Exciting News

Before reading my BLOG you might want to get a cup of tea or coffee and take a few minutes out of your day as I have some great articles including the rest of TC's interview PLUS the start of a fantastic series by Matthew Johnson aimed at Birthday Party magicians who want to BOOST their income.


WHERE IN THE WORLD IS PAUL?



I thought it would be fun to include a photo of me somewhere in the world each week and see if you can guess where I am. I'll give you some clues. I'm sitting in a very famous 'cafe' owned by Rick at a grand piano and I hear the words, "play it again Sam". A classic movie was also named after this very famous city. See the end of this weeks blog for the answer.




What a busy week it's been. Finally back down to earth here in Shediac after being on ships for three months, I now have to shovel snow every day just to get the car out of the driveway. I spent all day yesterday shoveling snow off the back porch just to get to the BBQ. Yes, in true Kiwi fashion I will BBQ come rain, shine or snow.



Things have also been hectic with two releases this week including Minuette Aces and Code Breaker,two effects I released almost a year ago but now with added bonuses. I re-filmed Minuette Aces with a slight variation than the original. This is a theatrical four ace routine that I perform in close-up and also in my stage show on cruise ships. The technology on ships is amazing and I have this routine projected on to 3 screens so an entire 1500 seat theater can see it. I am a huge fan of using any technology that is available to enhance an act.
Code Breaker is a routine I do in every close-up show and also for private parties. I have re-written the instructions so it now comes with three different routines for stage or parlor shows plus my walk-about routine. The great news is that some well respected magicians; TC Tahoe, Nicholas Einhorn, Wayne Rogers and Matthew Johnson have added their own ideas and routines to the instructions. This trick is a limited release so when it's gone it's gone.



I have also been very busy in the studio filming some new products and working on three Personal Magic Teaching DVDs for magicians. Several years ago I put together a product for those magicians who want to have their own DVD to sell after their shows. It is a generic DVD which teaches 12 magic routines and is all done in white gloves. You just email me your photos and I produce the DVD with your name and website all over it so that it looks as though YOU went in to a studio and had it professionally filmed, in other words the DVD is personalised just for YOU. The product has done incredibly well and has proven to be one of the most popular 'back of room' sale products in magic to date. This week has seen me BACK in the studio filming a brand new DVD with more great magic and a few extra bonus chapters, including an optical illusion section and interactive TV magic. For any magician who wants to make EXTRA MONEY after shows then this product is what you need. The feedback from those that have purchased this has been incredible. Many cruise ship magicians are now selling this DVD and making as much money from their sales as they are from performing!
I have one friend who works in a restaurant and has it on display there and actually sells these during the week even when he's not working!Now that's what I call a passive income. This is one of those rare magic products that you can actually MAKE money back you spent on purchasing it, and then some ... what an investment!

I plan to have the new DVD ready in a months time. Forget about the coloring books, this is the way to go. You can sell them for as little or as much as you like. Once you get your Master DVD, it is yours to keep and do with what you want. I know this is a product that many magicians can use so I have managed to keep the price very affordable. If you were to go in to a studio and do this project yourself you would easily be looking at paying thousands of dollars.


I do have some wonderful news for readers of this BLOG, which incidentally has almost reached 2000 hits!
During the week I spoke to some of my good friends in magic, many of whom you will all know by name, and they have agreed to write articles and do little interviews with me. I am very excited about having them join me in this venture as I know it will be both entertaining and educational.
My good friend and incredibly busy magician from Vancouver Canada, Matthew Johnson has just returned from a very successful series of lectures in the UK, and has given me permission to publish his amazing article on earning extra money after each show. I will be publishing it over the next few weeks starting today.




LAS VEGAS - This news just in and I think it's very exciting and something I would love see.
Illusionists Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn plan
to make a one-night-only comeback next February, performing their
signature show at a fundraiser more than five years after a tiger
attack ended their long-running production on the Las Vegas
Strip.

Siegfried and Roy will perform at the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute's
Keep Memory Alive fundraiser in Las Vegas at a location yet to be
confirmed.

This year, tickets to the charity dinner cost $1,500 and raised
more than $12 million.

Publicist Dave Kirvin said the German-born duo was working out
plans for the act and said he would be "very surprised if animals
were not part of the performance."

"Siegfried and Roy and white lions and other endangered animals
go hand in hand," he said.

Roy, 63, was critically injured when their white tiger,
Montecore, sank its teeth into his neck and dragged him offstage
in front of a horrified audience at The Mirage in October 2003,
ending one of the most successful casino shows in Las Vegas
history.



INTERVIEW WITH TC TAHOE
(continued from last week)


Paul - Is your show tightly scripted?

TC - I work with a script, mostly. I script out the show/act, even a
lot of the ad-libs, to a degree.
To what degree depends on the type of show I am doing. I do not
believe in ‘locking’ myself into script. My act depends so much on
the audience’s energy, their reaction (sometimes their lack of these
things).

Each show is and should be very personal. I want the audience to feel
a part of something special, something that doesn’t happen all the time.

If you know exactly how each and every member of your audience is
going to respond, every time, you are either doing something very
wrong, or very right.

You need to be flexible, so that you can respond to the way they
respond. Especially in mentalism. Sure you want to come across like
you know what you're doing, but you are dealing with forces of nature
that nobody really understands, some things are bound to ‘get away
from’ or ‘surprise’ you.

Sometimes when I use humor in my mentalism, or bizarre shows, I am
almost apologetic about it. Again, I like to stress, subtly, to the
audience that this is fun/surprising for me also.

Yes, humor in mentalism can be a very good thing, just understand why
you are using it.

Paul - I know you have worked pretty much all types of venues and
gigs. Any tips for magicians wanting to get in to the restaurant scene?

TC - I don’t know if there are necessarily any Golden Rules that
apply to all restaurants. Things I do when working restaurants…

Always share your tips with the waiters. You want these people on
your side. They don’t just have the ear of the customers, but also
the management.

Do not stay at the Tables too long. I like to do a couple of fast
passed effects and leave. Right before I leave I say something like
“Remember I will be here all night…so if you want to see more tell
your waiter, or throw something at me and I would be happy to come
back.” Leave them wanting more and they will ask you to come back. It
looks good when you are talking to the manager and one or even two of
the waiters comes over and says, “Table so and so wants you to come
back”.

Depending on the type of restaurant, I sometimes involve separate
tables with each other. Just simple, fun stuff, but it starts to
create more of a party atmosphere.

The most important thing to remember is that you are an Ambassador
for the restaurant. You are there to make sure that they want to come
back.

Also, don’t forget that table-hopping is a wonderful way to build up
a mailing list. More important then handing out your business cards,
get theirs!

Paul - what sparks your creativity? Any ideas on how a magician might go
about creating something 'new' and different for their act?

TC - Music is a big inspiration to me. Sometime just a line or phrase in a song will set the wheels Turning. Sometimes it’s a “hit ya right in the face” idea. I was working on a salt pour and listening to an oldies station when the song Sugar Sugar by the Archie’s came on. I looked at the salt in my poring out of my hand and realized the only reason they [the audience] knows this is salt is because magicians tell them or start with a saltshaker. What if I start with a sugar packet? Now my salt pour has taken on a life of it’s own because of a cartoon band from the sixties.
I get inspired by all kinds of different things. I think one thing magicians need to do is get away from looking to magic for inspiration. Look to other art forms, look to nature. Inspiration is all around us, we just need to open ourselves up to it. Wow, I sounded very zen-like there…ok, if you can snatch this people from my hand…you will find inspiration….

Thank you TC for the interview and insight - for those that have not had the opportunity to see TC work then keep your eyes open as he is planning on doing a few lectures.


MATTHEW JOHNSON



As promised, I am going to introduce a very clever and talented magician who has kindly agreed to let me publish some of his 'work' and business ideas in my BLOG. First, a little background on Matthew.

Matthew Johnson is a Magician, Juggler, Actor, MC & “Real Funny Guy!” A versatile and busy performer from Vancouver, Canada who handles everything from Corporate Events to TV Commercials with the same DYNAMIC flair!

He began performing as a magician in his native England where he developed his own unique style of Magic and has traveled the world performing for over 15 years. After 2 years aboard Cruise ships and an extended stay at the Hilton Hotel in Japan, Matthew decided to make Vancouver his new home in 1998.

Since moving to Vancouver he has become a favourite with companies such as Mercedes, Microsoft, Toyota, Ford, AT&T & Telus to name but a few.

In the early part of 2007 Matthew decided to give the world of Film and Television a try and recently landed the principal role in a US national TV Commercial for “Nationwide Insurance”, where he can be seen vanishing a car on the streets of Argentina.

As if all of this were not enough Matthew Johnson has also won many awards for his creative style, some of these awards include,

Close-Up Magician of the year
Parlour Magician of the year
Stage Magician of the year
Most Inventive Performance

Here is the first in a series of Business articles for magicians called :-

Money for Old Rope
Making Money through the sale of Loot Bags



While their may be some truth to the saying “You cannot teach an old dog new tricks” it is also true that we can (no matter our age or skill level) learn something that may be valuable to us in the future, should we choose to pay attention.

The idea of “Money for old rope” or money for doing nothing came to me only a few years ago while watching a lecture about marketing. One of the principals that struck me as being very useful in the lecture was that of offering Extra Add On services to your show to make extra money, more notably the sale of Loot Bags.

Now don’t get me wrong, I had toyed with the idea of selling Loot Bags to my regular birthday party shows before, but had never been very successful in selling the Loot Bags to my customers. It was not until two years ago that I hit upon the solution……Magic Loot Bags!

What are Loot Bags & Do people buy them?

As most of you know Loot Bags are usually made up of little plastic bags of stuff such as toys, candy, crayons etc, that are given to the birthday child’s friends at the end of the party. His or her little friends then run home, empty the bag on the living room floor and feverishly eat the candy while playing with the colorful little pieces of plastic junk!
Mom’s & Dads spend hours of their time (not to mention money) buying the stuff and putting the stuff in bags to give to the child’s friends. Why? Because it has been a staple of the whole birthday party experience since the dawn of time! As sure as putting up your Christmas tree or getting money from the Tooth Fairy, kids expect a Loot Bag

They are buying them anyway so why don’t they buy them from me?

This is the key to selling Loot Bags! Why buy from you? The answer eluded me up until a couple of years ago. You see I was trying to sell the same bags of junk that they were putting together themselves and there in lies the problem.

You cannot sell something to someone that they can easily put together themselves, why? Well because for one, it has a perceived value to them. With the booming popularity of dollar stores they know exactly how much a little bag of plastic junk costs.

The key to successfully selling Loot Bags to your customers is to sell something they cannot put together very easily and therefore something which has a higher perceived value (even though it may be the same). The second key to selling Loot Bags is to link them to your service, so in our case Magic. The general public has a somewhat miss guided perception that small plastic magic tricks have a much higher value and so therefore they must have to pay more for a Loot Bag with them in, there my friends is your hook. You see the bags you are putting together cost you know more (or fractionally more) to put together, yet you can offer them at pretty much the same price, the difference is that your customer does not have to go to all the hassle.

Continued next week

ROMHANY TRICKS OF THE WEEK




If you haven't seen or heard of Mel Mellers then you are missing one FUNNY magician. Mel is a hilarous comedy magician from the UK and this is a DVD that every comedy magician will want to own and add some of Mels routines to their own act. I had the pleasure of meeting Mel on a cruise ship a year back and he brought the house down with his incredible act, I was laughing so much I was crying!! When I heard he was releasing some of his pet routines to the magic community I made sure I was one of the first in line to get his DVDs.

Mel Mellers is back! Hot on the heels of his best-selling twin DVD set Tickling the Mind, comes Mel Mellers' brand new DVD, Undiscovered Wonder, featuring eight jam-packed routines - complete with all the gags and presentational plots you'll need.

The clown is dead... welcome to Mel Mellers' Undiscovered Wonder the very latest DVD from the ever inventive mind of one of Britain's most successful comedy magicians.

Contents:
Human Word Generator
Noises we don't like
Beat the Brain
The Mindreading Duck
Flowering
Flags
Unseen Revelations
Agony Aunt

Sean Bogunia's Lamp



This is more than just another 'trick', this is a wonderful and very mysterious routine. In the right performing situation this could be a real masterpiece. As with everything Sean releases, this is high quality product and worth every penny.
I like this because you can perform one effect or combine both, depending on how you routine it all to fit your act.

Imagine this: The stage is empty except for a table on which sets a shadeless unplugged lamp. The magician enters and screws in a light bulb into the lamp socket. He then plugs the lamp into an extension cord and turns the lamp on. However, the bulb does not light up! He then proceeds to unplug the lamp and then the bulb LIGHTS UP! The confused magician then plugs the lamp in again and the bulb goes out! This routine can be repeated as many times as you like!

The magician then takes a cloth and places it over the lamp, mysteriously, the bulb begins to float, it floats behind the cloth and even pushes the cloth forward as the BULB IS GLOWING! The bulb then seems to vanish, but is then spotted GLOWING AND ANIMATED in the magicians pocket! And now for the killer ending..the bulb floats back towards the lamp and then APPEARS BACK in the socket ON THE LAMP!

FISM 2006 DVD



It's finally here! This is something I've been waiting to see come on the market for some time now. What a great DVD this is for any fan of magic. If you want to see great magic with a few bonus sections thrown in then this is for YOU!

On this DVD, the World Championships of Magic™ 2006 TV show comes to your home! You'll also see "The Real Secrets of Close-up Magic" award-winning short movie by David Stone. Included, of course are some amazing pictures of the 23rd FISM™ World Championships of Magic™ 2006

You Asked For It Collection



What a great package this is. If you are a fan as I am, of watching magicians of days gone by, then you are going to LOVE this four DVD set. It contains some absolute classics that appeared on the TV show You Asked For It.

You Asked For It: Rare TV Magic Acts on Four DVDs!

Over eight hours of footage on four DVDs for optimum viewing quality, 67 classic magic performances!

Performers include Blackstone, Dante, Frakson, Tarbell, Birch, Jack Kodell, and other greats Illusions, challenge escapes, manipulation, and more!

Between 1950 and 1959, the American television program "You Asked For It" presented dozens of magic acts, and these DVDs preserve 67 of them. You'll find not only priceless historic footage of prominent illusionists, but also a time capsule of some of the best (and often oddest) illusions, escapes, mindreading, and manipulation of the time!

In the FOUR DVDs of You Asked For It: Rare TV Magic Acts you'll find Blackstone's Buzz Saw, Dante's Sawing, Kuda Bux's blindfold act, Jack Kodell's parakeets, Tarbell's Eyeless Vision, Frakson's famous cigarette act, "Think-a-Drink" Hoffman's any-drink-called-for routine, and hours of other delightful and weirdly fascinating acts. The roots of extreme escape challenges are here, plus much more of interest to both the performer and historian, now in convenient DVD form!

AND FINALLY!!



I couldn't believe that Andrew was releasing this! He showed me this a few years back and I was blown away. I told him then I would LOVE to put it in my act if he ever released it. This is something that you can carry with you all the time. For those that don't know Andrew, he was a consultant for Chris Angel and now David Blaine! I think probably the only person EVER to consult for them both? He certainly has a different take on magic than most magicians and a very clever thinker.

First off, the performer gives a spectator his/her business card folded up and asks that they place it in their pocket for later. Then a game of “which coin in the hand” is played 5 times in a row and a score is kept of the spectator's hits and misses…

The game is repeated except the mentalist/magician claims he/she will influence the spectator to pick up on subconscious suggestions given by the performer and they are correct 5 times in a row ! BUT wait; the performer asks the spectator to remove the business card that’s been in their pocket all along, they open it, without the performer ever touching it, and it matches their score the first time around!
No magnets
No electronics
100 percent
Perform in a t-shirt
Bonus routines and notes:

NON Cents - Impromptu Street Effect - The magician/mentalist reaches into his/her pocket and pulls out a closed fist announcing it contains 3 coins and asks a spectator to play a little game of imagination. The spectator is asked to name a coin, and ANY coin they name the magician will pull out of his hand. After the coin is named and removed, the magician announces the game wasn’t fair, opening his hand showing it completely empty!
No shells
No pulls
No magnets
Perform in a t-shirt
Nothing to add, steal away
Only ONE coin shown
Different outcome every time!
Chair Cents - a routine idea for stage (this idea is worth 5 times the price for a working performer)! You will love what Andrew Gerard has done with this gimmick.


Where in the world am I? - I am sitting in a cafe called Rick's Cafe in Casablanca.