In my final interview here in this chapter of Successful Performercast, I have Joe Monti who gives us some valuable advice when it comes to show business and shares some stores from his career that will have you at the edge of your seat.

Joe Monti has done it all. He’s traveled the world with his magic, both performing and lecturing. He’s worked with Viacom, starting with the Cosby Show. He’s consulted for television on a number of shows & projects, including Criss Angel’s Mind Freak for three seasons, a lot of ghost and paranormal shows as well as other secret television projects. He was also the $50,000 winner on Simon Cowell’s successful prime time ABC hit American Inventor, which was seen by 14 million people.

He’s a frequent featured performer at the world famous Hollywood Magic Castle, home of the Academy of Magical Arts, and has released two commercial products straight from his act on the market for working magicians. Joe has done so much to elevate the art of magic, it’s impossible to list it all here.  

Success Mantra

Survive. You’ve got to kiss the canvas before you can dance with the angels.  

Great Advice on Show Business

• Talks about his early days in show business.

• Talks about how he discovered Tannen’s and started hanging out there.

• Tells how he “jumped ship” over at Viacom.

• “Do for others, and they will do for you."

• Tells about a how he was filming a TV show after quitting Viacom, where he was dressed all slummy and running into all the people he used to work with.

• Keeping you ear to the ground to figure out what people want and doing it.

• Talks about his physical comedy.

• Why you should do things exactly as you’re taught before adding your own influence into an act you’re working on.

• Finding what’s funny.

• An effective, yet controversial, tip for getting tips in a strolling situation, and why Joe stopped doing it.

• An interesting story involving Dave Chapelle.

• Magic minds help in business.

• Deliver a product that they can't get from anybody but you. 

Help Out Joe

As many of you may know, Joe was involved in a pretty serious accident. This interview was recorded before that accident, and Joe wanted to come back on before we officially released this interview to give us a quick update.

If you'd like to help him out, there's a Go Fund Me campaign open to help him with his medical bills and recovery expenses. Every little bit helps. Ad mention that Successful Performercast sent you. 

Parting Advice

Don’t show the people around the magic you’re working on. They’ll only tell you good things. Instead, film it, and let someone watch the video, walk away and then watch their reaction from afar.  

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:

Books:

Triggers by Joseph Sugarman

Bobo’s Coin Magic

Trick Brain by Dariel Fitzkee

Our Magic by Masculine & DeVant

Where can we find Joe Monti?

joemonti.com

thumbtie.com  

In this interview, Thought Reader Bill Gladwell who talks about the ins and outs of having his own stationary one-man, mentalism show and how he’s been able to make it a success.

Bill is a performer who combines his unique skills of hypnosis, NLP, suggestion, psychology, directed awareness, and showmanship to create a fun interactive show that leaves an indelible impression on each of his audiences and has performed for a diverse list of clients from Honda to country music artist Rodney Atkins. He’s also a speaker and trainer teaching people how to develop and master strong social skills helping them win at life.

For the last five years, Bill has pretty much stopped traveling in order to produce and perform in his own 75-minute mentalism show, Two Thought Minimum first in Gatlinburg Tenessee and then in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Finally, I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t mention his own podcast, “Hey! Look at Me!” where he interviews other entertainers that he comes in contact with during his adventures.  

Success Mantra

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. – Susie Castle

If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it, if you don’t ask, the answer is always no, and if you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place. - Norah Roberts  

Having a Stationary Show

• Tells how he got his first theater show as a mentalist.

• How he was able to tweak his show and improve it from a very rough start.

• Not listening to other magicians and mentalists.

• How Trip Advisor has helped his career.

• How/why he left Gatlinburg for Hilton Head Island.

• Tells how he got feedback from his audiences.

• Listening to his wife. Starting with the end on mind and working back from that.

• How he negotiated with a theater owner to get his dark nights.

• Promoting his show and getting tourists into see show.

• The importance of having a good product.

• How to work with the venue making it a win win for the performer and the venue.

• Back of room sales.

• Using social media avenues to his advantage.

• Building email list.

• His USP.

• How he keeps in contact via email.

• How he sells tickets.

• Challenges of working in a theater.

• Rebuilding his show and following in Hilton Head Island.

• Don’t be afraid to give tickets away to get things done.

• Interacting with press and getting coverage.

• Working with other companies and businesses to cross promote.  

Other Topics Covered

• The power in asking.

• Lessons from Girl Scout cookie sales.

• Asking for the close.

• How a Tony Robbins event changed his life.

• Talks about how he did an impromptu stage hypnosis show that started him out in performing.

• Finding material that fits you.

• Don’t do things like everyone else. Make it entertaining.

• Recording your show.

• It’s not about you, it’s about giving your audience a good time.

• How pricing yourself too low can cost your gigs.  

Failure Moment

Tells why he now collects his fee up front.  

Favorite Success

His Trip Advisor reviews.

Getting his wife to marry him. 😃 ❤️❤️❤️  

Parting Advice

Be bold. Not only on stage, but off stage.

Three foot rule: If anyone gets within three feet of you, you have to tell them what you do and give them a card.  

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:

Evernote

Just Press Record iOS app

Books:

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

The Sales Bible Jeffrey Gitomer

Also mentioned WellAttended 

Where can we find Bill Gladwell?

billgladwelllive.com

Hey Look at Me! Podcast

In this interview, Al The Only talks about how he's found success in being a "general practitioner" of magic. He also talks about how he came up with his brand of Al The Only.

For over 35 years Al has traveled the country with his magic, performing for corporate clients doing their trade shows, conventions, business meetings, hospitality suites and holiday parties. This includes companies like Apple, General Motors, Coca Cola, AT&T, and McDonald’s. You may also remember him from “Ask The Only,” which was his column in the Magic Menu where he fielded questions about the business side of magic. Today he’s here to share his thoughts on show business with us.  

Success Mantra

Perception is everything.

Don’t sweat the big stuff.

You never know when you’re making a memory.  

Being a General Practitioner of Magic

• Defining general practitioner as it applies to being a full-time magician.

• Accomplishing the needs of his clients’ magical needs whatever they may be.

• If the client asked him if he could do something, he always said yes.

• Talks about “niching down."

• Weren’t really any gigs he wouldn’t take, but there are some that he wishes he had been able to do.

• Talks about how he’s now in the school show market and how he couples them with corporate gigs he’s doing.

• Talks about some of his selling techniques and strategy.

• How he travels with two shows.

• He has two of everything he does.

• Talks about the most unusual show he did which was being hired to steal from a department store.

• Talks about hiring a colleague sometimes to help serve the client in which he becomes the producer of a show.  

Other Topics Covered

• Being “present” with the people you’re performing for.

• Talks about some of the things he did to get gigs initially after getting laid off from his day job.

• You can get anything you want in life if you help enough people get what they want in life. — Zig Ziglar

• How his full-time restaurant job was the foundation of his business.

• Talks about his branding of Al The Only.

• How his name is instantly recognizable.

• Does the name make the individual, or does the individual make the name?

• His take on successes and failures.

• Dealing with multiple time zones.

• It’s not about the magic, it’s about the people you’re working with.  

Failure Moment

Tells about how he’s lost all his money three different times within his career.  

Favorite Success

The relationships with his clients.  

Parting Advice

1. Don’t do free shows.

2. If you think a show is out of your league, pass it up to another pro.

3. Never say you can’t do something for a client.

4. Don’t believe your own PR.

5. Marry a spouse with a job that has benefits. #tongueInCheek  

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:

We all have smart devices, but the smartest device we have is our brain! Listen to people. Listen to your friends.

Books:

The Business of Restaurant Magic by Al The Only (Out of Print)

Confidential Booking Reports by Dick Ryan (Out of Print)

Doug Scheer’s book Entertaining Education (Also listen to Doug Scheer’s Interview)

Danny Orleans The Art of Presenting Magic for Children

Where can we find Al The Only?

Tricky1.com

The Magic Graveyard

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