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On Magicians Talking Magic episode 54, Graeme Reed and Ryan Joyce shared a list of virtual friendly magic tricks and routines you can perform in your next virtual event. Download here: DOWNLOAD PDF: Help make this list awesome, share your suggestion below:

Magicians Talking Magic Podcast chats with the incredible Josh Janousky! Josh Janousky is not only a creator, animator, and team lead, but he is also an awesome magician. In this episode, he shares a ton of amazing tips, from virtual magic to an essential Tik Tok guide for magicians! Let's chat with Josh Janousky! Magicians Talking Magic Podcast Audio Interview with Magician Josh Janousky Thanks for checking out this episode! What was your biggest takeaway?

In this episode, Magicians Talking Magic Podcast hosts Ryan Joyce and Graemazing share ten helpful tips for upping your virtual magic show game. Learn how to create more interactive and engaging virtual magic shows and events and use livestreaming to earn money with virtual magic shows effectively. Virtual Shows! How Entertainers Survive and 10 Things We Didn’t Expect! 1. Drop the Multicam. There is a lot of extra complexity and issues that can arise with two or more cameras for your virtual magic show. Simplify - frame everything around your face. Treat this like a new show - timing differs greatly from live magic shows. Push yourself to try new material. 2. You gotta plug in Avoid wifi and go for the direct ethernet connection. 3. Be interesting! Be in the moment - just like performing live magic shows, you must react and interact with your guests. Be present and prepared. Everything should be live - no pretapes - YouTube and Netflix are better produced. Talk to your audience - everyone has a front-row seat in virtual magic shows. Be interactive - Try to make as much of the magic interactive as possible. 4. Different kinds of performing Two-way conversation vs one-way - everyone is typically muted in virtual magic shows. Call people out directly by their screen name and ask them to unmute. Have an interesting conversation at the ready - Be open to just chatting or engaging more with your audience. Remember, for your virtual magic show audience, this is also a unique opportunity to talk with a professional magician and performer! Comment on their atmosphere or clothes - make them feel like superstars! 5. Let’s talk about the Magic Keep it simple - the computer screen frame provides all-new ways to explore the kinds of magic you can perform. You can get away with a lot in a virtual setting. You only have one angle Tenyo is now an illusion! - Small magic tricks look massive on the screen! 6. Length matters Keep it short - 20-30 minutes is ideal for virtual magic shows. Everyone is getting sick of being stuck on ZOOM. Produce it like a TV show - have a strong opener and closer, and be sure to dazzle throughout. 8. OBS IS KING If you are looking to produce higher-quality virtual shows with some extra production value, OBS is your software. I have been reading comments from people trying other pieces of tech and software. A lot seem to drop out or fail when broadcasting. Although OBS has a little more of a learning curve, the benefits are very rewarding. They are also releasing new features all the time. OBS is the standard for video game streamers for a reason! 9. Your Phone sucks as a camera There is no good, reliable way to connect your phone to your computer without paying for a decent application. Capture cards are really expensive and vary in quality. I bought a cheap webcam, and with OBS, you can configure that camera, making it look very, very, very nice! USB Webcams are super reliable! 10. Side Product! Have a side product, service or hustle you can pitch. BONUS: New Revenue Stream for Virtual Magic Shows & Magicians So, if you have taken the time to research OBS (which you should), congratulations, you are now a virtual event producer! Wait, What’s that? You are now more than just a magician - you have enhanced your skillset to be able to produce and execute a full broadcast production. I have been performing virtual shows for some companies now on their Facebook pages. I set up a Zoom call with a studio audience of 6-8 people and manipulated OBS. I added the company logo to my broadcast, “Presented by XX.” These same companies have now asked me to entertain and produce their corporate virtual events. This is a game-changer! If you have not - I suggest start researching OBS - it is a lot easier than you might think. Many of us use an Audio ape. It's the same learning curve. A lot of us perform sleight of hand. That’s even harder! Expand your value as a virtual magician. Final tips: Create a separation between you and your background Get better lighting. No windows behind you! Have one great light source that illuminates your face and magic Grab a USB MIC - they are like 80 bucks online Stop worrying about trying to make your phone work as a camera Buy a basic webcam and start sharing the magic! Learn OBS Get your client involved

In the digital age, a magician's website is their most potent tool for attracting and converting potential clients. The most crucial part of this website is not the homepage, as many might think, but the landing page. What is a landing page, and how can magicians use it to grow their business? Can this single page's singular goal be the difference between a successful online presence and a missed opportunity? Let's take a look/ What is a Landing Page? A landing page is not necessarily your homepage. While a homepage is your website's main or top-level page, a landing page is a standalone page with a single, focused objective. Landing pages have a specific call to action Download a Video Download a PDF Sign up for a course Register for an event This objective is often called a Call to Action (CTA), which could be anything from downloading a video or a PDF, signing up for a course, or registering for an event. Landing pages are typically accessed through promotional links or online ads. Listen to the full podcast episode about landing pages for magicians: Applications of Landing Pages: Landing pages serve a multitude of purposes, each one tailored to meet a specific goal. For magicians, one of the most beneficial applications of a landing page is for lead generation. This involves creating a page encouraging visitors to provide their contact information, usually in exchange for something of value. For instance, a magician might offer a free magic trick tutorial video or an exclusive discount on their next show in return for a visitor's email address. This strategy provides immediate value to the visitor and builds a database of potential clients for the magician. The leads generated can then be nurtured through email marketing campaigns, turning interested visitors into loyal fans and customers. Remember, the magic of a landing page lies in its ability to focus on a single objective, making it a powerful tool in a magician's online marketing arsenal. Landing pages can be used in various ways, such as lead generation promoting a virtual show offering a free download registering for a video workshop promoting an online lecture package. The key is to consider the psychology of the person visiting your page. 7 Tips for Magician Landing Pages: Here are 7 design tips for magicians creating a landing page for their website: De-clutter: The paradox of choice can be overwhelming for visitors. Keep your landing page clean and focused. The goal is to direct the user to your offer. Let your ad copy and images do the talking. Use simple, shorter copy, shorter forms, and plenty of white/negative space. Limit the number of buttons to one or two to reduce choice and keep the visitor on the page. Call to Action (CTA): This is the key to the landing page. Your CTA could ask someone to subscribe, download, or complete a form. Make sure your CTA is attention-grabbing and communicates value effectively. Design the button to stand out, using negative space around it or contrasting colors. Social Proof: While keeping the page clean is essential, including social proof can boost your credibility. Add company logo badges and client testimonials, but keep them limited and use only the best. Video: Videos have been proven to promote and drive conversions. Keep the video short and to the point, and ensure it loads quickly to keep your viewer engaged. Interaction: If you have a form with multiple inputs, break it up over a couple of pages to create an interactive user experience. Start with a simple question and add more questions on each page. Layout: People read from left to right, so your ad copy should go on the left and a form on the right. Your logo should go on the top left, and it's advised not to make it clickable on your site. Hierarchy: Above the fold, include a headline, supportive subheading, and CTA/form. The second and third folds can include subheadings in three columns or social proof. The fourth fold can have a short, fun bio with an amazing image of yourself. Conclusion: Landing pages are essential for magicians and entertainers. They allow you to speak directly to a specific client and their needs. For example, instead of crafting a universal message for "entertainment services," you can create a specific page for your restaurant magic. The landing page is your conversation with the person hiring you, explaining WHY hiring a restaurant magician is smart. That's It! Enjoyed this post? Show your love by hitting the ♥️ heart button below. We'd also love to hear from you! Leave a comment or question and let's start a conversation. Your feedback is the magic that helps us improve! What to Read Next Marketing Guide for Magicians How to Make a Business Card that Gets Noticed How to Organize Your Magic Life

On this episode, I chat with magician Ryan Kane, who is the author of the new book “Out of Stock: A Magician’s Guide to Writing Your Own Lines” We talk about scripting magic performances and adding punchlines in your show; Ryan Kane shares his writing process and tips on capturing your original ideas! Plus, he shares insight on testing new material, a much better use for your video camera, and more! Listen Now Ryan Kane shares on the Magicians Talking Magic Podcast: How does a busking audience differ from a trade show Ryan’s comedy writing process Where should you start in your show Is it wrong to use stock lines? What you should do regularly to improve your show About his new book Out of Stock: A Magician’s Guide to Writing Your Own Lines Ryan Kane’s background in magic And more... Watch or Listen to Episode 47 of Magicians Talking Magic Podcast Ryan Kane, Magician & Author:"Out of Stock: A Magician’s Guide to Writing Your Own Lines" or listen to the podcast on Magicians Talking Magic Podcast Ep 47 | Ryan Kane Are you working on new lines for your show?

A magician's website is one of the greatest marketing tools we have to book virtual and live magic shows. Recently, we crept 16 MAGICIAN WEBSITES to share our key takeaways, expectations vs reality and overall impressions! Let's take a look at the critical takeaways! Jump to section: 5 Takeaways from Analyzing a Bunch of Magicians' Websites Fonts: It's Easy To Go Overboard Call to Action Layout & Design Load Times Blog BONUS: Photo Content is ESSENTIAL Critical Takeaways for Magician Website Designs Let's take a look at how to create a successful magician website. 5 Takeaways from Analyzing a Bunch of Magicians' Websites If you're a magician, you likely have a website. You will likely need to make some changes to your magician website layout and design. After all, your website is an extension of yourself—it's the first thing people see when they Google you, and it can either make or break their impression of you as an entertainer. We wanted to take a look at magician websites and see how they were built and how they are performing. Here’s what we discovered after researching magicians' websites. 1. Fonts: It's Easy To Go Overboard Steer clear of decorative fonts. Try to stick with two fonts. Use something clean for the body and something with a little (just a little) style for the header. Here are some clean font suggestions: Arial Futura Roboto Universe Gotham Helvetica. Don't use IMPACT or COMIC SANS. 2. Call to Action A call to action is a phrase or sentence on your site that tells visitors what you want them to do next. Whether that's clicking a "Book Now" button, signing up for an email list, or calling you directly. These call-to-actions (CTAs) are essential because they increase your chances of converting someone into a client. Here are a few things we noticed on magician's websites: There are far too many “click to book now” buttons on some magician websites and other sites with NO calls to action. Zero. You must balance helping your audience learn about you and easily book you. Don't be afraid to tell them to book you. It’s okay to have multiple calls to action on your website, but only one call to action per page. Don’t be a used car salesman-- be transparent and authentic about what actions your prospects should take next. 3. Layout & Design Magic friends, we were overall reasonably impressed. You can visit your favourite websites and take a good look. What do you like about them? Penguin Magic is dreadful and out of date. The visual experience could be significantly better. Vanishing Inc, however, is very pleasing and spaced nicely. Theory 11 and Ellusionist are almost hyper-visual, like they are selling photography. They have learned that it works for their market. The structure of your website is not only visually essential, but it also helps your discoverability in Google. Using the proper H1, H2, and H3 text tags is critical for search engines to identify and rank your pages. When you look at these websites, analyze how they use images and text. How much text is on each image? What part of the ad copy stands out and why? Notice the lack of clip art, animations and tacky extras. These websites know their brand and express it well online. 4. Load Times One thing that we noticed was that many of these websites had one thing in common. They all loaded quickly, which is essential for ranking on search engines. It also means that the user experience is better, which leads to more people visiting them. Website load time is critical for ranking. The most popular website providers (Squarespace and Wix) optimize images for speed, resulting in faster load times. However, some website providers do not optimize images for speed. If a website takes too long to load, clients will abandon it before viewing the content. You want your page to load up as fast as possible. Remove animations, huge pictures, and all the extra fluff. Look at your front page! Does it need everything you have on it right now? Can you spread some of this information out? 5. Blog There are a lot of things you can do to market your magic business, but one of the most important is having a blog. Blogs are a great way to build your brand and connect with your audience. They allow you to share with your prospective clients why you are a good choice for their event or function. Give them an inside look at what it's like to be a magician and why you should be trusted to entertain their audience. In our magician website review, not one person had a blog! BONUS: Photo Content is ESSENTIAL It's easier than ever to add photo content to your website and capture your own promotional photos. If you can't take a professional-looking headshot, it's absolutely worth the investment to hire a professional. You will get many years out of one feature photo. Smile-- this photo sells you to potential clients, and the dark, serious (sometimes demonic-looking) shots aren't doing you any favors. Have a good variety of photos on your magician website: Headshots Action / Performance Photos Audience Photos Compelling "magician" stock photos Finding eye-catching magician stock photos is very difficult because most photographers make magic look cheesy. Having compelling magician stock photos is really important because they immediately communicate "magic show." Capturing a prospective client's attention quickly is the difference between a successful magician's marketing and a mediocre magician's. Someone viewing your website, poster, or promotional material should instantly recognize "magic." Unfortunately, most magicians' stock photos are horrendous. Check out these exclusive magic show images if you need better photos for your marketing efforts. Best Magician Websites and Examples: Here are some examples of magicians' websites that we thought were excellent—an outstanding balance of education and sales. Please don't copy these magicians' websites; use them as motivation to help make your website better. https://www.kostyakimlat.com/ https://www.adamwilber.com/ https://www.alexramonmagic.com/ http://www.illusionist.co.uk/ https://www.mattdisero.com/ chrismayhewmagic.com https://meyersmagic.com/ https://www.davidpenn.co.uk/ Critical Takeaways for Magician Website Designs Here are the key takeaways from our look at magician websites. De-Clutter! Too many background images Missing: Call to Actions Improvements About Page Missing: Proper H1, H2, H3 Headings Curious: Did magicians Alt-tag their images? Curious: Were the biographies up-to-date Oddity: Not a lot of blogs Do you have any website tips or suggestions for fellow magicians? Share them in the contents below. That's It Please hit the ❤️ if you got value from this article. You can share any questions or comments below, and we'll answer them the best we can. Check out other business, marketing and promotional articles for professional magicians on Magician Masterclass.

The tires come off the cart for this final episode of the Late Night Magic Touch /w Michael Paul "Wildcard Finale" featuring Fielding West, Dan Harlan, and Dom Chambers. Watch before episodes disappear forever to the Inner Circle. Late Night Magic Touch /w Michael Paul Wildcard Finale We took WILDCARD to a whole new level for our final episode. This was the WILDEST (read: weirdest) episode we've filmed yet! Tons of laughs but its a mixture between a Backstage Dumpster Fire and Back-Alley Dumpster Fire! Enjoy! Watch the full episode, and if you ask yourself "who was that?" We did too.

In episode five we totally shift gears. Michael Paul dumps the magicians and goes for the jugglers. "Magicians will suffer!" This episode features Michael Goudeau, Ivan Pecel, and The Passing Zone Watch the full episode here! Watch Episode 5 - Late Night Magic Touch /w Michael Paul "Jugglers" Watch all episodes in the Members Area

In episode four of Late Night Magic Touch, host Michael Paul is doing double duty and two-timing with our "Magical Duos!" This episode features Jeff & Tessa Evason, Jarrett & Raja and Daredevil Chicken. Watch the full episode here! The Evasons, Jarret & Raja & Daredevil Chicken Late Night Magic Touch /w Michael Paul Episode Four "Magical Duos" The Evasons - Jeff & Tessa Website: https://www.evason.com/ The Evasons have been performing together for over 30 years. They are one of very few married couples in history who have mastered the staggeringly difficult art of two-person telepathy. They continue to travel around the globe, sharing the rare and mysterious legacy of Second Sight. In over 38 countries, The Evasons have appeared on network TV specials, at private parties and special events for diplomats, political leaders and royal families. They’ve entertained troops overseas and headlined on cruise ships and casino showrooms. They have performed at the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, the Great American Comedy Festival at the Johnny Carson Theatre in Nebraska, and the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. And they are the only mentalists in history to be featured performers at an NBA halftime show doing interactive mind-reading stunts before a crowd of over 20,000 people! The Evasons have been honored with some of the top awards in their field. They are the first recipients of The Mentalism Award from the Milbourne Christopher Foundation. They were awarded the highest honor for professionalism by the Psychic Entertainers Association. They are the only mentalists ever to receive the SARMOTI Award which legendary magicians Siegfried & Roy present to their favorite act in Las Vegas. And they were nominated for Stage Entertainers of the Year by the Academy of Magical Arts in Los Angeles. Jeff and Tessa Evason love performing together, creating amazement, laughter, and the serious provocation of thought. They inspire audiences to tap into the power of possibilities. “We’re not trying to change beliefs,” they explain, “only to spark imagination and tickle the beautiful sense of wonder!” Jarrett and Raja Website: http://jarrettandraja.com/ A spectacular magician, a Juilliard-trained concert pianist, a troupe of Vegas Showgirls, more feathers than a flock of flamingos and a fluffy rabbit called Elvis. It could only be JARRETT & RAJA! "There's hardly room on stage for one of these egos, so you can imagine what happens when both 'soloists' have to share their common theatrical real estate". Or, as The New York Times put it... "This is real magic!" Funny, Brilliant and Completely Original! Witness outrageous stunts and illusions played out to a breathtaking pianistic score from the world’s greatest composers. It is a mix of spectacular magic, live music, and comedic fantasy. A grand piano and grand illusion share the stage as the stars compete for the spotlight in this groundbreaking original show! A fantastic Vegas experience for the whole family! With their inception taking place at The Friar’s Club in New York City, Jarrett & Raja have taken the world by storm with their international stage show.  Some say they bring back the magic of Harry Houdini along with the charm of Victor Borge. This newest odd couple is the choice of entertainment for those looking for both excitement and sophistication! Jarrett & Raja bring to one stage the worlds of classical music and spectacular magic in a striking theatrical concert. Jarrett Parker comes from an established career in magic and Raja Rahman is a classical piano soloist trained at The Juilliard School. This unique duos show combines these two art forms in a brilliant and delightful collaborative performance that includes virtuosic piano playing, captivating magic routines, and the humorous dramatic situation of both Artists stealing the limelight. Their dry comedic style and timing have dubbed them Las Vegas newest Odd Couple and they continue to win over audiences across the globe. In addition to providing highly sophisticated entertainment for audiences and events of all kinds, Jarrett & Rajas performance offers a fresh new approach to introducing new audiences to classical music in a fun and accessible way. Jarrett & Raja have performed at many of the worlds most prestigious festivals, concerts, and fundraisers including the EdinburghFestival Fringe (Edinburgh, UK), Hong Kong, Londons West End, The Magic Castle (LA), Lincoln Center (NYC) and the Paris Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas). They were most recently a guest of the Chinese government in Shenzhen, China to star in the first-ever American born production commissioned and launched in that country. Daredevil Chicken Website: http://daredevilchicken.com/ Patreon Page: https://patreon.com/daredevilchicken After meeting at a circus audition Anne & Jonathan quickly realized they had a common vision to travel the world performing physical theatre and comedy. From their small beginnings busking in Barcelona on Las Ramblas to hosting the hit broadway show 'Spiegelworld's Empire'; they have travelled to 36 countries bringing a diverse bag of tricks to entertain equally diverse audiences. They continue to create new performances and constantly challenge themselves to make better theater. From Daredevil Chicken Patreon Page: Thank you for checking out our Patreon page and letting us explain to you why we are hoping to get your support here. A little bit about us: we are a married showbiz couple and we’ve been making comedy, vaudeville, cabaret, producing shows and collaborating with amazing artists for almost twenty years. Because of the global pandemic, we have lost a year's worth of work and have no idea when we’ll be able to get back to what we do and how we do it, i.e: LIVE SHOWS. We are stoking our creative fires and putting energy towards connecting with people online by creating art, performance and comedy that is accessible to our patrons while we are all physically distanced. Even though it’s scary times for many of us, we think it is a great time to be innovative and evolve as artists. We are hoping for your patronage so we can continue to work as artists and give back to our community. We have nowhere to go and nothing to do right now so we are motivated to make great stuff at home and share it exclusively with our patrons here! If things go well, we are hoping to look back at this time as an era where we made some amazing performances and art and forged a community of people. We hope we are able to hire other artists and performers to make all of these online ideas a reality!

YouTuber and Magician Wes Barker chatted with Magicians Talking Magic co-host Graeme Reed recently about creating content, working the YouTube space, COVID-19 stay-home projects and more. This great interview is filled with all kinds of value for magicians and aspiring creators. Here's a sample clip in which Wes shares why it's important to act now. Watch Full Interview | 16 min Full Interview with Wes Barker Follow Wes Barker YouTube Visit Wes Barker's Website Interview with Wes Barker Audio Transcript Graeme Reed: Killing it on YouTube and all over the social media, doing some sketch videos at home right now. Can you give us a behind the scenes look on what's going on there? Wes Barker: Well, uh, you know, like everybody with this Corona thing a, the gigs just got wiped away because that's primarily where I may call, you know, 95% of my income is the live shows and um, I'm not a good saver. So since I was like, well, I got, I got on YouTube and I mean, it's great. I, you know, it depends on how you compare it, right? Like there's monsters out there killing it. I'm doing it like as a side income, which is fine. Uh, but I'm like Cal double down on YouTube at least I have this outlet and my wife's a flight attendant, so she got laid off for three months minimum. So now we're both at home. She's a hilarious person but has never really wanted to do like entertainment. Right? She's just like likes for life and likes to be funny with her friends. Watch Wes Barker on YouTube When Flight Attendants Work From Home!! But I'm like, Hey, you're bored. I need more people because my, all my YouTube videos, all my social media, I'm like really good out in the world doing magic to strangers and that kind of thing. Right. Well, there's no, there's 750 square foot apartment. There's no world here. So my wife and I were like, let's, you know, let's shoot some sketches. Let's just, let's just get creative, the two of us. And um, it's actually been a really fun, creative outlet. So every day we just sit around and like, let's make something today. Okay. What's funny, what's funny? It's so fun and I only got like one ring light, one camera. So it's like, you know, I'm just sort of skating by Graeme Reed: for sure. Well, like our set up here, I'm on a 10 year old. iMac is in the base. It's really Mickey mouse. But whatever. This camera light changes all the time. Yeah. You can man, go whatever. Um, you know, but you know, to be honest, your sketch videos, your, your wife is really coming through as a hilarious person and love shining me, man is driving me nuts. She's like carrying the videos. It's made 'em cause my girlfriend, my girlfriend hates magic. Okay, good. But I can share these with her and she loves this stuff. She loves it. It's relatable. I think your audience is growing though. Watch America's Got Talent | Naked Escape | Wes Barker Wes Barker: Oh, that's good to hear it. When I just started figured out, I started posting on Facebook too. I've never done that before. And uh, that has monitored the monetization now as well, which I'm just learning about and you have to kind of recut them differently over there, but they get shared way more. So like the one video, we, the one flight attendance sketch we shot, maybe it's like 800,000 on YouTube and it's like over 5 million on Facebook because Facebook people were just like, share, share, share, share, share. So was just, I mean the money's not as good. It's not like dollar for dollar the same. Um, but it's, the reach is huge. Graeme Reed: Do you, are you on tick tock right now to what you doing? Wes Barker: I have a posted some there a while ago and it's just, it's taken a back seat. It shouldn't and I got to get sort of more into it. But, um, the, right now I'm just so focused on where the, I know there, there's, there's, I can, I know I can make $5. I posted YouTube videos, so that's kinda what I'm really been focusing on. But I should definitely get back in a tick tock. Uh, cause I liked there. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Personally consume Tech-Talk like I love it. I watch like, so maybe I should probably get in there more too. Graeme Reed: I don't, I don't understand. I don't tick tock I'm so lost on the thing. I interviewed Josh and he gave us the full lowdown on how it works. Wes Barker: Yeah. Yeah. I'm still like, ah. Oh, I still don't, that's why I'm a little nervous to post there. Every time I post I'm like, I don't think I did this right. I think I'm a thousand years old and I don't know what I'm doing. But watching is fun. It's like, ha ha ha. It's just like, nothing's really funny. Everything's kind of funny. Uh, I feel like a little bit like me better than thinking my thoughts, I guess. I dunno. Graeme Reed: No, I know the rollercoaster of emotions that we experience every single day. Exactly. Are you doing any, so would you say these sketches, skits, video creation, is that consuming kind of, it's got to take up most of the day, right? Wes Barker: Yeah. Yeah. It takes about three hours to shoot one and about three hours to edit one for me. So it's a full, full day. Uh, and then, uh, yeah. And then, you know, thinking of them takes a whole day to like make sure you plan out with scenes you want to shoot and, uh, if you need, if you need supplies, you gotta order something or pick something up. Uh, yeah, it's, it's, it's tricky because I just want to jam magic in everything, you know, but it just doesn't really, unless you have random strangers to enjoy it, it doesn't play the same. So I'm really happy and to expand my brain. But there's a lot of sort of tricks I've learned in magic, especially making magic for TV that I'm applying to these sketches, uh, to sort of make things kind of happen. And his, and I'm like, Oh, like it's not a magic trick, but it's just like, I'm like, Oh, this tape definitely stick to this thing and I can hang this over here and like I can move. So like I'm just using every tool I have now, which is kinda fun. Graeme Reed: Wow. So what, could you give us an example of the kind of like the knowledge that you would have from Wes Barker: like, just, uh, what's a good one? Uh, like some of like the the Zach King style of video, magic editing, right? Yeah. So I've, I've, I've, because I'm like, Oh, I would love to post like some Instagram videos where like Zach King style or you drop an egg and it turns into a flower or whatever. I don't care. Right. But, um, uh, but I, so I learned how to do that editing stuff. So then now I may, I'm making sketches where I've cloned myself and I'm doing stuff with myself. And that's something I never would have learned about, wasn't trying to make Zach King magic videos. Right. So then I'm just like, I'm like, okay, I'm going to make it a sketch by myself in a clone, like for me. And I'm wandering around talking to myself. Just stuff like that, that I wouldn't know otherwise. So it was pretty fun. All my videos are your friends, like what do you, what are you using them? I use final cut man. And they're like, Whoa. Graeme Reed: I'll say from watching on the outside seeing your video progression and your editing skills, the quality and everything, you've really sneak become a release. Cause you used to have, uh, like did you have coal? He would edit. Yeah, Wes Barker: yeah, Graeme Reed: yeah. And now you're doing it like cloning yourself and everything. It's really great that you've faced your skills. Wes Barker: Cool. So great. But uh, I had to learn because he's busy so he would take forever. So I was like, just give me the footage, I'll do it. So then it was pretty bad. But now I'm getting up to a point where I'm like, Oh, this is actually looking decent. So I feel good about it. Besides the content creation right now, are you focusing in on any aspects of your shows or your actual, you know, the magic business or have you kind of shot, put it a little bit on hold completely while you do the content creation? Yeah, I'm definitely, I mean, I can't shut my brain off to magics. I'm always thinking of like, okay, when I get back into the game, like when shows open up again, what's the new trick I'm going to have? Like what's the, what's the next good thing? Watch NEW Magic + Comedy Special by Wes Barker I want to be ready, you know? So I got that. I've got a few, like a lot of guys. I, I've got a few companies reached out to, I'm going to be doing some online shows. I have one in a couple of days over zoom and, uh, I haven't done one yet. I have two booked in the next two weeks. So, uh, you know, I gotta I got, I've been writing for that, like, Hey, how do you do a trick where you had no one to hold things and touch things? Especially my style of magic. It's not exactly, you know, it's, uh, so it's gonna be a challenge. Uh, and then also me and, um, Chris Ramsey, Erica, Claire and Alex Boyer. We have, uh, uh, we were pitching a TV show the last couple of months, uh, can't say much more about it, but that's still also rolling there. So we have a lot of those kinds of things to focus on. So we're talking magic day and night and it's super fun. But uh, it's just so unusual. I have so much time. I'm never home. I normally like 120 flights a year. I never spend more than three days at home. You have for the last four years in a row, I've averaged over a hundred flights a year. So I'm just gone all the time. And now I'm literally, I've been in this apartment other than getting groceries once a week. I've been in this department for 21 days straight and I've never done that. I don't remember the last time I did that. I, I'm literally like, Whoa. And my wife to flight attended, we never see each other. Normally we see each other 10 days a month maybe. And now we're seeing each other every day. And I mean we're making sketches together. So now we're all a sudden we're working together. I'm talking magic nonstop on FaceTime with Chris Ramsey and Erica was Clara all night long, right? And blowing through my whiskey. Right? Like it's just a crazy time to be alive, but it's magic is very much in the forefront right now. That's awesome. So it's basically, you haven't even hit the pause button. You are just like, Hey Wes we can just create more stuff right now. I got busier as soon as the Krone happened and I as soon as I didn't have to travel anymore and as soon as I couldn't cause I'm like, Oh, I got a gig here, gig here, gig here. So I looking to go, okay, my bills are going to be fine and when your bills are going to be fine, you kind of get a little complacent. And this is one thing that originally, um, I made such a big jump back in the day when I quit my job immediately I shot up and, and I actually became a good, or a whatever, whatever the word for popular isn't, it doesn't necessarily mean good, but I started having more shows because I needed them. And now I feel this again first time in like 10 years. I'm like, Oh no, I'm in for it. Like I really need this like first two weeks I was like, are we going to have to move? Like what are we doing? Go, you have to leave. Like I'm, I feel moved to Saskatchewan. So Graeme Reed: isn't it weird too that you can't even just go on the street and throw your hat down? Wes Barker: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. All the old things we used to like, well, I could always do that. I could always do this. I mean I could always like, Oh, I can just go do some random show at a pub for a hundred bucks or whatever. Like just anything you could sort of do. Oh, busk Nope. It's all gone, man. And even me, like I'll go make a YouTube video, which never really guarantees money. Sometimes I make him and I literally don't, I make 10 cents, like I don't make anything. Um, but I would just like, Oh, I'll go out and find people and do magic. I don't even know if you'll ever be able to do that again. Go up people on the street being like, here, take my dirty cards and hold this. Like people are freaked out now. Like, who knows? Graeme Reed: Yeah. I was going to ask you, what do you think, do you think, um, our shows is there going to be, has to be totally different with no, like less volunteered interaction, which is huge for us too. Wes Barker: Yeah, I think so. Man. I the volunteer interaction, we'll just have to change. I think you can still bring people on stage, but I, you have to be careful what you give them and what you do. Like, I mean, I don't know if I'll ever do card out of the mouth again, you know? Um, I don't know if, uh, I have a trick, you know, with like a blow dart gun. I'm literally hand someone, a homemade voter gun, and they'd put the lips on it, right? Like, I don't think we're ever doing that again. You know, stuff like that. I'm like, damn, that's crazy. So yeah, it's going to change it a lot for sure. It's got a, it's got it. Graeme Reed: Absolutely. So you've already then be creating and writing new pieces. Wes Barker: Yeah. You knew any French kiss. Oh yeah. Let's put it in their mouth. Never gonna happen again. Ever doing that again? Graeme Reed: No. Just the idea of like a, Hey, here you go. Pick a card. Wes Barker: Yeah. No, it's, it's going to be a lot of, but Hey, the forces are going to get a lot easier. Hey, just say stop. Like, let's go. Oh yeah. One way. Four stacks all the way. Yeah. I don't want you to touch this a decision. This can be so good Graeme Reed: and just give me a number. I'll count it on one, two, three. You really use this one. Yeah, it is crazy. It is crazy. If someone was to start like diving into social media, YouTube content creation, kind of like you and the gang, the gaggle of magicians, unicorn wizards that you hang with. Wes Barker: Yeah. Graeme Reed: If someone, if you were to advise someone on where to start because you've kind of Wes Barker: sure. Yeah. What would be your kind of quick game plan for someone that wanted to do something like that? 100. I have like some really main points I always say, and they're so true that never changed is uh, like start right now. Cause like it's harder than it was yesterday, but it's easier than it will be tomorrow. And uh, and, and like, you're never going to make something perfect. It's not gonna happen. You just gotta be like, okay, this idea is good enough and you stick it out there and you try. And, uh, I mean, like my, my initial viral video, the very first one I ever had late 2014 was I wasn't gonna post it. I sat on it for months because I didn't like it. Like when you watch it, you'll know why the performance isn't great. It's because we didn't rehearse it enough. Celebrity/Boomerang Magic Trick It was new. It was just wasn't what I wanted it to be. But I'm like, ah, like what are you going to lose it if it actually sucks? No one will watch it. Literally your view count will be 75 right? So you're not going to walk down the street and have someone be like, Oh man, he makes that terrible YouTube content never going to happen. And if people do like it for whatever reason, whether you like it or not, they might like it. And then you've got millions of views. There's like no downside. It's like if you could go on stage and tell the joke and if it bombed, no one heard it. And if it went well, they would all laugh. Well what a deal. I would take that deal every day of the week. And you have that on YouTube. No one's going to see it if it sucks, except for like a hundred people that are your friends and family that follow use. You have to deal with that. But grow up. Let's go. It's your job. Just do it man. Just stick it out there and learn as you go. Don't don't be like, well I need a guy to edit and they got to do my thumbnails and stuff. Man, go on YouTube and learn. That's what I've been doing. I learned Photoshop, I learned final cut. You several are in a good enough to sort of skate by and you'll get better, but you're constantly get better your ideas and get better. Kill your babies too man. Like I, I have so much content that's so long and gross like it because I, I like it too much and don't like it so much. Trim it back. I love working at this. Chris is, Chris Ramsey's opened up my eyes to so much the world. YouTube. I thought I was a pretty good utuber and then he comes by and he looks at my video when I'm editing and he's like move. And he just literally take like an eight minute video and he's like, yeah, he has, you have 90 seconds. And I'm like, uh, you know, but it's a ruthless and he's right. He's like, look at all these dead spots. And he's so right. So you just gotta be honest with yourself. It's a ruthless game, man. Aye. But once you get the hang of it and you, and you get a little bit of a thick skin about it, it's so fun and you get to have these ideas and you get to get 'em out in the world, you'd have a magic trick that you're like, eh, it doesn't really suit me. I like it but doesn't suit me. Great. Make it a video. It doesn't have to be in your live show. And that way you get to, you get to experience performing that trick and you never have to do it again. Okay, cool. That was fun. I don't know. I didn't want to, because I lost my teeth a while ago. I got to implants now. Right. But like these two teeth came out. So I was like, what would I ever, so I just made a magic trick where I had like this clown head with teeth and I got this lady to like take a Nerf gun and shoot teeth out of the clown's mouth. Right? And then I went and I'm like, well you knocked at these two. And I turned around and I didn't have the same ones. It's just stupid, I can never do it again. Right. But then the other day, Trent chapel trip, the travel channel hit me up and they like to want to license that clip for the show they're doing. And I'm like, great. It's a garbage truck that I can never do again. But I'm going to get a check from the travel channel just because, so just like good things to happen when you throw shit on the internet. Man. It's wild. Sorry, it's a long rant. But I'm very passionate about making content. I want everyone to do it. No, absolutely. That's incredible, that's like, uh, cause sometimes you might get some of that, like I might discourage you because I don't want people to do this, but you weren't like coaching people, pumping people up. Do it. Get out there. And especially, cause we're were, magicians were all super creative too. Yeah. And like if people always say that, it's like, Aw man, I don't wanna put this idea out there. Someone's going to steal it. Yeah, probably. But like going in to steal it. If it's good and if it's good, it's going to get seen. The, the way people see stuffs, no one in Australia is stealing your video or your, your trick. If they didn't watch it and they watch it because this got a million views on it, that's how they ended up seeing it. Right. So everyone already knows it's yours. You want me, people, like I do this appearing beer cans in my underwear, right. It's got to whatever, couple million views. But people did all time. They send me videos of them doing it. I'm like, Hey man, that's not for sale. And the same with like this like Dick drawing thing, all this stuff. They just take and start doing like, look, I'll do your trick too. And I'm like, okay, cool. But it doesn't matter because it's obviously mine. I put it up there. In fact, I'm actually happy to post a video and have people steal it so I can point to it. It'd be like, Hey look, that was me three years ago or whatever. Right. Instead of the one of those guys who'd be like, Oh, I had that idea back in the day. It's like, well, you never put it anywhere, man. No one knows. It was your idea. So by, yeah, that's true. I guess. I guess if you want to give you an but anything, this is the right topic cranking you up. I am just cranking you up today. Well, I wish I didn't have this wallpaper. I can tell you that right now. This is a, the guy before me had this, so it looks, I'm pretty elaborate. It looks like you, uh, uh, are a fan of tiger King. Wes thank you so much for coming on magicians talking magic. That's great, man. I'm stoked. Happy to be here. I'm fired up. I'm going to watch each other. All the backlog of a sudden even know existed. Now I know. Tell the world. Let's go.

Graeme Reed chatted with YouTube Stunt Magician Wes Barker (as seen on AGT, Penn & Teller Fool US, and more) about YouTube, magic, content, and working with your spouse. Creating content with his wife Watch the full interview with Wes Barker here. You'll love this interview; it has all kinds of value for professional magicians and content creators! Wes Barker shares insight about magic, YouTube, content creation and why you should start NOW! When Flight Attendants Work From Home!! Have you worked with your spouse or partner?

This week Michael Paul is joined by David Kay ("Silly Billy"), John Abrams (Animal Magic, The Variety Artist Podcast) and Joe Holiday (Reading Rocks Magic Show) Watch the full episode here. Hosted by Michael Paul https://michaelpaulonline.com/ Late Night Magic Touch "Kids Performers" David Kaye "Silly Billy" https://www.sillymagic.com/ David Kaye has performed magic and comedy for children for more than twenty years. Known to the lay public as Silly Billy, he is one of the best-known children’s entertainers in the United States, performing for the families of celebrities like Madonna and Bruce Springsteen, with appearances at the White House and Lincoln Center. In New York, where he performs more than 200 shows each year, he has been recognized as New York’s top children’s entertainer by five different New York publications. In addition, he received a six-page profile in the New Yorker. His television credits include appearances on Late Show with David Letterman, as well as multiple appearances on Comedy Central. He was also in the reality magic show Celebracadabra on Vh1. John Abrams - Animal Magic Show & host of The Variety Artist Podcast http://www.animalmagician.com/ https://www.thevarietyartist.com/ John Abrams has a rich history of performing nationwide in numerous venues as a magician, actor, and emcee.  As an actor and graduate of the Manhattan Theatre Academy of Dramatic Arts, John has been gracing the stages of Southern California for the past 22 years with a multitude of characters.  He has played the title roles in The Elephant Man and Red Ryder, as well as leads in Private Wars, The Actor’s Nightmare, Enter Laughing, Wizard of Oz, and many more.  From 1991 to 1998 he travelled the U.S. as a member of the “Jeff Parmer Magic Show”. For three years John and his wife Shelley co-produced and directed the raging 60’s revue “The Pastelles’ 60’s Rock N Roll Extravaganza” in which John sang, danced, and performed stand-up as the wacky nerd Eugene.  For 3 years he was a performing member of “Keith and Margo’s Murder Mystery” and “Mystery Event Theatre”, being stabbed, shot, and maimed on a nightly basis. Throughout the ’90s, he starred in national and international commercials for Virginia Slims, Independent Insurance, and many more.  His film credits include a starring role as Charlie Chaplin in the Chaplin Biography for Japan.  On T.V. John was seen recently in “To Tell the Truth” as The Banana Man and Comedy Central‘s “Please Don‘t Feed the Comedians“. Joe Holiday https://www.readingrocksmagic.com/ Joe Holiday's Reading Rocks Magic Show is the perfect literacy assembly program!  Written specifically with your students in mind, this program is a unique blend of stage magic, comedy, music and audience participation that showcases both classic and popular children's titles. A brief description of each book or series of books is delivered and followed by a specially chosen magic effect incorporating the theme or characters.  This brings it to life and get your students excited about reading. Each performance showcases several different books across multiple reading levels. Including popular and recognizable tiles such as. "Harry Potter" "Matilda" "The Chocolate Touch" "Where the Wild Things Are", "My Weird School Daze", "Captain Underpants" and "Jedi Academy” just to name a few. ​ Reading Rocks is completely self-contained which means all props, set pieces and audio equipment are transported and set up by Joe which is factored into the cost of the show. You only have to provide a space to set up and perform and an audience! Perfect for a family reading night, special events, to kick off your next book fair or simply just A GREAT ASSEMBLY PROGRAM!