Successful Performercast by Kris Sheppard | Successful Performer Cast | Weekly Interviews with Professional Entertainers | Sh Kris Sheppard

In my final interview here in this chapter of Successful Performercast, I have Joe Monti who gives us some valuable advice when it comes to show business and shares some stores from his career that will have you at the edge of your seat.

Joe Monti has done it all. He’s traveled the world with his magic, both performing and lecturing. He’s worked with Viacom, starting with the Cosby Show. He’s consulted for television on a number of shows & projects, including Criss Angel’s Mind Freak for three seasons, a lot of ghost and paranormal shows as well as other secret television projects. He was also the $50,000 winner on Simon Cowell’s successful prime time ABC hit American Inventor, which was seen by 14 million people.

He’s a frequent featured performer at the world famous Hollywood Magic Castle, home of the Academy of Magical Arts, and has released two commercial products straight from his act on the market for working magicians. Joe has done so much to elevate the art of magic, it’s impossible to list it all here.  

 

Success Mantra
Survive. You’ve got to kiss the canvas before you can dance with the angels.  

 

Great Advice on Show Business
• Talks about his early days in show business.

• Talks about how he discovered Tannen’s and started hanging out there.

• Tells how he “jumped ship” over at Viacom.

• “Do for others, and they will do for you."

• Tells about a how he was filming a TV show after quitting Viacom, where he was dressed all slummy and running into all the people he used to work with.

• Keeping you ear to the ground to figure out what people want and doing it.

• Talks about his physical comedy.

• Why you should do things exactly as you’re taught before adding your own influence into an act you’re working on.

• Finding what’s funny.

• An effective, yet controversial, tip for getting tips in a strolling situation, and why Joe stopped doing it.

• An interesting story involving Dave Chapelle.

• Magic minds help in business.

• Deliver a product that they can't get from anybody but you. 

 

Help Out Joe
As many of you may know, Joe was involved in a pretty serious accident. This interview was recorded before that accident, and Joe wanted to come back on before we officially released this interview to give us a quick update.

If you'd like to help him out, there's a Go Fund Me campaign open to help him with his medical bills and recovery expenses. Every little bit helps. Ad mention that Successful Performercast sent you. 

 

Parting Advice
Don’t show the people around the magic you’re working on. They’ll only tell you good things. Instead, film it, and let someone watch the video, walk away and then watch their reaction from afar.  

 

Recommended books and resources:
Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!  

 

Resources:

Lighting and sound. There's nothing like being seen and heard.

 

Happie Amp for sound

 

Security lights attached to batteries.

 

A step stool to stand up on to be seen better.

 

Books:

Triggers by Joseph Sugarman

Bobo’s Coin Magic

Trick Brain by Dariel Fitzkee

Our Magic by Masculine & DeVant

 

Where can we find Joe Monti?
joemonti.com

thumbtie.com  

In this interview, Thought Reader Bill Gladwell who talks about the ins and outs of having his own stationary one-man, mentalism show and how he’s been able to make it a success.

Bill is a performer who combines his unique skills of hypnosis, NLP, suggestion, psychology, directed awareness, and showmanship to create a fun interactive show that leaves an indelible impression on each of his audiences and has performed for a diverse list of clients from Honda to country music artist Rodney Atkins. He’s also a speaker and trainer teaching people how to develop and master strong social skills helping them win at life.

For the last five years, Bill has pretty much stopped traveling in order to produce and perform in his own 75-minute mentalism show, Two Thought Minimum first in Gatlinburg Tenessee and then in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Finally, I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t mention his own podcast, “Hey! Look at Me!” where he interviews other entertainers that he comes in contact with during his adventures.  

 

Success Mantra
Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. – Susie Castle

If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it, if you don’t ask, the answer is always no, and if you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place. - Norah Roberts  

 

Having a Stationary Show
• Tells how he got his first theater show as a mentalist.

• How he was able to tweak his show and improve it from a very rough start.

• Not listening to other magicians and mentalists.

• How Trip Advisor has helped his career.

• How/why he left Gatlinburg for Hilton Head Island.

• Tells how he got feedback from his audiences.

• Listening to his wife. Starting with the end on mind and working back from that.

• How he negotiated with a theater owner to get his dark nights.

• Promoting his show and getting tourists into see show.

• The importance of having a good product.

• How to work with the venue making it a win win for the performer and the venue.

• Back of room sales.

• Using social media avenues to his advantage.

• Building email list.

• His USP.

• How he keeps in contact via email.

• How he sells tickets.

• Challenges of working in a theater.

• Rebuilding his show and following in Hilton Head Island.

• Don’t be afraid to give tickets away to get things done.

• Interacting with press and getting coverage.

• Working with other companies and businesses to cross promote.  

 

Other Topics Covered
• The power in asking.

• Lessons from Girl Scout cookie sales.

• Asking for the close.

• How a Tony Robbins event changed his life.

• Talks about how he did an impromptu stage hypnosis show that started him out in performing.

• Finding material that fits you.

• Don’t do things like everyone else. Make it entertaining.

• Recording your show.

• It’s not about you, it’s about giving your audience a good time.

• How pricing yourself too low can cost your gigs.  

 

Failure Moment
Tells why he now collects his fee up front.  

 

Favorite Success
His Trip Advisor reviews.

Getting his wife to marry him. 😃 ❤️❤️❤️  

 

Parting Advice
Be bold. Not only on stage, but off stage.

Three foot rule: If anyone gets within three feet of you, you have to tell them what you do and give them a card.  

 

Recommended books and resources:
Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!  

 

Resources:

Evernote

Just Press Record iOS app

 

Books:

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

The Sales Bible Jeffrey Gitomer

Also mentioned WellAttended 

 

Where can we find Bill Gladwell?
billgladwelllive.com

In this interview, Al The Only talks about how he's found success in being a "general practitioner" of magic. He also talks about how he came up with his brand of Al The Only.

For over 35 years Al has traveled the country with his magic, performing for corporate clients doing their trade shows, conventions, business meetings, hospitality suites and holiday parties. This includes companies like Apple, General Motors, Coca Cola, AT&T, and McDonald’s. You may also remember him from “Ask The Only,” which was his column in the Magic Menu where he fielded questions about the business side of magic. Today he’s here to share his thoughts on show business with us.  

 

Success Mantra
Perception is everything.

Don’t sweat the big stuff.

You never know when you’re making a memory.  

 

Being a General Practitioner of Magic
• Defining general practitioner as it applies to being a full-time magician.

• Accomplishing the needs of his clients’ magical needs whatever they may be.

• If the client asked him if he could do something, he always said yes.

• Talks about “niching down."

• Weren’t really any gigs he wouldn’t take, but there are some that he wishes he had been able to do.

• Talks about how he’s now in the school show market and how he couples them with corporate gigs he’s doing.

• Talks about some of his selling techniques and strategy.

• How he travels with two shows.

• He has two of everything he does.

• Talks about the most unusual show he did which was being hired to steal from a department store.

• Talks about hiring a colleague sometimes to help serve the client in which he becomes the producer of a show.  

 

Other Topics Covered
• Being “present” with the people you’re performing for.

• Talks about some of the things he did to get gigs initially after getting laid off from his day job.

• You can get anything you want in life if you help enough people get what they want in life. — Zig Ziglar

• How his full-time restaurant job was the foundation of his business.

• Talks about his branding of Al The Only.

• How his name is instantly recognizable.

• Does the name make the individual, or does the individual make the name?

• His take on successes and failures.

• Dealing with multiple time zones.

• It’s not about the magic, it’s about the people you’re working with.  

 

Failure Moment
Tells about how he’s lost all his money three different times within his career.  

 

Favorite Success
The relationships with his clients.  

 

Parting Advice
1. Don’t do free shows.

2. If you think a show is out of your league, pass it up to another pro.

3. Never say you can’t do something for a client.

4. Don’t believe your own PR.

5. Marry a spouse with a job that has benefits. #tongueInCheek  

 

Recommended books and resources:
Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!  

 

Resources:

We all have smart devices, but the smartest device we have is our brain! Listen to people. Listen to your friends.

 

Books:

The Business of Restaurant Magic by Al The Only (Out of Print)

Confidential Booking Reports by Dick Ryan (Out of Print)

Doug Scheer’s book Entertaining Education (Also listen to Doug Scheer’s Interview)

Danny Orleans The Art of Presenting Magic for Children

 

Where can we find Al The Only?
Tricky1.com

The Magic Graveyard

Facebook | Twitter @theROARshow

This week, I bring you an interview with Steve Chezaday who shares some advice and insights from his years performing full-time. Topics include dealing with clients, pricing, managing your money, and customizing and maintaining your props. There’s a lot insight to be gained from this chat.

Chezaday is a magician who’s pretty much done it all from close up magic to grand illusion. His energetic show has taken him all over the country. He’s toured with Abbott’s Magic Festival and is also quite handy when it comes to building props and stage illusions. And he can do it all while rockin’ an air guitar!  

 

Success Mantra
Always be prepared.

Always have your money work for you.  

 

Personalizing & Maintaining Show Props
• Personalizing props.

• Custom painting goes a long way.

• Putting your own twist or spin on routines.

• Constantly capturing your own ideas on paper so you don’t lose them.

• Importance of quick reset.

• Preparing and maintaining larger props.

• Having protective cases for everything in a stage show.    

 

Other Topics Covered
• Talks about how he gets shows.

• Stacking shows. Knowing your setup & teardown time and being efficient.

• The importance of saving and investing your money.

• Talked about how he had a part time job for a long time which helped him to build his magic career.

• How his correspondences with clients are mainly online through email now.

• Making your clients feel like they’re getting a bargain.

• The psychology of charging $295 instead of $300.

• Don’t sell your magic, sell you. You want them to want you, not just “a magician."

• Don’t let people wait, because someone else will get back to a potential client if you don’t.

• Talks about working with the best and the worst in the industry while doing the Abbott’s show.

• Don’t be a prima donna. Try to make everything as simple as you can and treat everyone well. Be reasonable.  

 

Failure Moment
Talks about a last-minute hell gig that came about because of miscommunication.  

 

Favorite Success
Some of the charities that he’s able to work with.  

 

Parting Advice
Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.  

 

Recommended books and resources:
Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!  

 

Resources:

Pages on Mac

Rising Card App by Chris Kenner

 

Books:

Me Inc. by Gene Simmons

Beating a Dead Horse by Sandy Marshall

The Magical Life of Marshall Brodien

 

Where can we find Steve Chezaday?
Chezaday.com

Steve on Facebook

This week I have singer/songwriter Angela Parrish who shares with us about the importance of having multiple streams of income and how she runs her business. She also talks about how she saved for and completely self-funded $20,000 to record her latest album, Faithful and Tall.

Based out of Los Angeles, Angela creates her own brand of music, drawing inspiration from the likes of Carole King, Ray Charles, Eva Cassidy, Gregg Allman, and Alison Krauss. Her music has brought her great acclaim including second place for her song “The Couple Down the Hall” at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Song Competition, and having her song “Higher” selected as a finalist in the 2013 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. You may have heard her song “Different Tomorrow” which earned a primetime placement on CBS TV last summer. Thats not even mentioning her collaborating with top producers and musicians in the industry.  

 

Success Mantra
I realized early on that success was tied to not giving up. Most people in this business gave up and went on to other things. If you simply didn’t give up, you would outlast the people who came in on the bus with you. - Harrison Ford  

 

Multiple Streams of Income
• Talks about the different streams of income she has which include performing, album sales, and teaching piano.

• Teaching people one on one.

• Limiting how much she teaches so she can focus on the other aspects on her business that she has more passion for.

• Talks about the different percentages each of her streams of income are bringing in and where she’s focusing.

• Music industry in general and where she thinks it’s headed with music being sold online and subscription services like Spotify.

• How people will support the artists they love.

• How Periscope can help to build an audience.  

 

Managing Business
• Tells how she wasn’t good at managing her business and how she got better.

• Read All You’re Worth by Elizabeth Warren teaches how to manage your finances.

• 50% of your income is survival/basic needs, 30% is discretionary, 20% is savings.

• Talks about how she self-funded her album, hiring all of the help she needed in musicians, studio work, designers, etc.

• Tells how much it took to create her album. Spoiler alert: It was roughly 20,000 completely self-funded.  

 

Other Topics Covered
• Having tenacity.

• Not giving up, yet knowing when to quit.

• Fear of rejection.

• Finding yourself.

• How all your experiences make up who you are.

• Taking risks to be true to yourself and your art.

• Talks about her early performing days.

• Immersing yourself in the community that you want to be a part of.

• Balancing business and art.

• The importance of building a following which makes you more attractive to labels and other people to work with.

• Collecting emails. Opt-in magnet.  

 

Failure Moment
Putting out her record without any business knowledge. She feels it isn’t doing as good as it can be and now she’s changing that.  

 

Favorite Success
The songwriter’s hall of fame competition and being recognized by her peers.    

 

Parting Advice
Don’t sell yourself short. Set out to accomplish your dreams. Dance with fear.

 
Recommended books and resources:
Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!  

 

Resources:

Paper and physical books.  

 

Books:

All Your Worth by Elizabeth Warren

Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison  

 

Also Recommended

The Dip by Seth Godin

Michael Hyatt’s This is Your Life Podcast

Platform by Michael Hyatt 

 

Album Faithful & Tall
Faithful and Tall by Angela Parrish  

 

Where can we find Angela

In this episode, Fantastick Patrick talks about his juggling career which includes performing on TV, dealing with fear & failure, and having a mindset of giving.

Fantastick Patrick is a juggler/comedian/unicycle wrangler/musician/curator of all things fun & awesome! He comes to us from Los Angeles yet travels around the country performing at fairs, festivals, and corporate shindigs. He’s also had multiple TV appearances on shows like The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Hell’s Kitchen, and the MTV Movie Awards.  

 

Success Mantra
He who tries to shine dims his own light.  

 

Performing on TV
• Talks about what he did to get on TV to perform.

• Tells the story on how he got on the Tonight Show.

• How unpredictable things can be on set.

• How different it is performing on TV rather than performing in a live show.

• There’s multiple takes, so if you mess up, you can do it again.

• There are decades where nothing happens and then there are weeks where decades happen.

• How he uses his TV appearances to benefit his performance career.  

 

Other Topics Covered
• Just letting things flow. Don’t try too hard or you’ll overthink it.

• Dealing with nerves before performing.

• Talks about some of his earlier juggling ventures.

• Moving to Los Angeles.

• Talks about how he markets himself.

• Talks about social media.

• People want to hire their friends.

• Focusing on strengths.

• Personal Facebook Pages vs Fan Pages.

• His view on failure.

• Dealing with fear.

• The danger of comparing yourself with others.

• Don’t be afraid to fail.

• Outsourcing aspects of your business.

• Top of mind awareness.

• Wanting what you have.

• Using your gift to inspire and bless other people.

• Decide that you’re going to serve and to give. "The Gift Shift."    

 

Failure Moment
Tells how he let someone else run his career and put them in the driver seat.  

 

Favorite Success
Finding success in his chosen market.  

 

Biggest Professional Challenge
Sticking with it through the tough times.  

 

Anything Done Differently?
Moved out to LA sooner and focused more on business.  

 

Parting Advice
Love what you do, the money will follow.  

 
Recommended books and resources:
Note: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks!  

 

Resources:

Get the best sound equipment that you can. Make sure everything is battery powered, you don’t want to have to rely on an outlet.

Sennheiser body packs and make sure you get one of the “legal" ones.

Show Cues for iPhone

OneTrack

Go Button

Shawn Popp’s Interview  

 

Books:

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle 

 

Where can we find Fantastick Patrick?
fantastickpatrick.com

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