Have You Earned Your Wings?

by Eric Paul 

Special Excerpt From The Dave Dee Newsletter

           Recently, I have realized two similarities between being a professional magician and a commercial airline pilot.  The first is obvious; using a checklist.  No pilot would ever fly without first going over every detail, neither should we.

            The second, and less obvious similarity, is that of flight time.  Commercial pilots earn their rank and position depending on the number of hours they actually fly.  Not on how much they practice in the simulator or how much they study, but on actual experience.  This directly affects their income and status.

            We, as performers, can be judged in very much the same way.  There is no better schooling than that of experience, real-world experience.  But how do you get the experience?  Where do you perform for a “live” audience?  Sure, there’s the magic club and family get-togethers, which are useful venues, but we need the public to really earn our wings.

            Allow me to give you some actual examples of how being willing to work with clients has earned me my wings and increased my income:

Earlier in my career I was approached by  a new business owner.  He was opening up a children’s activity center sort of like a “Chucky Cheese” or “Discovery Zone.”  It was to be called The Magic Jungle and his vision was to have magicians on stage everyday. 

The problem was however, his budget was very limited.  Not one “professional” in the area would consider working at these rates, except me.  I took his offer, with some considerations, and performed there a minimum of two days a week.  I made a fortune and continue to make money from that venue even though I haven’t actually performed there in over a year!

            How did I do it?  Simple.  I marketed directly from the stage.  Everyone got to take home “free” magic tricks, my name and picture were in numerous newspapers every week and  I sell my magic kits in his gift shop!  Needless to say, my salary went up as well because of the increased business and I have booked hundreds of shows from the exposure. 

Keep in mind also that this is very aggressive marketing.  I sent the papers news releases, I had the give-aways and I sold him on the idea of magic kits.  It was a gold-mine when looked at the right way, not to mention the real-world experience (flight-time).

Another example:

 The Philadelphia Library system was looking for quality entertainers to fit their budget, which was very low.  Again, no one would touch it, except me.  The best they could do was $125.00 per show.  Not a lot of money. 

            I did a few libraries for them and within 3 months, I had every library wanting the show, all 50 of them!  Not bad exposure and experience! 

            Very recently they were awarded a grant from the Mayor’s Office.  Who do you think they called?  That’s right, and they almost tripled the original rate!!!  Because I was willing to work with them at first, I have made a nice income and continue to book additional shows as a result.

            Because of examples like these, I feel I have earned my wings.  My performing confidence is very high and I am perceived as the TOP magician in my market.  I am not suggesting that you go out and do a bunch of free shows or drastically cut your prices (although maybe some should).  I am suggesting that you take control of your market by actively pursuing every opportunity.

            Have you earned your wings? 

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