Successful Performercast by Kris Sheppard | Successful Performer Cast | Weekly Interviews with Professional Entertainers | Sh

In my final interview here in this chapter of Successful Performercast, I have Joe Monti who gives us some valuable advice when it comes to show business and shares some stores from his career that will have you at the edge of your seat. Joe Monti has done it all. He’s traveled the world with his magic, both performing and lecturing. He’s worked with Viacom, starting with the Cosby Show. He’s consulted for television on a number of shows & projects, including Criss Angel’s Mind Freak for three seasons, a lot of ghost and paranormal shows as well as other secret television projects. He was also the $50,000 winner on Simon Cowell’s successful prime time ABC hit American Inventor, which was seen by 14 million people. He’s a frequent featured performer at the world famous Hollywood Magic Castle, home of the Academy of Magical Arts, and has released two commercial products straight from his act on the market for working magicians. Joe has done so much to elevate the art of magic, it’s impossible to list it all here.     Success Mantra Survive. You’ve got to kiss the canvas before you can dance with the angels.     Great Advice on Show Business • Talks about his early days in show business. • Talks about how he discovered Tannen’s and started hanging out there. • Tells how he “jumped ship” over at Viacom. • “Do for others, and they will do for you." • Tells about a how he was filming a TV show after quitting Viacom, where he was dressed all slummy and running into all the people he used to work with. • Keeping you ear to the ground to figure out what people want and doing it. • Talks about his physical comedy. • Why you should do things exactly as you’re taught before adding your own influence into an act you’re working on. • Finding what’s funny. • An effective, yet controversial, tip for getting tips in a strolling situation, and why Joe stopped doing it. • An interesting story involving Dave Chapelle. • Magic minds help in business. • Deliver a product that they can't get from anybody but you.    Help Out Joe As many of you may know, Joe was involved in a pretty serious accident. This interview was recorded before that accident, and Joe wanted to come back on before we officially released this interview to give us a quick update. If you'd like to help him out, there's a Go Fund Me campaign open to help him with his medical bills and recovery expenses. Every little bit helps. Ad mention that Successful Performercast sent you.    Parting Advice Don’t show the people around the magic you’re working on. They’ll only tell you good things. Instead, film it, and let someone watch the video, walk away and then watch their reaction from afar.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Lighting and sound. There's nothing like being seen and heard.   Happie Amp for sound   Security lights attached to batteries.   A step stool to stand up on to be seen better.   Books: Triggers by Joseph Sugarman Bobo’s Coin Magic Trick Brain by Dariel Fitzkee Our Magic by Masculine & DeVant   Where can we find Joe Monti? joemonti.com thumbtie.com  

In this interview, Thought Reader Bill Gladwell who talks about the ins and outs of having his own stationary one-man, mentalism show and how he’s been able to make it a success. Bill is a performer who combines his unique skills of hypnosis, NLP, suggestion, psychology, directed awareness, and showmanship to create a fun interactive show that leaves an indelible impression on each of his audiences and has performed for a diverse list of clients from Honda to country music artist Rodney Atkins. He’s also a speaker and trainer teaching people how to develop and master strong social skills helping them win at life. For the last five years, Bill has pretty much stopped traveling in order to produce and perform in his own 75-minute mentalism show, Two Thought Minimum first in Gatlinburg Tenessee and then in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Finally, I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t mention his own podcast, “Hey! Look at Me!” where he interviews other entertainers that he comes in contact with during his adventures.     Success Mantra Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. – Susie Castle If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it, if you don’t ask, the answer is always no, and if you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place. - Norah Roberts     Having a Stationary Show • Tells how he got his first theater show as a mentalist. • How he was able to tweak his show and improve it from a very rough start. • Not listening to other magicians and mentalists. • How Trip Advisor has helped his career. • How/why he left Gatlinburg for Hilton Head Island. • Tells how he got feedback from his audiences. • Listening to his wife. Starting with the end on mind and working back from that. • How he negotiated with a theater owner to get his dark nights. • Promoting his show and getting tourists into see show. • The importance of having a good product. • How to work with the venue making it a win win for the performer and the venue. • Back of room sales. • Using social media avenues to his advantage. • Building email list. • His USP. • How he keeps in contact via email. • How he sells tickets. • Challenges of working in a theater. • Rebuilding his show and following in Hilton Head Island. • Don’t be afraid to give tickets away to get things done. • Interacting with press and getting coverage. • Working with other companies and businesses to cross promote.     Other Topics Covered • The power in asking. • Lessons from Girl Scout cookie sales. • Asking for the close. • How a Tony Robbins event changed his life. • Talks about how he did an impromptu stage hypnosis show that started him out in performing. • Finding material that fits you. • Don’t do things like everyone else. Make it entertaining. • Recording your show. • It’s not about you, it’s about giving your audience a good time. • How pricing yourself too low can cost your gigs.     Failure Moment Tells why he now collects his fee up front.     Favorite Success His Trip Advisor reviews. Getting his wife to marry him.

In this interview, Al The Only talks about how he's found success in being a "general practitioner" of magic. He also talks about how he came up with his brand of Al The Only. For over 35 years Al has traveled the country with his magic, performing for corporate clients doing their trade shows, conventions, business meetings, hospitality suites and holiday parties. This includes companies like Apple, General Motors, Coca Cola, AT&T, and McDonald’s. You may also remember him from “Ask The Only,” which was his column in the Magic Menu where he fielded questions about the business side of magic. Today he’s here to share his thoughts on show business with us.     Success Mantra Perception is everything. Don’t sweat the big stuff. You never know when you’re making a memory.     Being a General Practitioner of Magic • Defining general practitioner as it applies to being a full-time magician. • Accomplishing the needs of his clients’ magical needs whatever they may be. • If the client asked him if he could do something, he always said yes. • Talks about “niching down." • Weren’t really any gigs he wouldn’t take, but there are some that he wishes he had been able to do. • Talks about how he’s now in the school show market and how he couples them with corporate gigs he’s doing. • Talks about some of his selling techniques and strategy. • How he travels with two shows. • He has two of everything he does. • Talks about the most unusual show he did which was being hired to steal from a department store. • Talks about hiring a colleague sometimes to help serve the client in which he becomes the producer of a show.     Other Topics Covered • Being “present” with the people you’re performing for. • Talks about some of the things he did to get gigs initially after getting laid off from his day job. • You can get anything you want in life if you help enough people get what they want in life. — Zig Ziglar • How his full-time restaurant job was the foundation of his business. • Talks about his branding of Al The Only. • How his name is instantly recognizable. • Does the name make the individual, or does the individual make the name? • His take on successes and failures. • Dealing with multiple time zones. • It’s not about the magic, it’s about the people you’re working with.     Failure Moment Tells about how he’s lost all his money three different times within his career.     Favorite Success The relationships with his clients.     Parting Advice 1. Don’t do free shows. 2. If you think a show is out of your league, pass it up to another pro. 3. Never say you can’t do something for a client. 4. Don’t believe your own PR. 5. Marry a spouse with a job that has benefits. #tongueInCheek     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: We all have smart devices, but the smartest device we have is our brain! Listen to people. Listen to your friends.   Books: The Business of Restaurant Magic by Al The Only (Out of Print) Confidential Booking Reports by Dick Ryan (Out of Print) Doug Scheer’s book Entertaining Education (Also listen to Doug Scheer’s Interview) Danny Orleans The Art of Presenting Magic for Children   Where can we find Al The Only? Tricky1.com The Magic Graveyard Facebook | Twitter @theROARshow

This week, I bring you an interview with Steve Chezaday who shares some advice and insights from his years performing full-time. Topics include dealing with clients, pricing, managing your money, and customizing and maintaining your props. There’s a lot insight to be gained from this chat. Chezaday is a magician who’s pretty much done it all from close up magic to grand illusion. His energetic show has taken him all over the country. He’s toured with Abbott’s Magic Festival and is also quite handy when it comes to building props and stage illusions. And he can do it all while rockin’ an air guitar!     Success Mantra Always be prepared. Always have your money work for you.     Personalizing & Maintaining Show Props • Personalizing props. • Custom painting goes a long way. • Putting your own twist or spin on routines. • Constantly capturing your own ideas on paper so you don’t lose them. • Importance of quick reset. • Preparing and maintaining larger props. • Having protective cases for everything in a stage show.       Other Topics Covered • Talks about how he gets shows. • Stacking shows. Knowing your setup & teardown time and being efficient. • The importance of saving and investing your money. • Talked about how he had a part time job for a long time which helped him to build his magic career. • How his correspondences with clients are mainly online through email now. • Making your clients feel like they’re getting a bargain. • The psychology of charging $295 instead of $300. • Don’t sell your magic, sell you. You want them to want you, not just “a magician." • Don’t let people wait, because someone else will get back to a potential client if you don’t. • Talks about working with the best and the worst in the industry while doing the Abbott’s show. • Don’t be a prima donna. Try to make everything as simple as you can and treat everyone well. Be reasonable.     Failure Moment Talks about a last-minute hell gig that came about because of miscommunication.     Favorite Success Some of the charities that he’s able to work with.     Parting Advice Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Pages on Mac Rising Card App by Chris Kenner   Books: Me Inc. by Gene Simmons Beating a Dead Horse by Sandy Marshall The Magical Life of Marshall Brodien   Where can we find Steve Chezaday? Chezaday.com Steve on Facebook

This week I have singer/songwriter Angela Parrish who shares with us about the importance of having multiple streams of income and how she runs her business. She also talks about how she saved for and completely self-funded $20,000 to record her latest album, Faithful and Tall. Based out of Los Angeles, Angela creates her own brand of music, drawing inspiration from the likes of Carole King, Ray Charles, Eva Cassidy, Gregg Allman, and Alison Krauss. Her music has brought her great acclaim including second place for her song “The Couple Down the Hall” at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Song Competition, and having her song “Higher” selected as a finalist in the 2013 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. You may have heard her song “Different Tomorrow” which earned a primetime placement on CBS TV last summer. Thats not even mentioning her collaborating with top producers and musicians in the industry.     Success Mantra I realized early on that success was tied to not giving up. Most people in this business gave up and went on to other things. If you simply didn’t give up, you would outlast the people who came in on the bus with you. - Harrison Ford     Multiple Streams of Income • Talks about the different streams of income she has which include performing, album sales, and teaching piano. • Teaching people one on one. • Limiting how much she teaches so she can focus on the other aspects on her business that she has more passion for. • Talks about the different percentages each of her streams of income are bringing in and where she’s focusing. • Music industry in general and where she thinks it’s headed with music being sold online and subscription services like Spotify. • How people will support the artists they love. • How Periscope can help to build an audience.     Managing Business • Tells how she wasn’t good at managing her business and how she got better. • Read All You’re Worth by Elizabeth Warren teaches how to manage your finances. • 50% of your income is survival/basic needs, 30% is discretionary, 20% is savings. • Talks about how she self-funded her album, hiring all of the help she needed in musicians, studio work, designers, etc. • Tells how much it took to create her album. Spoiler alert: It was roughly 20,000 completely self-funded.     Other Topics Covered • Having tenacity. • Not giving up, yet knowing when to quit. • Fear of rejection. • Finding yourself. • How all your experiences make up who you are. • Taking risks to be true to yourself and your art. • Talks about her early performing days. • Immersing yourself in the community that you want to be a part of. • Balancing business and art. • The importance of building a following which makes you more attractive to labels and other people to work with. • Collecting emails. Opt-in magnet.     Failure Moment Putting out her record without any business knowledge. She feels it isn’t doing as good as it can be and now she’s changing that.     Favorite Success The songwriter’s hall of fame competition and being recognized by her peers.       Parting Advice Don’t sell yourself short. Set out to accomplish your dreams. Dance with fear.   Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Paper and physical books.     Books: All Your Worth by Elizabeth Warren Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison     Also Recommended The Dip by Seth Godin Michael Hyatt’s This is Your Life Podcast Platform by Michael Hyatt    Album Faithful & Tall Faithful and Tall by Angela Parrish     Where can we find Angela Parrish? AngelaParrish.com Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram

In this episode, Fantastick Patrick talks about his juggling career which includes performing on TV, dealing with fear & failure, and having a mindset of giving. Fantastick Patrick is a juggler/comedian/unicycle wrangler/musician/curator of all things fun & awesome! He comes to us from Los Angeles yet travels around the country performing at fairs, festivals, and corporate shindigs. He’s also had multiple TV appearances on shows like The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Hell’s Kitchen, and the MTV Movie Awards.     Success Mantra He who tries to shine dims his own light.     Performing on TV • Talks about what he did to get on TV to perform. • Tells the story on how he got on the Tonight Show. • How unpredictable things can be on set. • How different it is performing on TV rather than performing in a live show. • There’s multiple takes, so if you mess up, you can do it again. • There are decades where nothing happens and then there are weeks where decades happen. • How he uses his TV appearances to benefit his performance career.     Other Topics Covered • Just letting things flow. Don’t try too hard or you’ll overthink it. • Dealing with nerves before performing. • Talks about some of his earlier juggling ventures. • Moving to Los Angeles. • Talks about how he markets himself. • Talks about social media. • People want to hire their friends. • Focusing on strengths. • Personal Facebook Pages vs Fan Pages. • His view on failure. • Dealing with fear. • The danger of comparing yourself with others. • Don’t be afraid to fail. • Outsourcing aspects of your business. • Top of mind awareness. • Wanting what you have. • Using your gift to inspire and bless other people. • Decide that you’re going to serve and to give. "The Gift Shift."       Failure Moment Tells how he let someone else run his career and put them in the driver seat.     Favorite Success Finding success in his chosen market.     Biggest Professional Challenge Sticking with it through the tough times.     Anything Done Differently? Moved out to LA sooner and focused more on business.     Parting Advice Love what you do, the money will follow.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Get the best sound equipment that you can. Make sure everything is battery powered, you don’t want to have to rely on an outlet. Sennheiser body packs and make sure you get one of the “legal" ones. Show Cues for iPhone OneTrack Go Button Shawn Popp’s Interview     Books: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle    Where can we find Fantastick Patrick? fantastickpatrick.com Facebook | Instagram | Youtube

In this episode, Tom Ameen talks about how he's built a successful career as a classical pianist. Topics include restaurant gigs, getting private parties, and selling albums. He also talks about his new solo piano Star Wars album, which is awesome! Tom has played piano since he was 12 years old and studied under acclaimed pianist James Tannenbaum at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He’s gathered a wonderful following around Los Angeles which has afforded him many opportunities to collaborate with some top names like Grammy nominated artist Jim Brickman, performing on many of his albums. Tom even found himself performing as J.J. Abrams’ personal pianist. He’s recorded many albums with Canadian-based label Somerset Entertainment, some of which are Wal-Mart exclusives, others to be found at theme parks around the country. My favorites are his albums that he’s put out which contain music from the Disney theme parks, and these have charted on the Billboard Top 10! Probably the most exciting of all, Tom has just released his latest album, Journey to the Stars which features renditions of his favorite themes from the Star Wars movies!   Show Sponsors: ManageGigs: ManageGigs helps you keep track of all of your gigs online, without having to resort to spreadsheets. Click here to check them out and sign up for your free seven day trial! Audible: For Performercast Listeners, Audible is offering a free audiobook download and a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service. Click here to check it out!     Interview with Tom Ameen: Success Mantra Dream big. If you can dream it, you can do it. — Walt Disney     Making it as a Musician • Why he decided to move from Cleveland to Los Angeles and why he chose LA over New York. • Dreaming big. • Working with acclaimed pianist Jim Brickman. • Talks about how he happened upon and landed a gig at Vitello's the restaurant he’s been at for three years playing four times per week. • Selling his albums at his restaurant gig. • Talks about private gigs. • The power of asking. • You miss 100% of the shots you never take. — Wayne Gretzky • How he gets private parties. • Contacting companies that do weddings and events. • Tells about how he got a gig performing for JJ Abrams. • Launching and promoting his albums. • Getting approval and rights for his covers. • How CD Baby manages all the details for selling your album on all platforms. • Getting the word out about his albums. • Doing interviews on podcasts to promote his music. • Two of his Disney albums made it into the Top Ten on Billboard’s New Age list. • Shout out to Randy Crane and Stories of the Magic Podcast for introducing me to Tom. • Putting his own spin on songs that he covers while still keeping his integrity of the song and not sounding cheesy. He nails it!     Journey to the Stars and Contest Journey to the Stars is Tom's solo piano album of him covering his favorite themes from the Star Wars franchise. Tom did a wonderful job with these arrangements and you can check out the album on iTunes or CD Baby. We’re also giving away a free copy of his album to one lucky listener and here’s how to enter the contest: Go all the way down to the bottom of this page and leave a comment answering this question: If you had a droid that could do anything in the world, what would it do, and what would you call it? Tom and I will pick our favorite and the winner will be announced in the episode breaking February 12.       Failure Moment Not being true to his calling in music. He wasn’t being true to himself and actually gave up on music for a while and getting a day job. It was one of the most miserable periods in his life.     Favorite Success Getting on the Billboard Top Ten and putting out his albums like his new Star Wars album.     Parting Advice Use your fear as fuel to go do what you want to do.     Exclusive Content for Patreon Supporters The uncut version of this interview is available to Patreon Supporters and includes about 8 minutes of additional content. Please consider supporting me on Patreon.   In the Patreon-exclusive content you'll find: • Some fun banter as we talk about our musically inclined families. • The importance of validation of what you’re doing from people who love your art.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: His RSS Reader to keep up with all the news sources and blogs he follows. The Disney Parks Blog—To keep up on Disney news     Books: The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel by Garth Stein Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper    Where can we find Tom Ameen? tomameenmusic.com iTunes | Google Play | Amazon | CD Baby Twitter @tomameen | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Vitello’s Restaurant

I've invited back onto my show Jay Alexander and Christian Cagigal because they have been putting together a four-day festival of magic up in San Francisco called the Fog City Magic Fest and I wanted to get them on to talk to them about how they’re putting it together. They take us behind the scenes and talk about the nuts and bolts of how they're going about putting together this four-day festival of magic.     Show Sponsors: ManageGigs: ManageGigs helps you keep track of all of your gigs online, without having to resort to spreadsheets. Click here to check them out and sign up for your free seven day trial! Audible: For Performercast Listeners, Audible is offering a free audiobook download and a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service. Click here to check it out!     Fog City Magic Fest Here are some of the topics Jay and Christian touch upon during this interview. • They talk about the genesis of this project. • How they're marketing and promoting it. • How they've decided on the performers. • They talk about some of the challenges they've faced. • How they've decided on their venue?     Jay Alexander's Free Business/Marketing Videos   Jay has been creating some great business/marketing videos that you can have access to for free. Click here for more details.     Where can we find out more about Fog City Magic Fest? Feb 10-13 at Exit Theater fogcitymagicfest.com Facebook | Twitter @FogCityMagic | Instagram  

Last week I interviewed Mario the Magician. Katie is his wife and other half. She works with Mario as a team and handles all the business and marketing aspects of their business. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s essential for your spouse to be onboard and supportive of your entrepreneurial efforts, and this week, we’re diving into that very perspective!     Show Sponsors: ManageGigs: ManageGigs helps you keep track of all of your gigs online, without having to resort to spreadsheets. Click here to check them out and sign up for your free seven day trial! Audible: For Performercast Listeners, Audible is offering a free audiobook download and a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service. Click here to check it out!     Interview with Katie Marchese: Success Mantra Define your normal.     Katie’s Take on Their Business • How children change the dynamics of things, even in business. • Gives her take on how they built their business and took it full time. • Going for things 100%. • Talks about initial marketing efforts, how they’ve changed and how they look now. • Dealing with rejection. • Letting go of things that don’t work in favor of giving new things a chance. • Being diverse vs niche-ing down. • Knowing what you’re strong at and not trying to be “everything to everyone." • The stigma of children’s performers. • Connecting with both kids and adults.     Katie’s Business Responsibilities • Takes care of booking inquiries. • Running social media, scheduling posts. • Reaching out to various outlets and possible venues. • She does all she can so he can focus on his performing.     Thoughts on Social Media • Talks about how things have changed with social media and how now they’re trying to engage people in their story. Business and personal life are now connected. • People want to know “your story." • People do business with their friends and social media helps proper to know their business connections better. • People also want to feel like they’re supporting something. If they feel like they’re connecting with you on a personal level, when they do business with you they have a stronger feeling of supporting you.     Challenges & Blessings of Working with Spouse in Business • Hard to turn things off when the work day is “done." • Not having specific business hours. • Scheduling “work" conversations. • It brings them closer together because they’re working as a team. • Possibility of including their kids in the business in the future. • They try to expose the kids with the family business as much as possible while still being sensitive of their needs and desires. • Disconnecting from business at the end of the day. • Having a schedule that helps them to have routine and then unwind. • Not taking things personally. • Celebrating together. • Getting to work with someone you love.     Failure Moment Talks about a tour they planned that flopped spectacularly! Learned not to force things but to let things happen smartly and organically. Katie shares how they might go about that today.     Favorite Success Their Kickstarter campaign that got funded and raised $36,000 allowing them to do a featured length documentary telling Mario’s story which is now playing at film festivals. Talks about how they approached their Kickstarter campaign. • Reached out to local supporters. • Outreaching to people in the different communities they’re a part of. • Talks about some of the rewards they did for backers.     Biggest Professional Challenge Letting go and delegating.     Is there anything they would have done differently? Getting to the point they’re at right now faster.     Parting Advice Don’t make decisions based on what others think you should do but based on your own research and convictions.       Exclusive Content for Patreon Supporters This weeks episode is the full interview, but often times I go longer than an hour and therefore have to cut the interviews down to be an hour or less. Patron supporters get access to the full uncut versions of these interviews and often times, a few days before the official episode is released. If this interests you, please consider supporting me on Patreon.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Her iPhone in general. She’s able to do business from her phone.     Books: The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne    Where can we find Katie and Mario? MarioTheMagician.com Building Magic Kickstarter BuildingMagicDoc.com Facebook | Twitter @mariomagician | Instagram | Youtube

In this episode, Mario the Magician talks about how he makes all of his own props. He also talks about generosity and gratefulness and how those play a part in his business. Mario is a magician who performs primarily on the East Coast entertaining children and their families. The thing that really makes him stand out is that he’s a creator and inventor, making all of his own props for his show including fun, educational robotics. He’s an advocate for the Maker Movement, STEAM/STEM educational initiatives, and can be seen on a recent episode of Sesame Street. He’s Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin for the modern age.   Show Sponsors: ManageGigs: ManageGigs helps you keep track of all of your gigs online, without having to resort to spreadsheets. Click here to check them out and sign up for your free seven day trial! Audible: For Performercast Listeners, Audible is offering a free audiobook download and a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service. Click here to check it out!     Interview with Mario the Magician: Success Mantra Casting your bread upon the waters and not being afraid of what that bread is.     Generosity • The reason we’re here is to help someone else. • People remember forgiveness and generosity. • Generosity is more valuable than money. • If you help enough other people get hat they want in life, you’ll get everything you want in life. — an offshoot of Zig Ziglar’s quote. • When you give, it makes you aware of what you have. • Keep giving back to the world.     Making His Own Props • Everything today is built to break, where as old vintage stuff, you can open up and take apart. There is no more art in things that we buy anymore. • 3D prints a lot of things. • Talks about how things don’t always work out with what he’s working on. • Understanding when to stop. • Talks about programming a robotic monkey to do things at different points in his show.       Other Topics Covered • Being aware of what the world is telling you. • Talks about his journey to where he is now. • The stigma of kids performers. • How he works together with his wife in business. • Being grateful. • Life in Nyack • Being a good example for his kids. • Finding a balance between working on his projects and family time. • Understanding who your shows are really for. • Bring fully present in your performances. • Adults are really just four and five year olds and love going back in time. • Playing for the adults as well as the kids. Like a Disney or Pixar movie. • Talks about his experience on Sesame Street. • Talks about how his wife believes in him and fully supports what he’s doing.     Parting Advice Be generous. Help others and make a difference in people’s lives. Find your art.     Videos Mentioned Building Magic (Short) Mario on Sesame Street    Exclusive Content for Patreon Supporters This weeks episode is the full interview, but often times I go longer than an hour and therefore have to cut the interviews down to be an hour or less. Patron supporters get access to the full uncut versions of these interviews and often times, a few days before the official episode is released. If this interests you, please consider supporting me on Patreon.        Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Resources: People. Get around the right people. HackADay.com Make Magazine     Books: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Mark Wilson’s Course in Magic    Where can we find Mario the Magician? MarioTheMagician.com Facebook | Twitter @mariomagician | Instagram | Youtube  

In this episode, voice actor and musician Laura Dickinson brings us insight into how she’s made it as a voice actor for Disney Animation and how good old fashioned hustle can really take you the distance. Laura makes her living as a full-time musician, contracting for Disney providing singing voices for animated characters on Phineas & Ferb, Jake & the Neverland Pirates, and Sofia the First. Essentially, “your nine-year old daughter’s favorite singer.” You’ve also heard her voice on Pitch Perfect, Modern Family, and Supernatural. When she’s not bringing her character acting talent, she’s also a frequent live performer fronting her own 17 piece big band and opening for names like Tony Bennett and Lyle Lovett. She’s also recently released her debut album, One for My Baby – To Frank Sinatra With Love, which is a beautifully done and wonderfully arranged homage to Ol’ Blue Eyes.   Show Sponsors: ManageGigs: ManageGigs helps you keep track of all of your gigs online, without having to resort to spreadsheets.  Click here to check them out and sign up for your free seven day trial!   Audible: For Performercast Listeners, Audible is offering a free audiobook download and a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service.  Click here to check it out!     Interview with Laura Dickinson: Success Mantra Happy to be here, easy to work with.     Voice Acting • Talks about how she got involved working with Disney animation and voice acting. • What it’s like collaborating with musicians and producers and being able to anticipate needs, etc. • If you can find someone you can count on and work easy with, you’ll work with them forever. • Challenges of singing in the voice of a fictional, cartoon character. • Always tries to ask a lot of smart questions. • Adaptability and flexibility are her biggest takeaways from working with Disney. • Working on people’s “babies.” Creative pieces that their creators care about.     Failure Moment Talks about how early in her career, not being as socially adept as she is now, she started talking trash about the show director and the casting director just as they walked in.     Favorite Success Being a part of Phinneas & Ferb which opened up a lot of doors for her.     Other Topics Covered • Working with other musicians who have different schedules • Filling in for other musicians (it’s kind of like an understudy kind of thing) • How she got her real education performing for Disney in their theme parks. • Talks about how she “moved up the ranks” for Disney and started performing. • Find what you really love doing and find a way to make a living at it. • Always being the best representation if yourself.     Exclusive Content for Patreon Supporters The uncut version of this interview is available to Patreon Supporters and includes about 10 minutes of additional content.  Please consider supporting me on Patreon.      In the Patreon-exclusive content you'll find: • Talks about first band she had a part in and how she decided she wanted to become a professional performer. • Talks about some of the things she did to start drumming up business in performing full time. • You have to be ready to be told “no” all the time. Rejection is a big part of show business. • Talks about why and how she formed her current band. • Talks about some of the many factors that goes into booking a performance with her band.       Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: The Internet. It's amazing how helpful the internet can be for your business. Plus, make sure you have all your media in order on the internet so it’s easy for people to find and hire you. The Voiceover Resource Guide     Books: The Real Books for Musicians    Laura's New Album! Check out Laura's new album, One for My Baby, to Frank Sinatra with Love! If you're a Sinatra fan, you're absolutely going to love Laura's take on some of his most famous songs. I know covering Sinatra is gutsy undertaking, but Laura absolutely nails it!     Where can we find Laura Dickinson? lauradickinson.com Facebook | Twitter @elsielaura | Instagram | Spotify | Pandora | Youtube

In this interview, Kenton Knepper talks all about nonverbal communication as well as the real power of words when it pertains to performing and doing business. Kenton Knepper is a mentalist who specializes in nonverbal communication, suggestion, and NLP. He’s one of the most prolific creators in the world of magic and mentalism, and has influenced notable names in the industry like Banachek, David Blaine, Derren Brown, Richard Osterlind, and the living legend Johnny Thompson, just to name a few. Through his company Wonder Wizards, he teaches his methods through seemingly countless products, courses, and private coaching sessions. A couple of his more widely known products are his Wonder Words course, and one of my favorites, Kolossal Killer. In my opinion, Kenton is the closest thing you’ll find to a modern day Jedi.     Show Sponsors: ManageGigs: ManageGigs helps you keep track of all of your gigs online, without having to resort to spreadsheets. Click here to check them out and sign up for your free seven day trial! Audible: For Performercast Listeners, Audible is offering a free audiobook download and a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service. Click here to check it out!     Interview with Kenton Knepper: Success Mantra Keep going, keep doing! One thing that people who fail always do is they stop doing what they were doing.     The Power of Words and Nonverbal Communication • The importance of words. • Gives examples of phrases that can help to make our presentations more impressive. • Reversing what people say to change the meaning. • Changing a word or two in certain phrases to change how people react to what you’re saying. • How being authentic helps your nonverbal communication. • Learning principles that help you to integrate nonverbal tactics. • Helps to amplify what you already are. • Connecting with your audience and leaving them better off than they were before they met you. • Communicating on multiple levels, double entendres, etc. • Building people up with what you say. • Shining the spotlight on the people you’re interacting with rather than yourself. • Connecting other people with each other. • "Do your good where it does the most.” - Wavy Gravy • Having a set of tools or principles to be able to use in the right instances. • Having an “out” for when things don’t go as planned. • How to “read people” and better connect with them. • How nonverbal can help out in business situations. • Best place to start learning nonverbal communication is Kenton’s Wonder Words.     Failure Moment Talks about a close-call underwater escape attempt. He learned the importance of rehearsing in the actual setting you’ll be performing in.     Other Topics Covered • Talks about his journey and how he took his passion full time. • Some of the other things he does other than magic, like music and meditation. • Being really good at all the aspects he was working on. • Talks about how working restaurants really helps him to get seen and get gigs. • Talks about what’s going on at Wonder Wizards. • Talks about the Inner Sanctum which is a monthly subscription to Kenton’s services. • He also does one-on-one consulting.     Exclusive Content for Patreon Supporters The uncut version of this interview is available to Patreon Supporters and includes about 10 minutes of additional content. Please consider supporting me on Patreon.  • Hear a story from Kenton that involves JC Wagner and Bob Sheets, and a lesson he learned from them that effects how he performs to this very day!     Parting Advice Be authentic. Be who you really are. Keep going, the only way to really fail is to stop.   Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: The voice memo feature on his iPhone     Books:  Art and Magic by SH Sharpe  Mind Games by Masters & Houston    Help Kenton Out I wanted to bring to your attention something that happened after my interview with Kenton. many of you have already heard about this, but right after his birthday, his home was broken into and many important, valuable items were stolen from him. First of all, Kenton and his family are all okay and nobody was harmed, but some of the notable things stolen from him were a brand new computer that hadn’t even made it out of the box, and a number of guitars and other musical instruments that he uses for his music and meditation work. So, if you are a friend of Kenton, or his work has helped you in any way, please consider helping him out with a donation of any size. It would mean the world to both Kenton and myself. If you are able, please be sure to mention that the Successful Performercast sent you. Click Here to Help Out     Where can we find Kenton Knepper? wonderwizards.com  

I'm currently taking a holiday break from my regularly scheduled episodes, so for the next few weeks, I'm running my six most downloaded episodes. I'll be back on the first of the year with brand new episodes! In the mean time, enjoy these "Best of" episodes. Mark Kornhauser's interview is my most downloaded episode of all time! In this episode, we talk about his career in magic, what it takes to perform in casino showrooms, his successes, challenges, and how hard work really pays off. Mark Kornhauser is one of the most successful comedy acts in the world boasting 25 years plus, consistently performing in and producing shows in the most prestigious casinos in Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Atlantic City. We’re talkin’ Harrahs, Planet Hollywood, Mandalay Bay, Flamingo, Tropicana, and Hilton, just to name a few. He’s opened for more than a few top name entertainers like Tom Jones, Elvis Costello, Frankie Valli, Terry Fator, David Letterman, and Tim Allen. He’s also been featured on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Masters of Illusion, NBC, FOX, Comedy Central, and HBO.   Success Mantra: Hard work, clean living.   Working in Casinos: • Fitting into a time slot • How the casino venue has changed: catering more toward headliners than variety entertainers • How he stays in the game: develops and grows new material • Mistakes he sees people make in the casino market • What he sees as the future of performing in casinos   Failure Moment: Did a Le Pétomane (flatulence) act that initially bombed.   Favorite Success: His current act with his dog Zsa Zsa.   How Does Mark Differentiate Himself? Makes his act vastly different from anyone else.   What's Worked Well for Mark's Business? Maintaining relationships with clients.   Interesting Story from His Career Listen in to what happened when Mark ran into James Brown at a bathroom sink.   What's Been Mark's Biggest Professional Challenge? Staying through the difficult times   Other Topics Covered • Success and how it's different for each person. • Talks about how Doug Henning played a part in his journey. • Listening to your audience. • Talks about his inspiration and creative process. • Gives us his take on magic on TV. • You can no longer be an "expensive act," but you can be a "cheap show." • Tells about his column in Magic Magazine.   Parting advice: Hard work, clean living. And courage.   Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Resources Have a place to collect your thoughts. Also, keep a lookout for a compilation of all of his articles from Magic Magazine.   Magic Books Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear by Jim Steinmeyer The Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, Aka Chung Ling Soo by Jim Steinmeyer The Last Greatest Magician in the World: Howard Thurston Versus Houdini & the Battles of the American Wizards by Jim Steinmeyer Our Magic by Nevil Maskelyne   Other Books Whack to the Side of the Head by Roger von Oech Kick to the Seat of the Pants by Roger von Oech Whack Pack by Roger von Oech The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron   Where can we find Mark Kornhauser? Mark's Website  

I'm currently taking a holiday break from my regularly scheduled episodes, so for the next few weeks, I'm running my six most downloaded episodes. I'll be back on the first of the year with brand new episodes! In the mean time, enjoy these "Best of" episodes. Lou Serrano's interview is my second most downloaded episode. In this episode, we talk about Lou's career, how he's always working, and we also talk a little about his public speaking ventures and his thoughts on that. Lou Serrano is a professional magician and a frequent performer at the Hollywood magic castle, a corporate entertainer, keynote speaker, and author, Lou is also a marketing expert and consultant who has helped countless other magicians and entertainers go after their chosen markets and kill it! It’s certainly no question as to why he’s been referred to as “the magician who is always working.”   Success Quote: A lobster, when left high and dry among the rock, does not have the sense enough to work his way back to the sea, but waits for the sea to come to him. If it does not come, he remains where he is and dies, although the slightest effort would enable him to reach the waves, which are perhaps within a yard of him. The world is full of human lobsters; people stranded on the rocks of indecision and procrastination, who, instead of putting forth their own energies, are waiting for some grand billow of good fortune to set them afloat. — Orison Swett Marden   Lou on Public Speaking Lou is currently working on stepping into public and keynote speaking. He gives some of his insights on breaking into this market. • Talks about the two ways to approach public speaking • Tells about his topic, The Magic of Communication or How to Command the Attention of an Audience, and how he decided upon that topic. • Talks about some of the lessons he's learned so far in this journey. • Tells how he connects a topic points to a magical effects and gives an example.     A Moment of Failure: A $9,000 infomercial that ultimately flopped. It yielded absolutely no results. Find out what he learned.     Biggest success: Releasing his Steel Ball Routine which sold like hot cakes and ultimately helped him get through The Great Recession.     How does he differentiate himself? Lou differentiates himself from others in his genre by how he performs and how he does business. He ultimately wats his clients to get the best, even if that means he needs to hire someone else to fill their needs.     Has he "made it?" Yes. He "made it" the moment he started moving toward his goal of becoming a professional magician.     What's working for him business-wise? Keeping a database of clients & prospects and keeping in touch with them. Answers the question: "What if I only have a handful of people on my list?"     Is there anything he would have done differently up to this point? He would have been wiser with money early on. He wouldn't have been as careless with it as he had been at the beginning.     Other topics touched upon: • Lou brings us into his incredible journey of finding himself in music, then in magic, and how he'd actually hit rock bottom, finding himself without any real marketable skills and having to get a job driving that paid $5 an hour at the time. Find out how he got out and was able to transition into performing full time. • The importance of having a list of clients and prospects and keeping in touch with them. • How the Magic Castle has helped him in his career. • Tells about why he gives a 20% commission to people that refer him shows and how effective it has been for him.     Parting advice: Treat your art as a business if you want to be successful. It's never too late to start. People to study: Jeff Walker - Product Launch Formula Brendan Burchard - Experts Academy Dan Kennedy - Small Business Marketing Strategy Marlin Sanders - Amazing Formula     Special Offer for Successful Performercast Listeners ONLY! Lou is offering 20% off of his marketing course for magicians. This is a great course. It's what got me to take the first steps in marketing my magic business and has helped me tremendously. Visit www.sixfiguremagic.com and use the coupon code KRIS at the time of purchase and you'll automatically get 20% off!     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resource: Squarespace     Performance Specific Book Maximum Entertainment by Ken Weber     Non-Performance Specific Book Goals!: How to Get Everything You Want — Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible by Brian Tracy    Where can we find Lou Serrano? LouSerrano.com - Magic Website SteelBallMagic.com - Close up magic routine LouSerranoMarketing.com - Free marketing tips & advice SixFigureMagic.com - Marketing course for magicians (20% Off with Coupon Code: KRIS)   Twitter @LouSerrano | Facebook

I'm currently taking a holiday break from my regularly scheduled episodes, so for the next few weeks, I'm running my six most downloaded episodes. I'll be back on the first of the year with brand new episodes! In the mean time, enjoy these "Best of" episodes. In this episode, I talk to paranormal magician Joe Diamond. We go into detail on publicity stunts and how to get the press to notice! We also have an interesting discussion on "Pay What You Want" pricing structures and he mentions an awesome resource that you probably already have but just aren't using! Joe Diamond is a paranormal magician from Chicago Illinois. Just in his twenties, Joe has been able to turn his fascination for the paranormal into a full time career and has an amazing understanding into the workings of the strange & bizarre, often defying the boundaries between what we assume can and can't be done. He was the youngest First Place winner of the “Close Up Magic Classic,” an award given in Colon Michigan, the Magic Capital of the World and now performs his paranormal magic all over the country for private parties, corporations, and theaters. Four years ago, Joe performed the world’s largest mind reading demonstration: completing a 33 acre cornfield maze while blindfolded, finishing in less than three hours. In fact, with his public demonstrations, Joe has been able to get more attention from the press lately than a good old fashioned Hollywood scandal. Magician Jay Sankey says it best” "Joe has great skill, a marvelous sense of humor and more energy than any other four magicians combined! What more could you want?"     Success Mantra: Dream like you'll live forever, live like you'll die today. — James Dean     Failure Story: Joe tells us about a specific "hell gig" story that he had to endure where he was getting paid too little for too much, and was generally just a horrible experience.   Favorite Success: Solving the world's largest corn field maze blindfolded!     Publicity!!! • Talks about his first venture into getting publicity. • Tips where he got his idea for the blindfold corn maze walk. Hint: It's Corinda's! • Putting different spins or angles on otherwise "classic stunts." • If you fail a stunt, the only people that will know are you and the reporter. And you can always find another reporter! • Getting the word out about your stunt. • Getting the photos and videos of your stunt. • Be safe! Do your due diligence. You don't have to do something dangerous. Joe has never done anything dangerous in his stunts.     Other Topics Covered • Always being ready. "What would I do if I had to do it tomorrow night?" • Touch on Joe's venture into a "Pay What You Want" pricing structure.     Publicity Consulting Joe offers consulting on publicity and publicity stunts. Shoot him an email for more info.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources Use your camera phone to get video of your show and video testimonials. "Do you mind if we record this next trick?" "Would you mind if I get a quick 10–20 second review of my magic?"     Business Books Buzzmarketing by Mark Hughes Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer Thinker Toys by Michael Michalko      Magic Books Magic by Design by John Carney (Out of Print) The Shiels Effect by Tony Shiels (Out of Print) The Jinx by Theodore Annemann The Phoenix     Where can we find Joe Diamond? Joe's Website Youtube  

I'm currently taking a holiday break from my regularly scheduled episodes, so for the next few weeks, I'm running my six most downloaded episodes. I'll be back on the first of the year with brand new episodes! In the mean time, enjoy these "Best of" episodes. Mac King! Mac tells us about his early days performing in comedy clubs and talks about how he keeps things fresh in his show at Harrah's in Vegas. I probably don’t have to say this, but if you’re a magician and don’t know who Mac King is, I hereby revoke your magician card. That said, Vegas Headliner Mac King is resident magician at Harrah’s Hotel & Casino and has been there for 15 years. This makes him the longest running magician in Vegas to be working at the same hotel! He’s appeared on TV in countless shows on a variety of stations and in multiple countries. He also performs at corporate events for a select number of clients each year. He’s authored and co-authored three books on the subject of magic, wears an awesome couch-plaid suit, and has a Fig Newton complex. Yet, according to his wife and daughter, he is a fine husband, a great dad, and all around swell fellow.   Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords”.     Success Quote Big slumps come before big jumps. — Mac's wife     Keeping his show fresh • He really makes an effort to keep things fresh in his show.  • Keeps a dialogue open with the audience.   • Doesn't just use audience members "as a prop." • Has a script for structure yet tries to find "little detours" to stray from the script and add variance to his shows. • Talks a little about burnout and how it's affected him. • Doesn't really add material, but he finds ways to tighten it. • Things evolve and change over time. • How he uses his show to test fly things he'll perform elsewhere, for example the suspension he performed at the Academy of Magical Arts Awards. • Likes to "feel rushed" right before going on stage. It helps him to think on his feet and discover new things.     Failure Moment Tells who he ended up vomiting up a goldfish on stage and how the audience seemed none-the-wiser. And the lessons he learned.     Other Topics Covered • How your brain still works while you sleep and helps you work out problems. • Tells his journey in magic which included a lot of hard work in comedy clubs. • Working as a magician and sharing the stage with comedians. • Laughs-per-minute. • Recording and listening to your shows to make improvements. • Emulating what you see other successful performers do. • Having a beginning, middle, and end to your show. • Finding his niche in Vegas. • Tells some of the pitfalls he had to overcome before starting his current residence at Harrah's.     Parting Advice Do as many shows as you can and be a good listener.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Keeping a count of all the props you have in your pockets before you go up on stage. Be sure to set up a retirement account.     Books: McComb's Magic by Billy McComb Learn Magic by Henry Hay Harpo Speaks by Harpo Marx      Where can we find Mac King? Mac Performs at Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas every Tuesday thru Saturday at 1 & 3 PM. Mac King's Official Website Twitter @MacKingShow | Facebook      

I'm currently taking a holiday break from my regularly scheduled episodes, so for the next few weeks, I'm running my six most downloaded episodes. I'll be back on the first of the year with brand new episodes! In the mean time, enjoy these "Best of" episodes. In this episode I talk to magician Jay Alexander! We talk all about various methods that Jay uses to market his business, encourage word of mouth, build relationships with his clients, and customize his shows! Jay Alexander is one of the top corporate and society entertainers in the country and one of the highest paid magical performers in the industry. Jay started his career early performing for the patrons of his parent’s shoe store. At the age of 14 he won the Society of American Magicians Gold Medal of Honor. He now creates customized shows for Fortune 500 companies. Some of his corporate clients include Apple, Cisco, Lucas Films, Bank of America, Kaiser Permanente, Coca Cola, and Chrysler. He’s also performed at private parties and events for the likes of Robin Williams, The Rolling Stones, and Duran Duran. In the words of Ron Wood from the Rolling Stones, “Jay is the best magician I have ever seen!"   Success Mantra: Under-promise and over-deliver.     Failure Story: Tells about not quite understanding the market he was targeting and how he created a very specific character called "Moishe the All-Kosher Magician" which didn't work at all for his target market. He learned a very important lesson of knowing your market.   Favorite Success: The time he made a young girl smile who hadn't shown a smile in at least eight years while performing magic at a school for autistic children.     What's worked well for Jay's business? Having a great show, word of mouth, and having something easy for the audience to remember about his show. (Ammar's adage: KISS - Keep It Slogan Simple)     Interesting Story from the Road Listen to a fun story involving Jay at the Fillmore with the Rolling Stones, and Card on the Ceiling.     Biggest Professional Challenge Staying relevant as he's becoming "The Old Guy."     What would Jay have done differently? Collaborated with more people and got more advice early on.     Parting Advice Learn how to manage your money.   Other Topics Covered • You get ahead by working harder than everyone else. • The magic isn't about you, or even your audience. It's about the Guest of Honor, or the person that hired you. It's your job to make them look great! • Every moment from the time the client calls to the moment Jay sends the thank you card is planned and intentional. It's all part of the Jay Alexander experience. • Going out into the audience right after his show to spend time with them, take pictures and do a little closeup magic. • How he follows up with contacts even if he doesn't get their business. • Word of mouth and getting video testimonials. • Customizing his shows for his clients: Facebook is your friend! • Getting your audience to remember you. • Getting inspiration by watching bands and how they structure their concerts.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources Siri: Jay does a great deal through Siri. Also, make sure you have with you at every show, a toothbrush, prop list, color-coded cue sheet, and intro card. Pro tip: If you laminate the prop list, cue sheet, and intro card, you'll always get them back!     Magic Books Maximum Entertainment by Ken Weber Stage Performance by Livingston Taylor     Business Books Million Dollar Speaking: The Professional's Guide to Building Your Platform by Alan Weiss Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi      Where can we find Jay Alexander? JayAlexander.com Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter @JAlexanderMagic | Google+ | Youtube        

Michael Eaton is a professional magician from Orlando Florida, one of the official magicians of the Orlando Magic basketball team, and his business and marketing chops are as amazing as his magic chops! During our conversation, we talk in depth about restaurant magic and his approach to performing in them.     Success Quote: Relate to people and adapt well to environments. Life will often teach you more than a book can. — Michael Eaton    Restaurant magic: • Michael's approach to restaurant magic isn't just about performing for tables to help the guests wait for their food. He works with the restaurant and uses his magic to help bring in business and increase interaction online with the restaurant. • Push vs. Pull marketing. • The importance of wardrobe to your act. • How to approach tables: Read, Relate, Rapport. He even gives us a script he uses when approaching tables. • Michael's stance on accepting tips • Why people tip. Sometimes the affluent will tip you as a way of dismissing you to move on to the next table.     A Moment of Failure: Find out how Michael learned the hard way to think twice about what he posts in social media arenas.     Biggest success: Michael had the privilege and honor to perform for the Kentucky Derby Train for high profile people and politicians.     What's working for him business-wise? Maintaining relationships and treating everyone as equal. You just never know who you know.     Other topics touched upon: • What it's like being one of the official magicians of the Orlando Magic. • Tells about his first paid magic gig for which he had to borrow some apparatus from the magic shop that employed him. • Talks about the considerable resistance he's received from friends and family in response to being a full time magician. • Tells a heart-warming story about performing for a group of people at a restaurant that just returned from a funeral of a dear loved one. It illustrates the fact that it's not about tricks, moves, or sleights. It's not about our act, but about the people we meet and the difference we can make in their lives.     Parting advice: Have a specific client avatar for you to target.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Performance Specific Book Fitzkee Trilogy   Non-Performance Specific Books How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie No BS Direct Marketing by Dan Kennedy 13 Ways to Hack Facebook Ads: A Digital Marketer Hack Guide by Ryan Deiss Frank Kern: Mass Control      Resources: It's essential to have a way to capture emails and keep in touch with your clients. Here are a couple ways that Michael recommends: AWeber | Mailchimp     Restaurant Magic Consultation Session - $199 Michael offers a special restaurant magic consultation session on how to track and show how you're making a difference to the bottom line of the restaurants you work at. If you take him up on this offer, please let him know you heard about it here! You can contact him at his website. Eaton Magic     Where can we find Michael Eaton? Michael's official website Facebook  

In this interview,magician Nick Paul talks about his time performing with Disney, performing silently, and his sketch comedy influence! Nick is a magician who for 14 years has performed full-time touring the United States at corporate events, collages, and theaters. He’s also had opportunities to perform at Walt Disney World, on cruises, and in multiple countries. He was voted “Critic’s Choice” for Best Variety Performance at the Orlando Fringe Festival, and was personally invited to audition for America’s Got Talent. In addition to this, he also has a podcast geared toward magicians called “Two Magicians, One Mic." Walt Disney World says, "He’s an entertainment tour de force."   Top of the Show News This week, I'm going to be traveling up north to visit some friends and take part in Phil Ackerly's Night of Comedy and Magic to support our troops. I'll be performing strolling magic before the stage show (That features Phil Ackerly, Christian Cagigal, and Ryan Kane). Come out to support our troops and to say hi! I'd love to meet you if you're up in that area! Click here for more info.     Interview with Nick Paul: Success Mantras You’re only as good as your next show. "Yes, and…"     Working with Disney • Tells how he got in with Disney, auditioning, and a "lucky break." • Tells how he created a specific show, a silent act, for his Disney audition. • How he doesn’t like auditions and about his inside perspective into them. • Performed at The Boardwalk at Walt Disney World in a sort of busking atmosphere (without passing the hat). • Learning from other performers and from the different kinds of audiences. • Gearing up to work on Disney Cruise Lines. • Changes he’s making as he’s getting ready to get into a completely different venue.     Working Silent & Sketch Comedy • Being aware of your posture and every movement and facial expressions. • Your actions need to be genuine. • How to view your helpers up on stage. • Playing off of your partners on stage. • Playing bigger and smaller. • Listening to your audience. • At the end of a sketch, the character is forever changed. • How does this sketch change me and the audience? • The audience is your partner. • When and how you can tactfully “razz" or "jab at" your helper.   Other Topics Covered • Impostor Syndrome • Networking with people and being kind. • Cutting your teeth in restaurants.     Failure Moment How Nick tried to get into the Blue Man Group and then ultimately realized it wasn’t for him. Even after two of his friends landed gigs with them.     Favorite Success Landing a contract with Disney.     Biggest Pro Challenge Differentiating himself from other magicians.     Parting Advice Be kind and try to be unique with your act.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Bluetooth Remote by Satechi Onetrack for iPhone     Books: Born Standing Up by Steve Martin Malcolm Gladwell Books - Outliers, Blink, The Tipping Point, David & Goliath Seducing Strangers by Josh Weltman     Where can we find Nick Paul? Two Magicians One Mic.com NickPaul.net Impossible Feats of Fake Magic (Full Show) 

In this interview, juggler Chris Ruggiero talks about going after your dreams and the pros and cons of doing everything in your business yourself. Chris is a juggler, magician, and general daredevil who stays busy traveling the country performing his show where nothing is off limits! He’s recently been seen on The Ellen DeGeneres show, has published a book on following your dreams entitled Just Go, and a man of my own heart, he also has a podcast where he interviews other entertainers he’s met in his adventures! Plus, he gives the most exuberant high fives I’ve ever seen!     Top of the Show News In a week, I'm going to be traveling up north to visit some friends and take part in Phil Ackerly's Night of Comedy and Magic to support our troops. I'll be performing strolling magic before the stage show (That features Phil Ackerly, Christian Cagigal, and Ryan Kane). Come out to support our troops and to say hi! I'd love to meet you if you're up in that area! Tap here for more info!   Interview with Chris Ruggiero: Success Mantra It takes the same amount of effort to struggle as it does to thrive and succeed.     In Business, Should You Do Everything Yourself? • It helps you know what you should outsource or not. • When you do end up outsourcing, you know more about the task at hand than you would if you hadn’t tried it out yourself first. • Often times you’ll find things that you really love doing. • How to know when you need to outsource something. • Investing in yourself like in courses, specialized training, and coaches. • Mastermind groups.     Chris’ Other Creative Ventures Chris Ruggiero Podcast — a show where variety entertainer Chris Ruggiero interviews other entertainers he meets in his adventures. In this show you’ll find incredible stories that will leave you intrigued, inspired, and ready to live your own dreams. He’s interviewed entertainers like Justin Flom, Jeff Civillico, Brett Loudermilk, and Barry Friedman. Just Go: Adventures Of A Traveling Entertainer And A Guide To Living Your Dream — In his debut book, Chris Ruggiero shares personal stories of being a traveling entertainer and offers tips and advice to create an adventurous life most people only dream of. The book is a collection of small and easily digestible essays.   Other Topics Covered • Getting things done now rather than later. • Getting to comfortable. • Talks about his beginnings as an entertainer. • Inner doubt whether you’re “good enough” to be an entertainer. AKA The Impostor Syndrome. • Individually connect with people in the crowd during your performances. • Working with agents and how he got his first agent by doing some showcases. • This is the best time to be living in regards to building an audience and not having to ask permission to do something. • How Chris wrote his book. • Physical vs. digital publishing. • Persistence. • Be good and keep showing up. • Whatever gets scheduled, gets done.     Failure Moment Tells about a time on a unicycle where he took a nice little spill during a show.     Favorite Success His recent appearance on the Ellen Degeneres Show.    Biggest Pro Challenge Staying focused and on task.   Parting Advice Don’t wait to start something you’ve been thinking about. Take your first step today.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: A camera, on your phone or otherwise.     Books: How to be like Walt by Pat Williams Choose Yourself! by James Altucher     Other Resources Mentioned During Show Squarespace Barry Friedman’s Showbiz Blueprint Michael Hyatt’s Blog and Platform University Dave Ramsey   Where can we find Chris Ruggiero? www.chrisruggiero.com Twitter @onemanvariety | Instagram | YouTube    

In this interview, Annie Banannie takes us into her career as a balloon storyteller. She talks about working with children, satisfying clients, and ultimately making a difference in the kids lives. Annie is a children’s book author who doesn’t just write and sell her books, but also creates “balloon theater” where she uses balloons to tell stories. Her shows are tailored for elementary schools, public libraries, preschools, and family events, and her mission is to help children realize that they have amazing creative ability hidden within themselves. With her, every balloon has a story.   Kris' Recommendation of the Week I just finished listening to the audio version of Steve Martin's book Born Standing Up and I get something new out of it every time! If you haven't read it, you should definitely check it out.   Interview with Annie Banannie: Success Mantra Ship! — Seth Godin If you wait until everything is perfect, you’ll never do it.     Balloon Theater and Working with Children • What is balloon theater? • With kids, laughs per minute isn’t as important as interaction with the humor. • Never be afraid of straying from your plan. • Making you volunteer have more fun on stage than anyone else in the audience. • Working with special needs kids on stage. • Making a difference on kids lives. • Having a special needs kid up on stage being successful isn’t only for that kid, but all the other kids in the audience as well, breaking down the barrier between the common kids and the special needs kids. • Working with the client (teacher, parent, principal, etc.) to achieve their goals. • Working within the school’s schedule. • Being reliable. • Librarians talk about who they hire for entertainment and are brutally honest on how they liked or didn’t like them. • Pitching your show and educating your prospects     Other Topics Covered • Not waiting until things are perfect. • Selling your product before you make it. • The importance having a coach and always learning.     Failure Moment Tells how she botched a silent act in Japan where she wasn’t prepared enough in front of 2,000 people.     Favorite Success Talks about how out of necessity of not having her props. she blew up a bunch of balloons and did a “create your own story” for the audience which turned out being a huge success!     Parting Advice Play. Have fun.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Podcasts and audiobooks.     Books: Purple Cow and The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin The War of Art by Steven Pressfield   Where can we find Annie Banannie? Balloonstoryteller.com thesecretlifeofyourlibrary.com facebook.com/balloonstoryteller Dr. Electric Takes Over the World on Amazon balloon-animals.com - Buster’s Site      

In this interview, Avner Eisenberg, who performs as Avner the Eccentric, talks about his career and his approach to performing silent comedy. Other topics that come up are creating material appropriate for your character, being easy to work with, and where he finds inspiration. Avner is a clown, juggler, mime, sleight-of hand artist, and actor. He's been featured on TV and as The Jewel in the Movie Jewel of the Nile. He’s been a featured performer at various comedy, magic, and theater festivals world-wide, where he’s won multiple awards like the Edinburgh Festival’s New Faces award, and special jury awards at many other notable festivals. In 2002 he was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame. In addition to this, Avner is an instructor in his craft, teaching on physical comedy and silent theater.     Success Mantra Always take a nap before a show.     Avner’s Approach to Comedy • Fear of not being interesting. • Performers and Audiences being afraid of each other. • Be interested, not interesting. • Contract between the audience and performer is to share the same hallucination. • Make them love you and then you can do anything. Even card tricks. • The objective isn’t not to make people laugh. • Laughs can be an interruption that you have to deal with. • A performer should never be foolish, but also never be afraid of looking foolish. • There is no failure, only feedback.     Communicating Without Words • Keep your mouth shut. :) • Make what you’re pretending to do more compelling than what you’re really doing.     Other Topics Covered • Talks about how he accidentally fell into entertainment. • Tells about his the structure of his one-man show. • How he became a silent act. • Talks about a lucky break he received (a glowing NY Times review) and how things took off. • How audiences have changed as well as their expectations. • Keeping his act fresh. • Putting obstacles in the path of the person trying to accomplish a goal. But they have to be obstacles that you can get around. • Where he finds inspiration. • Creating things that fit within your character and killing or modifying things that don’t. • How his show has evolved over his career. • Being easy to work with.     Failure Moment Getting a woman up on stage with him who was sloshed and couldn’t follow directions, so he let her go back to her seat to get someone else up to help out. She turned out to be just as wasted as the first.     Favorite Success A fun and amazing coincidence which only could have happened to Avner. And then in a completely unrelated account, winning a competition he didn’t realize he was competing in.     What’s worked best in building his career? Running on Broadway and playing The Jewel in The Jewel of the Nile. Asking for reviews and building his press kit.     Biggest Professional Challenge Playing the Jewel of the Nile     Interesting Story from the Road Tells a few stores which involve arriving late to a show and having to setup in front of them, another instance where a young girl wet herself on stage, and yet another instance where he was attacked by a drunk man on stage!     Parting Advice Be interested, not interesting. If you can’t succeed every time, learn to fail magnificently.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Avner’s Full Tech Documentation     Books: Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel Uncommon Therapy: The Psychiatric Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D. by Jay Haley Aikido in Daily Life by Koichi Tohei   Where can we find Avner Eisenberg? avnertheeccentric.com 

In this episode, magician Jon Armstrong talks about his career so far in magic and why he has no Plan B! If you’re a magician and don’t know who Jon is, you’re probably new to the club or have been living under a rock. Jon has performed in such notable venues as Walt Disney World, Sea World, and Caesar’s Magical Empire where he headlined. He’s also taken his act around the world performing in over 30 countries. He’s a sought after director when it comes to producing quality magic acts and has consulted on films and TV shows like The Mentalist and Spider Man 3. This is in addition to many TV appearances, his most recent being a performance on Pen & Teller’s Fool Us. There’s almost too much to mention about Jon, like his comic series Smoke and Mirrors, his products for magicians, and his involvement in the Academy of Magical Arts. Even this is just scratching the surface!       Kris' Recommendation of the Week Chris Ruggiero Podcast - a show where variety entertainer Chris Ruggiero interviews other entertainers he meets in his adventures. In this show you’ll find incredible stories that will leave you intrigued, inspired, and ready to live your own dreams. He’s interviewed entertainers like Justin Flom, Jeff Civillico, Brett Loudermilk, and Barry Friedman.     Interview with Jon Armstrong: Success Mantra Having a fallback plan means you can fall back.     No Plan B • Talks about his early days. • Either he hustles or doesn’t eat. • Talks about some of his lean times. • Tells about some of the “day jobs” he’s had. • Gives a brief synopsis of his career up to this point.   Jon’s Time at Walt Disney World (WDW) • Talks about how he got his gig at Rose & Crown at Epcot. • What they initially wanted him to do for his act and what he ended up doing. • Talks a little about the character he developed to Epcot. • Developing his material, some of which he uses to this day. • This is where he cut his teeth. • Reformatting his material out of “the British” character for venues outside of WDW. • Within a show, you can say anything to anyone as long as you beat yourself up first, and deliver your jab or witty remark to them with a smile on your face.     Jon’s Time in Vegas • Talks about his first steps when getting there. • Connecting with other professional magicians in the area. • Working with Joey Burton, Apollo Robbins, and Armando Lucero doing strolling magic at Caesar’s Magical Empire. • Tells how he got lucky and became a featured performer at Caesar’s. • Why he left Vegas. • Surrounding yourself with people who are doing what you want to do and will challenge you to further yourself.     Persistence and Overcoming Challenges • Dealing with dyslexia and overcoming it in daily dealings. • Systems he has in place to hep him work around it. • Why he’d much rather jump on the phone with someone rather than correspond in written form. • Nobody likes writing, they only like having written. Living and Working in LA • Performing at the Magic Castle and handing out business cards. • Engaging and befriending people and getting their cards or contact info. • Getting people on his email list. • Looking for creative ways to add value to people’s lives. • Focusing on his strengths in that he’s a really good people person so he uses that. • Sending “stuff” to his top clients. • Personalizing his interactions with his email list and clients. • Creating cool different ways to keep in front of his clients and prospects. • Referring other magicians when he’s already booked.     Failure Moment Tells about a time very early in his career where he learned about the importance of hygiene. He literally felt like his career was over.     Favorite Success Wining Close Up Magician of the Year from the Academy of Magical Arts.   Parting Advice Go out and make as many friends and genuine connections with people as you can. Make human connections.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Show Cues Mint.com for Keeping Track of your finances     Books Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud Ken Dyne's Gig Flow   Where can we find Jon Armstrong? www.CardJon.com Tiny Plunger Twitter @cardjon | Facebook | LinkedIn  

In this episode, Ellusionist General Manager Adam Wilber talks about the ins and outs of publishing your own effects to sell. He also tells some of the ways he's drumming up his own business and booking gigs. Boasting clients like CBS, NatGeo, SyFy, C|Net, and Discovery Channel, Adam spends his time in the corporate arena giving his clients “entertainment that doesn’t suck” with both close up and stage magic. Not only that, but Adam is also the General Manager for Ellusionist internet magic shop and has also created a number of products in their catalog including Pyro, which allows you to shot fire from your hands, and The Working Man, a video which takes you through some business strategy to help you start making money performing magic.     Success Mantra Purposely stay busy. Don't get too tied up comparing yourself with others because there's always going to be somebody far greater than you and somebody far less than you. Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle.     Ellusionist • Talks about his role as GM for Ellusionist. • What is Ellusionist looking for when adding something to their catalog? • Who to talk to in order to pitch a product to Ellusionist and what to send. • Do your due diligence • How earnings are split between the creator and Ellusionist. • Talks about his first trick he submitted to Ellusionist. • It also needs to fit Ellusionist. • They should me times point you in e direction of a different online magic dealer. • Talks about some of the bad submissions he gets. • Take a look at some of the other new tricks out and see what they are and what some of the best selling products are.       Failure Moment Tells about a failed emailing he did that went out to 400 emails where there was a very unfortunate typo.   Favorite Success His role at Ellusionist.     Bigget Professional Challenge Organization, keeping track of and in touch with his clients.     What Would He Have Done Differently? He would have "dressed up" a bit more for his Instagram videos so he could use them as promo videos on his website.     Other Topics Covered • Having a destination or goal for what you're working towards. • Mentions the miracle morning book. • Talks about how he got involved with Ellusionist. • Talks about what he's doing right now to start marketing himself in Boston having just moved there. • Contacting a company in a creative way using magic to break the ice. • Unique selling point • Defining who you want to work for, and going after them. • The magic isn't about you (the magician), it's about your client, the guest of honor, the product your selling, etc.   Parting Advice Stay busy with a purpose.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Squarespace Seth's Popup Creator for Squarespace Leadpages     Books Miracle Morning Strong Magic by Darwin Ortiz Maximum Entertainment     Where can we find Adam Wilber? Adamwilber.com Ellusionist Items Instagram Videos

In the second half of this series, Josh London goes in-depth on how to setup a Google Adwords campaign, what to have on your landing page, and specific strategies to help you get results from your internet marketing efforts.     Google Adwords Overview • This is the main platform to do paid advertising. • Differences between ads and organic search listings. • Have your website in order first. • Advantages of using paid traffic vs organic traffic.     Settings for Google Adwords • Creating a campaign, and which type of campaign to use. • Start small, then expand your search parameters. • Choosing networks to display your ads on. • Choosing geographical locations and using it’s advanced features. • Setting up your bid strategy. • Setting up your daily budget. (Generally between $10–20 per day) • Delivery method. • Wading through advanced settings.     Creating the Ad • Knowing your target audience and taking that into account. • Know your end goal and work backwards. • Look at your competition and do something that stands out. Something different and unique. • Portent.com/tools/title-maker for ideas. • Make sure it matches your landing page. • Headlines and description lines. • Split testing ads.     Keywords • Start with Google’s planner tool, but know that you’ll have to do a lot of tinkering. • Types of keywords: broad match, phrase match, and exact match. • Negative keywords. • Let data drive your decisions. • Longtail Pro is a good service to help you with picking keywords. • Keep in mind: Everything is setup for Google to make money. • How to tweak and adjust things as you have your ad running. • Tips to finding keywords you should use.   Landing Pages • What should your landing page have? • It should complete your goal. • Call to Action • Have an opt-in incentive to get them to give you their email address. Something like a price sheet. This is often more effective than a contact form. • Mailchimp is a great service to use for this. • Everything needs to line up from the landing page, to the ad, to the search terms they originally used to see your ad. • Make it as easy as possible for your client to get in touch with you and get your prices. • Begin to build a relationship with your prospect. • Building your list is the best way for you to make sales online. • Create dedicated landing pages for each ad group that you have. • Don’t have ads point to your home page. • Unbounce and Lead Pages help you to split test your landing pages. • Your landing page is the most important part of your online marketing campaign because, that’s where the conversions are made.     Where can we find Josh London? Clickconvertprofit.com Flying Solo

In this interview, I have my very first return guest! Josh London goes in-depth on internet marketing, first talking about your website, and then going over SEO to help you create a solid foundation for your own internet marketing strategy.     Sponsors: Acting for Magicians by Richard Ribuffo — Pick up your copy today and SAVE $5!   Getting a View of the Landscape • Differences between Pay Per Click and Search Engine Optimization • What the large pieces of an internet marketing campaign are. • Making sure you’re creating good quality content. • Making sure all parts of your campaign line up with each other. No disconnects. • Three stages to buying: Awareness, Research, and Buying.     Website Design • Make your website as simple as possible • Get your user the info they want as fast as possible • Build on a wordpress framework and use a responsive theme to make it mobile-friendly • Create the hierarchy of your website: Homepage, About Page, Blog (keep it updated), Contact page • Don't try to make it "clever." Clear and simple is the better way to do things. • The importance of having a mobile friendly website     SEO (Search Engine Optimization) • White hat vs black hat SEO techniques. • How to get your site in top rankings in Google. • Yoast Wordpresslugin will help you with your SEO. • Using keywords in your title, meta description, and body copy. • Optimizing your images. • Don't "stuff" your page with keywords. • Write for the user, not the search engine. • What people might overlook when trying to make their site more SEO friendly. • Using header tags within your copy. • How to do keyword research. • Using closely related keywords. • Having a call to action. • Look at what everyone else is doing and make what they're doing better.     Website Content • You want to have engaging content so that people don't leave. You want to lower your bounce rate. • The importance of a blog. • What should entertainers blog about and not blog about? • Blogging and content marketing is an art. • What should be the focus of your blog? Create content that your user wants and that will get shared on social outlets. (And not just by your mom.) • The content that you blog about should be different than your static pages. • Talk about the benefits of your services to your customer. Don't talk about yourself. • How often should I update my blog? • Don't create blog posts on a whim. Try buzzsumo.com • Commenting on other peoples blog posts on your topic. • Strategy of getting your blog posts shared. • Out reaching for your content. • Ninja outreach.com • Your blog is another way for you to stay in front of your audience. TOMA   Parting Advice It's all about content and making things easy for your user navigating on your site. Coming up: pay per click keywords.     Where can we find Josh London? Clickconvertprofit.com Flying Solo

Richard Ribuffo talks about Acting for Magicians teaching us how and why acting and theatre training are amongst the most valuable tools for magicians and how we can benefit greatly from understanding how to apply these tools. Richard, will be the first to tell you he’s not a “successful performer, per se but a succeeding performer.” He does have tremendous value to offer though, when it comes to having a great product to sell. As David Ogilvy said, "Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster,” so Richard is here to talk about how to improve our product, our show.   Sponsors: Acting for Magicians by Richard Ribuffo — Pick up your copy today and SAVE $5!     Interview with Richard Ribuffo: Success Mantras What do you want them to Do, Think, or Feel? How do I get them to do that? Count the pennies, and the dollars will count themselves.     Acting for Magicians • Talks about his background in acting • Talks about his book and how it’s structured. • Giving more thought to why you’re doing what you’re doing. It goes beyond just doing tricks.     Artistic Method The process of creating art from the point of view of the audience. 1. Experimentation 2. Observation 3. Discussion 4. Formulation 5. Disruption     GOTE Goal - What do you want your audience to do, think, or feel? Other - Who is your other? If it’s your audience, who are they? Tactic - How will you achieve your goal? Expectation - What do you ecpect the outcome to be? Cool exercise to help you understand GOTE better: Watch another performer’s act, deconstruct it, and try to figure out their GOTE.     Contest! Prize: An Autographed Copy of Acting for Magicians In order to win, share your own GOTE by posting it in the comments below the show notes and in two weeks on 10/2, I'll announce the winner on my show.   Other Topics Covered • How he made his jump to full time and what he’s doing right now to make it work for him. • Mentoring and being mentored   Parting Advice Always make the more interesting choice.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!      Resources: Facebook Groups: AMA, SME Talk Magic Take acting classes Zero to Booked Solid in 30 Days by James Munton   Where can we find Richard Ribuffo? Acting for Magicians Richard the Magician    

In this episode, variety entertainer Carisa Hendrix takes us through some of her personal steps to success which includes hiring a full-time assistant, Facebook Ads, press releases, and doing things out of order! Hailing from Calgary, Carisa is a variety entertainer who for the past ten years has professionally performed magic, sideshow, circus, and fire acts. She’s taken her act all around Canada and the world. She’s been featured in Ripley’s Believe it Or Not, Vegas Strip Search, and the Guinness Book of World Records where she holds the record for “longest duration fire torch teething.” She’s a skilled entertainer with a wide range of talents which also includes artistic director of Ballyhoo Entertainment where she crafts and designs custom entertainment options for corporate and special events. She’s a trusted authority in fire eating and teaches on the subject via her blog at Firepedia.com. Let’s just say she’s not the sort I’d like to happen across in a dark alley.     Sponsors: Acting for Magicians by Richard Ribuffo — Pick up your copy today and SAVE $5! ManageGigs.com — a system that helps you manage all your customers, gigs, set lists, and more! ManageGigs is looking for a small group of working performers to serve as beta testers. Click here to sign up for your chance to be a part of the Beta program.   Contest: Win a Book! I'm proud to report that we've recently gotten to 50,000 downloads! Thank you for all your support! As  thanks, I'm giving away a free book to one lucky winner. The book is Dan Kennedy's No BS Direct Marketing book. To enter, click here and leave a comment telling me your favorite moment in one of my episodes, or one thing you've picked up from an interview that's helped your business. I'll announce the winner in a couple weeks.     Interview with Carisa Hendrix: Success Quote • A generous spirit. • Authentic relationships. • Consistent, considerate, and complete work.     Carisa’s Road to Success Carisa tells about the broad topics of knowledge she has that have contributed to her entertainment business success.     Hiring an Assistant • Hiring a full-time assistant, and what’ she’s learned in the process. • Hiring someone that wants what she’s accomplished, so she’s also mentoring someone as well as paying them. • The value of having a personal assistant. • How she realized that she needed an assistant. • How to interview and pick your assistant. • Writing a good job description. • Bringing a non-biased third party to the interviews. • Job duties of her current assistant.   Press Releases • Cultivating relationships with the press. • How write press releases. • Have something to offer them. • Write it so the editor doesn’t have to do anything. • How to spin things to be more attractive to editors. • What needs to be in a press release? • Try to figure out what would make a good story. An interesting hook. Why now? What’s happening now? • Who do you send press releases to? How do you build your press list? • Not limited to just news press, but blogs and other new media avenues     Facebook Ads • Using Facebook ads to reach very specific audiences. • Using ads to build their community. • Getting in front of and staying in front of the people who have already seen their shows. Top of Mind Awareness • Starting conversations around their brand.     Doing Things Out of Order • When working on a goal, take a step back and see if you should be doing things in a different order. • Don’t obsess over the specific order of things. Sometimes, it may be more effective to do things out or order.   Other Topics Covered • Sometimes you need to fire clients. • Entertainment is art in the pursuit of joy. • Talks about some of the “normal” jobs she’s had. • How she almost went down a different road entirely. • Having to re-learn some things. • Her parasol act that she uses as a CEO piece. • The things that get measured, get managed.   Parting Advice If there’s something you really want to do, find out under what circumstances it would be pleasurable, and make you feel successful. Know why you’re doing what you’re doing.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Resources: Quickbooks or Manager Sal Carisa's Fire Eating DVD     Books: Step by Step to Standup Comedy Workbooks by Greg Dean Workbook 1: How to Write Jokes Workbook 2: How to Improve Jokes and Routines Workbook 3: How to Remember Jokes Naturally Workbook 4: How to Be a Funny Performer Workbook 5: How to Get the Experience to Be Funny   Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss The Practicing Mind by Thomas M. Sterner   Where can we find Carisa Hendrix? carisahendrix.com Learn Fire Eating        

In this episode, Chipper Lowell talks about being raised around the circus, his approach to comedy, and the importance of branding yourself! With his comedy, magic, and fun, crazy antics, Chipper has made a living performing for over 25 years. He’s headlined casino showrooms in Vegas, Atlantic City, Tahoe, and Reno. Brought his show aboard top cruise lines like Princess, Holland America, and Celebrity. He’s also become a favorite of top corporations performing at their events and trade shows. Add to this, he’s also toured with his one man show, “The Chipper Experience, where comedy and magic collide,” in performing arts centers, theaters, and casino show rooms throughout the US and Canada. When it comes to accolades, Chipper has twice received “Comedy Magician of the Year,” “Specialty Act of the Year,” and was nominated two times for “Stage Magician of the Year.” He’s also been listed among the “Top Funniest Magicians Performing Today” in Magic Magazine. The Reno Gazette Journal says "He sparkles with funny one-liners."     Contest: Win a Book! I'm proud to report that we've recently gotten to 50,000 downloads! Thank you for all your support! As thanks, I'm giving away a free book to one lucky winner. The book is Dan Kennedy's No BS Direct Marketing book. To enter, leave a comment on the show notes page telling me your favorite moment in one of my episodes, or one thing you've picked up from an interview that's helped your business. I'll announce the winner in a couple weeks.     Interview with Chipper Lowell: Success Quote Go with the flow. Pay attention to every detail.     Chipper’s Approach to Comedy • Inspired by Karrell Fox and subscribes to his philosophy of “come up with the routine and material first, then figure out the method." • Does a small case study on his “Trained Turtle” routine. • Put as many speed bumps and walls as you can into your routines, because then you’re creating more opportunities for funny moments. (Tip from Teller.) • Making up bizarre rules like “the woman cannot be closer than 10 ft from you."   Being Clean and Branding Your Act • He doesn’t care whether he’s clean or dirty, but his product is clean. • When you work dirty, you define the places you can work. • It really came down to how he wanted to brand himself.     Failure Moment Tells about an instance that could have been a failure but with a little creative thinking and attention to timing, things went off without a hitch.     Other Topics Covered • Designing your life by writing your eulogy and working backward from that. • Looking at how Disney does things and modeling your business after them. • Talks about being raised on circuses and being on the road with his family. • How he discovered comedy magic. • How he got a job juggling for Disneyland…after shaving his mustache of course! • Dealing with outside distractions while performing. • Being honest about your performances and the audience reactions. • Variances in audiences, and bending your material accordingly. • How taking improv courses (with The Groundlings) helped his act. • Staying within time constraints for performances. • Eliminating your competition when people call and want to book you specifically. • Controlling the environment in which you perform in.   Parting Advice Go with the flow.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Resources: Voice memo recorder on your smart phone.     Books: How to Win Friends & Influence People  by Dale Carnegie   Tony Robbins Books/Programs   Jim Steinmeyer’s Books (Know the history of your profession.)   Harpo Speaks     Where can we find Chipper Lowell? chipperlowellexperience.com chipper@chipper.tv  

In this episode, Seth Kramer brings us insight into the ins and outs of trade show magic! Seth Kramer is a trade show, traffic-stopping ninja!  Having been in the game for over 30 years, Seth spends much of his time in trade show booths selling his client’s products using magic. In addition to this he also does other corporate events like hospitality suites, sales meetings, and even customized special events. Every day of every week holds something new for him and he’s certainly up for just about any challenge!     Kris' Recommendation of the Week — Stories of the Magic Podcast I'd like to recommend a podcast that I'd been listening to for a couple months now, called Stories of the Magic by Randy Crane. In my opinion, nobody has been able to bottle magic better than Walt Disney and if you'd like to get more into his mind, this is the show for you! Stories of the Magic is a positive and story-filled Disney podcast offering positive stories from Cast Members, Imagineers, artists, actors, and more—including guests—promoting a mutual love of Disney, celebrating and preserving the Disney Magic, and inspiring people to live their dreams just as Walt Disney did. Stories of the Magic Web | iTunes     Interview with Seth Kramer: Success Quote If you love what you do, you won’t work a day in your life.     Trade Show Magic • Tells how he got into performing at trade shows. • Being mentored under Bob Elliott and Bud Dietrich. • The company isn’t paying you to “do magic” but to stop traffic at the trade shows, amplifying their message, and getting leads for the company. • Working with the company to develop the message they want presented from their booth. • Tips to boiling things down to one concise message for his pitch. • Building a custom act for his clients and demoing it for his clients. • Talks about gathering crowds and keeping them at the booth. • How important booth location is and spots to avoid. • Performance pace. • Getting people to step in closer to lock in the people in the front rows. • How he recommends people break into the trade show industry today. • Using a aerobics stepper as a riser to get you above your audience. • Talks about his Modern Trade Show Handbook.   Interesting Story from the Road Having to perform him show in Germany without knowing any German. This involved an impromptu translation from the conceriege at his hotel and fast thinking!     Other Topics Covered • Talks about getting started performing professionally. • Tells how he went to law school and decided it wasn’t for him. • Performing at every opportunity. • Making people aware of all the services you offer. • Be a specialist. Not a jack of all trades. • Tailoring your show to your clients.   Parting Advice There are really no secrets in this business. Keep educating yourself.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Resources: Animoto helps you make video with stills and music.     Books: Salesman of the Century by Ron Popeil  Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith Cult of the Customer by Shep Hyken   Seth Kramer's The Modern Trade Show Handbook   Where can we find Seth Kramer? trafficstoppers.com The Modern Trade Show Handbook

In this interview, Keri Kazz talks about being mentored by Franz Harary, The House of Magic, and then working with Thom Britton and Chuck Clark in creating The Danger Circus. Keri Kazz is a legend of "Detroit's Motor City Magic Scene." At 23 years old, he’s already accomplished more than most magicians have in their entire career. Sure he’s done strolling magic in restaurants and presentations at trade shows for corporate clients, but he’s also developed an illusion show that has taken him around the world playing stages in China, India, Spain, and Taiwan as part of Franz Harary’s Mega Magic Touring Show. Currently, he’s gearing up to go on tour with The Danger Circus, that features fire eating, glass walking, knife juggling, dangerous escapes, and a unique blend of illusion and sketch comedy.     Kris' Recommendation of the Week — After Things Podcast After Things Podcast: This is the official after show of Weird Things Podcast. What is it like pitching a TV show? How do you take advantage of opportunities? Join hosts Andrew Mayne, Justin Robert Young, and Brian Brushwood as they talk about their experiences navigating the creative arts and media landscape. After Things Web | iTunes     Interview with Keri Kazz: Success Quotes If you really really want something, the only thing ever really standing in your way is yourself. Just do it!     Illusion Shows, Mentors, and The House of Magic • Tells how he met and started working with Franz Harary. • Talks about Franz's House of Magic in Macau. • His duties there. • Contact Bruce Gold magic@sc-macau.com, send him a demo video in order to be considered for booking.     Working with The Danger Circus • Talks about building the show with the others. • Talks about performing with Chuck beforehand, so they had a rapport already. • How he came up with material that was dangerous for the show. • Creating a brand for their show. • Tells when they’re taking it on the road again. Around Sept. 5 around the East Coast.     Failure Moment Booking venues that were too small and selling more tickets than could attend.     Favorite Success Performing in China.     What's worked well for growing his business? Working with Franz.     Biggest Profesional Challenge Overcoming the stigma of his young age and overcoming typecasting.     Other Topics Covered • Taking chances • How his young age affected his career early on. • Missed opportunities and taking action. • Promoting. • Hiring professionals to do things like graphic design. • Developing who he is as a performer.     Parting Advice Go out there and do it. Only you are standing in your way and don’t be afraid to ask for help.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: His friends and the magic community.     Books: Social Media Magician by Dan Sperry (Currently Out of Print) Strong Magic by Darwin Ortiz       Where can we find Keri Kazz? www.dangercircus.com

In this interview, Alex Clark talks about how creating internet cartoons has helped him to grow and keep in touch with his audience when he's not performing! He also talks about some of the ins and outs of working with an agent. With his show that contains jaw-dropping tricks, quick-witted comedy, and crazy antics, Alex Calrk has traveled around the globe performing at university campuses, festivals, and on other stages. He’s earned two People’s Choice Awards and was voted Best Novelty Act and Fastest Rising Star in the college market. He’s a comedian that stands above the rest, but that’s probably because he’s up on a ladder!   Kris' Recommendation of the Week — Help One of Our Own We have a great opportunity as a part of the magic community to band together to help one of our own. Many of you may know Jeff Stone from Salt Lake City, UT. He's the creator and editor of Stone Cold Magic Magazine, a free web magazine on magic that ran for seven years. He's also known for his work on magic using Frixion ink and fire, he appeared on Jay Sankey's Underground Jam, and also has a new book out called "793.8" which is the Dewey Decimal code for where magic books can be found in the library. Recently Jeff was hospitalized from diabetic complications and consequently racked up some sizable medical bills that he cannot afford. And as if that's not enough, his four-year-old daughter Oliveah was also unrelatedly hospitalized with what turned out to be E-Coli. They're both home now and on the road to recovery, but are now struggling to figure out what to do with this debt. They're trying to raise $20,000 and so far have raised $1,500. I know I have a respectable-sized audience that listen to this show and if Jeff has in any way touched your life or career, please consider giving a donation to his cause. I know he's helped play a part in my magical journey and I donated. Put yourself in his shoes and please consider giving $10 or $20 and I know that together, we can help to put a big chunk in that wall of debt! CLICK HERE to help donate and support. When you donate, please mention that Successful Performercast sent you. Every little bit helps.     Interview with Alex Clark: Success Quotes Just tell people what you want. If you’re not embarrassed by your first product, you waited too long to launch it.     Internet Cartoons • How his internet cartoons have helped get people to his shows. • Talks about he’s been able to use them to help build a fan base and keeps him top of mind. • His cartoons give him a reason to keep in touch with his an base and email list. • His cartoons are an extension of his comedy and another way he can express his talents. • It’s a way for him to give more to his audience. • How he’s monetizing his online cartoons.  Working with Agents • How he got his first agent. • An agent is a tool. • How agents get paid.     Failure Moment Talks about a recent NACA (National Association of Campus Activities) showcase he did where he thought he liked it, but didn’t book a single gig.     Favorite Success Performing in New Zealand at the World’s Busker Festival     How does he stand out from his competition? His internet cartoons.     What's worked well in growing his business? Trying everything. The more things you try, the more apt something is to work.     Biggest Profesional Challenge Figuring out what to do next. He’s achieved all of his goals so far, so now he needs to decide what’s next. He wants the next challenge.     Anything he would have done differently? He wishes he could go back and see what things would be like if he hadn’t made certain decisions.     Interesting Story Tells about his experience at the Edison Fringe Festival which involved a skirmish on the streets outside his hotel and how one very nice Canadian man drove Alex all over town helping Alex find a prop he needed for his show. Plus, there’s a kicker ending.     Other Topics Covered • Talks about how he discovered entertaining and juggling. • Just doing it. • Reaching out and putting yourself out there as much as possible. • Lots of failures lead to successes. • Talks about his branding, “a comedian who happens to juggle." • Talks about his marketing efforts. • How he got his first fair gig. • You never know where your gigs can come from. • Street performing and how to find spots when he’s traveling. • What might be on the horizon for Alex Clark.     Parting Advice Just do it!     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Tap Forms for iPhone - a database software Go Button for iPhone | iPad Boomerang for Gmail - scheduling emails     Books: Manual of Juggling by Max Holden Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin How to Talk to Anyone by Leo Lowndes     Also Mentioned: Get More Corporate Gigs with Barry Friedman Slugbooks     Where can we find Alex Clark? www.itsalexclark.com Alex's Cartoons Twitter @itsalexclark | Facebook | Patreon  

In this interview, Brian Miller talks about how to magically connect with anyone! He also talks about why he decided to try standup comedy and why you should too! Brian is a nationally acclaimed corporate entertainer and keynote speaker performing mainly at colleges and corporate events. Residing in Connecticut, he regularly performs at more than 200 events every year throughout New England and across the country. In addition to his magical performing, he’s also regularly invited to speak on topics including: influence and persuasion, secrecy, safety and awareness, the philosophy & psychology of magic, and recently did a TEDx talk on “How to Magically Connect with Anyone."     Kris' Recommendation of the Week Last week I mentioned that you can use your public library card to access Lynda.com and their extensive wealth of online courses. This week is another great way to use your library card. OverDrive Media Console: Borrow eBooks, audiobooks, and more from your local public library – anywhere, anytime. All you need is a library card. It's available for free on both iOS and Android platforms and I was delighted to discover a bunch of great books on business and marketing available from my library that I could download right to my phone!     Success Quotes Leap and the net will appear. You don't want people to say, “Let’s get a magician, how about Brian Miller.” What you want them to say is, “Let’s get Brian Miller. By the way, he’s a magician."     Comedy • If you want to get into live entertainment, start doing standup comedy. • Look for open likes and every opportunity. • It teaches you how to deal with any audience and situation. • Tells about his “aha moment” when it came to comedy and writing a show. • The first time he tried standup comedy and absolutely killed! The next ten times, he bombed dismally. • You cannot go on auto pilot. Every audience is different. • Give information and setup, and twist it as hard as you can for the punchline. • If you’re not naturally funny, you might not want to be a comedy entertainer.     How to Magically Connect with Anyone • Talks about his TEDx Talk • Why it’s important to connect with your audience. • Making sure you’re making a positive connection first impression with your audience. • Warming up to the audience before you even mention that you’re a performer. • How to strengthen the connection with your audience and maintain it. • Talks about some specific things people do that alienate audiences. • Don’t "perform at" the audience. • Being present and listening to your audience. • The real magic is in connecting with your audience.       Failure Moment His very first NACA showcase. He didn’t listen to the advice from someone who had been in the college market considerably longer than Brian. He ultimately bombed.     Favorite Success Transitioning into and becoming a sought-after lecturer in the field he was going to pursue a PHD in. He feels it really went full circle.     Biggest Profesional Challenge Finding time to do creative work in the midst of all the business work.     Other Topics Covered • You can’t always be completely prepared. • You want people to hire you because of who you are, not what you do. • Take a look at your material and if you see a bunch of people doing what you do, you might change up your material. • Tells how he turned down going after a PHD in favor of pursuing his magic career. • His plan for the future and a little on his strategy.     Parting Advice Don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is NOT the opposite of success.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Evernote - he likes to make audio notes.     Books: Absolute Magic by Darren Brown Born Standing Up by Steve Martin     Where can we find Brian Miller? Brian Miller Magic

In this interview, Thom Britton talks about building and marketing his three-man theatrical variety-type show, The Danger Circus. He talks marketing, publicity, working with agents, and a great deal of other related topics! Thom is quite the showman, eating fire, directing plays, producing circus shows, lecturing on science, and studying the history of side shows and freak shows. He’s been a professional performer for over 26 years with his various shows including: Freakshow & Tell, his now retired one man show, that combined lecture and performance art, and covered his very personal journey into the world of the circus sideshow. His current show is The Danger Circus, a three-man circus show that features fire eating, glass walking, knife juggling, dangerous escapes, and a unique blend of illusion and sketch comedy. You’ll be able to catch this show on tour very soon.     Kris' Recommendation of the Week Lynda.com: I don't get any kickback from this, but Lynda.com is a great place to go online if you want to learn how to use professional programs that will help you in your business. We're talking everything from Photoshop to Wordpress, to video editing apps as well. And if that isn't enough, they even have other business related courses on marketing, SEO, and even reducing the amount of spam you get in your email box every day. Also, I discovered that if you have a public library card and you log into your library's online portal (even from home), you might just have access to Lynda.com for free! I don't know if this is available at all libraries, but it's definitely worth a look.     Success Quotes If it were easy, everyone would do it. — every juggler ever!     The Danger Circus • It’s a three-person circus featuring Thom, Chuck Clark, and Keri Kazz. • They work small to medium theaters and colleges. • They were trying it out and tweaking it last year and now it’s ready to put on tour. • Talks about what he’s doing to generate buzz and get the word out. • Boots on the ground, plastering flyers and old-school promoting. • Supplements his guerrilla marketing techniques with social media efforts. • Making personal connections with people as he’s marketing the show. • Marketing it like PT Barnum. • Staying for longer runs allows him to get his audiences to market his show and get their friends to come out. • Generating word of mouth. • How he decides where to take his show. • Using anchor dates and filling out other dates around those. • Engaging with the press on social media. • Press releases.     Working With Agents • How to find and work with agents • Cold calling agents. • Finding agents that fit with your show and your audience. • Call other artists in their roster to find out more about the agents. You want to find one you can trust.     Collaborating with the others to build The Danger Circus • How the three of them got together. • Working together to create their show. • Talks about the theme and flow of the show. • Cutting material that wasn’t working or adding to the show as a whole. • Dealing with three egos.     Failure Moment When he launched Freak Show & Tell, he talks about how for one show, only one person showed up to see his show, but he still played his show like he was playing for a full house. Turns out she was a theater theater producer who he ended up working with on many occasions afterwards.     Favorite Success Taking variety arts into theaters and being one of the very few variety artists invited to perform at the 25th Annual Abbie Hoffman Died for Our Sins Festival, and then being invited back!     Other Topics Covered • He didn’t mind his day job as a gourmet chef, in fact, he still does it on the side sometimes because he still loves it. It’s still one of his passions. • When you go on TV, your job is to make them look good. • If you do a radio appearance, its no longer just audio. They have content going up on Youtube and Facebook, etc. So wear your costume and makeup to radio gigs.     Parting Advice The entire purpose of theater is to transform the audience.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Resources: Sound Byte Control - Remote Control App for the Sound Byte Cart Machine Program iOS App | Android App     Books: On Writing by Stephen King Getting Things Done by David Allen     Where can we find Thom Britton? DangerCircus.com

In this interview, Fielding West brings us into his career telling lots of stories from his past and then sharing with us some valuable tips on effective communication from stage. There are many great lesson to be learned from this talk. Enjoy! Fielding is a comedy magician, teacher, and keynote speaker from Las Vegas. He’s performed in a number of showrooms in Vegas, Tahoe, and Atlantic City like the Tropicana, Sahara, and Caesar’s Hotels. He’s appeared on a number of TV shows on a number of networks like A&E’s An Evening at the Improv, and CBS’ Entertainment Tonight. He’s been the opening act for top names like Liza Minnelli, Phyllis Diller, The Temptations, and Earth Wind & Fire. He also writes comedy for other magicians and runs a class called Stagecraft 101 where he teaches people how to communicate more effectively from stage. Muhammad Ali says, “He’s one crazy MoFo!"   Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords.”     Kris' Recommendation of the Week 11 Event Marketing Books Giveaway Past guest of the show William Rader from WellAddended.com is giving away 11 books on event marketing to one lucky winner! Here is a list of the books he's giving away: The Email Marketing Primer – Clay MabbittStanding Room Only – Joanne Bernstein The Event Marketing Handbook – Allison Saget Making it Rain with Events – Scott Ingram The New Rules of Marketing and PR – David Meerman Scott Stand Out Social Marketing – Mike Lewis Building Communities, Not Audiences – Doug Borwick Engage Now! – Doug Borwick Do It! Marketing – David Newman Hooked – Nir Eyal Sold Out! – Susan Ordona Click here to be taken to the contest page where you can enter.     Success Quotes Drink a lot of water and carry a big stick. Treat people the way you want to be treated.     Effective Communication from Stage • When he works with people, he observes them to find out what their best performance traits are and works to amplify them. • Tells about an absolute failure he experienced when speaking publicly for the first time. • Lack of preparation is the biggest mistake he sees people make before going up on stage in front of people. • Think before you speak, but listen before you think. • The difference between the professionals and the amateurs, is the length of their pauses. • Breaking the 4th wall is the true communication of a variety act. • Timing in communication. • You can communicate so much with the eyes alone. • Imagining the audience is in the underwear is the stupidest idea for public speaking! • Ping pong effect: making eye contact with multiple people in the audience     Four things you can immediately do to improve your stage presence: • Stand up straight. • Projecting louder than you would normally speak and speak clearly. • Eyes looking directly at the audience. • Hydration - make sure you’re properly hydrated.     Other Topics Covered • Tells about how he got nose-to-nose with Muhammed Ali. • Overcoming handicaps. • Tells about his journey, peppered with all kinds of stories! • Talks about how he was always causing trouble for his dad who traveled the President of the United States. • Learning from mistakes. • How Fielding was inspired by Steve Martin to go after comedy and magic. • How all of his constant performing prepared him for many lucky opportunities offered to him. • Making a plan for what you want to accomplish.     Parting Advice Quit worrying about what other people think and quit talking about other performers. You cannot elevate yourself by putting down another performer. Take every show you can get and if possible, record it.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks! Resources: 117 Ideas for Better Business Presentations by Tom Kirby     Where can we find Fielding West? Fieldingwest.com Stagecraft101.net (Coming Soon) BillyTopit.com (Fielding plays the Mayor of Las Vegas)

In this interview, Fred & Bobbie Becker talk all about the ins and outs of performing on cruise ships. They talk about the good, the bad, the unexpected, what sort of shows work on ships, promo videos, and on and on! Together Fred and Bobbie have 45 years of combined performing experience and spend their time performing on cruise ships! They also have a program for entertainers called Gigs on Ships where they teach the ins and outs of performing on cruise ships.   Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords.”     Kris' Recommendation of the Week Magician Business Podcast and Kids Entertainer Podcast Ken Kelly and Julian Mather are doing a smashing job over there at Magician Business cranking out wonderful podcasts and super helpful content for those who want to make a living performing. They're a great neighbor resource and you should definitely give them more than a glance. Magician Business Website | Podcast Kids Entertainer Hub | Podcast     Success Quotes From Fred: Anything worth doing is worth doing right! Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon…must inevitably come to pass! — Paul J. Meyer From Bobbie:  I don't want you to ever look back at your life and have any regrets. — Bobbie's Dad     Gigs on Ships! • What sort of shows are they looking for? • You need to be good with a very diverse crowd. You need to be comfortable with people from all walks of life. • You need at least a 50 minute act. Fred and Bobbie have two 45's and a 30 minute magic class. • You live with your audience. • You have to be "people people." It's all about relationships. • You need a demo reel that's specific to the cruise ship market. The agent needs to "see you on their stage." • Your demo reel also needs to sell you as a person too. Tug at the heartstrings. • Don't do your reel in the same order as your show. Lead with your strongest piece. • Figure out what sets you apart and capitalize on that. • Working with agents vs. the cruise director. • Pros:you get to work in the best, most equipped theaters in the world, no overhead expenses, you only work a couple nights per week, it's a dream lifestyle. • Cons: You're stuck on the ship, you can't just pick up and go somewhere. You miss family events like holidays and funerals. Since you share bunks, if you're in a couple's relationship and have a fight, there's nowhere for you to go. • How to keep things in order at home on land while you're away at sea.     Their Online Course on Cruise Ship Gigs Gigs on Ships is a 9-week course where Fred and Bobbie literally open up their business to help those who want to land a cruise ship gig. It has three modules: 1. Building Foundation - preparing yourself and show for ships. 2. Getting the gig. 3. Life at sea and how to be successful. Learn more at www.gigsonships.com     Other Topics Covered • Talks about fear standing in your way. • Taking risks. • Some interesting storied from each of their lives that helped shape their careers. • Not letting failures beat you up.       Parting Advice Don't let fear hold you back! Step out of your comfort zone. Pick up 6 more pieces of parting advice by signing up for Fred & Bobbie's newsletter at GigsOnShips.com.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Resources: Having a notebook to write things down in.     Books: Maximum Entertinament by Ken Weber Fitzkee Trilogy by Dariel Fitzkee | Ebooks Magic & Showmanship by Henning Nelms Breaking Out by John Butman Start with Why by Simon Sinek     Where can we find Fred & Bobbie Becker? Gigs on Ships Fred Becker's Website Twitter @realbeckermagic | Facebook

In this interview, Brad Ross tells us how to market our show business and holds nothing back! My head is still reeling with all the knowledge Brad dropped. Also, find out how you can get a free 30 minute phone consult with Brad! For six years, Brad toured with Disney Live in Mickey’s Magic Show. This alone has taken him to 5 continents, 25 countries, and allowed him to perform in 16 languages. In fact, he’s entertained literally millions of people worldwide! He’s been featured in over 500 national and international TV appearances including the Rosie O’Donnell Show, FOX TV’s Good Day New York, Decco Drive, and on the Disney Channel. Brad was awarded the prestigious Merlin Award by the International Magician’s Society being named the “Best International Family Entertainer.” He can now be seen touring his brand new illusion show “Brad Ross’ Unbelievable,” where he brings a new approach to the classic theatrical art, the art of magic. Finally, Brad is also a well-known author, speaker, and marketing guru to magicians and other entertainers worldwide. He helps fellow entrepreneurs live their dreams through his seminars and training courses including his flagship course, “The IT Factor: Secrets to Skyrocketing Your Career!" Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords.”     Kris Mentioned at the Top of the Show A Life Well Designed from previous guest Jonny Zavant (Jonathan Pritchard) This is a blog and podcast that teaches how to design the ultimate life for yourself. It's basically a resource for anyone who is interested in reducing waste in their life whether it be a waste of time, energy, resources, or efforts with the goal of helping you design the life that you've always wanted to live. A Life Well Designed Blog | Podcast     Success Quotes Do what you love and love what you do! Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. — Marianne Williamson If you can dream it, you can do it. — Walt Disney     Marketing! • You need to have a good website. • Have good branding, it needs to be clear and defined. • Your personality needs to come across in pixels and on paper. • Put your personality out there. It's all about connecting. • What is unique about you? • Your personal brand it The IT Factor. • Separate yourself from everyone else. • Selling benefits instead of features. • Selling the sizzle as well as the steak. What is the package that you've wrapped yourself in? That's the sizzle. • Know what it is that you're selling and who your ideal customer is. • The audience that you perform for could be different than the audience that you're selling to. • People buy based on emotions. • "So what?" That's the filter you need to run all your marketing copy through to find the value and benefits to the customer. • Deliver the right message to the right market via the right media.     The IT Factor Live • Skyrocketing your career by creating the illusion of celebrity. • It's a compilation of everything he's used to have a successful career in magic up to this point. • a live workshop that teaches business-building for magicians.   His original It Factor Course It Factor Live (limited to 25 people)     Other Topics Covered • Learning from your mistakes. • Magic happens outside the box (outside of our comfort zone). • Talks about his journey and some of his challenges. • Making decisions. • How he grew his dream. • Mentored by Dave Dee (who now works with Dan Kennedy!). • Investing in yourself. • It all comes down to passion. • Talks about how he landed his Disney gig. • Opportunity knocks for everyone. If you're prepared, you'll hear the knock and open the door. If you're not prepared, you will never know it was even there.     Parting Advice Get up off your butt and make your own success. Change the equation!     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: It Factor Live!     Books: Tony Robbins Personal Power Joanie Spina's Get Your Act Together Videos     Free 30 Minute Phone Consult with Brad! This is a special offer for Successful Performercast listeners! Visit www.bradcoachme.com to fill out an application for a free 30 minute phone consultation with Brad about your show business. www.bradcoachme.com     Where can we find Brad Ross? Make Magic Money It Factor Live Brad Coach Me Twitter @bradrossmagic | Facebook

Clay Mabbitt runs a blog and podcast called Sold Out Run where he helps theaters fill their seats with more than just friends and family. Basically, he’s a marketer and an actor. He’s using his skills and knowledge taken from his years working in a marketing firm in Indianapolis and applying them to find out ways to get butts in seats in theater productions. It seems to work because in 2010 he applied what he knew from his professional marketing background to his first theatre production, and he sold every seat for the entire run. Hence the name, Sold Out Run.   Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords.”     Kris Mentioned at the Top of the Show Overdrive - Borrow eBooks and audiobooks from your local public library. Zombie Loyalists by Peter Shankman: This is a book that talks about using great service to create raving fans, or in this case, Zombie Loyalists, that will not only buy your services, but also tell all their friends about you and get them to buy from you! It's a good read for sure!     Success Mantra All things in moderation, including moderation. — Oscar Wilde     His First Sold Out Run • What he had to start with. • Focused on what could be done inexpensively. • Created a blog for the show and a content calendar. • Contests for free tickets. • Varying content for blog and social media outlets. • Staying Top of Mind. • Creating a marketing calendar. (Template available at SoldOutRun.com.) • Listing out what you'll need and when you'll do them. • Other resources at SoldOutRun.com. • Tells about the website he created for the show. • Doing mini profiles for the cast and crew and having them share it on their social profiles. • Having multiple points of contact with people before they actually buy from you. • For every show there's a specific audience and a way to reach them. • Tells us about a marketing tactic that he thought would work well but ultimately fell flat.     Sold Out Run Blog • Tells what he's trying to accomplish with this venture. • It started out as him getting his thoughts out for himself in regards to marketing a theater show. • He wants to change the culture around the arts and make them more commercially viable. • He gets out his ideas and reports his findings. • Blog and podcast at SoldOutRun.com are all about helping to improve theater marketing. • His guest post: 5 Things Theatre Marketing Can Teach You About Promoting a Magic & Illusion Show by Clay Mabbitt.     Failure Moment Talks about his Open Book Project where he tried to help a theater with a show that just didn't work out.     Favorite Success His very first production, Enter Love, and his successful marketing efforts with it.     Biggest Professional Challenge Defining his niche.     Interesting Story Clay was on stage with someone who forgot their place and he couldn't help them.     Rapid Fire Questions In his podcast, Sold Out Run, clay asks his guests a series of fun rapid-fire questions. I turned the tables on him and gave him a fun Rapid Fire experience of his own!     Other Topics Covered • If you aways play it safe, you'll never have any real big success. • Tells about his background in marketing and how he got into acting.     Parting Advice Don't get complacent with small houses.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: AWeber email list management.     Books: Art of the Turnaround by Michael M. Kaiser The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod     Where can we find Clay Mabbitt? Sold Out Run Blog | Podcast Twitter @claymabbitt

Brian Campbell shares some great practical business advice especially when it comes to navigating relationships. After all, if you're in show business, you're really in people business. Brian is a professional magician, trade show presenter, and hypnotist and has been for over 25 years. In fact, he’s performed magic for over a million people face to face. He’s worked everything from private parties, restaurants, and corporate events and for many years even managed other restaurant magicians, one of his biggest clients being Dave & Busters. Today much of his work comes from corporate and trade show work where he and the Amazing Allison, his wife and past guest on the show consistently draw the largest crowds to clients booths. Fortune 500 clients have included Cisco, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi, Frito Lay and the Anaheim Angels. He’s also put together a wonderful online resource for magicians, teaching some of the ins and outs of the business side of magic in a video series called “The Big B and the Small S."   Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords.”     Success Mantra Winners never quit, quitters never win. No education is lost.     Big B, Small S This is the video series that Brian did with Penguin Magic where he teaches on the business side of show business. Watch and learn, it's FREE!    Show Business is Really People Business This whole interview has a through line of show business really being about people. It's all about your personal interactions with people and your relationships that help to define your business and where it goes. Here are some of the points.  • People are your best resources.  • Show business is all about people. • You're not in the business of magic, you're in the business of people. • Talks about how he put magicians into restaurants when he was working with Dave & Busters. • Talks about working with Penguin and his FREE video series on the business of magic called Big B, Small S. • Magic is a 24-hour job. If you can't do something on the spot, you're not really a magician, your just someone who does tricks. • You never know who you're going to meet. If you're not ready to do a short routine, you could miss out opportunities. • Talks about the power of asking. • Be an interested person instead of an interesting person. Learn about other people. • As Zig says, you can get whatever you want in life if you help enough people get what they want. • If you build a good rapport with people, you're more likely to do business with them. • You can sell your magic if people like you. • Tells how he literally knocked on the door of Microsoft and booked his biggest contract ever! • Never say no, always say yes! • Always look for ways in which you can help people, even if they haven't hired you yet. You want to become their "go-to person."     Failure Moment Brian gives us a few examples of things that didn't go according to plan including how he lost a woman's very expensive ring performing Ring Flight and the time he spent looking for it again. Always be prepared for anything!     Parting Advice Always have your business card at hand to hand out. It's no good in your own pocket.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: People. People are your best resource.     Magic Resources: Mark Wilson's Course in Magic Jaw Droppers Series Dan Harlan's works on magic     Success Resources: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Zig Ziglar - Secrets of Closing the Sale Verbal Judo — How to Deal with Difficult Situations     Where can we find Brian Campbell? ShowPros.biz AmazingAllison.com Big B, Small S Video

Steve Spill has a lot to talk about! We talk about some of his early days doing bar magic at The Jolly Jester, his venue, Magicopolis in Santa Monica, CA, and some stores from his latest book, I Lie for Money, Candid Outrageous Stories from a Magician's Misadventures. Throughout this interview we learn some bar magic strategy as well as some of the ins & outs of running a full-time magic venue. Steve Spill is a magician who’s had a lifetime of magic and still has room for more! Having studied under magical legends like Dai Vernon, Charlie Miller, and Francis Carlyle, he’s performed and produced shows around the world in places like the French Riviera’s Cannes Film Festival, Universal Studios Hollywood, Harrah’s Tahoe, and Massey Hall in Toronto. He’s had his hand in a number of TV magic specials like "World’s Greatest Magicians" on CBS and "Penn & Teller’s Sin City Spectacular.” on FX. He was the magic bartender at Aspen Colorado’s “Jolly Jester,” and along with fellow magician Bob Sheets, starred in the longest running show in Washington DC, called "Magicomedy Cabaret.” In 1998, Steve opened up his very own magic venue called Magicopolis in Santa Monica, CA which is the home of “Escape Reality,” the show that stars him and his wife, actress Bozena Wrobel. Finally, Steve just released his brand new book, “I Lie for Money, Candid, Outrageous Stories from a Magician’s Misadventures,” which is a memoir of his life so far.   Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords.”     Success Mantra Nobody makes a living as a magician by accident. You have to want it pretty bad. When you're obsessed, you make your luck.     Bar Magic & The Jolly Jester Note: It was a very different time when Steve was selling drinks while performing bar magic. We do not recommend heavy drinking, smoking, or use of drugs for recreation. If you drink, please do so responsibly.  • Talks about The Jolly Jester • Talks about some of the ways they'd sell drinks.  • They ow;don't start a show until the drinks were full and ow;don't let anyone said at the bar that didn't have a drink.  • Talks about some of the differences in bar magic from then and now. • Talks about how he uses the bar at Magicopolis.     Magicopolis • Talks about his interactions with guests at his venue. • Why he built Magicopolis. • Sometimes it's best to forge ahead, mistakes & all. • Being resourceful in construction. • Talks about how his theater was built with magic in mind. • How he got things rolling using a lot of publicity rather than advertising. • Tells us about some of the other revenue streams other than just ticket sales like private parties, fundraisers, corporate events, etc. • How they came up with their birthday party package. • Some of the very exclusive things he offers for custom parties.     I Lie for Money Available at all regular bookstores, online at Amazon, and Audible. Plus, if you buy it at Magicopolis, he'll sign and personalize it just for you! • Tells about the origin for his book idea. • Practical as well as entertaining: there are fun stories within as well as practical lessons gleaned from his life. • Tells a few fun stories from his book including one involving a lit cigarette dropper, a story about Cardini, and the subsequent performance with said prop.     Failure Moment Tells about doing a foreign TV show with a very specialized prop and all the things that went wrong during the live performance.     Other Topics Covered • His earlier entrepreneurial pursuits and sneaking his magic flyer into newspapers he was delivering. • The harder you work, the luckier you get.     Parting Advice By utilizing your skills, being true to yourself, and working hard, it's possible to create an act that will, if not rake in millions, at least not find you on welfare at the end of the day.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Resources: Scripting. Script all your work and do as many shows as you can.       Books: Getting there, a Book of Mentors by Gillian Zoe Segal Born Standing Up by Steve Martin   Where can we find Steve Spill? Magicopolis in Santa Monica, CA Public Performances are every Friday & Saturday at 8 PM and every Saturday & Sunday at 2 PM. I Lie for Money | Also on Audible  

Mac King tells us about his early days performing in comedy clubs and talks about how he keeps things fresh in his show at Harrah's in Vegas. I probably don’t have to say this, but if you’re a magician and don’t know who Mac King is, I hereby revoke your magician card. That said, Vegas Headliner Mac King is resident magician at Harrah’s Hotel & Casino and has been there for 15 years. This makes him the longest running magician in Vegas to be working at the same hotel! He’s appeared on TV in countless shows on a variety of stations and in multiple countries. He also performs at corporate events for a select number of clients each year. He’s authored and co-authored three books on the subject of magic, wears an awesome couch-plaid suit, and has a Fig Newton complex. Yet, according to his wife and daughter, he is a fine husband, a great dad, and all around swell fellow.   Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords”.     Success Quote Big slumps come before big jumps. — Mac's wife     Keeping his show fresh • He really makes an effort to keep things fresh in his show.  • Keeps a dialogue open with the audience.   • Doesn't just use audience members "as a prop." • Has a script for structure yet tries to find "little detours" to stray from the script and add variance to his shows. • Talks a little about burnout and how it's affected him. • Doesn't really add material, but he finds ways to tighten it. • Things evolve and change over time. • How he uses his show to test fly things he'll perform elsewhere, for example the suspension he performed at the Academy of Magical Arts Awards. • Likes to "feel rushed" right before going on stage. It helps him to think on his feet and discover new things.     Failure Moment Tells who he ended up vomiting up a goldfish on stage and how the audience seemed none-the-wiser. And the lessons he learned.     Other Topics Covered • How your brain still works while you sleep and helps you work out problems. • Tells his journey in magic which included a lot of hard work in comedy clubs. • Working as a magician and sharing the stage with comedians. • Laughs-per-minute. • Recording and listening to your shows to make improvements. • Emulating what you see other successful performers do. • Having a beginning, middle, and end to your show. • Finding his niche in Vegas. • Tells some of the pitfalls he had to overcome before starting his current residence at Harrah's.     Parting Advice Do as many shows as you can and be a good listener.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resources: Keeping a count of all the props you have in your pockets before you go up on stage. Be sure to set up a retirement account.     Books: McComb's Magic by Billy McComb Learn Magic by Henry Hay Harpo Speaks by Harpo Marx     Where can we find Mac King? Mac Performs at Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas every Tuesday thru Saturday at 1 & 3 PM. Mac King's Official Website Twitter @MacKingShow | Facebook  

Jeff Civillico brings us into his career in juggling and gives us some practical advice when it comes to intentionally designing your own life and career. Jeff is a high-energy Vegas headliner who takes juggling, audience interaction, and lots of comedy to compose his show, “Comedy in Action,” which can be seen at the LINQ Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. His passion has taken him around the world garnering him once-in-a-lifetime opportunities like sailing the Queen Mary II, sky diving in Australia, and getting to perform at The White House. He’s a favorite onboard the Disney Cruise Line and has performed many venues on Vegas Strip including, V: The Ultimate Variety Show, Nathan Burton, and The Improv at Harrah’s. He’s the founder and president of Win-Win Entertainment, which is a non-profit that pairs performers willing to donate their time and talent with charities in need of entertainment. He also speaks on “Branding your Passion,” which helps people design the career and lifestyle of their dreams. Not bad for someone that juggles plungers for a living.   Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords”.     Success Quote You're fast becoming the person you're going to be. — Jeff's Dad, Mr. Civillico Stay young, stay foolish. — Steve Jobs Work harder on yourself than you do on your job. — Jim Rohn     Designing your Life & Career • Finding your passion VS. being a passionate person.  • Branding yourself.  • Passionate people find ways to channel their energy and drive.  • Passionate people find ways to build things that are bigger than themselves. • Personal philosophy and values. • Taking initiative and being proactive. • Leveraging what you have for more and taking action. • Being able to pivot. • Engaging with the community. • Talks about how he got his show in Vegas with certain leverages and out-hustling his competition. • Bartering. Everyone has something that someone else needs and can be bartered.     Failure Moment Talks very candidly about a soured business relationship with another entertainer and what he learned.     Favorite Success Sticking it out after above "falling out."     Biggest Professional Challenge Making his Vegas show profitable.     Interesting Story From the Road Tells how he really made a difference in one woman's life with his act.     Other Topics Covered • Congruency between who you are both on and off stage. • Staying connected with his family. • Talks about how he moved out to Vegas. • Win Win Entertainment: matching charities with performers. • Abundance Mentality VS. Scarcity Mentality       Parting Advice Take action and leverage what you have for more. If something doesn't work out, pivot.   Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!       Resources: Daylite CRM TextExpander Dropbox Quickbooks     Books: Born Standing Up by Steve Martin and other biographies Linchpin by Seth Godin Success Principles by Jack Canfield How to Win Friends and Influence People     Where can we find Jeff Civillico? Jeff Civillico's Website Win Win Entertainment

Ivan Pecel talks about his career as a professional juggler, targeting specific markets, and his take on comedy. Ivan is quite an accomplished comedy juggler based out of Los Angeles, CA. As funny as a stand up comic, and as skilled as a chinese acrobat, he's appeared on MTV, America’s Got Talent, and the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He’s become a favorite performer for a wide variety of venues like corporations, colleges, trade shows, comedy clubs, cruise ships, and casinos. An interesting fact about Ivan is that in the twelve years he’s been performing professionally, he’s never had a slow time in his business! We’ll delve into that topic for sure!   Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords”.     Success Quote Talent is overrated. — Geoff Colvin     Having a Great Video • Invest in a good camera. • If you don't have video editing capabilities, hire a good pro.   • Targeting your video to the market you want to work in.  • Make sure the exposure is correctly adjusted so you;re not washed out. • The better the video quality, the better the video.     Comedy is King • Knowing your audience and telling appropriate jokes that relate to them. • Getting the comedy out of audience interactions. • How "far he goes" in his antics. • Acknowledge the heckler once, then twice, then ignore him. • Hecklers: watch this video of how Ivan almost completely lost control of his show as the drunkest woman in the world heckles him.    Failure Moment Tells how he cancelled one gig in favor of a better gig which fell through because he didn't get a contract.     Favorite Success 1. Doing a show in Vegas called Jubilee. 2. Being on Jay Leno's show.     Biggest Professional Challenge Crushing the stigma of being a juggler.     Interesting Story From the Road Juggling at a restaurant and having a kid up on stage with him pee on his leg.     Other Topics Covered • There's more to show biz than just having a good show. • Meeting with agents and event planners. • His desire to work on cruise ships and what he did to get there. • Never put all you eggs in one basket. • His email list and how he interacts with it. • Content for his monthly email newsletter.     Parting Advice Just do it! Show biz is not a part time job.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Resource: TripIt FlightAware GateGuru     Books: Born Standing Up by Steve Martin Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin     Where can we find Ivan Pecel? Ivan Pecel's Website Twitter @ivanpecel | Facebook | Instagram | Vine

Matthew McCoy gives some great theatrical advice for magicians in some practical steps you can take to improve your act! Matthew is a theater actor, director, choreographer, and producer up in the Bay Area of Northern California. He’s the founder of BAM!, or Bay Area Musicals and currently serves as Artistic Director. Holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre he’s acted professionally in countless productions like The Wiz, Guys & Dolls, The Sound of Music, Chicago, and Hairspray. He’s also choreographed and directed such shows as Cinderella, The Music Man, Dracula, and Mary Poppins. This is just naming a few. Finally, he has an extensive background and knowledge of magic which has made him a sought after asset to direct new magical theater projects in the United States and around the world.   Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords”.     Success Quote Follow your bliss and the universe will open up doors where there were walls. — Joseph Campbell     BAM! Bay Area Musicals • Where his inspiration came from in starting this project.  • Spotted a need and aimed to fill that need.   • Forming a board of advisors.   • Creating a business plan. • Branding. • Raising funds.     Coaching & Direction for Magicians • Common magician mistakes: not knowing your audience, not knowing the story, not making eye contact, originality, taking criticism. • Variance - adding variety "so you're not just doing cards or split fans." • Specificity - every single second should be accounted for. This allows you to test and measure things and find the best options for timing and movement, etc. • Physicality - the physical life and nature of your persona on stage.     Some tips for magicians: • If you don't have a script, write one. • Kill all stock lines. • Take an acting class. • Exercise and take care of your body. • People don't care about you or the show. They're looking for an escape from their day-to-day life.     Failure Moment Called the music incorrectly when calling cues for show. They weren't able to recover. Ouch!     Favorite Success BAM! Starting Bay Area Musicals!     Biggest Professional Challenge Raising capital. You don't want to set sail until you can afford to sink.     Interesting Story From the Road A quick fun story involving Master Magician Chris Capehart     Other Topics Covered • Talks about moving out to San Francisco and how he went about it. It was very calculated and planned. • Talks about his background in magic. • His involvement in Magic at the Beach and producing variety shows.     Parting Advice Honesty, originality, and professionalism.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resource: Apple Calendar with alerts and a giant wall calendar to show a bird's eye view.     Books: The Viewpoints Book by Anne Bogart     Where can we find Matthew McCoy? Matthew McCoy's Website Champions of Magic BAM! Bay Area Musicals    

This week I talk to musician and school assembly performer Pete Ellison about how he started his very unique school shows and how he keeps all his show booking and client info straight! Pete Ellison is the founder of One World Rhythm, which provides live, interactive, musical entertainment for schools, libraries, churches, and other private events. Their show combines multimedia with live instrumentation, even placing instruments into the hands of the students to create a unique, interactive musical experience for everyone involved. Pete has studied for multiple years with Drum Circle Music, and is a Vic Firth Educational Artist. He's also founded other notable groups like The Black Knights Drum Corps, which is a nonprofit youth organization in Burbank, California, and he was a founding member of the Southern California Percussion Alliance which serves over 3,000 youth percussionists each year. In addition to this, he's also created Show Operations, the ultimate show contact and booking system for entertainment professionals, which pretty much allows you to ditch your spreadsheet and Rolodex in favor of a more intuitive system.     Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online.  Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords”.     Success Quote Job security is not the job you go to each day or the time clock that you punch. Job security is the skill set you develop along your life's journey and that will always give you job security. It's the things you know and can do. — Pete Ellison     Show Operations • Tells what Show Operations is and what he was trying to solve in creating it.  • It's basically a system that keeps all your client, show, and book-keeping info all in one place. It's kind of like a virtual assistant.  • It's browser-based, so all your data is stored in the cloud. You have access to your data wherever you have access to the internet.    Special offer for Successful Performercast listeners! 50% off for the lifetime of your account. Click here!     Failure Moment Made a cultural faux pas performing at a Jewish Chabad candle-lighting.     Favorite Success Winning a bid to work for Radio Disney.     Biggest Professional Challenge Getting the word out about his business.   Other Topics Covered • The difference in mindsets of entrepreneurs vs. those that punch a clock. • What is job security really? • Tells how he started his business, how he tried different markets for his drumming idea and eventually decided on the children market. • Don't be consumed by a failure. • Tells how he took his idea and pitched it to schools and libraries. He had the added challenge that nobody was currently doing what he was wanting to do. • How he keeps control over 200 kids with percussion instruments in their hands. • When you give kids something to do, they're not doing things that you don't want them to do. It's replacing undesired actions with desired ones.     Parting Advice Go out there and take action! You're not getting any younger.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Resource: Show Operations     Books: Be Our Guest! by The Disney Institute Dan Kennedy books on Marketing     Where can we find Pete Ellison? OneWorldRhythm.com IncredibleSchoolAssemblies.com Show Operations

For this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Post Modern Vaudevillian, Michael Rayner about his career in juggling, mayhem, and on doing audience warmup shows! Yeah, he's one of the guys that entertains live audiences between takes during TV show filmings! To call Michael just a juggler would do him no justice, because his hilarious stunts range everywhere from balancing various objects on his face to spinning a cheeseburger on an umbrella. As an actor you may have seen his appearances on Judging Amy, Sesame Street, Late Night with David Letterman, numerous appearances on Nickelodeon, and on countless commercials. He’s also a TV writer having written for The Game Show Network, E! Entertainment Television, and Nickelodeon. Finally, he also warms up audiences watching filmings of sitcoms, but something tells me this is just scratching the surface of Michael’s world.     Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online.  Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords”.     Success Mantra Anarchy! He really likes a show where literally anything can happen!     Audience Warmups This is a specific area of performing where you warm up the live audiences watching the taping of a sitcom. • Tells how he broke into this particular arena of entertaining.  • It's not about you or how funny you are, it's about making the sitcom look as good as possible.  • You have to scale your own performance so you're not funnier or more entertaining than the show.  • Read the script to make sure you're not "stepping on any jokes or bits" or other material from the show. • How to break into doing warmup shows.  • Targeting your resumé to warmups. What looks best on a resumé? • What to do for your audition. • How to prepare for your first night performing. • Being able to estimate how long it will be between takes. • Having enough material. • Knowing the cast and the production team.     Failure Moment Splitting up the Olsen Twins when announcing them during a warmup gig. You NEVER split up the Olsen Twins. Never.     Biggest Professional Challenge Realizing that he doesn't have to be a "big name" to be successful. The fact that he's making a living means that he's won! (Plus, he married Mo from Nickelodeon's Guts, for the WIN!)   Other Topics Covered • "Taking the offer" in improvising. • Found Object juggling show. • You don't need a lot of money to start performing. • His approach to creativity. • The science and finer points of spinning a hamburger on a parasol.    Parting Advice Figure out how you can make things a little different and be open to new experiences.   Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Resource: PODCASTS!!!     Book: True & False by David Mamet     Where can we find Michael Rayner? MichaelRayner.com Twitter @brokenjuggler | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube  

In this interview, Shawn Popp talks about adding music to your performances and answers many questions that people have asked about his app Show Cues. Shawn Popp, AKA the Magic Dude, is one of Colorado's favorite performers. He's built a career traveling the country performing his magic at corporate events, trade shows, private parties, and other special events. His thouroughally entertaining show includes magic, mentalism, comedy, and music. Speaking of music, Shawn is also the mind behind the iOS app Show Cues, a sound control system which helps you to bring music to your shows. It's almost like having a sound engineer in your pocket.     Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online.  Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords”.     Success Quote: Make every day great and fun as well as every show!     Magic and Music • How important music really is to a magic act.   • How he chooses music for his shows.  • Each performer needs to find what speaks to them and their own style.   • Having a well-defined character helps when picking music.   • Be aware of your audience.   • Common places in a show where you can add music.  • Three steps to adding music to your show.     About Show Cues App SPECIAL FOR SUCCESSFUL PERFORMERCAST LISTENERS: For three days only, May 1–3, 2015, Shawn is offering 20% off of both the Show Cues App (taking it from $89.99 down to $69.99) and the Show Cues Remote (taking it from $59.99 to $47.99).      • What it is and why he created it. • Android version coming soon. • They're open to feedback from users and take it into account to make the app better. • A universal app (iPhone and iPad) is on the horizon and current users will be able to upgrade for free if they currently own one or the other. • Why so expensive? • Addresses questions and concerns regarding remotes not working with the app.     Failure Moment Talks about a failed "card stab" on stage and what he did.     Favorite Success Being booked over and over by the same clients year after year.   Other Topics Covered • Talked about how he shifted into performing full-time which involved him freelancing as a graphic designer. • Saving up money before you "jump ship."   Parting Advice Don't sell yourself short. Do great magic. Price yourself accordingly.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!   Resource: Show Cues Manager Sal Showbiz CRM Evernote     Books: Secret Agenda by Roberto Giobbi Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith The Expert from Out of Town: Marketing a Business Nationwide by Anthony F. Perry       Where can we find Shawn Popp? Open the Trap Door Shawn Preston's Website Conjuring Cabinet Twitter @magicdudeco | Facebook

In this interview, John Abrams brings us into his business performing assembly shows at elementary schools. He doesn't hold anything back and even gives us some example scripts designed to make his shows more effective in their intended objectives! John Abrams is a magician, actor, Emcee, husband and dad, who has found his passion, and probably also his calling in performing school assembly shows for elementary schools. Since 1998, John has performed school assembly shows, starting with his flagship show, Animal Magic, featuring all live exotic pets. He would perform that show an average of 250 times per year. Since then, he’s created countless other shows that bring inspiration and help teachers tackle topics like bullying, drugs, and the importance of good character. He currently performs over 500 shows each year at elementary schools and libraries all over Southern California. John is also an expert in marketing and has taught his methods of getting shows to other performers over the internet, through lectures, and various information products.     Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords”.     Success Quote: If you think you can or you think you can't, you're right. — Henry Ford     Assembly Shows • Tells how he came up with topics to create shows around.  • Finding out what the teachers need, finding a pain point and building a show around that.   • Tells how he researches topics.   • You can look up school curriculums online at the Department of Education Website.  • Go online and see what other assembly shows are doing.  • Talks about his website and the elements he uses: benefit-driven headline, benefit-driven content, and market-specific testimonials. It's basically a sales letter website.  • Pricing on assembly shows: what he charges ($900 for two assemblies) and what someone breaking in should charge ($700 for two assemblies). Mentions other possible pricing structures. • How he uses Yelp to get testimonials. • Differences between assembly shows and library shows. They want different results!     Failure Moment Hear about a physically intense sales letter that he sent out to schools that he'll never send out again!     Favorite Success A very successful library showcase he did while wearing a space suit and booked 60 shows from it!     Biggest Professional Challenge Letting the cooperate market go. He discovered that he didn't want to travel and perform on weekends and nights. It was tough for him to walk away from the market and potential money.     Awesome Sample Scripts! Note: These scripts are tailored to John's performance style and character. Please use these as guidelines to write your own pitches for your shows.  Pitch for the jumbo dollar bills you give away: "Kids, if you enjoyed yourselves and had a great time, not only are there five magic tricks on the back of this dollar bill, but there's a handsome and good-looking guy on the front here, as well as my phone number and website in case you want to invite me to your party." At the end of an assembly show after summarizing the teaching: "If you enjoyed the show, here's what you've gotta do. I know you're going to be excited and talking in your loud voices, but I want you to go back to class and talk in your quiet voices for your teachers, because, if you talk in your quiet voices, maybe, they'll invite me back . If you think that's a good idea, everybody shout yay!" Pitching books at libraries during his animal show: "Who liked the dove? Who liked the snake? Who liked the chinchilla? Who liked the tarantula? If you liked any of these animals, right over there are all kinds of books on snakes, and doves, and chinchillas, and spiders. Do you see that shelf over there? Let's make sure that shelf becomes completely empty before you go home!" Pitching magic books at libraries: "Do you want to know how I did all this magic? In this library there are books that teach you magic tricks. All you have to do is check them out for free with your library card, open them up and practice them with your mom and dad, and one day you can do a magic show just like I did! Doesn't that sound cool?"     Other Topics Covered • The importance of marketing. • Anything you give away needs to be of value, but you also need to pitch it so they know what to do with it! • Talks about his menagerie of animals and how he handles, cares for, and travels with them. • Laminate the flyers you give out. If you do that, nobody will ever throw them away! • Shaping your career around what you want your lifestyle to be.     Parting Advice You already have enough to shows and sell them. Just do it!     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resource: Podcasts! Specifically School of Greatness and the TED Radio Hour     Classic Success Books: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale Success Principles by Jack Canfield GOALS by Brian Tracy     Newer Books: The Actor's Handbook by Constantin Stanislavski The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy Chasing Cool by Noah Kerner     CALL TO ACTION: Get John to Write a Book on Assembly Shows! If enough people email John and request him to write a book on assembly shows, he'll do it! Email him now! john@amazingschoolassemblies.com     Where can we find The John Abrams? Amazing School Assemblies California Bully Assemblies California Character Assemblies Animals and Magic Twitter @johnabrams1

In this interview, The Amazing Allison shares her journey with us and offers some valuable insights into performing in corporate venues. The Amazing Allison Campbell is considered to be corporate America’s leading female mentalist and infotainer and has performed in virtually all types of venues, including as a magical bartender at America's Top Chef Rick Moonen's RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay and many appearances on national TV & radio. She’s also a world-class mentalist, spokes-model and presenter for corporate applications working with and breaking sales records for dozens of Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, Cisco, SanDisk, and Dell-Wyse. In addition to all this, Allison has lectured on the business of magic and mentalism, being the first woman to lecture at Mindvention and the only person to be asked back to lecture for two consecutive years.     Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords”.     Success Mantra: Obstacles are those frightening things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. — Henry Ford     Corporate Performing • Courting clients. • Staying top of mind with your clients and prospects.  • Being of value to your clients.  • "Leading the conversation" with their prospects planting the idea of hiring them in their minds so it seems like their idea.  • The importance of verbiage and language in your contracts. • Drawing people to the trade show booths.   Biggest Profesional Challenge Being a female mentalist in the "boy's club" of magic and being taken seriously.     Failure Moment Tells about a show for a very big client where they changed everything about the show at the very last minute.     Favorite Success The same show from the failure story above. She tells how they got that client, and that they're still working with them!     Differentiates Herself The fact that she's a female entertainer. Also, being able to draw the biggest crowds at trade shows.     Interesting Story Sharing the stage with a paraplegic soldier and all the inspiration gained from him.     Other Topics Covered • What it's like working with her husband in business. • How she landed her first restaurant gig. • Separating business and personal life. • Her experience lecturing at Mindvention. • There's always room for improvement.     Parting Advice Don't ever think that you can't do something.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resource: LinkedIn — She gives some tips in using it for business. Brian The Magic Guy Campbells Magic Business Lessons     Books: Psychological Subtleties 1 by Banachek Psychological Subtleties 2 by Banachek Psychological Subtleties 3 by Banachek Verbal Judo by George J Thompson    Where can we find The Amazing Allison? Amazing Allison's Website ShowPros Lecture notes and magic products are available through email. allison@amazingallison.com Twitter @magicallie | Facebook | LinkedIn

In this interview, Canadian magician John Kaplan tells us all about his career in creating fundraising shows! He really takes us into his business and gives some wonderful insight into this specialized niche. With his Fundraising Magic program, John has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for hundreds of schools and community organizations to use in their worthwhile causes. Not keeping his knowledge to himself, John also teaches his methods to other entertainers and has gained worldwide recognition for his books and courses and is also a sought-after speaker and trainer when it comes to producing fundraising shows.   Sponsors: Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords”.     Success Mantra: You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want. — Zig Ziglar     Fundraising Shows • Not just selling a magic show, but a way for his clients to make money as well. • Tells how he got into fundraising shows.  • Tells about his second fundraising show which proved to be a flop.  • How he developed his system.  • His fundraising shows need to: 1. make sure his overhead os covered,  2. make sure he gets paid, and 3. make sure his client makes a lot of money! • Three pillars to a successful fundraiser: Planning, Promotion, Profitability. • How he gives his clients all the tools they need to do the fundraiser.  • Piggyback fundraisers like souvenirs, local celebrities, and pledge contests. • How he uses email auto responders to guide his clients along the path to their successful fundraiser. • What a single-day event looks like for a fundraiser. • Who his competition really is. • Using celebrities in his fundraisers. • Having other businesses like realtors sponsor the events to further increase his client's bottom line. • The story of a 16 year old girl who started a foundation, used Johns services and raised $11,000 for her cause!     Failure Moment John talks about his second attempt at a fundraising show that flopped dismally. Good thing it didn't keep him down!     Favorite Success He created a big campaign for Merlin Motors around a "car vanish" which ended up being a wild success bringing people to their car lot.     What's worked best in growing his business? Over-delivering.     Biggest Professional Challenge Replacing long-term clients that for one reason or another aren't using him anymore.   What would he have done differently? Nurture relationships with agents and event planners more.     Other Topics Covered • Market first, product second. Sell the show, then if someone buys it, produce it. • Going the extra mile.     Parting Advice 1. Invest in yourself. 2. Work diligently. 3. Over-deliver.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resource: Google Maps for helping in planning his tours.     Books: Biographies: The Great Houdini by Beryl & Epstein Jimmy: an Autobiography by Jimmy Pattison How to Master the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins How to Sell Yourself by Joe GirardSecrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar Steinmeyer Books Paul Osborne Books The Great Illusions of Magic by Byron Wels     Where can we find John Kaplan? Fundraising Magic Website John's Products for Magicians John's Business Building Resources for Entertainers John on Facebook

In this interview, singer/songwriter Julia Othmer talks about her career as a musician as well as her experience with her successful (and over-funded Kickstarter) campaign! Julia has been captivating audiences for the past decade with her energetic performances. She’s shared the stage at the Lilith Faire Tour with the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Emmylou Harris, Heart, and Ingrid Michaelson, and shared the stage with artists like Regina Spektor, Amos Lee, and John Waite. She’s won numerous awards for her songwriting including several Honorable Mentions at the Billboard World Song Contest, Semifinalist at the International Songwriting Competition, and Runner-Up at the Singer/Songwriter Awards. You may have heard one of her songs featured on TV on shows like Witches of East End, Switched at Birth, The Lying Game, Army Wives, Party of Five, or DeGrassi: The Next Generation. Be sure to check out her critically acclaimed album Oasis Motel as well as keep your eyes peeled for her followup album nearing it’s release very soon!     Sponsors Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords”.   Success Mantra: Living in the question. "How does it get better than this?" "What else is possible?" "What could be missing?" Remaining in a state of questioning helps to keep creativity open.     What She Learned from her Kickstarter Campaign • Tells how she went about her campaign. • Reaching out to fans to find out what she could do for them. • It's not just a way to raise finds, but also a way to connect with and communicate with your fans. • Tells how she figured out the different tiers of support and the rewards for such. • Great way for your supporters to feel intimately involved with your art. • Knowing what you want to accomplish with Kickstarter. • Some of the underlying benefits of her Kickstarter campaign.     Working as a Muse She's had the opportunity of being the vehicle to help others with their own creative endeavors. For example, overcoming writer's block, starting/finishing projects, or inspiration.     Favorite Success Playing for a benefit at the Philadelphia Zoo and then getting to go backstage and see the big cats up close.     What's worked best in growing her business? Learning from her mistakes and valuing her audience.     Biggest Professional Challenge Creating a workable business plan in an ever-changing industry.     Other Topics Covered • Being creative when you don't feel inspired. • How she goes about begin creative. • Allowing yourself to be steered by your creativity. • Authenticity in what you build. • Moving to LA and some of the things she did to get the ball rolling on getting gigs. • Create things for yourself. Things you love and that you believe in. • Not losing yourself in your process.     Upcoming Album Julia talks a bit about her upcoming album which has yet to be named. Here's her current album: Oasis Motel     Parting Advice Follow your joy.     Recommended books and resources: Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!     Resource: Pen & paper     Books: The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp     Where can we find Julia Othmer? www.juliaothmer.com Julia's Overfunded Kickstarter Campaign Twitter @juliaothmer | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube