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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In this interview, Fielding West brings us into his career telling lots of stories from his past and then sharing with us some valuable tips on effective communication from stage. There are many great lesson to be learned from this talk. Enjoy!

Fielding is a comedy magician, teacher, and keynote speaker from Las Vegas. He’s performed in a number of showrooms in Vegas, Tahoe, and Atlantic City like the Tropicana, Sahara, and Caesar’s Hotels. He’s appeared on a number of TV shows on a number of networks like A&E’s An Evening at the Improv, and CBS’ Entertainment Tonight. He’s been the opening act for top names like Liza Minnelli, Phyllis Diller, The Temptations, and Earth Wind & Fire.

He also writes comedy for other magicians and runs a class called Stagecraft 101 where he teaches people how to communicate more effectively from stage. Muhammad Ali says, “He’s one crazy MoFo!"

 

Sponsors:

Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords.”  

 

Kris' Recommendation of the Week

11 Event Marketing Books Giveaway

Past guest of the show William Rader from WellAddended.com is giving away 11 books on event marketing to one lucky winner! Here is a list of the books he's giving away:

The Email Marketing Primer – Clay Mabbitt
Standing Room Only – Joanne Bernstein
The Event Marketing Handbook – Allison Saget
Making it Rain with Events – Scott Ingram
The New Rules of Marketing and PR – David Meerman Scott
Stand Out Social Marketing – Mike Lewis
Building Communities, Not Audiences – Doug Borwick
Engage Now! – Doug Borwick
Do It! Marketing – David Newman
Hooked – Nir Eyal
Sold Out! – Susan Ordona

Click here to be taken to the contest page where you can enter.  

 

Success Quotes

Drink a lot of water and carry a big stick.

Treat people the way you want to be treated.  

 

Effective Communication from Stage

• When he works with people, he observes them to find out what their best performance traits are and works to amplify them.

• Tells about an absolute failure he experienced when speaking publicly for the first time.

• Lack of preparation is the biggest mistake he sees people make before going up on stage in front of people.

• Think before you speak, but listen before you think.

• The difference between the professionals and the amateurs, is the length of their pauses.

• Breaking the 4th wall is the true communication of a variety act.

• Timing in communication.

• You can communicate so much with the eyes alone.

• Imagining the audience is in the underwear is the stupidest idea for public speaking!

• Ping pong effect: making eye contact with multiple people in the audience  

 

Four things you can immediately do to improve your stage presence:

• Stand up straight.

• Projecting louder than you would normally speak and speak clearly.

• Eyes looking directly at the audience.

• Hydration - make sure you’re properly hydrated.  

 

Other Topics Covered

• Tells about how he got nose-to-nose with Muhammed Ali.

• Overcoming handicaps. • Tells about his journey, peppered with all kinds of stories!

• Talks about how he was always causing trouble for his dad who traveled the President of the United States.

• Learning from mistakes.

• How Fielding was inspired by Steve Martin to go after comedy and magic.

• How all of his constant performing prepared him for many lucky opportunities offered to him.

• Making a plan for what you want to accomplish.  

 

Parting Advice

Quit worrying about what other people think and quit talking about other performers. You cannot elevate yourself by putting down another performer.

Take every show you can get and if possible, record it.  

 

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!

Resources:

117 Ideas for Better Business Presentations by Tom Kirby  

 

Where can we find Fielding West?

Fieldingwest.com

Stagecraft101.net (Coming Soon)

BillyTopit.com (Fielding plays the Mayor of Las Vegas)

Direct download: SPC_071_Fielding_West_-_Vegas_Magician.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am PDT

In this interview, Fred & Bobbie Becker talk all about the ins and outs of performing on cruise ships. They talk about the good, the bad, the unexpected, what sort of shows work on ships, promo videos, and on and on!

Together Fred and Bobbie have 45 years of combined performing experience and spend their time performing on cruise ships! They also have a program for entertainers called Gigs on Ships where they teach the ins and outs of performing on cruise ships.

 

Sponsors:

Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online.

Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords.”  

 

Kris' Recommendation of the Week

Magician Business Podcast and Kids Entertainer Podcast

Ken Kelly and Julian Mather are doing a smashing job over there at Magician Business cranking out wonderful podcasts and super helpful content for those who want to make a living performing. They're a great neighbor resource and you should definitely give them more than a glance.

Magician Business Website | Podcast

Kids Entertainer Hub | Podcast  

 

Success Quotes

From Fred: Anything worth doing is worth doing right!

Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon…must inevitably come to pass! — Paul J. Meyer

From Bobbie:  I don't want you to ever look back at your life and have any regrets. — Bobbie's Dad  

 

Gigs on Ships!

• What sort of shows are they looking for?

• You need to be good with a very diverse crowd. You need to be comfortable with people from all walks of life.

• You need at least a 50 minute act. Fred and Bobbie have two 45's and a 30 minute magic class.

• You live with your audience.

• You have to be "people people." It's all about relationships.

• You need a demo reel that's specific to the cruise ship market. The agent needs to "see you on their stage."

• Your demo reel also needs to sell you as a person too. Tug at the heartstrings.

• Don't do your reel in the same order as your show. Lead with your strongest piece.

• Figure out what sets you apart and capitalize on that.

• Working with agents vs. the cruise director.

• Pros:you get to work in the best, most equipped theaters in the world, no overhead expenses, you only work a couple nights per week, it's a dream lifestyle.

• Cons: You're stuck on the ship, you can't just pick up and go somewhere. You miss family events like holidays and funerals. Since you share bunks, if you're in a couple's relationship and have a fight, there's nowhere for you to go.

• How to keep things in order at home on land while you're away at sea.  

 

Their Online Course on Cruise Ship Gigs

Gigs on Ships is a 9-week course where Fred and Bobbie literally open up their business to help those who want to land a cruise ship gig.

It has three modules:
1. Building Foundation - preparing yourself and show for ships.
2. Getting the gig.
3. Life at sea and how to be successful.

Learn more at www.gigsonships.com  

 

Other Topics Covered

• Talks about fear standing in your way.

• Taking risks.

• Some interesting storied from each of their lives that helped shape their careers.

• Not letting failures beat you up.    

 

Parting Advice

Don't let fear hold you back! Step out of your comfort zone. Pick up 6 more pieces of parting advice by signing up for Fred & Bobbie's newsletter at GigsOnShips.com.  

 

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!  

Resources:

Having a notebook to write things down in.  

 

Books:

Maximum Entertinament by Ken Weber

Fitzkee Trilogy by Dariel Fitzkee | Ebooks

Magic & Showmanship by Henning Nelms

Breaking Out by John Butman

Start with Why by Simon Sinek  

 

Where can we find Fred & Bobbie Becker?

Gigs on Ships

Fred Becker's Website

Twitter @realbeckermagic | Facebook

Direct download: SPC_070_Fred_Bobbie_Becker_-_Cruise_Ship_Gigs.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:00am PDT

In this interview, Brad Ross tells us how to market our show business and holds nothing back! My head is still reeling with all the knowledge Brad dropped. Also, find out how you can get a free 30 minute phone consult with Brad! For six years, Brad toured with Disney Live in Mickey’s Magic Show. This alone has taken him to 5 continents, 25 countries, and allowed him to perform in 16 languages. In fact, he’s entertained literally millions of people worldwide! He’s been featured in over 500 national and international TV appearances including the Rosie O’Donnell Show, FOX TV’s Good Day New York, Decco Drive, and on the Disney Channel. Brad was awarded the prestigious Merlin Award by the International Magician’s Society being named the “Best International Family Entertainer.” He can now be seen touring his brand new illusion show “Brad Ross’ Unbelievable,” where he brings a new approach to the classic theatrical art, the art of magic. Finally, Brad is also a well-known author, speaker, and marketing guru to magicians and other entertainers worldwide. He helps fellow entrepreneurs live their dreams through his seminars and training courses including his flagship course, “The IT Factor: Secrets to Skyrocketing Your Career!"

Sponsors:

Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online. Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords.”  

 

Kris Mentioned at the Top of the Show

A Life Well Designed from previous guest Jonny Zavant (Jonathan Pritchard)

This is a blog and podcast that teaches how to design the ultimate life for yourself. It's basically a resource for anyone who is interested in reducing waste in their life whether it be a waste of time, energy, resources, or efforts with the goal of helping you design the life that you've always wanted to live.

A Life Well Designed Blog | Podcast  

 

Success Quotes

Do what you love and love what you do!

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. — Marianne Williamson

If you can dream it, you can do it. — Walt Disney  

 

Marketing!

• You need to have a good website.

• Have good branding, it needs to be clear and defined.

• Your personality needs to come across in pixels and on paper.

• Put your personality out there. It's all about connecting.

• What is unique about you?

• Your personal brand it The IT Factor.

• Separate yourself from everyone else.

• Selling benefits instead of features.

• Selling the sizzle as well as the steak. What is the package that you've wrapped yourself in? That's the sizzle.

• Know what it is that you're selling and who your ideal customer is.

• The audience that you perform for could be different than the audience that you're selling to.

• People buy based on emotions.

• "So what?" That's the filter you need to run all your marketing copy through to find the value and benefits to the customer.

• Deliver the right message to the right market via the right media.  

 

The IT Factor Live

• Skyrocketing your career by creating the illusion of celebrity.

• It's a compilation of everything he's used to have a successful career in magic up to this point.

• a live workshop that teaches business-building for magicians.  

His original It Factor Course

It Factor Live (limited to 25 people)  

 

Other Topics Covered

• Learning from your mistakes.

• Magic happens outside the box (outside of our comfort zone).

• Talks about his journey and some of his challenges.

• Making decisions.

• How he grew his dream.

• Mentored by Dave Dee (who now works with Dan Kennedy!).

• Investing in yourself.

• It all comes down to passion.

• Talks about how he landed his Disney gig.

• Opportunity knocks for everyone. If you're prepared, you'll hear the knock and open the door. If you're not prepared, you will never know it was even there.  

 

Parting Advice

Get up off your butt and make your own success. Change the equation!  

 

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!  

 

Resources:

It Factor Live!  

 

Books:

Tony Robbins Personal Power

Joanie Spina's Get Your Act Together Videos  

 

Free 30 Minute Phone Consult with Brad!

This is a special offer for Successful Performercast listeners! Visit www.bradcoachme.com to fill out an application for a free 30 minute phone consultation with Brad about your show business.

www.bradcoachme.com  

 

Where can we find Brad Ross?

Make Magic Money

It Factor Live

Brad Coach Me

Twitter @bradrossmagic | Facebook

Direct download: SPC_069_Brad_Ross_-_Make_Magic_Money.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:00am PDT

Clay Mabbitt runs a blog and podcast called Sold Out Run where he helps theaters fill their seats with more than just friends and family.

Basically, he’s a marketer and an actor. He’s using his skills and knowledge taken from his years working in a marketing firm in Indianapolis and applying them to find out ways to get butts in seats in theater productions. It seems to work because in 2010 he applied what he knew from his professional marketing background to his first theatre production, and he sold every seat for the entire run. Hence the name, Sold Out Run.

 

Sponsors:

Click Convert Profit — This episode is brought to you by Josh London's Click Convert Profit and his book Flying Solo, the Smart Solopreneur’s Guide to Making Money Online.

Click here to get $10 off and for my listeners only, the free ebook "4 Ways to Find Your Most Profitable Keywords.”  

 

Kris Mentioned at the Top of the Show

Overdrive - Borrow eBooks and audiobooks from your local public library.

Zombie Loyalists by Peter Shankman: This is a book that talks about using great service to create raving fans, or in this case, Zombie Loyalists, that will not only buy your services, but also tell all their friends about you and get them to buy from you! It's a good read for sure!  

 

Success Mantra

All things in moderation, including moderation. — Oscar Wilde  

 

His First Sold Out Run

• What he had to start with.

• Focused on what could be done inexpensively.

• Created a blog for the show and a content calendar.

• Contests for free tickets.

• Varying content for blog and social media outlets.

• Staying Top of Mind.

• Creating a marketing calendar. (Template available at SoldOutRun.com.)

• Listing out what you'll need and when you'll do them.

• Other resources at SoldOutRun.com.

• Tells about the website he created for the show.

• Doing mini profiles for the cast and crew and having them share it on their social profiles.

• Having multiple points of contact with people before they actually buy from you.

• For every show there's a specific audience and a way to reach them.

• Tells us about a marketing tactic that he thought would work well but ultimately fell flat.  

 

Sold Out Run Blog

• Tells what he's trying to accomplish with this venture.

• It started out as him getting his thoughts out for himself in regards to marketing a theater show.

• He wants to change the culture around the arts and make them more commercially viable.

• He gets out his ideas and reports his findings.

• Blog and podcast at SoldOutRun.com are all about helping to improve theater marketing.

• His guest post: 5 Things Theatre Marketing Can Teach You About Promoting a Magic & Illusion Show by Clay Mabbitt.  

 

Failure Moment

Talks about his Open Book Project where he tried to help a theater with a show that just didn't work out.  

 

Favorite Success

His very first production, Enter Love, and his successful marketing efforts with it.  

 

Biggest Professional Challenge

Defining his niche.  

 

Interesting Story

Clay was on stage with someone who forgot their place and he couldn't help them.  

 

Rapid Fire Questions

In his podcast, Sold Out Run, clay asks his guests a series of fun rapid-fire questions. I turned the tables on him and gave him a fun Rapid Fire experience of his own!  

 

Other Topics Covered

• If you aways play it safe, you'll never have any real big success.

• Tells about his background in marketing and how he got into acting.  

 

Parting Advice

Don't get complacent with small houses.  

 

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!  

 

Resources:

AWeber email list management.  

 

Books:

Art of the Turnaround by Michael M. Kaiser

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod  

 

Where can we find Clay Mabbitt?

Sold Out Run Blog | Podcast

Twitter @claymabbitt

Direct download: SPC_068_Clay_Mabbitt_-_Sold_Out_Run.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:00am PDT

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