Christmas Party Magician

Christmas Party Magician

Even though the pumpkins are still yet to be carved and the fireworks are yet to be lit. It is around this time of year that peoples attention turns to the planning and making arrangements for the company Christmas party.

The close up magic that I perform is perfectly suited to a works Xmas party and is a sure way to creative a great buzz. I am able to mingle through a drinks reception or cocktail party, working group to group. I can also work table to table (table hopping) entertaining during a dinner.

For more in depth information  please visit the Christmas Party Magician page on my web site.

HOW MUCH DOES A MAGICIAN COST TO HIRE?

One of the most popular questions is "How much do you charge". Well, before that question can be answered we need to clarify exactly what it is you want. You need to give as much details about what it is you are looking to hire the magician for

Just like asking a builder how much will you build a wall for?  He would need to know all the variables like: How long do you want the wall to be? How high do you want the wall? How thick do you want the wall? When do you want it built? What kind of bricks do you want?

In a nut shell the more the magician knows about the event you have planned then the easier it is to quote a price on the requirements.

So to save time when making an enquiry here are the things the magician needs to know about your event?

The most basic and essential details that are required are:

What date is the event?
What times do you anticipate?
What type of event is it?
Where is the event? (Location/Venue)
Approximate number of guests expected?
Are the guests standing around like in a drinks reception? Or are they seated at tables?


Other questions that help include:

Is there other entertainment planned?
This may not seem like an obvious question but it does help the magician to gauge when best to utilise him. Certain acts work well in conjunction with the magic and others would work better around it. A stringed quartet playing in the background does not effect a close-up magician performing as he can work in conjunction with the background music. In fact background music is to be encouraged as it warms the atmosphere.

On the other hand if  you have booked a rock band to play a set then there is nothing that the magician can do during that time. Quite often when a band (or disco) starts to play is when the lights go down and the party goes boogie on at the later part of the night so this would indicate the magicians cut off point.

Where did you get the magicians details?
It's not essential but it is nice to know how you obtained the magicians details. Perhaps you found them online on a search engine or you many have seen them at another event that you attended or perhaps a friend had recommended them. Like I said, it is not essential to know but does help for example to see if a certain advertisement campaign is working etc.

Where the heck is the time going!?

I can’t believe we are half way through June already!

Having said that me and my lovely wife have had our hands full the past six weeks with the arrival of our baby boy... We are absolutely thrilled to bits. Tired, but totally chuffed.

Also the months of April and May were (thankfully) nice and busy. Along with the usual weddings, private parties and corporate events, I was hired by NOKIA to help add a magic touch to their new mobile phone, the Nokia E7. I designed a bespoke magic show that was presented to hundreds of staff at various call centre HQ’s around the UK. The aim was to help (in a magical way) generate excitement about the smart-phone to the people would be selling the product. The mission was a resounding success.

 Many thanks to Stuart Slavicky (a top bloke) for the images. You can find him here: http://www.sjsphoto.com/

A hecktic few weeks

 The best magic ever... making
 
The new design for www.dorianmagic.com is up and running

Redesign of wedding magician web site

Just uploaded the new redesigned wedding magician web site :) Wedding Magician a lot better than the old one for sure.

“What do you call it, the thing that you do? What do you call yourself? Are you a magician? Conjuror? Illusionist?”

I often get asked this question.

It’s surprising how many different terms there are to describe what it is I do. The term I use (as do my fellow magical entertainers in the same field) is quite simply a "close-up magician". I perform magic and it is performed close-up.

For example due to the fact that the magic happens in the magicians (and spectators) hands he could be called a sleight of hand, close quarter or close hand magician.

If the performer is entertaining at an event such as a drinks reception, due to the fact he has to move amongst the guests working group to group would make him a mix and mingle, wandering, walk around or walkabout magician. Some would even use the terms strolling conjurers or roaming/roving conjurors.

All the different derivatives of the term close-up magician basically all boil down to the context of the performing situation.

On the occasions that the magic performer is entertaining (table hopping) at the tables of seated guests, he might be called table side entertainer or even a close hand magician. If performing at a wedding, he would be called a wedding magician.

A more recent name for ‘close-up magic’ is ‘street magic’. This has been popularised by a well know TV magician from America where he is seen out and about on the streets performing to the public at random.

This brings us on to the name ‘TV magician’ which of course is where the magician is performing on a television show. So as you can see, a street magician can be a close-up magician can be a TV magician.

Another thing people sometimes ask is "What do you call them? tricks, illusions?"

I tend not to use the term 'tricks' myself, as this implies I’m out to trick someone, which isn’t a nice thing, nobody likes to be tricked. What I call them are effects, I perform magical effects (close up). I would'nt call them illusions, as most people associate the stage magic effects that use big props and crazy boxes and contraptions.

Anyways... I've blabbered on enough here, I'm going to get the kettle on.

Short'n'Sharp Magician Promo Video

I have uploaded the short promo video to both youtube and vimeo. Here are the addresses:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuiiI3j7Z00
http://vimeo.com/16273154