Blog: Mind of a Mind Reader
Jeff Newman: Mentalist, Magician, Trickster.
How Much Does a Magician Cost? 5 Factors That Influence the Price
If you are in the process of planning an event for your company, a fundraiser, or any other large-scale event, and you've found yourself here, it's a pretty good guess that you're considering hiring a corporate magician or mentalist to entertain your guests.
And, with that consideration comes one of the most common questions I get asked.
How much does a magician or a mentalist cost?
Now there's no doubt a high-quality mentalist or magician can elevate your event to a whole new level of excitement. But, no matter who you are or what you’re planning, budget is always a concern.
And the fact of the matter is, the cost of hiring a magician or a mentalist for your event can vary depending on several key factors. So, I wanted to fill you in on five of those factors that can influence the price of hiring a high-quality corporate mentalist or magician, allowing you to budget accordingly and ensure a successful event!
Take your Fundraiser From Flat to Fantastic With These 9 Tips
As a professional entertainer, I’ve worked more than my fair share of fundraising events; everything from small-town groups raising money for a local project, to huge galas for giant non-profits looking to boost their annual donations. And, with fundraising season coming up this fall in Alberta (and, really, western Canada), a lot of people will be planning these kinds of events for the first time.
And, whether you’re in a bigger center like Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Saskatoon, or Regina, or a smaller community outside of the metropolitan city limits, the basics and the main goal are the same.
Put on a stellar event to not only reach your fundraising goals, but also have a great time doing it!
So, what do you need to do to make your fundraiser a huge success and bring in the big bucks? Well, I'm about to spill the beans on how to make more money at your next fundraising event!
7 Things To Look For When Hiring A Magician For Your Event
Ok, you’ve bit the bullet and decided to get a magician or a mentalist for your next shindig.
Maybe it’s because you read my blog outlining all the reasons why magic and mentalism is the best kind of entertainment for your event. Maybe it’s because someone in your office really wants to see some magic. Or, most likely, you want entertainment for your event that’s unique; Something different from the standard corporate entertainment choices.
Whatever the reason, you’ve settled on hiring a magician for your event. So, you open Google, type in “corporate event magician,” or “magicians near me,” or whatever else you’ve decided to search for…and BAM, there are literally HUNDREDS of options.
4 Reasons Why You Need A Magician For Your Corporate Event
It can seem like entertainment options for your event are endless.
And there are lots of options out there: bands, DJ’s jugglers, comedians and more.
And, while I acknowledge I may be a little biased, I can confidently say that when it comes to entertaining your guests at your next corporate event, gala, fundraiser, or whatever else you may be planning, there’s one option that blows the rest out of the water: A magician.
Why? Well, I'm spilling the beans on four reasons why you should consider hiring a magician or mentalist for your next corporate shindig!
6 Tips To Make The Most Out Of Your Event Entertainment
There is one phrase I hear every year that makes me cringe.
“We hired entertainment last year, and it was a total bust.”
This is like nails on a chalkboard to me. Not only because someone didn’t get what they paid for, but now that one bad experience has probably turned them off from hiring someone to entertain their guests again.
But, I completely understand the frustration.
All that hard-earned cash basically gets thrown down the drain. Why risk the investment again?
What if I told you that all you had to do was a few simple things and you could put on a night of entertainment that would not only knock your guest’s socks off but make you look like an absolute hero? All you need to follow some simple tips, and you’ll have an event you’ll never forget!
Music To A Mentalist's Ears
People are surprised by what my favourite compliment is.
After all, I take a lot of pride in what I do, and I put a lot of work into my shows. So, like most people, I like the occasional compliment about my work now and again, and it's not uncommon to get compliments from the audience when we meet after the show. But every once in a while, I get (what I think is) the best compliment someone like me can receive. Let me explain...
After performing two shows on the Grand Princess this February, I ran into a woman from the audience while waiting for the elevator. She stops me and tells me what she thought about the show.
My Favourite Riddle
One of the byproducts of being a mentalist and magician is that I love riddles and puzzles. (Although, some who know me well would argue that my love of puzzles and riddles is what drove me to being a magician in the first place.)
And recently on my TikTok account, I bestowed my favourite riddle on to the masses. The riddle is as follows:
7 Tips On How To Put Your Best Zoom Face Forward
Unless you are a seasoned professional, it's tough not to feel at least a little self-conscious on video.
I mean, think about it…at the best of times, people have no idea how to act in front of a camera. But now, work, play, happy hours with friends, family get-togethers…they’re all taking place on video calls.
Every day, we’re faced with cameras pointed at ceilings, fuzzy video, and endless streams of “can you hear me’s.” But fear not. Over the past year, I’ve become a Zoom Master, and I’m here to give you seven tips to put your best face forward and look like a video-call All-Star.
7 Ways To Break The Ice At Your Next Zoom Meeting
Talking to people is hard.
Whether it’s a breakout session with co-workers or networking with someone new, it can be tough to find common ground and make conversation. And that was before Zoom was ever a thing. Back in the Before-Zoom Era (or the BZE, as I’m sure future archaeologists will call it), you could quietly hide behind your drink, talk about the weather, rush off to the bathroom and hide, or anything else to avoid those awkward moments.
On Zoom, it’s just you, your camera, and everyone else on the call. You’re looking at them, they’re looking at you, and there’s nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. Or it’s the umpteenth meeting this week, and you’ve run out of things to talk about with your co-workers days ago, and that Zoom Fatigue is really starting to set in.
So, how do you break through and start those conversations? I’ve got seven ideas that will help break anyone out of their virtual shell!
Rethink Your Event Planning: Add Some Fun!
Recently, I had an unusual gig. Rather than my usual theatre show or after-dinner event entertainment, I was asked to perform my magic and mentalism schtick and MC an event hosted in a store, where all their suppliers came to showcase all of their hot new things for the year. I would do a bit of magic, introduce two or three presenters, do a little more magic, and lather, rinse, repeat until the end of the event. It's the kind of gig I do often enough to have it in my corporate magician skill set.
After the event was over, the client came up to me and told me how thrilled she was about the event. She was not only impressed by the magic that happened on stage for her guests, but was also very pleased about how the crowd was interested, engaged, stayed at the event much longer than expected, and (hopefully) became more informed customers that helped my client make a profit.
It was a great event all around, and when it was all over, I was thanked abundantly for helping make their event a smashing success.
And, while this particular gig is a bit different from the norm, the reaction of the client at the end of it was one that I’ve seen time and time again. And while they could have done what they did before with the same results as before, they decided to add an extra little spark and hire a professional. And what did that do for their event?
It made it fun.