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The Event Magician

Sum, JC

(Based on 1 review)
THE EVENT MAGICIAN VOL. 2: THE BUSINESS OF MAGIC FOR SPECIAL EVENTS

The Event Magician
is an updated & expanded new release of J C Sum's critically acclaimed "The Event Illusionist" that was first published in 2004 and revised in 2008.

The all-new The Event Magician has been released as two volumes and has been re-written to cater to ALL types of magicians who perform for special events. The event industry is likely the first industry that a budding magician will find work in. For 80% of the professional and semi-professional magicians in the world, all of their work is from special events of all kinds.

The Event Magician Vol. 2 focuses on the business side of being a magical entertainer in the event industry. Whether you are a close-up magician, mentalist or illusionist, you will learn proven strategies to build a brand and position in this industry. J C details scenarios, examples and hard-hitting advice designed to help you succeed in this specialized field.

As one half of "Asia's Most Famous Illusionists" (The Straits Times), along with 'Magic Babe' Ning, the "sexiest woman in magic" (Magicseen Magazine), J C discusses the building of a personal brand as well as developing a team brand. He also shares up-to-date marketing tools and business documents such as professional show contracts, quotations, invoices and non-disclosure agreements. As a show producer and promoter, he helped to kick start the careers of no less than ten magicians who are now professional magicians in their own rights.

In a special bonus chapter, J C discusses magically producing a VIP for a special event to add value to your show as well as justify a higher fee. He also shares an original VIP appearance illusion that can be easily and inexpensively built.

"J C has not only opened his book of knowledge to anyone wanting to earn a good living performing at events. He has also left no stone unturned with just about every conceivable angle on the subject of 'event performing' meticulously covered. I can only but applaud him on his valuable efforts."
- Mark Parker, Illusion Designer

The Event Magician Volume 2: The Business of Magic for Special Events features 75 pages of practical information on building a professional career in the event industry.

Contents include:

UNDERSTANDING THE BUSINESS
  • The Business of The Event Magician
  • The Value of The Event Magician
  • The Make-up of The Event Industry
  • The Event Magician's Competition
  • Business Resources for the Event Magician
POSITIONING THE EVENT MAGICIAN AND THE SHOW
  • What is Positioning?
  • Examples of Positioning an Event Magician - An Illusionist, A Close-up Magician & A Mentalist
  • Crafting a Position of a Team
  • The Event Magician and The Magic Evolution
  • The Power of Lesser Logic for The Event Illusionist
THE EVENT MAGICIAN'S ESSENTIAL MARKETING TOOLS
  • Digital Marketing Tools
  • Hardcopy Marketing Tools
OTHER MARKETING TOOLS FOR THE EVENT MAGICIAN
  • Referrals
  • Direct Marketing
  • Newsletter
  • Postcards
  • Tradeshows/ Exhibitions
  • Networking Events
  • Advertising
  • Social Media
  • Internet Marketing
  • Publicity/ Media Features
BUSINESS DOCUMENTS FOR THE EVENT MAGICIAN
  • Fees
  • Payment Terms
  • Official Quotation
  • Confirmation of Services
  • Invoice
  • Non-Disclosure Agreements
BONUS CHAPTER: PRODUCING A VIP FOR SPECIAL EVENTS
  • Staging an Appearance Illusion for Events
  • Simplex VIP Production
ANNEX A: PROMOTIONAL PHOTOS

Reviews

Christian

Official Reviewer

Apr 03, 2012

The event Magician Volume one (designing a stage show) and Volume two (The business of magic for special events) are a two book set. I will review them as such even though you could purchase them individually. I say this because in my opinion. If you think you should purchase one of these, most likely you should get both.

The books are very well laid out. They have very readable print, high gloss paper, and are well structured. The information is logical, ordered, and easy to understand.

The first book concentrates on putting your show together. J. C. explains the consideration that you should think about when putting a show together. He goes beyond the usual explanations I have heard. I liked the section on “Advancing your brand” in your show. Very Clever! He not only explains how a show should be put together, but why certain pieces should go in certain spots in your show. This was a nice read.

Next he covers music. Although he does not go in depth he does give share some nice ideas. He then talks about show management such as tables and blocking. He covers technical support and riders. He even talks about packing the show, a very important step that gets overlooked by many novices getting ready for their first tour.

The second book gets into the marketing of a show. He first tackles some questions that many performers new to booking overlook: Why are we worth anything at all to the market?

After that he talks about the marketing campaign/mindset of positioning yourself in the market. The first half of the book takes the reader on a journey much like a business plan. J. C. hammers away at having you think about how you will enter the market. He wants you to have a plan well before you begin spending money on marketing yourself.

The second half of the book begins with looking at the tools of marketing:

Websites: Structure, pages, Video and Video content.
Referral marketing
Direct marketing
Agents
Newsletters
Postcards
Etc.

The ending question here is: Are these books worth the money?

Yes! With a caveat . . . .

Don’t expect to purchase these books and get hired tomorrow. J. C. Sum as laid out the information. You will have to do the work and it’s not easy. But I think he has given you a very good blue print to start from.
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