Stage Names

Bryson G.

Elite Member
Jun 13, 2013
47
19
I've met a lot of magicians lately that have stage names. I've never really considered one, and I was wondering the benefits and disadvantages of having a stage name. I'm pretty sure the main goal of a stage name is to be memorable, but how does someone know if their real name is memorable enough? For instance, my name is Bryson Getz. To me, that's just my name and I'm very used to it, so how would I know if it's unique enough? I'd appreciate if someone could give some advice on this subject. Thanks!
 

WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,877
2,945
Bryson Getz is a unique name (to me). Bryson isn't all that common and Getz is a catchy thing. Like Lethal Weapon (Whatever you want, Leo Getz!). It's not super hard to spell, either, and easy to pronounce. I'd say stick with that, personally.

Some advantages of having a stage/pen name are:
1) It can be easier to pronounce. Certain ethnic names in particular are hard for people who are not of that ethnicity to pronounce. Frequently eastern European names fall into that category, or various Asian countries' traditional names.

2) It can be more memorable. David Copperfield sounds better than David Kotkin. Harry Houdini sounds more memorable than Erik Weisz.

3) It can let you play a character like Chung Ling Soo or Max Maven. Assuming that name is part of getting ready to perform in those cases.

4) It can separate your stage persona from your published materials. I've seen Banachek quoted as saying he wished he had continued publishing his stuff under Steve Shaw instead of Banachek. These days he's getting undercut by people using his own material and his audiences can look his methods up fairly easily because he's got a unique name. I've also heard of people who use a different pen name for different audiences of their written work, ie: Maybe they use David Brown for performance, but Adam Trost for publishing books about psychic healing. (Names totally made up, btw). That way the two don't interfere with the credibility of each other.

There are probably disadvantages as well. More legal paperwork, for sure (You need a DBA or Doing Business As license). If you do publish under a different name you don't get to use the reputation from the separate aspects of your life to build off each other. As in, you have to convince magicians that your material is worth buying without giving them the name that will tell them you know what you're talking about. I've not dealt with it enough to know more about possible disadvantages, though.
 
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