What does a day in the life of a full time magician look like?
A peek behind the scenes, a day in the life of a professional magician. What’s it really like to be a full-time paid professional magician? Well, Duncan has been a full-time professional magician for over 15 years now. His magic has taken him around the world and has allowed him to perform for many different audiences. He performs a stage show after dinner, close-up magic, digital magic, and mind reading, and has positioned himself as one of the finest close-up magicians in the UK. Despite being one of the best in the UK, the general population knows nothing about the world of magic.
They may also not have heard of Duncan before. Therefore, a lot of time is spent creating and positioning himself so that potential bookers can find him. Once you think of yourself as an entertainer, it’s all easy-going. You turn up, do a gig, and the rest of the time you’re sitting around watching Netflix and eating Cocoa Puffs until the phone rings. But what happens if the phone never rings? You need a growth mindset that recognizes there’s only a finite number of brides getting married.
There are only a finite number of events that Duncan can be booked for. Knowing this means Duncan has to be proactive in booking his calendar for next year. So where does Duncan get his work from? Well, first, people find him on social media and in online directories. They may also have been referred by someone who’s seen or used his services before.
Watch Duncan's Unique Brand of Close Up Magic Below:
How else can you secure Duncan's services?
This is the most common way, and his reviews are testament to that. Third, it may come from an agency or bureau that has Duncan as one of its preferred suppliers. Equally, a venue may know Duncan and his work and be prepared to vouch for him, thus referring him. But Duncan needs to nurture these relationships and encourage people to recommend him to others. So, let’s talk magic. How does a magician prepare to integrate a new magic trick into his set? So often magicians perform many different magic tricks. When I first started as a magician, I heard a phrase that has stuck with me, and it was about Mozart. If Mozart were asked how many pieces of music he played, what would he say? Undoubtedly, he could play thousands. The questionnaires: if he was booked for an event, would he play “Happy Birthday”?
The likelihood he wouldn’t. He would only play as a material. Thus, the same goes for Duncan; he constantly struggles to understand why professional magicians have big close-up magic bags with lots and lots of different magic tricks in them. They can’t all be of the same caliber. Sure, it gives more variety, but Duncan only ever plays a game material, which he thinks hits us hard and has maximum impact. You don’t want to go to an event where someone has seen you before, and Duncan doesn’t perform some of the things that they’d referred to the booker about. However, Duncan sometimes adds new magic tricks and mind-reading effects to his act. So how does he integrate them? Well, if you already have a solid set, integrating new magic isn’t so difficult. It can be hidden amongst the A quality. While this is refined and tested, there needs to be some practice beforehand, and I think more than practice, there needs to be a good deal of thinking. Visualization is key. Whilst yes, you can practice, you need to think about the process of any piece of magic.
Is there a long-winded process that may make some participants bored? Is it too quick? Is there a lot of setup required? Do you have to carry water, smoke, or fire? Are these going to be okay? In all venues? All of these considerations are important when deciding which new magic to bring into your A game.
How To Execute your A Game?
So where do we start? Well, first we need to practice, then practice, then practice some more. And once you’ve practiced, practice again. You don’t want to go into a performance with the pressure of people being loud, putting their arms on you, grabbing you, joking, and your new piece not being up to scratch. It’s here in the trenches where it can be finessed, the things you didn’t consider when you were mentally rehearsing. Over time, these can be refined, tweaked, and tailored so they land with even more impact. The timing, the choreography, and the patter can all be refined and refined some more.
Watch Duncan's Custom Magic Showreel Below:
What to do after practice and performance refinement
So, we have our practice, and we’ve refined our performance. What, then, are some of the things we need to consider as magicians? The other business elements. So sometimes we need to create contracts. We need to submit invoices for deposits and follow up on payments. Sometimes we need to create contracts. Sometimes we even need to customize some of our routines as a professional digital or iPad magician.
Duncan also customizes some of his magic to the client. This may include brands or custom business cards and playing cards, all integrated into magic apps to make it truly on point with the client’s needs.
Watch Duncan's After Dinner Stage Showreel Below:
Any other consideration
What else do we need to consider as a magician? Well, we need to consider our day’s schedule. Some people may want a phone call to discuss which part of the day they want a professional magician to perform. This could be during the wedding breakfast. It could be for an evening party. It could be for an afternoon birthday ticket. It could be for a summer barbecue or a corporate event. But all of this needs scheduling.
And alongside that, the trip and the directions need planning. Sometimes we also need to face challenges during performances. Some of the challenges that a paid professional magician faces include the volume of the music. Often, DJs want to play music as loud as possible.
They’ve not been as successful as to be a headline act in Ibiza. So, them playing it at Doris’s 90th birthday party is their opportunity to bang out some really loud music, because, of course, Doris loves that loud music, especially with her hearing aid. I’m joking, of course, but as magicians, we have to consider this: if people can’t hear the magic, it visual. And while some magicians can perform with no words, no pattern, it really takes that personal touch away. Other considerations include parking. How far away is the venue from the nearest parking? Where can they eat if they’ve had a busy day on the road? What kind of show are they performing in? What’s the stage setup? Do they need a microphone? What’s the audience setup? Is there easy accessibility to bring props and magic equipment in? And then there are some more difficult challenges, such as drunk guests or delayed arrivals. All of these are professional magicians, as they can adapt their structure accordingly.
What makes Duncan Unique?
Duncan is unique. He doesn’t just perform magic tricks off the shelf. He tailors magic to the audience. Duncan is incredibly creative and often invents his own magic tricks. So how does the creative process start? Well, Duncan’s passion is mind-reading.
And if you ever read any of his reviews, you’ll know this isn’t anything strange. It’s unlocking people’s PIN numbers, unlocking their phones, turning their PIN numbers, and telling them their star sign. And where do all of these creative ideas and thoughts come from?
Well, of course, he’s stimulated by what’s already been put out in the world. This then has to align with his own personality. From there, he needs to consider brand new effects. And this may come from collaborating with people inside and outside of the magic world. It may come from speaking with psychologists, neurolinguistic programmers, or hypnotists. It may come from artists, people in the UK, or outside of the UK. It may come from taking a premise or a little joke someone mentioned and saying, “Hey, do this.” How can he fulfill a need in the market? Creativity comes from all different places. It may come from walking around a stationary shop and seeing what he could do with those kinds of things. It may come with speaking with people in the tech industry. What tech advances can Duncan leverage for his own performance?
Does Duncan offer any creative consultancy?
Duncan does offer creative consultancy, and this process takes you through the whole creative process, from the inception of an idea, through its maturation, to the eventual testing and prototyping of those ideas. It’s this prototyping which irons out the kinks before putting it into manufacture and potentially releasing it to the magic community. Duncan is highly guarded around his magic.
You’ll know if you book him: there are a lot of things you have never seen and will never see again. Because, as a creative individual, he also likes to preserve the magic and doesn’t just sell his soul to the devil in hopes of earning some quick money. As a magician who travels all over the UK and internationally, perhaps the most challenging thing is balancing life and work. Being away from home a lot means that Duncan doesn’t get to spend as much time with his family as he would like. It comes down to making those sacrifices. It’s one of the most challenging parts of being a paid professional magician, and that is saying no to gigs when they present themselves. Because, as we started with, there’s only a finite number of clients within the marketplace. Duncan hasn’t taken his phone out with him when not performing since the pandemic; people don’t call as often. It’s mainly done via email.
Does Duncan offer any creative consultancy?
One of the things that magicians wish the audience knew is that magic isn’t just about turning up, performing a few card tricks or coin tricks, and going home. There’s a whole process to get to that point. There are likely more hours involved in getting to the point of performance than in performing itself. The actual performance is a silent applause for a job well done in getting that gig in itself.
The reviews, the testimonials, the referrals, the contracts, and the development of new material all go into that magic performance. This is all the stuff that doesn’t get seen. It’s dealing with people who decide they don’t want your services anymore, and having invested your time and effort in explaining how you can help them. That said, magic is highly fun. And chasing the passion of your pension is hugely rewarding.
If you want to become a professional magician, start by asking the question why? You want to become a professional magician. What’s the legacy you want to leave? What do you want to give back to your community? And what is it you really want to impact the world or weddings with? Do you have a personality that aligns with performing in public? Or are you more than happy to play with their playing cards at home and do sleight of hand?
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of these bedroom magicians who are fantastic magicians, but only perform in magic competitions. Rarely do you see them performing in public. Why? Because they might be socially awkward. They might not have the necessary business acumen to get the gigs, and their personality might not align with the bright, exciting feel of a newlywed special day. So, if you’re looking to hire a professional magician for your wedding, who spent years identifying, developing, and nurturing his craft, then get in touch with Duncan using the contact button below. You won’t be disappointed. And he looks good hearing from you.
