The Business of Magic
Magic may be an art form, but for many of us it's also a way of
life-and a way to make money. For all you who are interested in
turning magic from a hobby into a career, there are several
things you need to know about the business side of magic.
Develop a "Hook"
What makes you different from all the other performers out
there? What is your unique angle? What makes you shine and stand
out from the crowd?
Ideally, your show or your persona should strive, in some way,
to differentiate from everything else that's out there at the
moment. Now I'm not saying you should go out on a limb and try
something totally crazy and overly ambitious. But it's smart to
give clients even more of a reason to hire you and not someone
else.
So, for example, you could concentrate on one particular area
within magic and cultivate it as a specialty. That would
ultimately allow you to market yourself as, say, "The Mentalist
Magician" or "Merlin the Mind-Reader" (okay, you can probably
come up with something a LOT better, but this is just to give
you an idea of what I mean!).
Give Them What They Want
Yes, it's important to cultivate a show and a career based upon
your own interests. Being passionate about something is the only
true pathway to success. But at the same time, I see so many
magicians who are going out of their way to do tricks and
illusions that they love-but that audiences hate. Try to steer
clear of wildly unpopular areas of the magic profession or of
tricks that everyone knows the secrets to already. Instead, pick
tricks that are proven to win people over and that there is
great demand for, especially in your region.