Ten Ways to Become Famous in Magic – Credit: Jeff McBride
TEN WAYS TO BECOME FAMOUS IN MAGIC
Ok, the title of this article SHOULD read “How to be a Success in Magic,” but I think people often confuse the two! Take the following steps, and hopefully, you will become both famous and successful!
- Do 1,000 shows!
That is what Lance Burton says it takes to become a fine magician. After 1,000 shows, the audience and your director (yes, get a director) will have helped you to shape your show into world class entertainment. Lance Burton has done 25,000 shows and Copperfield has done 30,000. How many have you done? So, when you finish reading this, go do some shows! Don’t expect to be able to “become a magic legend” if you don’t have a fantastic act!
2. Create original magic with a unique character.
My pal Rudy Coby says that if you can perform great magic, the next step is to create and add original magic presentations or touches to your show. You also need to find a unique and memorable persona. Look at all the leaders in our field… each has a style of magic that they are excellent in, or that they innovated, plus they have a look and presentation style that is different from anybody else’s. I combined my love for martial arts and masks with my stage magic. That combination was part of my success! Now it is YOUR turn to combine your unique passion with your magic. Let me know if I can help you find your mojo. All you need to do is drop me an email and I’m here to help!
3. Win a competition.
Lance Burton, Greg Frewin, Shawn Farquhar and many of the world’s top magicians started as competitors in local, regional, national and international conventions. Top agents, bookers, and TV shows are looking for the newtalent, and contests give you a goal to become your best. Even America’s Got Talent and FOOL US are both competition shows.
Teller presenting Jeff McBride with the coveted FOOL US award
4. Open a magic theater in your local market.
Build a name in your local market. Be a big fish in a small pond! More and more magicians are opening their own local magic theater venues. Rick Wilcox, Danny Archer, Joe & Carol Givan, and Maxwell Blade are just a few of the dozens of magicians who now own and operate their own theaters. Others like Steve Cohen and Professor Phelyx partner with established venues to host their shows.
Jeff McBride partners with THE OLIVE restaurant to host his monthly event.
5. Get on TV.
Build your name and brand on a national or international scale. More and more TV shows are featuring magicians. FOOL US, Masters of Illusion, America’s Got Talent, etc. How do you get on? PERSISTENCE! You must have a great act that fits the needs of the show. Be persistent in tracking down the booker. Make it a priority in your life and go for it! I did my first magic television show in the late 1970’s. I was on a national game show called “What’s My Line!” and many other talk shows. I auditioned for the talent scouts looking for talented young teens. That show was the first of dozens I’ve done around the world. One TV show will lead to another! If I can do this, you can do it, too!
6. YouTube, Facebook & Instagram
Many bookers are now selecting performers by the number of followers they have. Magicians like Rick Lax, Justin Flom, Paul Vu, and Chris Ramsay have found social media to be a great way to share their magic with fans around the world.
7. Become an expert in a niche area of magic.
If you do the work and become known for having excellent information in an area of magic, better than anyone else, you can become the “go-to person” for rare magic information. It could be history, technique, presentation or philosophy, but there is a demand for magic expertise, consulting, and training.
Take a look at what I do in my ‘spare time!”
8. Write a book.
Some of the great magicians in history have left us amazing books filled with ideas and inspiration. What of your magic will you contribute to the magic community? Many magicians have built international fame with their books and writings, including performers like Juan Tamariz, Tommy Wonder, Eugene Burger, and Dr. Larry Hass.
You can also write for magic journals. There are many online magic magazines and also Genii, M.U.M., The Linking Ring, MagicSeen, and other “pulp and ink” magazines that need great articles and effects each month. Writing and contributing is how many people generate a name in the magic world. It is astonishing how many great magicians have contributed to our magazines: Sam Sharpe, Max Maven, Jim Steinmeyer, Jonathan Pendragon, and so many more…
AND, if you write for magazines you can compile a “best of” book and release it in print or as a PDF. That is how I created my book THE SHOW DOCTOR, just one magazine article at a time. It took years, and coaching from Eugene and Abigail, but I was persistent!
9. Tell a great story
The person who has the best story wins!
Your life, your magic, your art, and your legacy all will be told as a story one day. You must be the one in charge of the narrative! Not just onstage, but offstage, as well. All the parts of your life will be in this story – the challenges, setbacks, loves, deaths, losses, and triumphs.
You are the master and creator of this story. What will you create to be remembered by?
10. Teach award winning students!
I have accomplished all of the above steps, so teaching is what I love to do now! I love working with inspired students; young and old. Now it is their turn to go out and do the 1,000 shows, get on TV, win competitions, write books, become famous and successful, and blaze new trails in our industry.
Following are a few magical success stories.
Jeff with one of his award winning students – Michael Trixx
Michael Trixx: Rock & Roll Magic Star
I work with Michael Trixx every month via Skype. Trixx is now an award-winning magician after starting relatively late in life. After a successful career in music, Trixx got into magic at 25 years old. Trixx says, “I never knew about magic conventions or clubs or anything, then one day I watched a magic show, and saw Jeff McBride’s Magic and Mystery School and signed up for the 7-day Master Class.”
“Jeff brought my show from “OK” to award winning. When I returned home I started winning competitions! I was hired by major corporations and headlining. IT WAS THE BEST MOVE I EVER MADE! Since then, I’ve been performing 6 nights a week in the upper Florida Keys for 20 years!! I do that for 9-10 months a year.”
I’ve continued to attend Master Classes in Vegas.
I catch Jeff on the road sometimes and attend his Jeff McBride Experienceswhenever I can. I still Skype with Jeff once a month to work on new ideas, career goals and to get his advice on moving forward!
Jeff McBride’s Magic and Mystery School has helped build my career, and that’s how I’ve built an amazing six- figure a year schedule in the Florida Keys! Follow your dreams, make it happen, and study with JEFF MCBRIDE!!”
Learn more about Michael Trixx by CLICKING HERE
Star Watch!
My friends and students Anca & Lucca will revolutionize the art of mind-reading in our time!
Anca & Lucca appear on Penn & Teller’s Fool Us! They have just been confirmed for Monday, the 19th of August, 2019
Click the image above to see Anca & Lucca’s FISM performance
If you meet Anca and Lucca in person, you notice right away that they are more than just a mind-reading couple. They complement and challenge each other all the time, and you can almost see how the sparks fly between the two of them. “We have a very passionate love for each other and for the art of entertainment, intertwining in our mental magic performances.”
A Magical Love Story
What makes their theatre show The Mind-Reading Revolution unique is the fact that their own love story is told through their illusions. Thus, the audience members find themselves in the middle of a romance, while the two artists perform some of the most difficult mental magic tricks that can be seen anywhere in the world. Anca and Lucca continuously push themselves to improve their methods, with the goal of making the illusions as amazing and inexplicable as possible. They never use pre-arrangements, electronics or secret helpers, and guarantee this with their notarized $1,000,000 pledge.
The current FISM Vice-World Champions of Mental Magic (Italy, 2015 & South Korea, 2018), and FISM European Champions of Mental Magic will be broadcast on Penn & Teller’s TV Show “Fool Us” on Monday, the 19th August 2019. This will be their first TV appearance in America.
Magic in Las Vegas
WONDERGROUND News
Jeff & Abigail’s 18th Wedding Anniversary show!
Come celebrate with us! August 15th, 2019.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
