change at the event.

It's just a suggestion, there are tons of tricks out there that audience can relate to. Just try to stay away from card tricks as much as possible. But yeah, a bill change would be awesome, specially if you can to like 5 bills, like Prophet or Extreme Burn etc.
 
Sep 2, 2007
1,186
16
42
London
Hi Steven. You've got an opportunity here to build a character and create some excitement about yourself, so don't waste it. All of your answers should be focused on intriguing your potential audience, drawing them in, and attracting more people to the event. If people turn up at the event specifically to seek you out, that will affect potential future bookings and improve your reputation. Think of your answers as a sales pitch which, if delivered correctly, will make people want to meet you, see you perform, and book you. So, here's how I would answer the first question:

1. How long have you been a magician?

As this is the first question, you want to grab people's attention. Saying that your mom bought you a magic book when you were thirteen is not interesting enough to make people want to carry on reading. This could be restated as something along the lines of,

"I suppose I've always been interested in mysteries, things that can't be explained. When I was thirteen, I found this old book. I didn't know what it was at first but I knew that it drew me in, intrigued me, excited me. I read it a hundred times, hungry for all the hidden knowledge it could teach me. This was my first magic book. It changed my life, and since then, I've developed my skills further and further, growing into the magician I am today."

That's if your character is mysterious and slightly dark. If you want to play things a bit lighter, though, you could restate that facts a bit like this:

"Well, I've always loved entertaining people, and, to me, there's nothing more entertaining than making amazing things happen a few feet from an audience's face. My mom knew I wanted to be a performer, so she bought me a magic book when I was thirteen. I think she thought that if I had to read an actual book rather than just clowning around, I might get bored of the idea and decide to do a "real job" instead. That plan backfired though, and I've been studying, practising and performing magic ever since."

Do you see what I mean? Think about your character and what you're saying about yourself. Structure your interview around the classic structure of a sale: Attention, Interest, Decision, Action:

Grab their attention at the beginning by making yourself intriguing.
Heighten their interest by dropping some hints about the amazing things you can do.
About half way through the interview start specifically referring to 'Take a Bite' so the reader decides to come.
Close the interview with a direct call to action which includes a call-back to somewhere near the beginning of the interview.

While we're doing sales acronyms, think about this one as well: ABC (Always Be Closing). The "close" that you're aiming for is to get an audience turning up to the event specifically to see you. With every sentence you write, ask yourself, "Does that get me closer to that goal?" If not, get rid of it, it's a hindrance.

I hope that helps.
 
Hey Guys, Here is draft #4 of the answers. Your comments would be much appreciated.

1.

How long have you been a magician?

It all started, at the age of 13, when I stumbled across a magic book. I carried that book everywhere and
read it religiously. Over the last 8 years I have been developing and perfecting the skills that I will be
putting on display at ‘Take a Bite’ Glens Falls.

2.

What is your favorite trick to do?

I have always tried to saw my little brother in half, but he won’t let me get close to him with a knife; so
I think my favorite trick would have to be changing 1 dollar bills into 100 dollar bills. It has been very
useful as a college student.

3.

Who is your favorite magician?

There are many great magicians who inspire me but my favorite magic act would have to be Penn and
Teller. They got their start doing street magic at festivals just like 'Take-A-Bite' Glens Falls.

4.

What is the most challenging trick you have ever done?

Each different magic effect has its own challenges. One my most memorable moments was when I
was at University. I was in the student center and had 30-40 people surrounding me. I had someone
select any card he wanted. I then took that card and ripped a corner off the playing card. I took the
corner piece and slowly rubbed it in my hands until the corner piece completely disappeared. The room
exploded with excitement and everyone was wondering where the piece went. I looked at the person
who selected the card and asked him to check his pockets. The room got dead silent as he reached in
his pockets and pulled out the corner piece, of the card. When he lined up the pieces they matched
perfectly, the room exploded again, some people ran around screaming, others stood there in shocked
silence.

5.

Do you know when you are performing at ‘Take a Bite’ in Glens Falls?

I will be performing for the entirety of the event. Come out and see me every Wednesday, starting July
18th – August 29th.

6.

When did you try your first magic trick?

When I was a kid I used to perform lots of tricks for my family, but my family didn’t start taking my
magic seriously, until I was 17 years old. During my first year of college is when I really started to delve
into magic and also started to perform for complete strangers. I would walk around campus for hours
performing for students. I created a name for myself around campus and I would get routinely stopped
and asked by people to show them some magic.

7.

What attracted you to this type of entertainment?

I love seeing the look of astonishment on people’s faces after I perform a miracle right in front of their
eyes. It’s also a great way to meet new people.

8.

How many tricks do you know?

The amount of magic effects that a person’s knows is limited only by their imagination. Let’s just say,
well over the 100s. I have performed magic with cards, ropes, rubber bands, coins, bills, and everyday
normal objects.

9.

Are you practicing any new tricks, if so what are they?

I am currently working on a magic effect that involves 1 girl, 2 cups and some water. I also have an
amazing trick that uses a Rubik’s Cube and a blind fold.

10.

What is the greatest magic trick ever successfully completed?

The greatest magic effect that a magician can do is a trick that makes you feel like you have witnessed
something impossible. Come to ‘Take-A-Bite’ to enjoy great food, listen to live entertainment and

witness the impossible.
 
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