Joe Monti

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 &amp; 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 MantraSurvive. 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 JoeAs 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 AdviceDon’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 &amp; DeVant  Where can we find Joe Monti?joemonti.com thumbtie.com  

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 &amp; 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 <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/helpjoemonti" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Go Fund Me campaign</a> 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.   <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/happieamp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Happie Amp for sound</a>   Security lights attached to batteries.   A <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/stepstool" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">step stool</a> to stand up on to be seen better.   Books: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/triggers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Triggers by Joseph Sugarman</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/moderncoinmagic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bobo’s Coin Magic</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/the-trick-brain" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Trick Brain by Dariel Fitzkee</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/ourmagic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Our Magic by Masculine &amp; DeVant</a>  Where can we find Joe Monti? <a href="http://www.joemonti.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">joemonti.com</a> <a href="http://thumbtie.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">thumbtie.com</a>

S8E14: Joe Monti - Great Advice on Show Business

Bill Gladwell

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 MantraDoubt 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 MomentTells why he now collects his fee up front.    Favorite SuccessHis Trip Advisor reviews. Getting his wife to marry him. 😃 ❤️❤️❤️    Parting AdviceBe bold. Not only on stage, but off stage. Three foot rule: If anyone gets within three feet of you, you have to tell them what you do and give them a card.    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 Just Press Record iOS app   Books: Born Standing Up by Steve Martin The Sales Bible Jeffrey Gitomer Also mentioned WellAttended   Where can we find Bill Gladwell?billgladwelllive.com Hey Look at Me! Podcast

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. 😃 ❤️❤️❤️    Parting Advice Be bold. Not only on stage, but off stage. Three foot rule: If anyone gets within three feet of you, you have to tell them what you do and give them a card.    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 href="https://evernote.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Evernote</a> <a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/app/just-press-record-voice-audio/id1033342465?mt=8&amp;at=1l3vcgx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Just Press Record</a> iOS app Books: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/bornstandingup" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Born Standing Up by Steve Martin</a> <a href="http://amzn.to/1SEIVrP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sales Bible Jeffrey Gitomer</a> Also mentioned <a href="http://wellattended.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WellAttended</a>  Where can we find Bill Gladwell? <a href="http://www.billgladwelllive.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">billgladwelllive.com</a> <a href="http://www.billgladwelllive.com/hey-look-at-me-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hey Look at Me! Podcast</a>

S8E13: Bill Gladwell - Stationary One Man Show

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&amp;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 MantraPerception 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 MomentTells about how he’s lost all his money three different times within his career.    Favorite SuccessThe relationships with his clients.    Parting Advice1. 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

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&amp;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) <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/entertainingeducationdomestic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Doug Scheer’s book Entertaining Education</a> (Also listen to <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/dougscheer/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Doug Scheer’s Interview</a>) <a href="http://www.dannyorleansmagic.com/magic-products/the_art_of_presenting_magic_to_children" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Danny Orleans The Art of Presenting Magic for Children</a>  Where can we find Al The Only? <a href="http://tricky1.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tricky1.com</a> <a href="http://themagicgraveyard.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Magic Graveyard</a> <a href="http://facebook.com/altheonly" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/theROARshow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> @theROARshow

S8E12: Al The Only - General Practice Magician

Steve Chezaday

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 MantraAlways be prepared. Always have your money work for you.    Personalizing &amp; 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 &amp; 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 MomentTalks about a last-minute hell gig that came about because of miscommunication.    Favorite SuccessSome of the charities that he’s able to work with.    Parting AdviceLove 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 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 &amp; 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 &amp; 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: <a href="http://www.apple.com/mac/pages/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pages on Mac</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/risingcardapp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rising Card App by Chris Kenner</a> Books: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/meinc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Me Inc. by Gene Simmons</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/deadhorse" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beating a Dead Horse by Sandy Marshall</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/marshallbrodien" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Magical Life of Marshall Brodien</a>  Where can we find Steve Chezaday? <a href="http://www.chezaday.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chezaday.com</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chezaday" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Steve on Facebook</a>

S8E11: Steve Chezaday - Tips & Tricks from a Rockstar Magician

Angela Parrish

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 MantraI 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 MomentPutting 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 SuccessThe songwriter’s hall of fame competition and being recognized by her peers.      Parting AdviceDon’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 &amp; Tall Faithful and Tall by Angela Parrish  Where can we find Angela Parrish?AngelaParrish.com Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram

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, <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/faithfulandtall" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Faithful and Tall</a>. 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/allyourworth" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">All Your Worth by Elizabeth Warren</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/writing-better-lyrics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison</a> Also Recommended <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/the-dip" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Dip by Seth Godin</a> <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/thisisyourlife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michael Hyatt’s This is Your Life Podcast</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/platform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Platform by Michael Hyatt</a>  Album Faithful &amp; Tall <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/faithfulandtall" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Faithful and Tall by Angela Parrish</a>  Where can we find Angela Parrish? <a href="http://www.angelaparrish.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AngelaParrish.com</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/angelaparrishmusic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/angelaparrishmusic/videos" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/imangelaparrish" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/imangelaparrish/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

S8E10: Angela Parrish - Multiple Streams of Income

Fantastick Patrick

In this episode, Fantastick Patrick talks about his juggling career which includes performing on TV, dealing with fear &amp; failure, and having a mindset of giving. Fantastick Patrick is a juggler/comedian/unicycle wrangler/musician/curator of all things fun &amp; 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 MantraHe 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 MomentTells how he let someone else run his career and put them in the driver seat.    Favorite SuccessFinding success in his chosen market.    Biggest Professional ChallengeSticking with it through the tough times.    Anything Done Differently?Moved out to LA sooner and focused more on business.    Parting AdviceLove 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, Fantastick Patrick talks about his juggling career which includes performing on TV, dealing with fear &amp; failure, and having a mindset of giving. Fantastick Patrick is a juggler/comedian/unicycle wrangler/musician/curator of all things fun &amp; 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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/showcues" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Show Cues for iPhone</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/onetrack" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OneTrack</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/go-button" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Go Button</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/shawnpopp/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shawn Popp’s Interview</a> Books: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/war-of-art" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The War of Art by Steven Pressfield</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/untetheredsoul" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/powerofnow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle</a>  Where can we find Fantastick Patrick? <a href="http://fantastickpatrick.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">fantastickpatrick.com</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fantastickpatrickjuggler/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fantastick_patrick/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-hw0L-0Tmgs0mfu2hdh-dw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Youtube</a>

S8E9: Fantastick Patrick - Juggling, TV, & Generosity

Tom Ameen

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 MantraDream 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 MomentNot 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 SuccessGetting on the Billboard Top Ten and putting out his albums like his new Star Wars album.    Parting AdviceUse your fear as fuel to go do what you want to do.    Exclusive Content for Patreon SupportersThe 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

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, <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/journeytothestars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Journey to the Stars</a> which features renditions of his favorite themes from the Star Wars movies!  Show Sponsors: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/managegigs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ManageGigs</a>: ManageGigs helps you keep track of all of your gigs online, without having to resort to spreadsheets. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/managegigs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a> to check them out and sign up for your free seven day trial! <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/freebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audible</a>: 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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/freebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to check it out!</a>  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 <a href="http://storiesofthemagic.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stories of the Magic Podcast</a> 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 <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/journeytothestars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">\Journey to the Stars</a> 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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/patreonlink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Please consider supporting me on Patreon</a>.   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. <a href="http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Disney Parks Blog</a>—To keep up on Disney news   Books: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/racingintherain" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel by Garth Stein</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/homersodyssey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper</a>  Where can we find Tom Ameen? <a href="http://tomameenmusic.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tomameenmusic.com</a> <a href="https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/journey-to-the-stars/id1066110589?mt=1&amp;app=music" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Tom_Ameen_Journey_to_the_Stars?id=Botlapokz2o67rl6owocwkeu2my" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AME5KJ4?ie=UTF8&amp;keywords=tom%20ameen%2C%20journey%20to%20the%20stars&amp;qid=1453224379&amp;ref_=sr_1_1&amp;s=dmusic&amp;sr=1-1-mp3-albums-bar-strip-0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tomameen6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CD Baby</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/tomameen" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> @tomameen | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Ameen/156594594373761" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/tomster88" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TomAmeen/videos" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> <a href="http://www.vitellosrestaurant.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vitello’s Restaurant</a>

S8E8: Tom Ameen - Building a Career as a Musician

Jay Alexander

Christian Cagigal

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 FestHere 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  

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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/managegigs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ManageGigs</a>: ManageGigs helps you keep track of all of your gigs online, without having to resort to spreadsheets. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/managegigs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a> to check them out and sign up for your free seven day trial! <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/freebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audible</a>: 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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/freebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to check it out!</a>  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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/jayvideos" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here for more details</a>.    Where can we find out more about Fog City Magic Fest? Feb 10-13 at Exit Theater <a href="http://fogcitymagicfest.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">fogcitymagicfest.com</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FogCityMagicFest" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/FogCityMagic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> @FogCityMagic | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fogcitymagicfest/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

Bonus: How are Jay Alexander & Christian Cagigal Building the Fog City Magic Fest?

Katie Marchese

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 MantraDefine 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 &amp; 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 MomentTalks 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 SuccessTheir 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 ChallengeLetting go and delegating.    Is there anything they would have done differently?Getting to the point they’re at right now faster.    Parting AdviceDon’t make decisions based on what others think you should do but based on your own research and convictions.      Exclusive Content for Patreon SupportersThis 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

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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/managegigs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ManageGigs</a>: ManageGigs helps you keep track of all of your gigs online, without having to resort to spreadsheets. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/managegigs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a> to check them out and sign up for your free seven day trial! <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/freebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audible</a>: 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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/freebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to check it out!</a>  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 &amp; 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, <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/patreonlink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">please consider supporting me on Patreon.</a>  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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/irresistiblerevolution" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne</a>  Where can we find Katie and Mario? <a href="http://www.mariothemagician.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MarioTheMagician.com</a> <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ramblingrosa/building-magic-a-documentary-about-mario-the-magic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Building Magic Kickstarter</a> <a href="http://www.buildingmagicdoc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BuildingMagicDoc.com</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mariothemagician" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/mariomagician" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> @mariomagician | <a href="http://instagram.com/mariothemagician" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.youtube.com/marioandkatie" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Youtube</a>

S8E7: Katie Marchese - Running a Magic Biz & Working with Her Husband

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 MantraCasting 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 AdviceBe generous. Help others and make a difference in people’s lives. Find your art.    Videos MentionedBuilding Magic (Short) Mario on Sesame Street   Exclusive Content for Patreon SupportersThis 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, 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/managegigs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ManageGigs</a>: ManageGigs helps you keep track of all of your gigs online, without having to resort to spreadsheets. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/managegigs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a> to check them out and sign up for your free seven day trial! <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/freebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audible</a>: 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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/freebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to check it out!</a>  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 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d04gzD3kdVY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Building Magic (Short)</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So-m489R5sE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mario on Sesame Street</a>  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, <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/patreonlink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">please consider supporting me on Patreon. </a>  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. <a href="http://hackaday.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HackADay.com</a> <a href="http://makezine.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Make Magazine</a> Books: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/thealchemist" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/MarkWilsonCourse" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mark Wilson’s Course in Magic</a>  Where can we find Mario the Magician? <a href="http://www.mariothemagician.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MarioTheMagician.com</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mariothemagician" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/mariomagician" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> @mariomagician | <a href="http://instagram.com/mariothemagician" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.youtube.com/marioandkatie" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Youtube</a>

S8E6: Mario the Magician - Generosity & Building His Own Props

The Successful Performercast is the show where I interview one full-time professional entertainer per week with the goal of inspiring and equipping those who are working to make the leap themselves. This is a show for all performers whether you’re a magician, a comedian, a juggler, or anything in between. You’ll hear and learn from the pros that are actually out there making a living doing what they love. I focus on questions designed to learn about each entertainer’s journey, struggles and victories while at the same time drawing out inspiration and tangible business advice that will help our listeners build their own businesses as entertainers.

If you are even mildly interested in being an active performer, this is the podcast for you!

Potent Info and Inspiration!

loved it !!! thank you. Very interesting podcast with good advices and good performers !

Great Podcast

The Successful Performercast is the show where I interview one full-time professional entertainer per week with the goal of inspiring and equipping those who are working to make the leap themselves. This is a show for all performers whether you’re a magician, a comedian, a juggler, or anything in between. You’ll hear and learn from the pros that are actually out there making a living doing what they love. I focus on questions designed to learn about each entertainer’s journey, struggles and victories while at the same time drawing out inspiration and tangible business advice that will help our listeners build their own businesses as entertainers.

Successful Performercast by Kris Sheppard | Successful Performer Cast | Weekly Interviews with Professional Entertainers | Show Business, Showbiz, Performer, Magic, Magician, Juggler, Comedian, Musician

In this episode, I talk to comedian John Crist about his business and career in comedy. We touch on such topics as setting goals, taking risks, and failure. Enjoy! John Crist is an award-winning comedian from Denver, CO who’s edgy, yet clean comedy has taken him around the country and made him popular with people of all ages. He was a finalist in Comedy Central's 2013 Up Next Comedy Competition, winner of the 2012 Denver Improv's Got Laughs Competition, as well as the 2012 Loonees Comedy Competition. He's opened for Seth Meyers and In 2013, he performed 275 shows at top comedy clubs like The Hollywood Improv, the Comedy Magic Club in Los Angeles, the Las Vegas Laugh Factory, The Punchline in Atlanta, and his home club, The Comedy Works in Denver. Add to this performing for Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, GE, Lexus, and HP. Oh yeah, he was also Hand-selected by Adam Carolla to share the screen with him in an upcoming 2015 film called Road Hard. Louie Anderson says "It's only a matter of time until John Crist is a household name. He is so likable, and his stand up is top notch."    Success Quote:If you want something, go get it. Period. — Will Smith in the Movie: Pursuit of Happyness    Two Failure Stories:The first scenario he talked about was a chance that he didn't take and now regrets. The second scenario was about a time he unintentionally called out an audience member's handicap.    Favorite Success:Being able to work with Adam Carolla in an upcoming movie (coming out next Spring).    What's Worked Best in Growing His BusinessSetting goals and approaching things with a purpose.    Biggest Professional ChallengeLetting things go. Delegating tasks like design, accounting, etc., so that you're free to do what you're good at.    Parting AdviceDo things that are great and share it with people.    Other Topics Covered• Fear and working hard despite that fear. • The importance on trying out new material on real people. • Talks about where he finds inspiration for material. • How sometimes you can put yourself too much into your passion. • Standup comedy is often built on failure. • Taking risks. • The benefits of being a clean act. • The importance of persistence. • Knowing your audience and adjusting your act 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! Resources Elance A tripod. To assist in selfies. :)     Books Failing Forward by John Maxwell Huck Finn by Mark Twain    Where can we find John Crist?John Crist's Official Site Facebook | Twitter @johnbcrist | YouTube | Instagram &lt;----- John's Instagram feed is hilarious!!!  

In this episode, I talk to comedian John Crist about his business and career in comedy. We touch on such topics as setting goals, taking risks, and failure. Enjoy! John Crist is an award-winning comedian from Denver, CO who’s edgy, yet clean comedy has taken him around the country and made him popular with people of all ages. He was a finalist in Comedy Central's 2013 Up Next Comedy Competition, winner of the 2012 Denver Improv's Got Laughs Competition, as well as the 2012 Loonees Comedy Competition. He's opened for Seth Meyers and In 2013, he performed 275 shows at top comedy clubs like The Hollywood Improv, the Comedy Magic Club in Los Angeles, the Las Vegas Laugh Factory, The Punchline in Atlanta, and his home club, The Comedy Works in Denver. Add to this performing for Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, GE, Lexus, and HP. Oh yeah, he was also Hand-selected by Adam Carolla to share the screen with him in an upcoming 2015 film called Road Hard. Louie Anderson says "It's only a matter of time until John Crist is a household name. He is so likable, and his stand up is top notch."    Success Quote: If you want something, go get it. Period. — Will Smith in the Movie: Pursuit of Happyness    Two Failure Stories: The first scenario he talked about was a chance that he didn't take and now regrets. The second scenario was about a time he unintentionally called out an audience member's handicap.    Favorite Success: Being able to work with Adam Carolla in an upcoming movie (coming out next Spring).    What's Worked Best in Growing His Business Setting goals and approaching things with a purpose.    Biggest Professional Challenge Letting things go. Delegating tasks like design, accounting, etc., so that you're free to do what you're good at.    Parting Advice Do things that are great and share it with people.    Other Topics Covered • Fear and working hard despite that fear. • The importance on trying out new material on real people. • Talks about where he finds inspiration for material. • How sometimes you can put yourself too much into your passion. • Standup comedy is often built on failure. • Taking risks. • The benefits of being a clean act. • The importance of persistence. • Knowing your audience and adjusting your act 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! Resources <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/elance" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Elance</a> A tripod. To assist in selfies. :)   Books <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/failingforward" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Failing Forward</a> by John Maxwell <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/huckfinn" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Huck Finn</a> by Mark Twain    Where can we find John Crist? <a href="http://johncristcomedy.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John Crist's Official Site</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/johnbcrist" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/johnbcrist" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> @johnbcrist | <a href="http://www.youtube.com/johnbcrist" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/johnbcrist" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> &lt;----- John's Instagram feed is hilarious!!!

S3E11: John Crist-Comedian

Scott Wells, from Houston Texas, is a corporate entertainer who combines a background of over 30 years in magic and business. His corporate performances have taken him around the world performing for such clients as ConocoPhillips, Merrill Lynch, and ChevronTexaco.

Scott Wells, from Houston Texas, is a corporate entertainer who combines a background of over 30 years in magic and business. His corporate performances have taken him around the world performing for such clients as ConocoPhillips, Merrill Lynch, and ChevronTexaco.

S1E3: Scott Wells-Magician

Paul Green is a magician that I've had the pleasure getting to know a little bit here and there online, as well as through his works that he's published. Paul's made a living performing strolling magic for corporate &amp; private events. He’s also been a frequent performer at the World Famous Magic Castle where he’s been awarded close up magician of the year and lecturer of the year.  Within the magic community he's worn many hats, such as creator, teacher, author, columnist, and lecturer. Through his many avenues of teaching he’s taught, based on real world experience, on his area of expertise, which is strolling, or walk around closeup magic, as well as on the business side of things.  His name may be Green, but he’s certainly not new when it comes to knowing how to win at magic and business.

Paul Green is a magician that I've had the pleasure getting to know a little bit here and there online, as well as through his works that he's published. Paul's made a living performing strolling magic for corporate &amp; private events. He’s also been a frequent performer at the World Famous Magic Castle where he’s been awarded close up magician of the year and lecturer of the year.  Within the magic community he's worn many hats, such as creator, teacher, author, columnist, and lecturer. Through his many avenues of teaching he’s taught, based on real world experience, on his area of expertise, which is strolling, or walk around closeup magic, as well as on the business side of things.  His name may be Green, but he’s certainly not new when it comes to knowing how to win at magic and business.

S2E10: Paul Green Strolling Magician

Mac King

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 &amp; 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 QuoteBig 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 MomentTells 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 AdviceDo 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 &amp; 3 PM. Mac King's Official Website Twitter @MacKingShow | Facebook

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 &amp; 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/flyingsolo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click Convert Profit </a>— 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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/flyingsolo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a> 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/25yearswiser" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">McComb's Magic by Billy McComb</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/learnmagic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Learn Magic by Henry Hay</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/harpospeaks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Harpo Speaks by Harpo Marx</a>  Where can we find Mac King? Mac Performs at Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas every Tuesday thru Saturday at 1 &amp; 3 PM. <a href="http://www.mackingshow.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mac King's Official Website</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mackingshow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> @MacKingShow | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mackingshow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>

S6E5: Mac King — Vegas Afternoon Magic

Justin Willman

In this interview, Justin Willman and I talk about his career in magic and TV and cover a great deal of topics like how he's gotten TV appearances, performing magic for a TV audience, and some business and marketing tips he's used to help him get where he is today. Justin Willman is a magician, actor, comedian, TV host, and all around fun guy. He’s been a regular guest on TV shows like The Tonight Show, Ellen, Rachael Ray, and Chelsea Lately as well as hosting the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars and Disney Channel’s Win, Loose, or Draw. You may have also seen him on such shows as Gilmore Girls and Disney’s the Suite Life on Deck. In addition to all this, he’s been touring his comedy and magic show “Tricked Out” around the country to great success and acclaim. With all this going on, I’m amazed that he was able to find time to talk to me for this interview.    Success Quotes:Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion. — Tony Hsieh of Zappos If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success. — James Cameron Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. — Winston Churchill.    Failure Moment:Justin tells us how he tried to pitch a magic reality TV show idea with a friend and how nobody liked it. He learned all about how to pitch a show.    Favorite Success:The Boston kid show market. This was his first venture into creating a successful business where he was actually turning shows down because he was booked.    Biggest Professional Challenge:Relinquishing control of his booking. not micromanaging. You have to trust the people that you hire to work for you.    Worked best for growing business:Creating a brand and having a mentor.    Interesting story:Justin tells us about a show he does every year out of tradition and how it ultimately caused him to get heckled by The First Lady while performing a Halloween show at the White House.    Other Topics Covered:• Likability. When people like you, they book you. • Pitching ideas for TV shows. • Magic Meltdown web series. • Tells us about a pilot he's working on right now with Comedy Central called Sleight of Mouth. • How he created the Justin Kredible brand. • How he morphed his kid shows into something that would work for colleges. • Looking at your competition's marketing efforts and doing something vastly different to stand out. • Having an assistant to answer your phone and an agent to help with booking shows. • How he got on talk shows like Rachael Ray and Ellen as a guest. • Performing magic for a TV audience. • Working with a publicist. • Making the people who hired you look great.    Parting AdviceNever "phone it in."    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: Voice memo app on his iPhone that he uses to record his shows.     Books: The Magic of Michael Ammar Maximum Entertainment by Ken Weber The Tipping Point and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell      Where can we find Justin Willman?JustinWillman.com Twitter @justin_willman | Instagram

In this interview, Justin Willman and I talk about his career in magic and TV and cover a great deal of topics like how he's gotten TV appearances, performing magic for a TV audience, and some business and marketing tips he's used to help him get where he is today. Justin Willman is a magician, actor, comedian, TV host, and all around fun guy. He’s been a regular guest on TV shows like The Tonight Show, Ellen, Rachael Ray, and Chelsea Lately as well as hosting the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars and Disney Channel’s Win, Loose, or Draw. You may have also seen him on such shows as Gilmore Girls and Disney’s the Suite Life on Deck. In addition to all this, he’s been touring his comedy and magic show “Tricked Out” around the country to great success and acclaim. With all this going on, I’m amazed that he was able to find time to talk to me for this interview.    Success Quotes: Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion. — Tony Hsieh of Zappos If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success. — James Cameron Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. — Winston Churchill.    Failure Moment: Justin tells us how he tried to pitch a magic reality TV show idea with a friend and how nobody liked it. He learned all about how to pitch a show.    Favorite Success: The Boston kid show market. This was his first venture into creating a successful business where he was actually turning shows down because he was booked.    Biggest Professional Challenge: Relinquishing control of his booking. not micromanaging. You have to trust the people that you hire to work for you.    Worked best for growing business: Creating a brand and having a mentor.    Interesting story: Justin tells us about a show he does every year out of tradition and how it ultimately caused him to get heckled by The First Lady while performing a Halloween show at the White House.    Other Topics Covered: • Likability. When people like you, they book you. • Pitching ideas for TV shows. • Magic Meltdown web series. • Tells us about a pilot he's working on right now with Comedy Central called Sleight of Mouth. • How he created the Justin Kredible brand. • How he morphed his kid shows into something that would work for colleges. • Looking at your competition's marketing efforts and doing something vastly different to stand out. • Having an assistant to answer your phone and an agent to help with booking shows. • How he got on talk shows like Rachael Ray and Ellen as a guest. • Performing magic for a TV audience. • Working with a publicist. • Making the people who hired you look great.    Parting Advice Never "phone it in."    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: Voice memo app on his iPhone that he uses to record his shows.   Books: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/magicofmichaelammar" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Magic of Michael Ammar</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/maximum-entertainment" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Maximum Entertainment</a> by Ken Weber <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/tipping-point" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Tipping Point</a> and <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/outliers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Outliers</a> by Malcolm Gladwell      Where can we find Justin Willman? <a href="http://www.justinwillman.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">JustinWillman.com</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/justin_willman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> @justin_willman | <a href="http://instagram.com/justinwillman/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>

S4E7: Justin Willman - Magician

Matthew McCoy

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 &amp; 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 QuoteFollow 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 &amp; 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 MomentCalled the music incorrectly when calling cues for show. They weren't able to recover. Ouch!    Favorite SuccessBAM! Starting Bay Area Musicals!    Biggest Professional ChallengeRaising capital. You don't want to set sail until you can afford to sink.    Interesting Story From the RoadA 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 AdviceHonesty, 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

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 &amp; 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/flyingsolo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click Convert Profit </a>— 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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/flyingsolo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a> 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 &amp; 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/theviewpointsbook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Viewpoints Book by Anne Bogart</a>  Where can we find Matthew McCoy? <a href="http://www.matthew-mccoy.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matthew McCoy's Website</a> <a href="http://championsofmagiclive.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Champions of Magic</a> <a href="http://www.bamsf.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BAM! Bay Area Musicals</a>

S6E2: Matthew McCoy - Theater Tips for Magicians

Kenton Knepper

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 MantraKeep 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 MomentTalks 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 SupportersThe 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 AdviceBe 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 &amp; Houston   Help Kenton OutI 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  

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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/managegigs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ManageGigs</a>: ManageGigs helps you keep track of all of your gigs online, without having to resort to spreadsheets. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/managegigs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a> to check them out and sign up for your free seven day trial! <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/freebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audible</a>: 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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/freebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to check it out!</a>  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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/patreonlink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Please consider supporting me on Patreon. </a> • 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:  <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/artandmagic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Art and Magic by SH Sharpe</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/mindgames" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mind Games by Masters &amp; Houston</a>  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. <a href="http://www.successfulperformercast.com/helpkenton" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click Here to Help Out</a>  Where can we find Kenton Knepper? <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/wonderwizards" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wonderwizards.com</a>

S8E4: Kenton Knepper - The Magic of Words & Communication

Nick Paul

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 NewsThis 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 MantrasYou’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 &amp; 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 MomentHow 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 SuccessLanding a contract with Disney.    Biggest Pro ChallengeDifferentiating himself from other magicians.    Parting AdviceBe 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 &amp; 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,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! <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/bluestarmoms/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a> 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 &amp; 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/satechiremote" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bluetooth Remote by Satechi</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/onetrack" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Onetrack for iPhone</a> Books: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/bornstandingup" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Born Standing Up by Steve Martin</a> Malcolm Gladwell Books - <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/outliers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Outliers</a>, <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/blink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blink</a>, <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/tipping-point" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Tipping Point</a>, <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/davidandgoliath" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">David &amp; Goliath</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/seducingstrangers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Seducing Strangers by Josh Weltman</a>  Where can we find Nick Paul? <a href="http://twomagiciansonemic.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Two Magicians One Mic.com</a> <a href="http://www.nickpaul.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NickPaul.net</a> <a href="https://vimeo.com/130582258" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Impossible Feats of Fake Magic (Full Show)</a>

S8E3: Nick Paul - Lessons from Performing with Disney

Kostya is magician out of Orlando Florida who is as skilled in business as he is with a deck of cards, and if you’ve seen his card magic, you’ve had your mind blown! He’s also one of the official magicians of the Orlando Magic basketball team. 

Kostya is magician out of Orlando Florida who is as skilled in business as he is with a deck of cards, and if you’ve seen his card magic, you’ve had your mind blown! He’s also one of the official magicians of the Orlando Magic basketball team.

S1E6: Kostya Kimlat-Magician

Doug Scheer

In this interview, Doug Scheer tells us all about creating themed educational magic shows! Doug Scheer is a magician and an expert at creating customized educational shows. He’d originally worked in the auto industry for two decades creating custom magical presentations for General Motors. And now he’s found success in offering 13 different shows to the educational school show market creating and performing shows that teach lessons as well as amaze!    Success Quote:I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. — Bill Cosby    Theme Shows:• Brainstorming ideas for themes. • How to match tricks with topics. • How to choose a topic to teach on. • How bolding a theme show is like building a house.    Doug's Book and a Contest!Entertaining Education: A Comprehensive Guide to Creating &amp; Performing Educational Magic Domestic Shipping | International Shipping This book teaches us Doug's method of creating educational magic shows and includes 18 scripts to different tricks, a DVD of one of his theme shows, a graphic novel-styled-book to go with the DVD, and a bunch of his promotional materials he uses to promote that show. Contest: I have one copy of Doug's book to give away which includes all of the items mentioned above.  Enter to win by leaving a comment at the Show Notes Page and telling us who your favorite interview has been and one thing you've learned and implemented in your business. I'll randomly pick a winner from the comments and announce it on my next episode!    Other Topics Covered:• What it's like working with your spouse. • A really cool story about how his show helped a single mother and child. • Increase your credibility by writing a book. • Connecting and working with special needs children on stage.    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: Verbalink.com   Books: Ultimate School Show Secrets by Joe Romano When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man by Jerry Weintraub    Where can we find Doug Scheer?DougScheer.com Wacky Science Franchised Show

In this interview, Doug Scheer tells us all about creating themed educational magic shows! Doug Scheer is a magician and an expert at creating customized educational shows. He’d originally worked in the auto industry for two decades creating custom magical presentations for General Motors. And now he’s found success in offering 13 different shows to the educational school show market creating and performing shows that teach lessons as well as amaze!    Success Quote: I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. — Bill Cosby    Theme Shows: • Brainstorming ideas for themes. • How to match tricks with topics. • How to choose a topic to teach on. • How bolding a theme show is like building a house.    Doug's Book and a Contest! Entertaining Education: A Comprehensive Guide to Creating &amp; Performing Educational Magic <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/entertainingeducationdomestic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Domestic Shipping</a> | <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/entertainingeducationinternational" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">International Shipping</a> This book teaches us Doug's method of creating educational magic shows and includes 18 scripts to different tricks, a DVD of one of his theme shows, a graphic novel-styled-book to go with the DVD, and a bunch of his promotional materials he uses to promote that show. Contest: I have one copy of Doug's book to give away which includes all of the items mentioned above. Enter to win by leaving a comment at the <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/dougscheer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Show Notes Page</a> and telling us who your favorite interview has been and one thing you've learned and implemented in your business. I'll randomly pick a winner from the comments and announce it on my next episode!    Other Topics Covered: • What it's like working with your spouse. • A really cool story about how his show helped a single mother and child. • Increase your credibility by writing a book. • Connecting and working with special needs children on stage.    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: <a href="http://verbalink.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Verbalink.com</a> Books: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/ultimateschoolshowsecrets" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ultimate School Show Secrets</a> by Joe Romano <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/jerryweintraub" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man</a> by Jerry Weintraub    Where can we find Doug Scheer? <a href="http://www.dougscheer.com/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DougScheer.com</a> <a href="http://www.dougscheer.com/store/p6/Franchise_Wacky_Science.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wacky Science Franchised Show</a>

S4E6: Doug Scheer - Educational Magic

In this episode, I talk to corporate magician and mind reader Kevin Viner. We talk about his career in magic and numerous other topics including some insight into his internet marketing strategy. He gives some great practical advice that we can plug into our own marketing efforts! Seriously, this episode is packed! Kevin Viner is a corporate magician and mentalist. Starting young, he learned his craft and by the tender age of 14 started performing at the world famous Magic Castle. Within a year of that, Qualcomm hired him for his first corporate gig, but we’ll get to that in a moment. Kevin’s been recognized by his peers with numerous awards including First Place at the Las Vegas World Magic Seminar, he received a Comedy award from International Brotherhood of Magicians, and was awarded 1st Place at the Magic Castle Strolling Magic Olympics. He’s appeared numerous times on television on the program Masters of Illusion, on Johnny Carson’s American Masters Biopic, and on Japan’s SuperDrama TV. When it comes to corporate engagements, Kevin boasts 90% of his work coming from corporate presentations and trade show work for clients like Conoco Phillips, GE, IBM, Johnson &amp; Johnson, PBS, SONY, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros. Just to name a few. And as if he’s not busy enough, in his spare time, he’s also a singer/songwriter composing for both piano and guitar, and somehow found time to train for and run his first marathon last year.  Success Quote:Knowledge and not doing are equal to not knowing at all. — fortune cookie  A Moment of Failure:Trying to get to the top of DIGG using some questionable means…  Favorite Success:Kevin's favorite success is being so busy with gigs he's able to travel the country doing what he loves.  What's been Kevin's biggest challenge?He learns and implements so much in his business, he has a hard time measuring the results of his efforts.  Getting to the top of Google SearchesKevin gives us some basic steps you can use to increase your organic google listings. Let's say, for example, Kevin wanted to  to get to the top of the searches for "Tulsa Oklahoma Magician." Here's what he would do: • On your website, create a title tag of no more than 70 characters that has those keywords and your name. Example: "Tulsa Oklahoma Magician - Kevin Viner" • Have "Tulsa Oklahoma Magician" a few times in the body copy and possibly in some H1 tags. (But don't keyword stuff!) • Find a couple online directories that are reputable and are local to Tulsa, link to them on you site and ask them to link back to you from their site. If you do any college shows, try to have them link to your website, as "edu" domains are more reputable. • Establish a Google+ page local listing, and get on Yelp for your city. • It also wouldn't hurt to go out and get a gigmasters or gig salad page to link back to your site for a little more "link juice" as Kevin puts it.  Other Topics Covered• If we feel stuck, it's because we're not doing the next thing that we're supposed to do. • Talks about taking constructive criticism. • Why it's important to "change it up"with your show when presenting for corporate clients. • Making sure you have a quality show. • Asking for referrals: "Can you introduce me to three of four people you think might be able to use this [my show]? • Describes his workflow when it comes to emails and how he gets to the ever elusive "Inbox Zero." • The psychology of shooting high. • Using correct grammar and being concise in your communications. • Recording your phone calls and re-scripting your dialogue for future use. • Maintaining confidence without boosting your ego. • Mastering skills  Parting advice:Don't do magic the way everyone else does it. Find a way to make it different.  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! Kevin shared a small fortune of resources with us in this episode! Here they all are, organized for your clicking pleasure. :) GMail Plugins Boomerang for Gmail Internet Resources Adobe Creative Cloud - creative design software iContact - Email marketing Lynda.com - online instruction moz.com - inbound marketing software Omnifocus - Task management for Mac, iPad, and iPhone Google Rankings and Adwords Resources Advanced Google Adwords by Brad Geddes Flying Solo: How Smart Solopreneurs Make Money Online by Josh London Google Adwords for Dummies Perry Marshall's Adwords Products SEO for Dummies Google's own SEO Starter Guide Business Books 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. Getting Things Done by David Allen Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell The War of Art by Steven Pressfield Creativity Books  Thinker Toys by Michael Michalko Whack on the Side of the Head by Roger von Oech How the Mind Works Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Magic &amp; Performance Books 13 Steps to Mentalism by Corinda Absolute Magic by Derren Brown Designing Miracles by Darwin Ortiz [Printed or Audio]  Where can we find Kevin Viner?Kevin's Website Facebook | Twitter @kevinviner | LinkedIn | Email

In this episode, I talk to corporate magician and mind reader Kevin Viner. We talk about his career in magic and numerous other topics including some insight into his internet marketing strategy. He gives some great practical advice that we can plug into our own marketing efforts! Seriously, this episode is packed! Kevin Viner is a corporate magician and mentalist. Starting young, he learned his craft and by the tender age of 14 started performing at the world famous Magic Castle. Within a year of that, Qualcomm hired him for his first corporate gig, but we’ll get to that in a moment. Kevin’s been recognized by his peers with numerous awards including First Place at the Las Vegas World Magic Seminar, he received a Comedy award from International Brotherhood of Magicians, and was awarded 1st Place at the Magic Castle Strolling Magic Olympics. He’s appeared numerous times on television on the program Masters of Illusion, on Johnny Carson’s American Masters Biopic, and on Japan’s SuperDrama TV. When it comes to corporate engagements, Kevin boasts 90% of his work coming from corporate presentations and trade show work for clients like Conoco Phillips, GE, IBM, Johnson &amp; Johnson, PBS, SONY, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros. Just to name a few. And as if he’s not busy enough, in his spare time, he’s also a singer/songwriter composing for both piano and guitar, and somehow found time to train for and run his first marathon last year.  Success Quote: Knowledge and not doing are equal to not knowing at all. — fortune cookie  A Moment of Failure: Trying to get to the top of DIGG using some questionable means…  Favorite Success: Kevin's favorite success is being so busy with gigs he's able to travel the country doing what he loves.  What's been Kevin's biggest challenge? He learns and implements so much in his business, he has a hard time measuring the results of his efforts.  Getting to the top of Google Searches Kevin gives us some basic steps you can use to increase your organic google listings. Let's say, for example, Kevin wanted to  to get to the top of the searches for "Tulsa Oklahoma Magician." Here's what he would do: • On your website, create a title tag of no more than 70 characters that has those keywords and your name. Example: "Tulsa Oklahoma Magician - Kevin Viner" • Have "Tulsa Oklahoma Magician" a few times in the body copy and possibly in some H1 tags. (But don't keyword stuff!) • Find a couple online directories that are reputable and are local to Tulsa, link to them on you site and ask them to link back to you from their site. If you do any college shows, try to have them link to your website, as "edu" domains are more reputable. • Establish a Google+ page local listing, and get on Yelp for your city. • It also wouldn't hurt to go out and get a gigmasters or gig salad page to link back to your site for a little more "link juice" as Kevin puts it.  Other Topics Covered • If we feel stuck, it's because we're not doing the next thing that we're supposed to do. • Talks about taking constructive criticism. • Why it's important to "change it up"with your show when presenting for corporate clients. • Making sure you have a quality show. • Asking for referrals: "Can you introduce me to three of four people you think might be able to use this [my show]? • Describes his workflow when it comes to emails and how he gets to the ever elusive "Inbox Zero." • The psychology of shooting high. • Using correct grammar and being concise in your communications. • Recording your phone calls and re-scripting your dialogue for future use. • Maintaining confidence without boosting your ego. • Mastering skills  Parting advice: Don't do magic the way everyone else does it. Find a way to make it different.  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! Kevin shared a small fortune of resources with us in this episode! Here they all are, organized for your clicking pleasure. :) GMail Plugins <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/boomerang" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Boomerang for Gmail</a> Internet Resources <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/creativecloud" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Adobe Creative Cloud</a> - creative design software <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/icontact" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iContact</a> - Email marketing <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/lynda" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lynda.com</a> - online instruction <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/moz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">moz.com</a> - inbound marketing software <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/omnifocus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Omnifocus</a> - Task management for Mac, iPad, and iPhone Google Rankings and Adwords Resources <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/advancedgoogleadwords" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Advanced Google Adwords</a> by Brad Geddes <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/flyingsolo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Flying Solo: How Smart Solopreneurs Make Money Online</a> by Josh London <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/adwordsfordummies" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Adwords for Dummies</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/perrymarshalladwords" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Perry Marshall's Adwords Products</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/seofordummies" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SEO for Dummies</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/googleseostarterguide" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google's own SEO Starter Guide</a> Business Books <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/4hourworkweek" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">4-Hour Workweek</a> by Timothy Ferriss <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/elementsofstyle" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Elements of Style</a> by William Strunk Jr. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/gettingthingsdone" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Getting Things Done</a> by David Allen <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/outliers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Outliers</a> by Malcolm Gladwell <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/war-of-art" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The War of Art</a> by Steven Pressfield Creativity Books  <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/thinkertoys" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thinker Toys</a> by Michael Michalko <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/whackonthesideofthehead" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Whack on the Side of the Head</a> by Roger von Oech How the Mind Works <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/thinkingfastandslow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thinking Fast and Slow</a> by Daniel Kahneman Magic &amp; Performance Books <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/corinda" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">13 Steps to Mentalism</a> by Corinda <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/absolutemagic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Absolute Magic</a> by Derren Brown Designing Miracles by Darwin Ortiz [<a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/designingmiracles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Printed</a> or <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/designingmiraclesaudio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audio</a>]  Where can we find Kevin Viner? <a href="http://www.kevinvinermagic.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kevin's Website</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficialKevinViner" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinViner" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> @kevinviner | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinvinermagic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> | <a href="mailto:kevin@kevinvinermagic.com">Email</a>

S3E4: Kevin Viner-Corporate Magician

Avner Eisenberg

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 MantraAlways 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 MomentGetting 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 SuccessA 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 ChallengePlaying the Jewel of the Nile    Interesting Story from the RoadTells 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 AdviceBe 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 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: <a href="http://www.avnertheeccentric.com/technical.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Avner’s Full Tech Documentation</a> Books: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/zenintheartofarchery" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/uncommontherapy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Uncommon Therapy: The Psychiatric Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D. by Jay Haley</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/aikidoindailylife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Aikido in Daily Life by Koichi Tohei</a>  Where can we find Avner Eisenberg? <a href="http://www.avnertheeccentric.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">avnertheeccentric.com</a>

S7E12: Avner Eisenberg - Comedy Without Words

Brian Miller

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 &amp; psychology of magic, and recently did a TEDx talk on “How to Magically Connect with Anyone."    Kris' Recommendation of the WeekLast 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 QuotesLeap 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 MomentHis 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 SuccessTransitioning 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 ChallengeFinding 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 AdviceDon’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, 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 &amp; 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 <a href="http://Lynda.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lynda.com</a> and their extensive wealth of online courses. This week is another great way to use your library card. <a href="https://www.overdrive.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OverDrive Media Console:</a> 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/evernote" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Evernote</a> - he likes to make audio notes.   Books: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/absolutemagic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Absolute Magic by Darren Brown</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/born-standing-up" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Born Standing Up by Steve Martin</a>  Where can we find Brian Miller? <a href="http://brianmillermagic.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brian Miller Magic</a>

S7E1: Brian Miller - Connecting With Your Audience

Jon Armstrong

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 &amp; 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 WeekChris 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 MantraHaving 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 &amp; 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 MomentTells 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 SuccessWining Close Up Magician of the Year from the Academy of Magical Arts. Parting AdviceGo 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, 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 &amp; 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 <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/crpodcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chris Ruggiero Podcast</a> - 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 &amp; 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/showcues" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Show Cues</a> <a href="https://www.mint.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mint.com</a> for Keeping Track of your finances   Books <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/understandingcomics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/gigflow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ken Dyne's Gig Flow</a>  Where can we find Jon Armstrong? <a href="http://www.cardjon.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.CardJon.com</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/tinyplunger" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tiny Plunger</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/cardjon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> @cardjon | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cardjon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cardjon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

S7E11: Jon Armstrong - Having No Plan B for Magic!

Scotty Meltzer is a computer science geek and ex-IBMer, turned entertainer who now rides a unicycle juggling knives and escaping from straight jackets for a living.  He is the head writer and one of two principal performers for his company Comedy Industries which specializes in reating custom presentations for trade shows, training sessions, sales meetings, and other corporate applications. Some of his clients include Apache design, HP, IBM, Netgear and Seagate, many of which have hired him upwards of 30 times!  In addition to this, Scotty also writes a monthly column where he talks about writing comedy for jugglers and other variety acts. A seemingly hidden treasure trove on the internet of great advice for anyone wanting to add comedy to their act, or even just be funnier in life!

Scotty Meltzer is a computer science geek and ex-IBMer, turned entertainer who now rides a unicycle juggling knives and escaping from straight jackets for a living.  He is the head writer and one of two principal performers for his company Comedy Industries which specializes in reating custom presentations for trade shows, training sessions, sales meetings, and other corporate applications. Some of his clients include Apache design, HP, IBM, Netgear and Seagate, many of which have hired him upwards of 30 times!  In addition to this, Scotty also writes a monthly column where he talks about writing comedy for jugglers and other variety acts. A seemingly hidden treasure trove on the internet of great advice for anyone wanting to add comedy to their act, or even just be funnier in life!

S2E8: Scotty Meltzer Corporate Juggler

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&amp;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 &amp; 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 Week11 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 QuotesDrink 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 AdviceQuit 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, 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&amp;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 &amp; 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/flyingsolo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click Convert Profit </a>— 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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/flyingsolo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a> 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 <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/williamrader/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">William Rader</a> from <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/wellattended" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WellAddended.com</a> 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 <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/wellattendedgiveaway" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a> 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/117ideas" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">117 Ideas for Better Business Presentations by Tom Kirby</a>  Where can we find Fielding West? <a href="http://fieldingwest.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fieldingwest.com</a> <a href="http://Stagecraft101.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stagecraft101.net</a> (Coming Soon) <a href="http://www.billytopit.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BillyTopit.com</a> (Fielding plays the Mayor of Las Vegas)

S6E11: Fielding West - Stories and Stagecraft 101

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 &amp; 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 QuoteBig 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 MomentTells 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 AdviceDo 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 &amp; 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. 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 &amp; 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/flyingsolo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click Convert Profit </a>— 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. <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/flyingsolo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a> 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: <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/25yearswiser" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">McComb's Magic by Billy McComb</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/learnmagic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Learn Magic by Henry Hay</a> <a href="http://successfulperformercast.com/harpospeaks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Harpo Speaks by Harpo Marx</a>  Where can we find Mac King? Mac Performs at Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas every Tuesday thru Saturday at 1 &amp; 3 PM. <a href="http://www.mackingshow.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mac King's Official Website</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mackingshow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> @MacKingShow | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mackingshow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>

Best of Episodes - Vegas Magic with Mac King

George is a magician and actor out of Los Angeles who’s made a reputation performing magic for celebrities, corporate and private events, restaurants, and cruise ships. His superlative sleight-of-hand skills, and his engaging personality, have made him a sought after entertainer.

George is a magician and actor out of Los Angeles who’s made a reputation performing magic for celebrities, corporate and private events, restaurants, and cruise ships. His superlative sleight-of-hand skills, and his engaging personality, have made him a sought after entertainer.

S1E5: George Tovar-Magician

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