How to Hire a Magician…You’re Doing it Wrong!

Multiple times a week, we inevitably get the question…”How much do you charge for a show?” I don’t think I will ever get to a point where I’m not amazed when someone asks this. To me, that’s like walking onto a car lot and asking the salesman, “How much do you charge for a car?” There are a lot of variables. One of the biggest mistakes people make when they hire a magician is they make the assumption that all magicians are the same. They especially think this if they’re looking specifically in a local market. But you better get that idea out of your head, because you could be setting yourself up for some real embarrassment.

To give you some context, out of all the local magicians in Charlotte (where I’m based), there are only a few, at most, that I would recommend. I’m going to show how you can very methodically rule out the bad ones and settle on a good one. This is the best process to go through when you hire a magician.

What type of event are you having?

Ok, maybe you don’t need David Copperfield. But, if you’re planning a corporate function, or even a wedding, the last thing you want to do is hire some inexperienced magician that may say or do something inappropriate and create an awkward situation. If that happens, the event planner gets blamed, not the magician.

Someone contacted me about doing magic at a wedding cocktail hour and told me about seeing a magician that made the maid of honor cry because of how badly he embarrassed her. How do you possibly recover from that? If it’s an important event, learn to cut corners on budget and get the best you can afford.

Know your audience?

This seems like common sense. However, I walked into an all-adult corporate event one time and saw a clown walking around, pulling gags on people. I could see people looking at each other as if to say, “Who brought in this moron?” There was such an awkward feeling everywhere that ridiculous clown went. Don’t hire children’s entertainment for adults. And in the same way, don’t hire adult entertainment for children. It may seem like common sense to you, but you’d be surprised.

Avoid low-budget “party companies” like the plague!

Now, I’m not talking about professional event entertainment services. I’m talking about the low-budget party planning companies. I’ve never seen one source be more responsible for bad magic shows. They boast providing everything from pony rides, to cotton candy, bounce-houses, face painters, magicians, and more. I actually met a “magician” from one of these companies. It was high school kid that told me it was “easy money” on the weekend.

Because I knew an owner of one of these companies, and he told me that he often “doesn’t know which magician” he’s going to send out to do the show. So in other words, if you saw a certain magician at party that led you to call the company in the first place, it’s likely you won’t see them at your event. Find a professional magician and reach out specifically to them.

Read reviews!

Once you’ve narrowed down your search for magicians, start looking at reviews. Reviews can tell you so much about a performer. A lady last week contacted us and booked me for a very high paying event. I asked her specifically if she had seen my promo video. She replied, “No. I didn’t need to after I read your reviews.”

Two pieces of advice. One, if you’re able to, read reviews on third party websites (ie. Google reviews, agent websites, The Bash, etc.). I call these “reviews the performer has no control over.” And two, try to find reviews that are specific to your type of event. There are lots of performers with loads of great reviews that I wouldn’t recommend for an event like yours. “He was great magician at our company picnic” doesn’t translate to “He’ll be a great trade show magician!” Be very intentional about the reviews you’re reading.

Don’t wait to book!

Once you’ve found the right magician, I have some disappointing news. Chances are, they may already be booked. If you take one thing away from what I’m saying, let it be this: Don’t book the entertainment last!

This past week, I had two new clients try to book me on two of the most in demand nights of the year. The problem is, we’re less than two months out. On the flip side, I’ve had a repeat client offer me three times my fee to book me three years in advance. Major corporations have frequently contacted me 8-12 months in advance to ask my availability before booking the date. So, if a multi-billion dollar corporation is willing to base the date of a 6 figure event around an entertainer, that should tell you what level of importance they place on entertainment?

And I can almost guarantee, if you try to book a quality magician just a few weeks out for an in-demand date, you won’t get them.

Don’t be discouraged!

Even if an event is sprung on you last minute (it can happen), you can sometimes book a magician if they have a gap in their schedule. Even if it’s just a short magic show at your event, it’s better than settling for low budget. Remember, get the best you can afford! It just might save you a lot of disappointment! Make all your events great ones!