Getting the Gigs Part 2…and finding your “Space.”

Moving forward, I am cutting back on the “event service” agencies. The investment for return on Gigs is not a win for me.

So, I’ve got some work cut out for me. I have to do my own SEO. Not my expertise, this is throwing spaghetti on a wall to see what sticks. Hiring a pro is too costly for my market.

Status is relevant for all gig workers. Your status determines your value…just the facts.

If you want to upgrade your status you must boost your reputation and clients.

An immediate bump in reputation is not easy, but for the hungry, you might consider an audition for AGT. The bad news is you have to be good. That is not unreasonable considering your goal. The good news is you do not have to win. You earn an immediate badge of honor. When you can claim, “As seen on…”

There are also local opportunities, be creative. You may be newsworthy. Exposure, exposure, exposure!

Upgrading your clients means seeking work from people with deep pockets. I work mostly at private events. Birthdays, holiday parties, weddings…occasionally I work at a corporate event. There is a lot more money available in the corporate world. You’ll have to bang on a few doors, but some low-profile magicians make serious money through trade shows.

(By low profile, I mean magicians who may not have a “Star reputation” in the magic community, but they have status in the corporate world.)

One of the best from my generation is Paul Gertner. Paul is not a low-profile Magician. Paul's creation “The Ring on the Hour Glass” was featured in one of David Copperfield’s TV Specials.

                            

                 

He’s fooled, Penn and Teller.

Paul was even seen in Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. Lesson: Grab every opportunity.

I’m too old to follow my own advice, but the young can shoot for the stars. Again, you have to be good, real good. Just because you want to make a living as a magic performer doesn’t mean you can. 

I don’t believe there is a magic mirror where we can truly see ourselves and our abilities and limitations. Perseverance without talent will not pay off.

I can tell you, if you are outstanding, you may do well. However, there is a lot of hard work involved. If you think of all you need to prepare for, you might choose a different path.

Have you thought about health insurance?

I remain surprised when “name Magicians” need to access Go Fund Me for medical bills.

Have you thought about retirement, or paying taxes? Don’t even think you can survive on Social Security. You are self-employed and are responsible for your own retirement.

One high-profile magician has combined his private business and still followed his passion for magic. Check out Marc DeSouza. 

                              

Remember, we can’t all be famous… but that’s not why we do this. 

Good Luck.

Joe Ferranti

Boston Massachusetts Magician

Boston's Favorite Adult Birthday Magician....

Adult Birthday Magic

Not long ago, the only people looking for Birthday Magicians were parents interested in making their child's Birthday Special. It is still the major search for birthday Parties. 

Why not, it is perfect entertainment for a crowd of kids. See some videos of kids laughing and screaming!

I do pretty much the same thing, except my audience age is somewhere between 17 to 100 years old. (Yes, I've done exactly that, and every age in between.

Just a little caveat, make sure you search for Adult Birthday Magicians...check out Google or any search engine. There are many to choose from, you'll find me there amongst the crowd.

I'd love to be your choice, here's my latest google Review.

I booked Joe for my fiancé’s birthday, and he was fantastic!!! From the first call to inquire about his services, to saying goodbye after his performance, working with Joe was a pleasure and a smooth process. We agreed Joe would meet us at a bowling alley at 9pm after our birthday dinner at a nearby restaurant. Our dinner was running late, so I stepped out to call Joe and let him know. He told me it was no problem at all and not to rush, which eased my mind greatly. We showed up to the bowling alley at 9:30pm and met Joe and his wife waiting there for us, they were so warm and kind. Joe’s magic was incredible, and he was very funny and engaging with our guests. His wife was so sweet and filmed the whole thing. We all had such a great time and are still talking about it days later. He made my fiancé’s birthday so special. Joe is an amazing magician, and very easy, flexible, and adaptable to work with.

If you are hearing a "tooting" sound, that would be me, blowing my own horn.

Give me a call 339-927-4710, Let's make someone's Birthday, special.

Joe Ferranti

ferrnatimagic.com

Getting the Gigs with Paid Avertising or Search Engine Optimization.

Getting the Gigs…Part One

Joe Ferranti professioanal magician Boston Massachusetts

I’ve been working as a “Semi Pro Magician” for a relatively short time…12 years. But the process of getting work is not remotely close to when I began.

The first challenge is to inform potential clients that you exist. (Having a website does not do this…well, not automatically.)

 I quickly learned that I needed to be seen where people search for magicians. Twelve years ago, that was Gig masters and Gig Salad. These are event services directories, they command the top spots on the internet, so my website is “David”, and they are “Goliath.”

Fact! Most internet searchers don’t go past the first page, I am not sure if most go past the top two or three listings.

When you are beginning you need to belong to one or more event service providers. (I don’t call them agents, as we have no personal relationship.)

As a client, it looks pretty good, you don’t pay a fee for your introduction to the talent. If you are The Magician, D.J., band, etc. You pay a fee, depending on which services you choose to use. Some “agencies” charge a membership fee which ranges from $300 to $500 each year, but it doesn’t end there. After you are booked you pay an additional fee for each gig you secure. Other event services simply charge you for each event individually. The cost to communicate with a client can be quite steep, especially considering you have no idea of at least an approximation of their budget. This can be literally like burning money.

Since I began, the number of event service providers has grown. If I belonged to all of them, it would cost me as much as my yearly income. I won’t mention them by name as they get too much attention without my help.

 Until next time ...

                 Joe Ferranti Massachusetts’ Favorite Adult Birthday Magician 

                                             339-927-4710  joseph.ferranti06@comcast.net

                                         Next blog continues with more, on Getting the Gigs.

 

 

 

  

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly of YouTube Education

 Yes, You Can Learn Magic on YouTube

             

     
                      
My last blog focused on what is essential reading for magicians, or if that is becoming increasingly moot.

There is no simple answer. I lean towards yes, but let's look at our "student" of magic in the 21st century, compared to my day in the latter part of the 20th century. 

Where do our next generation of magicians go to learn the secrets of magic...the library? I suppose this is a rhetorical question. YouTube is the obvious answer. (Don't get ahead of me, I will not bash the YouTube lovers, I am one as well.)

Videos on the internet began in 2005. The pioneers sharing magic secrets were often amateurs with little or no talent. (Amateur magicians have often contributed excellent material as well as invention of every style of magic.) Alex Elmsley was a computer programmer by day but was also major contributor to card magic. 

So, the first contributors to the field of magic on YouTube were hit or miss. I always advised the younger magicians to consider the classics books and video learning as well. The first videos were on VHS Tapes, and DVDs were not far behind. Today, downloadable videos are readily available from online magic dealers, the DVDs are fading in the sunset. 

Today, you can learn a lot on YouTube from extremely talented magicians, and much of it is free. What's not to like? Here's a few resources.

Alex Pandrea, Ekaterina, and Jay Sankey, * just to mention a few. All are knowledgeable and provide excellent insights and tutorials in magic. They also have products for sale as well. YouTube has come a long way since its inception. That is the upside.

Where I see a shortcoming is we lose the history of techniques and often proper credits to the original inventors. I know there are some who simply don't care, as they just want to learn a few tricks. 

David Blaine's "Street Magic" aired in April 1997. It was a new presentation style which captivated a new audience of young magicians. Soon after,they started "naming" the tricks he performed. One of the most popular became known as the Two Card Monte.

David certainly deserved credit for his personalization of the trick. In fact, his influence brought immediate copycats to his style. It surprised some magicians as they had the trick in their libraries and had passed it buy. It was hiding in an Eddie Fechter book from the 70s. You can see Pop Haydn performing it, not as the Two Card Monte but as 'Be Honest What is It?" 

David also performed a levitation effect. There was a little controversy amongst magicians, which is of no importance now. Suffice to say, the trick had been around for a long time, known as The Balducci Levitation. Kudos to David for recognizing the power of a simple parlor stunt/trick. 

There was no deceit from David. He just found a new audience who appreciated his style and stunned them with some of the old classics of magic. Here he performs "The Invisible Deck." 

The internet and TV have popularized Magic in a way I have never seen before. Watch Penn and Teller Fool Us. If you are a well-informed magician, their use of "code" will reveal most of the secrets to you. I hope that after this new generation learns their tricks, curiosity brings them an interest in Magic history, and they discover the "Shoulders of the Giants" we all stand on. It is always good to know how we got to where we are today. History is available to the curious, and you will be better magician for knowing it.

Boston Magician

Joe Ferranti

339-927-4710

* You can monetize your YouTube channel, and I imagine this is the case, but the cost is nothing to the searcher.

Also, there are now subscription channels where users need to pay a fee for access. For example, Netrix, there are many others, you can easily find them. 

Boston Corporate Magician Joe Ferranti

339-927-4710

In Print Since 1902...The Card Man's Bible?

Artifice Ruse and Subterfuge 

 

My interest in magic, especially card magic, goes back over 50 years. As a child, the only learning sources available to me were in the public library. The books were few, and the secrets I desired were not to be found, at least not in my library. 

It was a world without the internet.TV had 3 channels and the phones... well, our first was a "party line." You can look that up, but the party had nothing to do with having a good time.

As my interest in magic grew, I knew I had to find more sources than my local library. Using the Yellow Pages, I found some Magic Shops in Boston. Who knew?… for a price, the magician’s closely guarded secrets were available to anyone. Individual tricks were available and books on Card Magic, which was my primary interest.

My first serious "teacher" through books was Dai Vernon. He was truly the most influential close-up magician of the 20th century. He lived and breathed magic. Young magicians flocked to the Magic Castle to learn from the master.

Vernon often referenced The Expert at the Card Table as essential reading.Every magician I know has a copy. If you are interested, you can find it as a free source as it is in the public domain. I found it difficult and sometimes impossible to learn through the written words and illustrations. We can learn only by clear descriptive text and enough illustrations to make everything crystal clear. I tried following along with the text and illustrations, step by step... repeatedly, often hitting a dead end. I heard no magicians share my frustrations. Was this a case of the "Emperor's New Clothes"? Was it just me?

I am not saying that The Expert at the Card Table is of no value. Vernon was a living credit to the book.

The Expert at The Card Table has the highest accolades from the top men in the magic world. Although I was unsuccessful in translating the descriptions and illustrations into my personal arsenal of sleights and "tricks" was not to say that it can't be done. 

Allan Ackerman took on a project of presenting the entire book on a DVD series. Allan performs it all, expertly. Even the infamous "One Hand Shift."

Allan is certainly one of the foremost experts of sleight-of-hand card magic spanning the 20th and 21st century. His contributions to the magic community are many, including books, DVDs, and lecture notes. 

I freely admit I am not the most intelligent amongst men. My personal limitations certainly played a part in my inability to learn from this book. Also consider what attracts our interests in magic books? For most, we are interested in the "tricks, " and there are tricks in this book. They present the book in two sections. The first focuses on gambling. Use it as you choose, as a protection from being cheated at the poker table or as a source of information to steal other people's money at the poker table.

The second section focuses on magic tricks with cards, which I hope is of more interest to most of us.

As most magicians know, many superb effects exist in print, waiting for discovery by an observant and creative individual.I think of Dai Vernon's famous effect, "Out of Sight, Out of Mind." The inspiration for Vernon's classic came from The Expert at the Card Table, under the title, "A Mind Reading Trick". 

One of the often mentioned critiques of the book is the dated writing/text... but one young magician turned that around and used it to advantage in a entertaining presentation. See Ricky Jay's performance using to advantage the outdated language almost directly from the book. See The Exclusive Coterie.

I urge you to explore this work yourself. It costs you nothing... the best minds in magic will tell you to study carefully and read between the lines.

Your mileage may vary.

Boston Close Up Magician                                                                                                            Joe Ferranti                                                                                                www.ferrantimagic.com                                                                                                                   339-927-4710

The Magic Entertainment of Massachusett's Magician Joe Ferranti

 Magician’s Perspective…” Reading the Room”

    ferrantimagic.com  339-927-4710

I was recently hired for my Strolling Magic for a 30th anniversary celebration. I always discuss these events with my clients in advance. The more I know the better I can be prepared to deliver entertainment to fulfill their vision of that special day.

The expected attendance was near 75 people, upon arrival there was clearly less. The hosts knew I had a couple of “special effects” (tricks) for them.

However, the original plan was for me to begin my strolling magic with their guests and perform for them at a later time.

Anniversary Magician Boston Massachusetts

My job is to do what I am asked to do, but in this situation, I gently advised a different approach. I suggested we open with the anniversary couple and arrange for their guests to watch as I performed the two tricks, I had prepared for them. They agreed, and not to add a complication for them, I arranged the guests in a semi-circle to watch the performance.

Why were the clients immediately flexible?

I only work with people who believe in me as a professional and have confidence in my abilities. Having nearly 50 videos on YouTube of me performing helps build that trust. 

Occasionally, (rarely) in discussions with potential clients, I see they are not totally “sold” on me. I don’t know why, and it matters little. If a client is not 100% on board, I can do one of two things. I can assume the role of a salesperson and try to close the deal, or I can politely suggest they continue their search for someone they are more comfortable with. This works for me. I want my clients thinking, “This is going to be great!” as opposed to, “I hope this is good for my event.” Without going into psychology, I believe we get what we expect.

All ended perfectly, as if this was the original intention for the celebration. I had the attention of the entire group with the anniversary couple center stage and entertained with a mini show. Ending with applause for the couple and a standing ovation for me. Well, they were already standing.

Joe Ferranti

Close up Strolling and Parlor Magician
Boston and Massachusetts.