Derrin’s Blog
Here you’ll find some of my thoughts on magic and magicians, and some tips and tricks you might find helpful when looking for a magician.
- Magic at the dentist
I’ve been working on a consulting project, something that neither I nor the clients have done before, and we finally figured out how things should look. Despite having a plan, I couldn’t help but keep thinking of ways to make things more unique and, ultimately, more magical. The day after our last meeting, I was at the dentist. “Just lean back a little, turn your head a little to the … - The Online Lobby
Doing interactive shows online is already a unique experience, but over the past few months I’ve noticed a trend. So, I’m offering a free tip. No charge. Totally gratis. Consider using your own Zoom account for shows or other online events you might be hosting. Do you have to? No. But here’s why you might want to: Online shows can have an online lobby. I’ve done a number of shows … - Steaks, Sizzles, Card Tricks & Cameras
“Don’t sell the steak, sell the sizzle.” We all know this quote, a classic in the marketing world. The gist is that when selling something, it’s best to emphasize the experience of a product and how it would benefit the customer, as opposed to just listing out features. It’s great advice, but I’ve often looked at it the wrong way because I’ve been fooled by the sizzle…literally. We’ve all been … - Cust-Zoom-er FeedbackOne of the questions I’ve been getting recently is “What’s it like doing a show on Zoom?” It goes without saying that there are many differences between performing “in-person” vs. performing “virtually”. No doubt, the audience experience is different, but from a magician’s point of view, it can be VERY different. What’s the main difference? Feedback. I don’t mean the high-pitched squeal of a microphone at the wrong volume (although …
- Before the Zoom!
One of the differences I’ve noticed between virtual and in-person shows is what happens before the show. At an in-person event you might have to look for parking, you wait in line for something to eat, find your seat, and chat with a few people while pre-show music plays. You might get to the venue 30 minutes before the show starts and still feel like you had to rush to … - Tricks Are(n’t just) for kids!There’s seems to be a lot of preconceived notions about who a magician is and what a magician does. I once performed at a function where it was clear that one of the organizers had it in their mind that a magician had to fit a specific (yet, still pretty generic) mold. At this event I was at a table, and guests would stop by, spending a few minutes to chat …
