January 20, 2017 | Author: smieciozbiornik | Category: N/A
The Approach
The Approach By Jamie D. Grant
A guide to becoming a working Walkaround Magician.
by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach
by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach
Copyright 2013 Jamie D. Grant Hiya Everyone! I’ll be honest. I can write something fancy here like we’re all used to… © 2013, Jamie D. Grant. Except as provided by the Copyright Act. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. Or I can ask you, as a friend, to not copy this book, sell it after you’ve used the information, or spread it around the Internet. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m just going to straight up ask you (nicely)…
“Hey! Can you do me a favor? Don’t do any of those things? It would mean a lot to me, and I’d think you’re way cooler if you didn’t. That’s it! Have an awesome day!” That’s it. by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach
by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach Table of Contents Intro ................................................................................ 5 1. How Many Tricks You Should Know ................... 8 2. Who Are You? ..................................................... 12 3. Developing Your Sets ~ Part I............................. 15 4. How to Practice ................................................... 18 5. Your Magic Fridays ............................................. 22 6. Business Cards ..................................................... 31 7. Websites ............................................................... 34 8. How Do You Look? ............................................. 37 9. What to Wear....................................................... 40 10. Funny or Serious .................................................. 42 11. Are You Any Good Yet? ...................................... 45 12. Starting Conversations ......................................... 48 13. Touching People .................................................. 52 14. How Much to Charge .......................................... 54 15. The Cocktail Party ............................................... 60 16. Getting Started ..................................................... 65 17. Volunteer Gigs & Charities .................................. 67 18. What to Say in E-mails ........................................ 74 19. The Telephone Call ............................................. 81 20. Getting There ...................................................... 84 21. Developing Your Sets ~ Part 2 ............................ 85 22. Silence .................................................................. 90 23. What Does My Contract Look Like? ................... 93 24. Transitions ........................................................... 96 25. Conquering Nerves .............................................. 99 26. How to Get Gigs ................................................ 103 27. Getting Ready for the First One ........................ 109 28. Fingernail Care .................................................. 110 29. How Much Time to Prepare ............................. 112 30. Pocket Management .......................................... 115 31. Your List ............................................................ 119
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The Approach 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64.
The Big Secret.................................................... 120 Your Close-Up Case/Bag .................................. 123 Things to Never Forget ...................................... 124 Hat or No Hat.................................................... 126 The Handshake .................................................. 127 What to Put in the Lobby .................................. 129 Who to Approach First ...................................... 131 My First Effect ................................................... 133 What Rubber Bands to Use ............................... 135 Moving Through a Room ................................. 136 The First Words I Say ........................................ 138 Highs and Lows ................................................. 141 Getting Applause ............................................... 143 More Transitions ............................................... 145 Saying Goodbye to Your Group ........................ 148 Tables versus Standing ...................................... 150 Dealing with the Alpha Male ............................. 152 Staying in One Spot ........................................... 156 Busted! ................................................................ 158 Getting Compliments ......................................... 161 Letting Spectators Shuffle .................................. 163 Reset - Reset ...................................................... 165 The Venue Staff ................................................. 167 Kids at an Event................................................. 168 Burning Through Material ................................ 170 How Many Hours? ............................................ 173 Remembering Names ........................................ 175 When to Show the Event Planner...................... 181 The Card Force I Always Use ........................... 182 Accepting Tips ................................................... 184 Wallets ................................................................ 186 Handing Out Business Cards ............................. 188 What to Never Borrow ...................................... 190
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The Approach 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97.
Someone Wants to Show You a Trick............... 191 A Regular Deck.................................................. 194 Weddings ........................................................... 196 Large Tables ...................................................... 200 Joining Them for Dinner ................................... 203 Vest versus Jacket ............................................... 206 The Second Big Secret ....................................... 208 “Do It Again!” .................................................... 210 Another Magician Shows Up ............................ 212 Gigs Outside ...................................................... 214 When Only Ten People Show Up ..................... 216 Do You Need a Stage Show? ............................. 221 Dance Floors ...................................................... 225 Checking Back In ............................................... 227 Dropping Cards ................................................. 229 Sponge Balls ....................................................... 230 Dealing with Disappointment ............................ 231 Hecklers ............................................................. 232 Open versus Closed Body Language ................. 237 One-Handed Spectators .................................... 240 Stock Lines ......................................................... 242 Lone Stragglers .................................................. 245 Journal................................................................ 247 Leaving Them with Something ......................... 248 Custom Decks .................................................... 250 False Memories .................................................. 253 Invoices .............................................................. 257 How to get Testimonials .................................... 258 Getting ALL the Money .................................... 261 Increasing Rates ................................................. 263 Busking ............................................................... 264 Repeat Gigs ........................................................ 266 Pictures ............................................................... 268
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The Approach 98. 99. 100. 101. 102.
Social Media ...................................................... 269 Agents................................................................. 271 Going Full Time ................................................ 274 Go Get It ............................................................ 278 The Beginning.................................................... 279
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The Approach
Intro|Advice
“If you want to get discovered, be awesome.” -David Moses Be awesome. That’s what this book is about. It’s not about getting discovered, making a zillion dollars, or getting famous. It’s about bringing out the best in you and showing it to the world; via the greatest art there is: the art of
Magic.
That said, there’s no reason why you
shouldn’t be able to make money at the same time. And I’m here to hopefully help you with both. But how do we do it? I mean really do it.
How do we actually
get there? I’ll be honest; we’re going to take different paths. None of us is going to take the same route to awesome-ville, but I can
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The Approach share with you my route. I can tell you the exact steps
I’ve
taken to get to where I am today and, let me tell you, it’s brought me happiness, joy, and wonder. I’m excited! It’s going to be fun sharing all I’ve learned with you! Before we get started, let’s go over some
ideas I have for this work
of mine. I’ll be including a lot of anecdotes, mistakes, stories and lessons. Hopefully it’ll all make sense by the time this goes to press. So bear with me as we go along. My plan was to go through my career in chronological order; from the day I picked up my first effect all the way through to yesterday. But there are simply too many things that went on concurrently. So, instead, I’m simply going to give you over
100 things to think about, study, and learn
from. They’ll be split up into: Advice: Ideas that have worked for me over the years. Essays: Longer pieces that I believe apply across the board. Articles: Previous articles I’ve written. Tips: Quick ideas to apply. Tricks: Secrets to making things easier for yourself. Study: Introspective work to help make you a better performer. Anecdotes: Stories from the road. Lessons: Ideas to take things to the next level.
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The Approach We may jump around a bit, so feel free to start (and finish) anywhere you like. And, on that note, let me also mention this:
please use this book.
Make it your own. Dog ear the
corners, write your name on it, doodle your logo in it - the one that will one day be splashed across the TV - put notes in the margins, own it. Help me make it
awesome. You’re the only one for the
job. Finally, don’t let my formatting scare you. As a writer, I hate massive chunks of text so you’ll see me use a lot of italics, bold, and
different font sizes to help break things up. I’m also going to be highlighting one sentence in each chapter that I think is the most important. So have fun and jump right in! All right, enough preamble, let’s get started.
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The Approach
Chapter 1|Article How Many Tricks You Should Know You can’t be a magician without knowing tricks. I think we can all agree on that, right? Or effects. Or illusions. Or whatever you would like to call them. A lot of people are very passionate about calling them one thing and not another; but all I know is that if someone is hiring you to come to their party and perform magic, you had better know how to do something. So how many “somethings” do you actually need to know? It’s easy to get caught up in the latest and the greatest that the magic world has to offer but, at the end of the day, how many tricks can you do at
a
moment’s notice, blindfolded, while riding a bicycle? I wrote this as an online essay a couple of years back so I’m going to put the original here and then we’ll talk a bit more about it afterwards… Originally written September 20, 2010 I just thought I'd offer some insight into how many tricks/effects are actually required to do a working Walkaround gig. Please let me preface this by saying that this is what I've found, after years of doing every kind of gig
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The Approach conceivable to mankind, and it is simply what works for me. Now a lot of people will say it all depends and that each person is different, etc. Me? I'll just straight up tell ya...
9. There's an old saying that an amateur can perform a ton of tricks with average skill, but a pro can perform three brilliantly. That's true, to be sure, but it needs a bit of refinement... Basically, I find that you need three sets of three effects. Here's why: you're at the event; it's a cocktail party type of setting where everyone is standing and drinking. You approach a group of four or five people and absolutely kill it with three amazing effects (tricks 1, 2, and 3). They're laughing and screaming and can't believe you pulled the card out of their nose. So what's next? Well, you take two steps (if you're lucky - sometimes you'll just turn around) and begin for the group of eight people who were standing behind you and sort of already watching. And you don't want to pull a card out of their nose as well. Remember: Once is magic, twice is a lesson. This is where you'll bust out your second set of three effects (tricks 4, 5, and 6). You'll
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The Approach show this group something completely new. This will also help if any of the people from that first group are still watching. Next? Same thing. Take a couple of steps and perform your final set (tricks 7, 8, and 9). By this time you should physically be far enough away from your original group that, when you approach your fourth group, you can start over with your original three tricks (1, 2, and 3 again). This will also give you the added benefit of, if less people come to the event than were intended (which will happen way more often than you think), you will be able to start over from the beginning by showing that very first group your second set and carrying on, essentially allowing you three tours of the room. ~Jamie
After re-reading that, I think everything still holds true. The only thing I might add is that, instead of thinking of it as nine separate effects, start splitting them up into 3 sets of 3 right away. That way you’ll get an idea of how one trick can flow into another and how
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The Approach they work together. That’s how I try to learn new magic; whenever I pick up something new I ask myself:
“If I start using this effect at working gigs, where will it go? Will it be an opener, a closer, or something in the middle?” Keep those questions at hand when purchasing new magic. And don’t worry; we’ll be talking more about what makes great openers, middles, and closers a bit later.
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The Approach
Chapter 2|Study Who Are You? I know that sounds like a weird question, but it’s an important one. And when I ask, “Who
are you?” I’m referring
to who you are in your heart. Who do you want to be? This is the question you need to start thinking about right away. So while you’re working on your nine effects, describe your ideal you. Even better, write
it down here. I’m serious! Grab a pen and write down
who you are. I’ll give you my description, if it’ll help. This is how I would privately describe myself on paper. You’ll do the same in a second: “My name is Jamie D. Grant and I’m a comedy magician. Now, before you think I walk around making jokes, let me give you a better idea. Picture Brad
Pitt. Okay, with a little less hair. Now
picture Brad Pitt walking around a party and showing people amazing card tricks and sleight of hand illusions. Everyone’s laughing and talking excitingly. People are making new friends. This is probably the greatest party these people have ever been to. It’s the party of the century. All because I’m here helping them have an amazing time!”
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The Approach Arrogant? Brash? Absolutely not! You need to get a mental image of the type of person you want to become. You need to visualize how you want others to perceive you. Yours might look like this…
“My name is John Smith and I’m a smooth man of mystery. I float from group to group silently reading minds and changing people’s lives. Not everyone will know I’m there but the ones that do will remember me forever.” Or,
“My name is Jane Doe and I’m absolutely hilarious. I can make everyone laugh at the drop of a hat and I drop my hat a lot. I can also do coin tricks like nobody’s business - all with a smile.” So why is this important? Because who you are is going to help determine what kind of tricks you’ll be learning. Are you a serious mentalist? If so, one of your 9 effects probably shouldn’t be
sponge bunnies. Are you the funniest guy in the room? Well, putting a spike through your neck most likely isn’t a great fit. So before you get too far ahead of yourself, picture who you want to be and then fill this in.
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The Approach Seriously. Fill this in. Who Am I (inside)? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
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The Approach Chapter 3|Lesson Developing Your Sets ~ Part I Okay, now that you’ve got an idea of who you are (and we’ll be coming back to that) and who you’d like to become, it’s time to start working out what effects are going to make up your
sets. And
I’ll be honest, this list will change many times over the course of your career. You’re going to be experimenting quite a bit and there will be a lot of trial and error. But we can do a good deal of pre-planning in the meantime. So let’s start with writing down 12 tricks that you know. If you’re already a “worker” (someone who performs regularly), this is an awesome exercise. It’ll give you some insight into what effects you’re actually performing regularly. 8 of my 12 regular effects are ones I started performing over
ten years ago,
for example. I know I said you only need to know 9, but you’ve got to have a couple extra that you learned along the way. If you don’t have a dozen, then use this list as a list of effects you need to learn. And don’t worry about whether these are the latest and greatest magic
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The Approach has to offer. Just get learning. The classics are the greatest place to start but it’s okay to explore the entire magic world. Some things to consider, though: ~Can they be performed standing? ~Do they have a quick “reset”? ~Are they smaller than a toaster? My 12 Tricks: (E.g.): CHOP CUP
by
Dennis Loomis
1) _________________________by_______________________ 2)_________________________by_______________________ 3)_________________________by_______________________ 4)_________________________by_______________________ 5)_________________________by_______________________ 6)_________________________by_______________________ 7)_________________________by_______________________
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The Approach 8)_________________________by_______________________ 9)_________________________by_______________________ 10)_________________________by______________________ 11)_________________________by______________________ 12)_________________________by______________________ While you’re working on your initial dozen, we’re going to move on to some other things that you should be working on. Before we do, though, let
me ask you this. Take a look at your 12 effects
up there. Now, ask yourself, when is the last time you performed each and every one of them? Be honest with yourself. If we’re going to pull the best 9 out of there and start charging people money to see them then we should probably make sure you really, truly, know them. That’s not always the easiest thing to do, though. So the question now becomes, how do we actually do that? In real
life?
How do we practice?
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The Approach
Chapter 4|Essay How to Practice It’s a three-step process: Step 1: The first step is reading the instructions. Or watching the DVD. Or, my favourite, reading the book. Knowing the moves and performing them on yourself, this is always the beginning.
Step 2: This is what I personally feel is one, if not THE, biggest stumbling block that prevents people from
becoming working
magicians. And it’s not that they don’t practice, it’s that they don’t practice in front of other people. But wait! If you’re doing tricks in front of other people, it’s not practicing, it’s performing, isn’t it? No. And here’s why…
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The Approach You must find a group of people who you can regularly show magic to without fearing failure. You must find yourself a safe environment. What exactly does that mean? It means if you drop the coin, you can
actually say,
“Hold on, I dropped it, let me start over.” For a lot of people, it’s going to be their wives or husbands, or family, or girlfriend or boyfriend. But it can’t be just one person - and that’s hard for some. So if you only have one of those people in your life, go find some others. If you don’t trust your friends, start going to magic clubs or meetings, socialize, find someone else. Who are your three people that you can show new magic to without stressing yourself out? 1)_______________________________________ 2)_______________________________________ 3)_______________________________________
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The Approach Step 3: My final step is taking it out into the real world for people who aren’t paying you money. And this is where I can give you a solution that I’ve been doing since 2006.
Magic Friday. If you have a day job, you’re golden. From this day forward, you’re going to perform magic at work. No job? Time to start visiting friends, family, baristas at coffee shops, whatever it takes; because the plan to is to perform one trick, and one trick only, as many times as you can, every
Friday. Do you work in an office with only
three co-workers? Well, you’ll probably only get to do it once. Are you in a warehouse with over a hundred? You can probably get ten performances out of it. I’ll even give you the exact script to get you started.
“Hey everyone, I have an announcement. I’ve been studying the art of magic and, with your permission, I’d like to show you a trick today. Just one. And I’d like to do this every week. Sometimes it’ll take 90 seconds, and others, maybe five minutes at most. Whaddya say?”
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The Approach Homework: Do a month of Magic Fridays. Done? Really? Don’t lie to me (or yourself)! Come back after a month… Congratulations, you’re now a magician. Now before my magic community starts crying from the rooftops, “What?!? You can’t be a magician after a single month!!!” Let me tell you this: in your co-workers eyes you absolutely are. People are like that. Let me put it to you this way: if you show your co-workers a painting you’ve drawn, I guarantee you that if one of them introduces you to someone else and it comes up, they’ll say, “Jamie’s a painter!” In their eyes, I am. And I only showed them one
painting. Same
with juggling; “Jamie can juggle!” After only one time! So, the point is, after showing someone one effect, they’re probably going to label you as a magician. The only question is: are you a good one? And how do you become a good magician? By practicing. Practice by yourself, and then in front of other people. Learn the moves. Practice. Show your three regulars. Reflect. Practice. Show your Magic Friday Crowd. Review. Hey, that seems
like more than three steps! Life can be like that.
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The Approach
Chapter 5|Anecdote Your Magic Fridays Okay, let’s actually do this right and document it. You’ll be doing magic every
week so don’t lose great information. Write it down!
I’ll provide space to record your first month and then I’ll leave it to you to carry on your own. Be
ruthless! Make notes, write
down the script you used, any changes you made, what the reactions were like, and how it made you and your audience feel.
I can still remember the rush of my very first Magic Friday. What would they say? Would anyone actually want to watch? I had no idea! This will change your game. Ready?
Set? Start performing; and writing!
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The Approach Week 1 EFFECT NAME: ______________________________________________ CREATOR: _______________________________________________________ HOW MUCH DID IT COST? _______________________________________________________ HOW LONG DID YOU PRACTICE IT? _______________________________________________________ HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU PERFORM IT ON FRIDAY? _______________________________________________________ WHAT WAS THE BEST REACTION? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ WHAT WAS THE WORST? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
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The Approach YOUR PATTER: _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL? _______________________________________________________ DID YOU ENJOY IT? _______________________________________________________ IS IT A “KEEPER”? _______________________________________________________
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The Approach Week 2 EFFECT NAME: ______________________________________________ CREATOR: _______________________________________________________ HOW MUCH DID IT COST? _______________________________________________________ HOW LONG DID YOU PRACTICE IT? _______________________________________________________ HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU PERFORM IT ON FRIDAY? _______________________________________________________ WHAT WAS THE BEST REACTION? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ WHAT WAS THE WORST? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
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The Approach YOUR PATTER: _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL? _______________________________________________________ DID YOU ENJOY IT? _______________________________________________________ IS IT A “KEEPER”? _______________________________________________________
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The Approach Week 3 EFFECT NAME: ______________________________________________ CREATOR: _______________________________________________________ HOW MUCH DID IT COST? _______________________________________________________ HOW LONG DID YOU PRACTICE IT? _______________________________________________________ HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU PERFORM IT ON FRIDAY? _______________________________________________________ WHAT WAS THE BEST REACTION? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ WHAT WAS THE WORST? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
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The Approach YOUR PATTER: _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL? _______________________________________________________ DID YOU ENJOY IT? _______________________________________________________ IS IT A “KEEPER”? _______________________________________________________
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The Approach Week 4 EFFECT NAME: ______________________________________________ CREATOR: _______________________________________________________ HOW MUCH DID IT COST? _______________________________________________________ HOW LONG DID YOU PRACTICE IT? _______________________________________________________ HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU PERFORM IT ON FRIDAY? _______________________________________________________ WHAT WAS THE BEST REACTION? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ WHAT WAS THE WORST? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
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The Approach YOUR PATTER: _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL? _______________________________________________________ DID YOU ENJOY IT? _______________________________________________________ IS IT A “KEEPER”? _______________________________________________________
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The Approach Chapter 6|Advice Business Cards Sweet Marie! Why on earth are we talking about business cards already?! Well, because people are going to start asking you for them. Here’s the thing that, for the most part, drives the magic community crazy. A young person learns a trick (that he probably stole), runs out to a print shop (knocking a little old lady over on the way), gets business cards with a rabbit and the word MAGICIAN on them, and then goes and creates a terrible name for
all the rest
of us. Well, that may be true, but that’s not you. Why? Let’s recap… 1)
You’ve learned 12 effects that you can do blindfolded.
2)
You’ve gone out into the real world and performed for actual people.
3)
People at work are starting to think you’re pretty good.
STOP!!! Read number 3 again. If that isn’t the case, there is no need to get business cards yet! But, how do we know? How do we
really know if people think we’re any good and not just saying it to
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The Approach our face? Well, one of the ways is that someone will ask you for a
business card! So for those moments, we must prepare. This isn’t going to be your final branding. Well, it might, but this is just to assist you in getting work in the beginning. And a lot of working magicians might want to take note. The single most
important thing that has to be on your business card isn’t a picture, or a logo, or a trick. It’s how to get a hold of you. Your contact information. Period. I’ve seen this mistake time and time again. We get so caught up in design that we forget that most of the time the person looking to hire a magician is someone who has just been told to organize the company holiday party, and she remembers getting a card from this awesome magician one night, and she just wants to get a hold of you. The ONLY thing she wants is your phone number or e-mail. That’s it. She couldn’t care less if the card has stripes.
JAMIE D. GRANT MAGICIAN 604-555-1234
[email protected]
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The Approach That’s it. Flashy? Nope. Easy to read? Yep. You’ll have to trust me when I tell you what’s more important. And, make no mistake, if someone can’t easily find your contact info, they’ll move on to one that’s easier. Guaranteed. Does this mean that we can’t design super hip, ultra-cool business cards that do effects and levitate on demand? No. But, be warned: What impresses you and your pals isn’t
necessarily what will get you gigs. Take a look at every business card you see and ask yourself: if I wanted to get a hold of this person in the next 3 seconds, could I do it? Always apply that to yourself. I know what you’re thinking: “But if it doesn’t have a trick, they won’t keep it!” No, if
they don’t want to remember you, they
won’t keep it. Focus less on design and more on making yourself
memorable.
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Chapter 7|Tip Websites Ah, websites. Nothing has caused magicians to lose as much work as websites. Read that again. LOSE as much work. Websites are almost exactly the same as business cards. However, instead of looking for your contact info, they want to see what you look like.
I remember one time I was doing Magic Friday at work, back when I was a bike messenger and I would perform for the people I delivered to, many of whom I had never met before. This particular delivery was to the office of Canada’s wealthiest businessman. I gave my usual pitch to the receptionist of, “Sign here, please. And Happy Magic Friday! What’s Magic Friday? Well, I’m a magician and I do a super quick magic trick for people for free today if they’d like to see something.” Well, the receptionist called out the entire office! Luckily it was a great trick and had everyone screaming. They were so loud that the Head Office Manager came running out and, after some explanation, she mentioned that they were having a holiday party next week and was wondered if I was available to work it. Before I said yes, however, she had one question. What do I WEAR when I perform...
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The Approach She had decided that I was a good magician based on the
reactions of her staff, but she still had to decide if I was a good fit for their event. She obviously couldn’t have someone working the party who wore a helmet and a messenger bag. So when I replied, “Suit and tie.” she looked at my website to double-check and said, “See you Tuesday.” So that is exactly what your website is for. It should start as a vehicle to get across the best possible image of yourself to the public. Of course it’ll also be a way for people to find you; but that shouldn’t be the focus in the beginning. Becoming easily searchable will come later.
Image. Think about that word. It’s everything. As soon as people click on your site, they’ll have a first impression that will probably stay with them. So what is that image? Clean, cool, and professional? Or busy, confusing, and garish? Because what they see
will be attributed to you, as well. So, how do we get our best look onto the screen? Well, you’ll be light years ahead of the competition if you have professional headshots taken. Just like your phone number and e-mail are the most
important things
on your business card, when it comes to websites, the headshot
reigns supreme. I know that will go against what a lot of people
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The Approach think, that surely it’s flashing lights and things to click that get people to like your site, but after networking with receptionists and event planners for years, I can tell you what they say behind the scenes. And for the most part it’s not pretty. People will talk about your polka-dot suit (in a bad way) far more than how much they liked the spades floating down the screen of your homepage. So, before
headshots (which comes before website) we must answer something else.
Take a deep breath, and get ready for some honesty…
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The Approach Chapter 8|Study How Do You Look? Put this book down and go look at yourself in a mirror. Go on! I’ll be here when you get back. Okay, describe the person you just saw. Tall, dark, and handsome? Short, scrawny, and in need of a haircut? Describe yourself… _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Now is time for some brutal
honesty. Is there anything you don’t
like? I’ll go first. I need more hair. I’m not sure how to get it but I’m working on it.
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The Approach Your turn. I don’t like: _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
Here’s the question of the day: “Can
you fix what you just
wrote?” Did you write, “Poor posture” “Overweight” or “Missing teeth”? If so, fix it. Make yourself better. Get it done. Being a professional entertainer is about bringing the best of you to every gig. If you’re not offering them the best you’ve got, you’re not committing to your art. It’s not all about tricks, it’s about making people feel amazing. And
the first person you need to make feel
that way is yourself. Okay, now time for something you do like about yourself! My teeth, for example, are super white. Your turn. I like: _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
38 by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach Okay, so now the question is, how do we
accentuate the
positive and eliminate the negative? Are you overweight and not happy about it? Are you missing a tooth and it’s been driving you crazy? Whatever the case may be, if it can be fixed, now is the time to do it. A good headshot photo might last for a few years, so we’re going to make ourselves the best we can be before we capture it on paper. But we need to be
specific. Making plans about the future
isn’t exact enough. So write down the date three months from today: 3 months from now: _______________________ That is the day you’re going to get your headshots. And it’s plenty of time to create a whole new you - if that’s what you need. You need to be honest, if you saw a picture of yourself, would
you hire
you? 3 months from now. You’ve written it down. The time to start, though, is
today.
Drop and give me twenty!
39 by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach
Chapter 9|Advice What to Wear What are you wearing? Not right now! For it or not, this will be one of your most
your gigs. Believe
important decisions
and will affect not only how you look (obviously), but also how you feel! Because now we’re starting to talk about character. What is character? Well, in essence, it means the role you’re going to play. Is your character an easygoing, funny personality? Or is he or she the more mysterious James Bond type? That person you described a few chapters ago, what do they look like? All of this will be reflected in
how you dress. So go get dressed. Put on the actual outfit you’d wear if you were going to work a gig today. I’ll
wait.
Okay, are you wearing anything with pictures of playing cards on it? If so, take it off. Why? Because clichés are the bronze standard (if that). And you are the gold
standard. Clients in the
corporate, wedding, and private party world want elegant. Cool. Fun. Not cheesy, outdated, or dangerous. I know you love your card tie. It
40 by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach says “magician.” But trust me, we’re going to let them know that in another way. So where does that leave us? Surely we don’t all want to look the same? How can you stand out if everyone’s wearing the same suit? The first thing is to start looking at actors’ headshots. Type “headshots” into Google and see what comes up. See what doesn’t come up? No
one is wearing a tie that says,
“actor” all over it. Nor is anyone holding onto a copy of “Acting for Dummies.” So put that card fan away. We’re not selling the fact that you’re a magician. They already know that. That’s why they’re on your website. What we’re trying to sell them now is you. So take a look online, find someone you like, and see if it blends with your character. And it’s not just the clothes they’re wearing that we’re looking at but also how they stand, their pose, where they are looking, how they are looking, what angle their head is tilted at, their hairstyle, etc. Start studying these pictures and emulating
them. Businesses hire models for ads because models sell things without saying a word. You are the model for your business. So
start selling. And start saving while you’re at it! If your headshot costs less than $200, you’re probably not using the best there is. No shots from friends. Hire
a professional; after all,
that’s exactly what we want our clients to do.
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The Approach
Chapter 10|Anecdote Funny or Serious Before we click that camera shutter, we must look a little closer at what we’re becoming first. Brooding and cool, or smiley and loveable? Like I mentioned at the very beginning of this book, I’ll tell you what has worked
for me and, believe me when I tell you;
I’ve tried them all! In the end, that age old adage is 100 percent on point…
Funny is money. I know what you’re thinking, “What about the guys we see on TV?! The ones making gazillions
of dollars!” Well, I can’t speak for them. All I
can tell you is that if I’m in charge of throwing a party and the president of my company is telling me it better be good (i.e. fun) then you can safely assume that I’m going to book someone who I think is going to make the party fun. You’ll hear what workers call “the trenches.” Working the trenches is how magicians describe the work that most of us do and which pays the bills:
42 by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach weddings, holiday parties, birthday parties, etc. The key to all of these events is that they’re
parties. The event planners are not
(for the most part) looking for serious method acting type evenings of
enchantment. So what does this mean? Well, it means that for your headshots – that will go on your website – which will be visited after someone looks at your business card – which will be handed out when they ask for it – which will be asked for when you show them how much fun you are – should be a
picture of you smiling. Having
fun. Spreading joy. So when it comes to funny or serious, let me tell you about the time three guys walked into a bar… Actually, on that note, what’s
the best joke you know?
Write it down here. You’ll be shocked at how often you’ll use it. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
43 by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
My very first gig I ever did was for a famous photographer here in town. She had seen me performing magic in the lobby of an office tower and asked me if I would do magic at her art opening in
exchange for a headshot. Perfecto! The gig was amazing and soon afterwards she had me come by her studio. Throughout the shoot, I had my hand to my head and looked like I was trying to do some complex math in an attempt to appear “magic-y.” “Jamie,” she said, “You need to smile. People like you better when you smile.” After a thousand gigs, I promise you - she was right.
44 by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach Chapter 11|LESSON Are You Any Good Yet? Remember those 12 tricks you wrote down? Let’s go back and revisit them for a second. How
good is your pass? Are you able to double
lift better than anyone? Awesome! Unfortunately, that tells us almost nothing…
Ask yourself - what does “good” mean? I’m not talking about method. I’m talking about “hire-ability” (I think I just made that word up). Are you hirable? And the answer to this question has (almost) nothing to do with magic tricks. It has more to do with people. Are you a likeable person? Do people enjoy your company? Do you have stories, anecdotes, lines, personality? Make no mistake, this is what will get you hired and invited back. I still remember meeting Barrie Richardson, who wrote a couple of my favourite magic books, and he told me his only goal at the end of the event was for the people who hired him to ask each other,
“When can we have him
back?”
45 by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach So let me ask you, when you leave a room, are you missed? If not,
why not? Are people, instead, happy to see you go? Maybe you’re a mean person? Or perhaps you embarrass people? Do you make cutting side remarks to try and be funny? Because, if you do, a few great card tricks aren’t
going to help you. People don’t
remember what you did; they remember how you made them feel. Just like you practice your pass, you need to start practicing, immediately, making people feel good. And it’s not just about complimenting them or tossing out flattery, even though that’s a great place to start. The ability to compliment someone, without it
sounding weird is actually hard to do in a convincing manner. So, without performing a single magic trick, write down the names of three people and try to make them feel good about themselves with a single sentence. 1)
_______________________________________________
2)
_______________________________________________
3)
_______________________________________________
I’ll give you a couple of examples. If it’s a male friend I know, but whom I haven’t seen in awhile: “Dude, you’re looking sharp! What gym have you been going to?” Notice the question isn’t
“Have you been going to the gym?” There’s a difference there. If it’s a
46 by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach woman, I’ll say something like, “Have I ever mentioned that you have the greatest smile?” Don’t forget, we need to compliment without… 1)
Sounding like we’re kidding.
2)
Coming across weird.
3)
Having it followed by awkward silence.
The only way to get good is to practice. Practice being nice. It’ll also help you find the best in people, which is a killer skill to have. The key is to find something that is potentially believable that they haven’t realized themselves. I can’t very well ask someone which gym he’s gone to if he’s totally out of shape. But even saying something as simple as, “Man, that is a sweet haircut.” can change someone’s day. For the better. Start doing this.
Make the day of everyone you meet better.
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The Approach
Chapter 12|Advice Starting Conversations People love to talk about themselves, that’s human nature. So ask them questions. The key, though, is to ask them questions that they can answer in a positive
way, because for the most part, at gigs,
you’ll be asking them these questions in front of their friends or coworkers. So asking them how their divorce is going is probably not the best idea. And before we go any further, let me tell you right up front that this chapter is the one that will save
you in a future gig. I guarantee it.
Because when you walk into a gig where there are supposed to be three hundred people and only eight have shown up, it’s the
best
conversationalist in the room who is going to be earning the money. Here are five of my “go-to” questions to get a conversation going: 1) “The ace of hearts, right?! Amazing!! I know!!! Hey, you look kind of familiar, where did you go to high school?”
48 by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach 2) “The ace of hearts, right?! Amazing!! I know!!! So, does everyone work here?” 3) “The ace of hearts, right?! Amazing!! I know!!! Hey, who here is from the groom’s side and who is from the bride’s side?” 4) “The ace of hearts, right?! Amazing!! I know!!! Hey, so what exactly do you guys do here, anyway? I’ll be honest, I have no idea what a flux capacitor is.” 5) “The ace of hearts, right?! Amazing!! I know!!! Hey, who’s the biggest troublemaker here?”
Now, anyone can ask those questions. The first question isn’t what makes a conversationalist. It’s how
you respond to their
response. So, what would you say if they responded with the following? 1) Quesnel. 2) Yes. Yes. No. We’re married. 3) Groom. Groom. Groom. Groom. 4) It’s a thing for your car. 5) John.
49 by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach Write your follow up question here: 1)_____________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ 2)_____________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ 3)_____________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ 4)_____________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ 5)_____________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
And I’ll give you my responses: 1)
What the heck is a “Quesnel? Spell it for me! Is everyone okay if I curse? Really? Okay, where the f^$^ is that?!”
2)
“Lucky guy! How did you two meet? Has everyone heard this story?”
50 by Jamie D. Grant
The Approach 3)
“Who’s known him the longest?”
4)
“C’mon, specifics man! But explain it in twenty words or less. We’ll count.”
5)
“Which one’s John? And, why? What does he do?”
They key is to not
let them off the hook. People often
only hate talking at
first and feel socially awkward when they feel
like they’re in the presence of a stranger. And the only way to not be a stranger is to spend time with them. So buy time. The longer you spend, the
better they’ll feel about talking and chatting.
This is what will separate you from everyone else. Because if you can do this and show them amazing magic at the same time, you’ll be golden. Don’t forget, your goal isn’t reactions. Your goal is connections.
Ask questions.
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I hope you've enjoyed these first free dozen chapters. As with everything I do, I don't want there to be any "surprises"- I want you to know exactly what you're getting. And these first 12 are just the beginning. As we go along further into the book, I'll tell you everything I know about my work as a professional Walkaround magician, from what my contract looks like to how I approach groups. Not only that, but I''ll also be telling you a couple of my secrets that I've never shared with ANYONE. I'm super excited! I hope you decide to continue our journey together. Your pal, jamie
[email protected] www.SendWonder.com
