Beginner Magician? Invest in these 7 things now!
[Read time: 10 minutes]
So you’re a beginner magician and you would like to take your hobby to a career. Well you’ve come to the right place! Here’s our handy list of the top 7 things you should invest in to become a professional magician.
This list is very subjective and may vary from one individual to another but if you want to fast track your hobby as a magician to a ‘working pro’ then follow this handy guide.
1.15 minutes of material.
2. Suit
3.Business cards
4. Email address
5. Effects
6.Photographs
7.Website
1. 15 minutes of material.
Before you do anything else make sure you’ve got 15 minutes of material under your belt. This is the bare minimum you should have at your disposal to be out there looking for gigs and turning your hobby as a magician into a career. Make sure you have 15 minutes of material which you can perform in a very slick way, make it punchy and interesting. With this basic set of routines under your belt you can start to look for gigs as a magician, such as fundraisers and gigs for friends and family so you can start to get some ‘flight time’ in the real world. Try to avoid performing for free if possible, try to make sure you are always getting something in return whether that is in the form of cold hard cash or an asset like photos or video footage. Always try and get something. Now that you have your solid 15 minutes and you have worked it in around a few gigs invest in step number two.
2. Buy a good quality suit (or smart dress).
It doesn’t have to be a suit/dress but spend your first chunk of investment on your image. Grab some smart clothes, replace those old shoes and start to look the part. Take time and put some care into what you wear.
Personally I have two levels of image in my life; The first is that I am a father to our two girls and the second I am a magician – an entertainer who entertains at very high class venues. When I am in family mode I am dressed in clothes from cheap high street brands, just like all the other parents at the school gates. My clothes are practical and comfy. However when I am in professional performance mode my attire is very different. I wear a sharp, smart three piece suit which is on trend for the season, and a tie which is also on trend to compliment it. A Client wants to feel like they are buying the best and, let’s be completely honest here, first impressions matter. You need to look the best you can to impress your clients.
For me this means a three piece suit: You don’t have to wear a three piece suit! Gents, and ladies, wear whatever goes with your image! But it certainly does not mean wearing the old shoes you have worn a million times and the outfit that no longer fits quite right. As a quick case study have a look at Brendan Rodriguez. He is a magician who never wears a suit but you couldn’t look at him and think he hasn’t taken care in choosing the image he wants to present.
When you have made a little money from your performances upgrade your image. Stop buying more magic and buy some smarter clothes/ a fancy looking handbag/ a better haircut. Upgrade your image and you will find it easier to glide into a higher price bracket – if you don’t then the clients will always see your ill fitted clothes and old shoes no matter how many amazing tricks you learn. Trust me when I say that you can perform the most basic magic and appeal to all audiences, but you cannot look like the most basic person in the room and expect to fit in with all audiences (unless you are a character in a stage performance)
3. Business cards
Now that you are gigging as a magician people will ask you for your details and how to contact you. Invest money in a nice business card design that you can hand out to people. People want to contact you; you should try and make this step of the customer journey feel as premium as possible (clip art logos and generic images is NOT premium!)
Instead of business cards you might wish to invest time into creating a good looking Facebook / Instagram presence. The key here is that you need to have something to give to potential clients when they ask how to find you. Give them a business card, or send them to your Facebook page, or send them to your Instagram account. Give them something that looks good and impressive so they are more likely to continue the customer journey with you. Have something that says “I’m a professional magician, here’s how to get in touch with me.”
4. Email address.
Continuing along the customer journey, get yourself a business email address. Something linked to your brand. The nickname you had at university is not a good professional email address; neither is your parent’s email address; neither is [your name] with a long list of numbers after it. Grab an email address which is personal to your brand and is easy enough to say and write down. At this point the only reason you need it is for correspondence. It will be even more useful at step 7 when you have a website up and running.
5. Effects
So you are out there in the real world performing at events and meeting real people. You are possibly starting to get a few bookings. Now is the time to start investing in magical effects. Look at what is working from your original 15 minute set and see what other effects would fit in nicely with what you already do.
6. Photographs
Become friendly with the photographers at your events. Befriend them and try to secure good quality photos of you doing your thing. A good set of photos goes a very long way and can stay with you for years (until you change your image). Become friends with every photographer at the events you cover, tell them how to get the best photos in your routines and take all their contact details – don’t rely on them taking yours as they might never get back to you. Also, if you need photos for a particular purpose consider booking a photoshoot with professional photographers. Whatever you do, don’t skimp on the budget here; it’s almost best to not do it at all then to do it badly.
7. Website
Finally, now you have photos of yourself in action, create a website for yourself. Use lots of images and make sure there is a clear call to action where the client can contact you (the magician) to book you. If they cannot book you easily then your website is a failure. Check out other websites of magicians near you and find out how easy it is to contact/ book them. And how easy it is to find the services they offer.
So there you have it: 7 things to invest in if you would like to take your magic from a hobby to a working, professional magician, level.
If you have all these things in place already then it might be time to consider stepping up your game and looking at our guide for how to make £28k in a year doing magic. Check out that link here. https://www.magiciansadvice.com/how-to-earn-28k-a-year-as-a-professional-magician/
Ian.
Ian, Phil, Rob, & Tony.
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