Samuel didn't know how to start out as a magician

By Dominic Reyes

I received this email from a young magician:

'I emailed you about how to go about getting a first gig, and you told me that as I was 14, I should consider doing some charity events. I spoke to members of our towns committee about it, and they seemed more than happy to take me on. I am now getting lots of gigs, so I thought I should say thank you, as you gave me the original advice that started it all off. So thank you very much for your great advice.' – Samuel Prior

This got me thinking about the advice I game Samuel when he was 14. It applies to young magicians that are just starting out and are having trouble being taken seriously when they approach venues or companies to pitch their magic. However, I think the advice is solid for magicians of any age, when they have the catch 22 situation of needing experience, but struggling to get gigs because of that reason:

If you want to do magic as a paid performer, you HAVE to get out and start performing for the public. Nobody will come to you and beg to hire you, so you need to put yourself in public situations where you can perform professionally. The easiest way to do this is to HELP YOUR COMMUNITY by offering your services at local charity and community events. That first step will give you the confidence to market yourself, get your name out, and push forward to get future paid work as a magician. If you have been thinking about doing this for a while, now is the time to act. Contact your local community centre TODAY, and ask them about events coming up that could use some free entertainment. It's just a phone call, but it's that first step that you have to make sooner or later..

Do you know a keen magician that has been thinking about doing paid work, but has yet to take that first step? If so, email or text them a link to this page. A little push from someone that cares about them is all it might take..

 

Are you already a working magician and have some advice for magicians just starting out? How did you get your feet off the ground performing? Maybe you are in the same position Samuel was in, and have a question? Leave a comment in the section at the bottom of this page.