Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Don't forget to include reviews of the magician's shows in the fact sheet. The casinos will want to know how well liked (i.e., "a draw") the magician is by the public.

Dear Admin,

In addition to the ideas outlined above, you might want to use the following:

Were I in the position of hiring talent for a casino, I'd want to know that the magician I'm hiring is as good as he or she claims to be.

I'd want to be wowed. Stunned. Amazed. Mesmerized.

To my mind, the best way to do this is to get your magician an audition. A demonstration on DVD is a great idea. But ask yourself this: how much more compelling is it to see said magician in the flesh, up close and personal?

Priceless.

You have three casinos to call to make appointments with, and to visit. What other talent to they already have lined up? I don't know how close together these places are, or how travel might be an issue. The other thing is, if they've already got half a dozen magic acts and a lion tamer then you and your client may, alas, be out of luck.

Not good. Find out what they've already got booked and work around the information you dig up. If this bloke's got his own TV show, is there any mileage in that, in using his contacts in TV to get an audition? Even if it's just two minutes?

It could help.

An audition with the respective casino's talent managers will serve
you well ... or even better, with the casino's owner, or with his or her family. Perhaps at a birthday party, or as they're out at dinner. I'm
not suggesting you track these people, but I am suggesting you use
as much imagination as possible to hook your booking audience.

No hook, no gig.

To quote P.T. Barnum, "Always leave them wanting more!"

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

Casinos don't really care about the quality of the talent they book. Casinos care only that the audience for that talent will see a show and then do the three important things for the casino: eat in their restaurant, drink at their bar, and--most importantly--gamble. That is the holy trinity of the casino biz--everything else is just lead generation

You can raise John Lennon and Al Jolson from the grave and put them on stage (The Jolie and Johnny Show), but if the folks that come to see the show don't eat, drink, and play . . . then they won't hire them back.

Consider a couple of sites:

https://www.comedywood.com/casino.php

This is a hypnotist and you can see some elements of his pitch there. They include tech specs (a magician definitely needs to be precise here), availability of marketing materials etc.

Or try the article titled "Entertainment Marketing: Five Things You Need To Know To Do Business with Casinos" at https://lounge.sonicbids.com/167/.

If it were me, I would also search out a bunch of talent agents who do focus on this and ask them their advice--one might answer. If you're in a country other than the US, then a US agent might very well be willing to offer some words of advice.