Successful Performercast by Kris Sheppard | Successful Performer Cast | Weekly Interviews with Professional Entertainers | Show Business, Showbiz, Performer, Magic, Magician, Juggler, Comedian, Musician

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Syndication

In this interview, Brian Glow and I talk all about corporate entertaining. We discuss everything from customizing your shows, targeting your marketing, and communicating with your prospects!

Brian Glow is a corporate magician based out of Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Brian specializes in corporate magic shows melding the companies message, theme, logos, products, and services into his magical performances wowing and educating all that witness his presentations. He’s performed over 7,000 corporate shows in over 40 countries for Fortune 500 and local businesses alike, including, but certainly not limited to Ford, Canon, Apple, Air Canada, and Hewlet Packard.

The Chicago Tribune says, "Joy and cleverness seem to pervade his work.”

 

Success Quote:

To be good is not enough when you dream of being great! — Anonymous  

 

Corporate Magic

• Creating and customizing material that fits with your clients.

• Gives specific example of creating material with a custom presentation.

• The magic is secondary to selling product or the corporate message.

• Tells how he broke into the corporate market.

• Having loyalty with your clients and not jumping ship to go with their competition.

• How he markets himself.

• Finding trade show directories.

• What makes you different from everyone else?

• Keeping in touch with contacts to keep Top of Mind Awareness.  

 

What's worked best for growing his business?

Cold calling!  

 

Biggest Professional Challenge:

World touring and all that goes with it.  

 

Failure Moment:

A one year contract was negotiated with a company in China, and the deal was killed because of the SARS outbreak. It left him with a huge hole in his calendar that he had to fill again.  

 

Favorite Success:

His children.  

 

Other Topics Covered:

• Having a good website.

• Social proof: video testimonials, etc.

• Having your marketing materials targeted to who you're going after.

• Responding quickly to inquiries.

• Losing luggage and being prepared for everything.  

 

Parting Advice

Be prepared.  

 

Recommended books and resources:

Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!  

Resource:

Lists! For packing, traveling, prop lists, pre packed shows, etc.

Show Cues - iOS App  

 

Books:

Life is a Contact Sport by Ken Kragen

It Takes Guts, Dammit by Paul Diamond

All Jim Steinmeyer Books

Tarbell's Course in Magic | Ebook Version  

 

Where can we find Brian Glow?

CorporateEventEntertainmentMagician.com  

 

 

Direct download: SPC_046_Brian_Glow_-_Magician.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am PDT

In this interview, Christopher Lyle and I talk all about restaurant magic! He offers some great insight into landing gigs, keeping them, and working with the restaurant staff as a team.

Christoher Lyle, also known as the guy in the yellow suit, is a magician, comic, daredevil, and balloon twisting genius! Some have described him as a “modern day cartoon."

Based out of Dallas, TX, he offers 10 different types of shows that he performs for audiences of literally all ages at private parties, restaurants, fairs, festivals, and anywhere else you can think of.

He’s taken his act across the globe, on television, and has also become a much sought-after coach for other performers wanting to improve their acts and he was also a columnist for the Magic Menu.  

 

Success Quote:

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. - Ferris Bueller  

 

All About Restaurants

On the Magic Cafe, it's been said that Christopher Lyle can walk into any restaurant he wants and walk out with a gig. He details his strategy in this post at The Magic Cafe.

Christopher offers some insights into performing at restaurants.

• How he qualifies restaurants before he approaches them.

• Which restaurants he will and won't go after.

• How he pitches restaurants in person.

• Free performance incentive.

• Keeping your gig once you have it.

• Why he doesn't do contracts with the restaurants.

• Promoting outside gigs at his restaurants.

• Business card magic.

• Signage at the restaurants.

• Talking to the restaurant owner about card on the ceiling.  

 

Sleightly Delusional

If you've ever wanted to work in restaurants but just didn't know how to get started, or have been working restaurants for some time now and need a fresh perspective on how to change it up, then THIS is the book for you.

"Slightly Delusional" is available as a digital eBook for sale for $30.00USD. Pick up your copy here!  

 

Failure Moment:

How he ended his run at a pizza joint after ten years.  

 

Favorite Success:

His ten-year run at the pizza joint mentioned above.  

 

Biggest Business Challenge

Learning how to play well with others, especially online.  

 

Other Topics Covered:

• How he started getting gigs after moving to Dallas.

• Perform as much as possible for as many people as possible.

• Diversifying your work.

• His online image, mainly on the Magic Cafe.

• Targeting your marketing efforts.  

 

Recommended books and resources:

Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!  

 

Resource:

Show Cues - iOS App BOSE Sound Dock  

 

Books:

The Magic Menu by Jim Sisti | ebook version

The Restaurant Magic Reader by Jim Sisti | ebook version

Christopher Lyle's Sleightly Delusional

Fitzkee Trilogy | ebook version

Jeff Hobson's Multimedia CD on running a successful business, only available directly through Jeff.  

 

Where can we find Christopher Lyle?

ChristopherLyle.com | Twitter @guyinyellowsuit | Facebook

Direct download: SPC_045_Christopher_Lyle_-_Magician.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am PDT

In this interview, Dan Holzman and I talk about his ups and downs in his juggling career. We cover some great topics like how to find creativity, the power of positive thought, and exercising your comedy!

Dan Holzman is a comedy juggler who’s juggled with the Raspyni Brothers as well as a solo performer.

He's opened for the likes of Robin Williams, Dana Carvey, and George Burns. He’s appeared on countless TV shows including The Tonight Show with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, Entertainment Tonight, and the Howie Mandel Show. He’s also performed for top name corporate clients including IBM, Kraft Foods, McDonald’s, Macy’s, and Sears.

He’s skillful enough to be a great variety act…funny enough to be a comedy club headliner. - Mike Lacey  

 

Success Quotes:

Don't say no to yourself. Take care of the day-to-day, but also swing for the fences!  

 

Failure Moment:

he hasn't focused on a target market yet for his solo juggling endeavors.  

 

Favorite Success:

Being able to rise to the occasion when the risk is high. He gives an example of when he opened for Robin Williams.  

 

Differentiates himself:

Tries to "out-clever" people.  

 

Interesting story:

Dan tells about when he was part of the Raspyni Brothers and they had the opportunity to fly and perform in Europe for one of the wealthiest people in the world. All because they were seen performing at a Renaissance Faire.  

 

Other Topics Covered:

• How he finds time to work on new projects.

• How he ads variety to his shows.

• Comedy is like a muscle. You have to exercise it.

• Connecting with your audience.

• Targeting your marketing efforts.

• Talks about how he ended up broke and then learned how to handle money.

• Acting calm when you don't feel calm.

• The power of positive thought.

• Constructive criticism.

• Life is like a crap sandwich. The more bread you have, the less crap you have to eat. :)  

 

Creativity

• Finding your flow. • He finds a happy medium in doing what he wants and what people want to see. • Being creative within constrictions. • Organic Creativity vs. Inorganic Creativity. • Taking established ideas and reworking them so they're unrecognizable from what they started as. • Direct your thought towards a creative problem. • Men create, monkeys imitate.  

 

Parting Advice

Bruce Lee philosophy: using no way as way, having no limitation as limitation. Michelangelo philosophy: cutting away what isn't your masterpiece. Don't get in your own way.  

 

Recommended books and resources:

Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!  

Resource:

A stopwatch and journal to keep track of how he spends his time.  

 

Books:

Comedy Writing Workbook by Gene Perret

Eccentricks by Charlie Frye

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy  

 

Where can we find Dan Holzman?

DanHolzman.com

DanRaspyni.com

DanielDaVinci.com

BrainDrizzles.com - Dan's Coaching Website

Drop Everything - Dan's Juggling Podcast  

Direct download: SPC_044_Dan_Holzman_-_Juggler.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am PDT

In this interview, Justin Willman and I talk about his career in magic and TV and cover a great deal of topics like how he's gotten TV appearances, performing magic for a TV audience, and some business and marketing tips he's used to help him get where he is today.

Justin Willman is a magician, actor, comedian, TV host, and all around fun guy. He’s been a regular guest on TV shows like The Tonight Show, Ellen, Rachael Ray, and Chelsea Lately as well as hosting the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars and Disney Channel’s Win, Loose, or Draw. You may have also seen him on such shows as Gilmore Girls and Disney’s the Suite Life on Deck.

In addition to all this, he’s been touring his comedy and magic show “Tricked Out” around the country to great success and acclaim.

With all this going on, I’m amazed that he was able to find time to talk to me for this interview.  

 

Success Quotes:

Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion. — Tony Hsieh of Zappos

If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success. — James Cameron

Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. — Winston Churchill.  

 

Failure Moment:

Justin tells us how he tried to pitch a magic reality TV show idea with a friend and how nobody liked it. He learned all about how to pitch a show.  

 

Favorite Success:

The Boston kid show market. This was his first venture into creating a successful business where he was actually turning shows down because he was booked.  

 

Biggest Professional Challenge:

Relinquishing control of his booking. not micromanaging. You have to trust the people that you hire to work for you.  

 

Worked best for growing business:

Creating a brand and having a mentor.  

 

Interesting story:

Justin tells us about a show he does every year out of tradition and how it ultimately caused him to get heckled by The First Lady while performing a Halloween show at the White House.  

 

Other Topics Covered:

• Likability. When people like you, they book you.

• Pitching ideas for TV shows.

• Magic Meltdown web series.

• Tells us about a pilot he's working on right now with Comedy Central called Sleight of Mouth.

• How he created the Justin Kredible brand.

• How he morphed his kid shows into something that would work for colleges.

• Looking at your competition's marketing efforts and doing something vastly different to stand out.

• Having an assistant to answer your phone and an agent to help with booking shows.

• How he got on talk shows like Rachael Ray and Ellen as a guest.

• Performing magic for a TV audience.

• Working with a publicist.

• Making the people who hired you look great.  

 

Parting Advice

Never "phone it in."  

 

Recommended books and resources:

Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!  

Resource:

Voice memo app on his iPhone that he uses to record his shows.  

 

Books:

The Magic of Michael Ammar

Maximum Entertainment by Ken Weber

The Tipping Point and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell    

 

Where can we find Justin Willman?

JustinWillman.com

Twitter @justin_willman | Instagram

Direct download: SPC_043_Justin_Willman_-_Magician.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am PDT

In this interview, Doug Scheer tells us all about creating themed educational magic shows!

Doug Scheer is a magician and an expert at creating customized educational shows.

He’d originally worked in the auto industry for two decades creating custom magical presentations for General Motors.

And now he’s found success in offering 13 different shows to the educational school show market creating and performing shows that teach lessons as well as amaze!  

 

Success Quote:

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. — Bill Cosby  

 

Theme Shows:

• Brainstorming ideas for themes.

• How to match tricks with topics.

• How to choose a topic to teach on.

• How bolding a theme show is like building a house.  

 

Doug's Book and a Contest!

Entertaining Education: A Comprehensive Guide to Creating & Performing Educational Magic Domestic Shipping | International Shipping

This book teaches us Doug's method of creating educational magic shows and includes 18 scripts to different tricks, a DVD of one of his theme shows, a graphic novel-styled-book to go with the DVD, and a bunch of his promotional materials he uses to promote that show.

Contest: I have one copy of Doug's book to give away which includes all of the items mentioned above.

Enter to win by leaving a comment at the Show Notes Page and telling us who your favorite interview has been and one thing you've learned and implemented in your business.

I'll randomly pick a winner from the comments and announce it on my next episode!  

 

Other Topics Covered:

• What it's like working with your spouse.

• A really cool story about how his show helped a single mother and child.

• Increase your credibility by writing a book.

• Connecting and working with special needs children on stage.  

 

Recommended books and resources:

Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!  

 

Resource:

Verbalink.com  

 

Books:

Ultimate School Show Secrets by Joe Romano

When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man by Jerry Weintraub  

 

Where can we find Doug Scheer?

DougScheer.com

Wacky Science Franchised Show

Direct download: SPC_042_Doug_Scheer_-_Educational_Magic.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am PDT

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