Stepping Stones

[TylerRouss]

Hey guys, I again turn to you for advise! I'm sure some of you have seen me around the forums, if not, a quick bio: I've been active in magic for about three years. I do almost exclusively card work, with my only real deviations being stuff out of Paul Harris' work or random effects from here and Ellusionist. I am fairly comfortable with performing for strangers, and have been doing so pretty consistently since I started magic. What I have absolutely no experience in however is doing magic as a profession, and it is in that area that I turn to you.

To get further into my exact situation, I am 18 years old, just moved to Lansing, MI. Money is not a pressing issue at this point, however finding work/income is; if that makes any sense. I'll be taking courses at a local college however my schedule should be fairly flexible initially. Meaning if there are specific time frames I should try to not schedule classes for.. that is very doable, however I will not be able to reorganise my schedule much at all once the semester begins. I also have the huge advantage of having potentially the next two months open for preparing myself and my work.

The Work:
At this experience level, do you think it would be best to pursue private parties/events, or a restaurant gig? Personally, I place consistent work as a higher value than better pay. It would be optimal for me to be able to work as many hours as I can, versus having just a few high paying gigs. This seems to me as though it lends itself to restaurant work, however with my lack of experience in the matter I am very open to being told I'm wrong.
As to my performance, the only thing I have ever actually done is strolling, close up performances. However I do have a very large personality, and I know many many effects that can be adapted to stage. I am open to the idea, so to speak.
How much is my time worth.. what should I be charging? I have heard everywhere from 50$-400$ dollars an hour for restaurant work, and anywhere from 100$-1500$ an hour for private/corporate parties and events. I know a lot of that can depend on both your reputation and the quality of your work.. Well, I have no reputation to speak of at this point. I feel that my performances consistently amaze and leave lasting impressions, but maybe I'm just being vain.
On the note of reputation, my current plan is fairly basic. I'm going to be making some business cards and trying to perform around town a fair bit. I have not really put a lot of thought into this, as I have so little experience in the matter I'd just be blowing smoke.
As far as restaurant gigs go, what's the best way to select and approach? I know to avoid franchises, and I thought it would be good to look for places with either a long wait for the food, or else a long wait for a table. What other advice do you guys have for choosing a place? Approaching management... I am prepared for a lot of let downs, but what can I do to improve my chances? I know it is a good idea to present the ways in which a house magician can improve their business; to that end, what is good to point out, and what is bad to point out? I also know that there will most likely be a request for performance, is that the time for a routine, or the time for something fast and impactful?
As far as private parties go.. I have absolutely no clue what goes into getting that kind of gig. None. Please, advise me.
Into performing.. I will most likely be doing table hopping/strolling close up performances, as that is what I am comfortable with. I would love to have someone with experience help me out in creating suitable routines, please PM if you're up to the task!

Thank you to anyone that took the time to read all that, and I am extremely appreciative of any and all advice you may have. I know that many of my questions and concerns have resources that cover them in depth, I would love to be pointed in the right direction to pursue that.

-Tyler

TLDR:
-Should I go after a restaurant or private party/event gig?
-How much should I charge for my services?
-Any suggestions on building rapport?
-If restaurant, how do a choose a place, how do I approach management?
-What do you do to get private party/event gigs?
-If you have experience and are willing, please PM me to help with creating suitable routines!
-What resources should I look into for answering some of these questions more in depth?

 

[Steerpike]

At this experience level, do you think it would be best to pursue private parties/events, or a restaurant gig?

Well, that's the thing. The restaurant gig is mostly just to sustain you between private parties, which is where the better money is. Trying to make a living off of a restaurant gig alone can be done, but it's not easy.

Personally, I place consistent work as a higher value than better pay. It would be optimal for me to be able to work as many hours as I can, versus having just a few high paying gigs.

Restaurants are unlikely to have you come in more than once a week.

How much is my time worth.. what should I be charging? I have heard everywhere from 50$-400$ dollars an hour for restaurant work, and anywhere from 100$-1500$ an hour for private/corporate parties and events.

The general rule of thumb for restaurants as advised by Paul Green on Live at the Jailhouse is find the most expensive item on the menu, triple that, and that's your hourly rate. So at a Red Robin for example, you're looking at about $50-60/hour.

Private parties are different and a bit trickier to figure out. You need to figure out what your time is worth, travel expenses, attendance, preparation and rehearsal, that sort of thing. Also, your reputation is key. People won't pay as much for an unknown.

Forget doing corporate at this point. The corporate market is insanely cutthroat and competitive. Tried it myself in '09 and got my ass handed to me in short order. Four years after that and I'm still wary about approaching corporate clients.

I would advise checking the local busking laws, hone your chops through constant performance on street audience, which are the toughest you'll ever face, and cruise around for organizations such as charities, senior centers, and other groups that are constantly on the look-out for entertainment. They won't pay much, but it's the place to start networking, building a name and rep, and growing your mailing list.

Oh yeah, you should totally have a mailing list. You should be sending out on email blast no less than every two weeks. At the very least, update people on where you'll be appearing. Keep them informed of new shows you're working on, when your rates are going up, that sort of thing. You'll want a website (a simple one-page from WordPress will do) and set up a Mail Chimp account. It's a bit of work at the front end, but it will save you a lot of work down the road. I'm still redesigning my new site and hitting roadblocks because these error messages make no goddamn sense. But that's another story...

On the note of reputation, my current plan is fairly basic. I'm going to be making some business cards and trying to perform around town a fair bit. I have not really put a lot of thought into this, as I have so little experience in the matter I'd just be blowing smoke.

Business cards are nice to have, but their effect on marketing isn't as big as most people think they are. To increase the odds of people hanging onto them long enough to go to your site, pick up Michael Ammar's Easy to Master Business Card Miracles DVD. You'll want to use them as magic props to make people more likely to remember them.

As far as restaurant gigs go, what's the best way to select and approach? I know to avoid franchises, and I thought it would be good to look for places with either a long wait for the food, or else a long wait for a table. What other advice do you guys have for choosing a place? Approaching management... I am prepared for a lot of let downs, but what can I do to improve my chances? I know it is a good idea to present the ways in which a house magician can improve their business; to that end, what is good to point out, and what is bad to point out? I also know that there will most likely be a request for performance, is that the time for a routine, or the time for something fast and impactful?

Live at the Jailhouse covers this in some depth, but be aware that not all markets are equal. The market for restaurant magicians in my hometown is abysmal because the business culture here is aggravatingly conservative. I seriously live in one of the most difficult local markets to break into. This isn't a good ol' boy town anymore, but the established businesses don't know that yet.

As far as private parties go.. I have absolutely no clue what goes into getting that kind of gig. None. Please, advise me.

Every performance, restaurant or busking or whatever, is an audition. That's the only way you get private parties outside of word of mouth. And to get that, you have to be doing gigs already. Take the advice above. Look for the people who are desperate for entertainment and speakers. They are the only ones who will give you the time of day.

Even with all that, you're going to spend a few years paying your dues. You're going to be sweating it out in small-time gigs and people constantly trying to lowball you. You just to keep on keepin' on.

 

[ZachMueller]

And to get that, you have to be doing gigs already. Take the advice above.

Only Steerpike could give you advice to take his own advice. Well played.

Truly, Steerpike offers some great advice here. The best thing I could add on is that experience is the quickest way to climb. The more you perform, the better you get, the more 'auditions', as Steerpike puts it, that you do, the quicker they'll become second nature. The hardest part is just starting. Starting anything is the beast.

In any case - good luck to you, and please do let us know how your experiences turn out

 

[Tokyo]

This was extremely informative. On a slightly relevant note, I've heard a lot of people talking about Red Robin's specifically when it comes to restaurant magic, is Red Robin's well known for hiring magicians? I've never seen one at any of the ones I've been to.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

I know they do hire magicians. I don't know how frequently. A lot of nation-wide chain places like that do give an entertainment budget to their locations. But I've also heard it's not the best gig out there.

I really don't know, though, since I have never tried to work there.

 

[Randy]

Chain Restaurants DO hire entertainers.. The problem with them is that you have to deal with too many middle men just to get a simple Yes or No answer. Usually private owned places you can go straight to the General Manager and get an easier answer from them and have to deal with less politics than Chain places have to do.

As for pursuing Private gigs or Restaurants.. It's going to be much easier for people to book you if they have already seen you perform (which would be at the restaurants.), plus the Restaurant would be a place where you are earning a bit of money in your down time. I would suggest having a half way decent part time job though. Just so you don't feel like a starving artist.

Also, I would suggest making a big list of Privately owned restaurants near you (check yelp for reviews), then check their website. If the website looks cheap, but they are getting great reviews, then you want to add that place to the list. Make sure you have a pretty big list and also offer to do a free trial night at the restaurant. Another thing is to try to perform 2-3 restaurants, that way your business card is getting in more people's hands and you are constantly getting more and more exposure (plus 3 different paychecks from the places is also a good thing.).

I would also suggest maybe starting up a face-book page for your business and has you continue to work at said places. Try to get add a gift card to the places you are performing at, then just send those gift cards to previous clients along with your business card each Holiday Season.

 

[TylerRouss]

Wow. So there is some awesome advice all around in this thread. Thank you very much to both Randy and Steerpike for the depth of your answers, it is much appreciated.

So some new questions and updates:

With the idea of a website, clean and simple, include location, performance style, rates, contact info, quotes, perhaps some video performances? Am I close with all that?

Aside from Live at the Jailhouse, which I plan on getting as soon as possible, what other resources would you guys recommend looking into?

Soo I have my first gig coming up in august... and it came in the most bizarre of ways. Someone was looking through youtube at kayaking videos in the michigan area, and stumbled on to my channel. They then saw my magic videos, checked them out, and just happened to be looking for an entertainer. So I received an email asking about my rates, what areas I perform in, if I am even available for hire on these dates, etc. Essentially the gig is a small private party, I'm talking about 6-8 people, for a "girls night." I was caught utterly unprepared when this email came, and have yet to reply. I am still pretty stunned actually. (Coincidence? Nah.. thats magic, pure and simple) So I really could use some help from someone with routining, what I should be charging here, and what information I need to ask of them and/or give them.

 

[Josh Burch]

Something that has helped with getting gigs in college, for me, is to get to know some of the guys and gals from the student government. They come to me often enough with different clubs and functions that need entertainment.

 

[Steerpike]

With the idea of a website, clean and simple, include location, performance style, rates, contact info, quotes, perhaps some video performances? Am I close with all that?

Good start, though you'll want to add more as you go. Testimonials, press, that sort of thing.

Aside from Live at the Jailhouse, which I plan on getting as soon as possible, what other resources would you guys recommend looking into?

I would start studying marketing and business. Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Dan Kennedy... Just remember to take the advice of the larger principles rather than the specific examples too closely. You don't want to miss the forest for the trees as I did at one point.

I was caught utterly unprepared when this email came, and have yet to reply. I am still pretty stunned actually. (Coincidence? Nah.. thats magic, pure and simple) So I really could use some help from someone with routining, what I should be charging here, and what information I need to ask of them and/or give them.

If you don't actually have anything ready, replying that you are available is going to be like walking on broken glass. Are you absolutely certain you can be ready by then? The rule of thumb is to never book a gig until you actually have a show ready to go that you could do that night.

 

[Craig Browning]

Lot's of great advice, especially that last line Steerpike has give you . . . never book a gig until you actually have a show ready to go. . . this can't be emphasized enough. When it comes to strolling a dining facility or event, you MUST have a minimum of 3 completely different routines; my suggestion is to have 3 routines that do not require a table at all, that can be done out of pocket or via a busker's belt, and then have two routines that rely on table tops so you can offer a sense of variety where the setting allows. Make certain that you aren't just changing card tricks when you create these routines. By that I simply mean that you should do one routine that's all cards (if that's your thing) and then a set in which cards are nominal, used more as an aid to other routines such as a coin Matrix presentation -- keep the cards as a secondary focus and not the stars. Finally, create an act that has NO CARD TRICKS whatsoever by which you can demonstrate a wider range of skill. . . and understand, I'm not just saying this because I loathe how so many in magic worship card tricks and how I think it a mental disease, but because very few people do good card magic and the best way to obfuscate how poor your skills might be, is to add variety. But too, the use of variety reveals the fact that you're not just another one trick pony, which is what many a club owner is predisposed to see you as the minute you say you're a magician. . . again, too many of us do card magic #1; too many of us do the same effects and manipulations #2; and too many of us don't show a sense of variety that goes outside of playing cards (those that do tend to go much further with their careers, faster, because they show strong flexibility)

Doing strolling magic is one of the best ways to get seen and discovered. I've handed my card to people only to hear from them YEARS after they saw me at a particular event, this is a great sign because they remembered me and kept my card all that time. This is usually how you end up with a corporate client (more than pushing yourself onto that market). . . and remember, when they approach you, you have the upper hand when it comes to negotiations.)

Roaming Magic, be it on the streets, working lines, at mixers or events is one of the best marketing actions you can put your time and money into, even as things begin to open up for bigger, better paying dates; until your schedule is so tight that you don't have a day off most every week 12 weeks at a time (scheduled time off) then keep on strolling! Some of the highest paid talents out there do charity gigs for free, just so they can keep their chops up when doing strolling work and these are guys seeing $5k or more per gig several times a week.

I'm not a big fan on busking, it was always something we fell back on when no work was coming and rent was do. I found that doing a Pitch was far more effective be it balloons and how to do balloon sculpting books, the Magic Mouse or Wormy, or the good ole Svengali & Stripper decks, but each of these do require some up-front cash for product inventory and an exhibit (which can be a simple podium, some signage and a large patio umbrella for shade (I have a huge 8ft. dia. purple parasol strapped to the back of my wheelchair so I can do Readings at the park. I had an artist paint some ad spiel on the fabric and carry a small table with special elastic bands for holding the cards in place as well as one of those canvas folding camp chairs, so the client can sit . . . my only enemy is the heat).

Anywho... there's a few kernels of thought to go with everything else that's been said.

 

[Randy]

One thing most seem to forget is that it's not really about the amount of magic you do that matters the most. It's actually about building rapport with the audience and getting to know them. I would say that you should worry less about the rule "3 different" sets (It's just a guideline really.) Focus on having one really strong routine that builds upon itself. So you don't end up having to constantly switch gears and say "And for my next effect." You should be able to seamlessly go from one phase to the next, without the audience even realizing it. Like a good movie. (Also, this prevents you from having to worry about what pocket has which deck or item.) The flatter your pockets look, the better you will. (Also preventing people from thinking your inspector gadget).

But most of all, if you don't have an act ready. Then I would suggest not worrying about rates and all the details till you actually have the act properly rehearsed and memorized.

 

[Craig Browning]

Randy, I think you're confusing the "rule of three" here, at least as I was describing it. . .

You are correct when it comes to routining your material so that "the act" flows through its sequences, whether you're opening with the Cups & Balls and segue into sponge work or paper balls over the head or whatever the case may be. My routine always had the next phase tied to the previous so that a line of consistency -- a theme, for lack of a better term -- can be sewn into each 10 minute bit and, when more time is needed for special engagements, you have a way to segue from one theme to the next that's clean & logical.

Building a rapport with folks is important but if you don't do that in the first 90 seconds you're screwed that's just a proven reality on the theatrical level. What's critical when it comes to close-up and strolling work is how you draw the audience into what you are doing and in so doing ENTERTAINING them and as a second note, catching the eye/curiosity of those outside that inner-circle you're working with so as to create "clamor" . . . curiosity as well as conversation pertaining to what you just did.

TV Magic Specials are the bane of close-up workers in that you will face challenges from within certain groups (especially where booze is flowing in a fluid manner) to do a bit they just saw. . . DON'T TRY KEEPING UP WITH THE JUNK! Rather, find from within your resources, something similar that you can offer and that includes a twist to the routine being asked about, that's more of an intrigue. Running after the latest neatest P.O.S. that everyone else is after isn't a wise move in that it makes you look like "all the others" which will destroy you. Trust me, I've made many a regretted investments because Henning or Copperfield did a bit on Tv. Sometimes the solution is little other than handing the window washer an extra $20.00 to stick a playing card on a specific window. . . I did an audition once for a noted casino from back in the day (If you saw the film "Mars Attacks" you saw the very tower I'm talking about, get destroyed). I screwed up on the trick and loosing my temper threw the deck at the window. . . there, stuck to the glass, was the chosen card. . . on the outside . . . we were more than 12 stories up. I got the gig!

Anywho. . . I've gone off topic a bit. Just think about what's been said in this thread, you've got a wealth of experience knowledge that will get you far.