It has been awhile since I posted regularly here at Penguin, but I read this post and wanted to try and offer some genuine and honest feedback.

First off, listen to Paddy. I haven't spoken to him in some time (which does remind me I should email him and catch up) but he is trying to help you. The worst thing you can do is to go into a situation unprepared.

I am sure you are excited and really want this, however think long-term. If you really want to be a success at this, remember what you do now will influence your future. This is a business. You may very well be good at magic, but doing restaurant magic (or any type of magic) is more than just that. You are being hired to be an "entertainer" that utilizes magic. You must first learn to entertain.

My best suggestion is to join SAM or IBM as a youth member. Go to your regular meetings. They teach more than just "tricks", they teach you how to become a true professional -- if you are willing to learn. Getting up in front of the other members and presenting at each meeting is so important. It gives you the opportunity to polish up your act, to gain feedback, and critique. It also allows you the opportunity to learn how to network.

My whole family loves magic. My husband does magic, I do magic (although not as much as I would like to as I often give up my practice time to assist my daughter) and my 13-year old daughter does magic. I will never forget her face the first time her SYM mentor recommended her for a paid performance for the City for a 4th of July event. To her, it was the highlight because her mentor had faith in her ability to perform in that venue. I am only using this as an example. It is important to be prepared for what can happen -- because you never will know what will happen.

During this same performance, her very first public one, while performing a huge tower speaker collapsed on stage because of the wind about 5' away from her. She never jumped, she never looked away from the audience, she just kept performing. I will never forget the reaction of one of the audience members who was standing next to me -- he had no idea who I was -- but I just smiled to myself as he said, "She is fabulous!". Several of our friends who are professional magicians had come out to support her that day and watch her. When she was done they all praised her on her poise and performance and for being "professional".

This is the reaction you want. This is what you are striving for. There are going to be times when things do not go the way you want them to. Being a performer is being able to deal with the unexpected. You can be the best at tricks, but if you can't deliver no matter what the circumstances then it is all for naught.

Again, my daughter is only 13. We are extremely proud of her accomplishments, especially since she is only starting her 3rd year at SYM. However, she spends time daily practicing not just her "tricks", but her patter, her poise, her routining, custom patter, etc. She has been asked back by the same City to perform at other events they have held. She has also performed for our own City for different events. She has also started doing birthday parties after being asked for the past 1.5 years to do them. You may wonder why did it take her 1.5 years to do a birthday party? The answer is simple. She wasn't prepared for that venue yet. Each venue has its own unique requirements and expectations. Until you can fulfill those expectations, it is best to protect your reputation by pleasantly declining.

One final comment before I sign off, please "unpublish" your website from the internet. It is in no way in your favor. This is, once again, an honest evaluation. If someone were to visit your site you would not be hired. The site I designed for my daughter is extensive and includes testimonials, past performances, upcoming performances, a personal bio, all the information needed for someone to judge whether or not she is right for their event. I would post the url address, but it is only a tool that she uses for prospective clients. Because of her age, her work is by referral only. Typically when she is hired it is because someone has already seen her perform or has been recommended by someone who has seen her.

I hope you find some of my comments useful and insightful. They are in no means meant as criticism in any form or fashion. I am very involved in our SAM and SYM and fully believe in supporting our youth in learning the art of magic. Just always bear in mind, it is an "art".

Good luck,

Wendebird (for those of you who might still remember my Penguin nickname!)

Everyone im sorry I was kinda grumpy yesterday.

I just wanted to say thanks for the advise this weekend i was thinking of making a whole new website. And that website was just a kinda pratice website to see if it would work or not, my friend from my other city helped me but someone happened to it so thats what it is now and never updated it till I put that new movie.


I just wanted to say thanks for the advise i'm going to make a new one thats a little better and with the advise you put.

Thanks everyone~



-MagicTay

P.S I am 16, not 12 or what not

I'm 22 and I'm doing magic for 4years now. So, I'll think I'm ready enough for the performance.

just wanted to say this really thingy (how is the page now)?

thanks though for the advise!

-MagicTay

I honestly can not say anything about grammar and english, I am a horrible English student. The one comment I would say is get rid of the video. It looks like it was put together last minute and just unprofessional. I would also recommend getting rid of the I will be working at one of these two places when I turn 16. For legal reasons you can only say you have the job or the job has been promised to you. You can not say that you will hopefully get the job. You also tend to repeat yourself a lot.

An example of this would be

I started Magic when I was 9 years old. I rented a book for my school library and I read it and started to do the trick it listed. As soon as I mastered one of the tricks I would go show everyone and then wanted to learn some more and show everyone what I could do.

Before this quote you write.

My name is Taylor, MagicTay and I am a Magician that lives in Houston. I came into magic when I was 9 reading a Magic book. I gotten that book because one of my friends tried to show me a trick from the book, but didn't go so well. After he returned it I checked it out and started to read it and try everything in there.


The last critique I have would be to get rid of this line


After I had mastered one thing I would go show my parents to show off.


For the reason that when you say you have mastered something that comes across to many people that you will not mess up, and in my experience sooner or later you will mess up a trick. Just some suggestions.
Tazzar

PS. IBM Ring would be a good investment
PSS. I accept you apology.
Have a great day.[/b]

First off, before I answer your question about your website, I just wanted to say that I used to write resumes professionally. Currently I only write resumes for friends or for past clients as a courtesy. You need to look at your website just as if it were a resume.

I am going to be point-blank honest and not hold anything back. Please don't take it as criticism, think of it as just wanting you to present yourself in the best possible light. Hey, I used to get paid a nice little sum for the free advice I'm about to give you! LOL

1.. Blatant error -- do not have a site with banners. This tells the client that you are not busy enough or financially secure enough to "buy" your own domain and host it. You can get plans as cheap as $5-7/month to avoid this. The annual cost is less than what you would charge for one show, so don't cut corners. If you have to, ask mom and dad for a loan until you can pay them back.

2. Ditch the smiley faces. This is going to tell your client that you are immature. Again, please do not think I am picking on you. I am truly trying to help. The smileys are going to make them think you are unprofessional. You want to project a positive, mature business image.

3. You need an easier-to-read banner font. Typically Arial is a nice font to use. If you want to go fancier, make sure it is a bold font that is easy on the eyes.

4. Introduction - Your text is too "hopeful" and makes you look inexperienced. You need to be assertive and state WHAT you have done, not what you HOPE to accomplish. Change the text by listing what you have done.

5. Personal Bio (About me) - Again, it needs to be more assertive. You can touch on the aspect of becoming interested in the art of magic at 9, but don't make that the whole storyline. Talk about how magic is a part of your life now. You want current information. Another key issue is grammar. If you are unsure about your usage, write it out and ask one of your parents to proof-read it, even a teacher.

6. Adding Fun - Delete this paragraph. It is redundant and unnecessary.

7. Experience - Detailing is important. Your answer is too vague. Also, don't use "Kid's". The proper word you should use is "Children's". Again, grammar needs work and you need to use spell check. Your statement about your magician friends is weak. Make it a stronger bolder statement in a way that makes it look positive, not like you are just going around asking some magician questions. Also, this statement does not belong under experience. If you plan on using it place it under a different section.

8. Drop the whole "applying for an application" on the top right corner. It has no relevancy on your website!

9. Scrap everything on your Contact Page except your email address and cell number. Personally, I would not have my home phone listed on the internet!

10. Delete your Performance page. If you want to show a picture of yourself doing a fan or a flourish, spend the extra money to have it professionally taken and then place it on your main page. Candids should be in a Gallery section, and only posted if relevant. Random shots as shown will not have any impact on your prospective client.

Things you can focus on:

1. There is no problem with promoting the fact that you are a youth performer as long as you promote yourself as a mature individual that is capable.

2. List any Awards or Testimonials you have received as a magician. However, and I can't stress this enough, do not fabricate your testimonials! They have to be legitimate testimonies you have received, and you must have permission to post them on your website.

3. List any upcoming "public" shows and have a reference for past "public" shows. If you have a standing gig that you perform at regularly, list that also. If you use a calendar (and my daughter does) be sure to not show too many details about your party because your client will not appreciate it. My daughter will typically just list the event (i.e. Nicki's 5th birthday party.) If you have more than one gig on a day, you can always just write, "Call for Availability" if you want to consider a second show.

4. Add photos if appropriate. They can show who you are, how you conduct yourself, and can help a client get to "know" you. However, choose the photos wisely because along with promoting a positive image, they can also promote a negative one.

5. Show a promo video on your site ONLY if professionally done. This isn't the time to play director.


Okay, it is now 45 minutes later. Please take the above critique as a positive intention of my wanting to help you put yourself out there properly. Again, and I can't say this enough, I believe in supporting our youth magicians and helping them as much as possible. You will never hear me say something negative to hurt someone. My intention is always to provide information to help someone learn. I also hope that anyone else thinking of creating a domain will be able to learn from this also.

I hope you find the information helpful. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

~ Wendebird

Wow! Now that's constructive criticism........


You're hired!

This thread got WAY off topic! It went from rate of pay to web design! To get this back on topic, I have performed in restaurants for a loooong time. My rate is simple. It's $125 an hour, with a 3 hour minimum. Period. I usually work the restaurant 2 or 3 nights a week. All the restaurants seem to want the entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. When that's the case, the bookings get competitive. I've had restaurants and clubs tell me that they will double what the other places pay if I'll cancel my booking with the other guys. Which is good for me, because I can very easily adjust the time for the first booking, and work 5-8 at the first one, and work 8:30-10:30 at the second one...Even though I'm only working 2 hours at the second booking, I still get paid for 3 because I "went to the trouble" of cancelling a booking to work somewhere else. I can do both and not have to cancel ANY bookings. Restaurant magic has been really good money....BUT...You have to have the right attitude, the right routines, and the desire to be successful. You also have to be willing to starve for a while until you can get those bookings! LOL. Nothing is going to be handed to you....you WILL have to work for what you get. It's called "paying your dues".