June 30, 2018
A varied selection of topics this month looks like this:
- Richy Roy suggests that most of us are charging far too little for our shows and I discuss whether he is right or not
- I prove that no matter how long you have been in the magic business, there can still be things which happen to you which have never happened before
- "Strolling magic is not an art, it's a service" says Paul Brook - but is he correct?
- news of a new MLM release that is a terrific, practical version of a classic plot
- the mobile phone has changed the way spectators want to experience our magic
- why do lay people still fall back on cliched explanations for the magic that we do?
May 31, 2018
The early summer 2018 podcast has the following topics:
- I reflect on my recent US lecture tour which included some dodgy weather and a traffic violation!
- talking of lectures, I consider what magicians expect to get from a lecture that they attend
- magical fame and fortune may not always be all it is cracked up to be
- the Mark Leveridge Magic website is being re-designed and I give you some early teaser information about what it might be like when it launches later in the year
- I reflect on why it can be difficult sometimes to entertain the people who have actually booked you
- why offering advice to an inexperienced magician may not be the best thing to do
- why does magic seem to attract such high levels of incompetence!?
April 30, 2018
Podcast Gold
Here are six of my favourite Podcast articles which I have collected together from Podcasts released over the last year. I hope you enjoy hearing them again, or if you missed them, for the first time!
- Fee negotiation - do you allow your rates to be a subject of discussion with a potential booker?
- I offer a theory about when you should hand write a prediction and when it is OK to have it pre-printed
- I explain why I think going back to tables more than once is not a good idea
- comedy is as much about consistently selecting appropriate lines to suit our performing personality as it is about the lines themselves
- your credibility as a magician is important for potential bookers, so here's a way to ensure you get some
- card to wallet - is it better to go down the palm-and-load route, or are the no-palm versions just as valid?
March 31, 2018
The April edition of Mark Leveridge's magical musings covers the following:
- Richard Kaufman has a 'pop' at Magicseen
- your magic competitors may actually be your allies
- hyphens and underscores make difficult to decipher email addresses even worse
- GDPR is on its way, but will it matter to us magicians?
- a spectator accurately observes and gives a fascinating insight into the processes that we strolling magicians go through when we entertain at tables
- if you appear to be an expert at what you do, you are more likely to get the show enquiry/booking
February 28, 2018
The March miscellany of magic comments offers you....
- Walking round the dealers at Blackpool reveals that many of the stands and much of the product packaging is so much more professional than it used to be
- what makes for the best type of subject for a major headline prediction?
- The Sacred Riana - proving on Asia's Got Talent that presentation will always elevate magic irrespective of how strong the magic itself may be
- the world is awash with information and if you want to be heard you need to play the long game with your publicity
- you can find new magic for your act by looking outside the normal magic categories that you might consider
- how do you evaluate the value of a marketed trick?
- the goalposts seem to have moved for children's entertainers
January 31, 2018
This is what the February edition has in store for you
- I attended The Session last month and I offer my observations about the annual close up convention organised by Joshua Jay and Andi Gladwin
- "If someone asks you to perform, you are not obliged to do so" - I explain why I agree with this assertion from Roberto Giobbi
- Mike Close reveals how to take the sting out of strong magic to make it more acceptable to lay people
- here's an important piece of advice that could make sure you get more enquiries from your website
- listen to a Mark's Monthly Message Audio File on Developing A Performing Personality
- Facebook gives you even less opportunity to get your message across via your posts
December 31, 2017
The first Podcast of a new year offers you the following topics:
- I reflect on how the Podcast has developed since its inception in January 2013
- what makes for the perfect opening trick? The current issue of Magicseen gives the views of 10 top pro close up magicians
- how to turn yourself into a Business Magician and thus open up countless new working opportunities
- attending a concert by the Bootleg Beatles leads me to wonder whether you could have 'tribute magicians' in the same way as the music industry has 'tribute bands'
- never try to second guess what fee a potential booker can afford
- with so many people wanting to get magic ideas marketed, what's the best way to get a product out there?
- how to know whether your 2018 magical resolutions are likely to actually come about
November 30, 2017
The festive edition of the Podcast has the following topics:
- I explain why presenting live club lectures is one of my favourite things to do
- pros should give semi-pros a lot of respect
- don't automatically assume that the method supplied with a marketed product is the best one possible
- why using a logo could be a good thing for magicians
- instant gratification with online purchases has changed the landscape for buying magic
- card to wallet - is it better to go down the palm-and-load route, or are the no-palm versions just as valid?
October 31, 2017
The November Podcast covers the following topics:
- I reflect on the mini explosion of magic online learning opportunities
- have you noticed whether your regularly used props have become tatty?
- I reveal my favourite way to create new magic
- we all have to deal with the pressures of audience scrutiny every time that we perform
- comedy is as much about consistently selecting appropriate lines to suit our performing personality as it is about the lines themselves
- Safety Catch is back as a Premier E-Routine download
- most magicians ignore one of the best ways to get corporate work
September 30, 2017
What can you expect from the October Podcast? Here's a run down
- The stresses and strains of moving house and relocating two businesses
- is it best to quote all inclusive show fees, or is it better to have a lower headline price and then go for added extras?
- the latest annual Cumbrian Conjurers Collective session provides tangible help and advice
- I highlight one of the most important aspects of performance that some entertainers tend to forget
- a new online show agency gets my vote over Bark
- take the online video tour of E-Club Pro and see exactly what benefits members receive
- I explain why I think going back to tables more than once is not a good idea
