Miley, Justin, and Personal Branding

Miley, Justin, and Personal Branding I didn’t watch the MTV Video Music Awards last night. I spent the evening listening to old ragtime music on YouTube. But like a man sheltered safely underground while the tornado passes over, eventually one has to come out and walk through the wreckage. So this morning, like many Americans, […]

Atlanta Magician on USA TODAY “Best in Cruise Entertainment” Team

Atlanta Magician and Speaker Joe M. Turner on Performance Team Named by USA TODAY as “Best in Cruise Entertainment” Remember that cruise I performed on in June as a member of the “Magic Castle at Sea” program on Crystal Cruises? If you’ve followed my Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ pages, you saw some photos from my […]

Five Kinds of Amazing, Part 1: Talent

Five Kinds of Amazing, Part 1: Talent Last time, we discussed the “Five Kinds of Amazing” model for increasing brand engagement. This week, we examine the first category in more detail. Further, we will begin to tie those experiences to business competencies. Within the genre of theatrical magic, there exists a branch of performance related […]

Five Kinds of Amazing – The Framework

Five Kinds of Amazing – The Framework “Five Kinds of Amazing” is a useful model for understanding, evaluating, and increasing audience engagement, typically as it relates to retail or corporate brands and their associated audiences. It has relevance not just for marketing professionals and brand managers, but also for event producers, team or organization leaders, […]

Recent Press Hits in Alabama and Georgia

Just a quick update this time. I had two recent press hits, one relating to an entertainment opportunity in Alabama, and one regarding a speaking engagement on small business branding in metro-Atlanta. Cherokee County Herald 5-15-2013 (PDF file) The entertainment event was for the Cherokee County (AL) Chamber of Commerce. Even in the entertainment setting, […]

Keeping It SIMPLE: Magical Presentation Tips

Keeping presentations simple will enhance the impact you have on your audience.

Keeping It SIMPLE: Magical Presentation Tips I’ve been performing magic for a long time. I’ve made my fulltime living with magic and speaking presentations for nearly 13 years, and I’ve been performing for fun for most of my life. Besides performing and speaking in Atlanta, this amazing art has taken me across America and all […]

Culture-Building vs. Team-Building

So, Your Teambuilding Failed? Last week we discussed the uncomfortable subject of failed teambuilding. Turns out, quite a large number of groups that subject themselves to “teambuilding events” aren’t even teams in the first place. No wonder the results so rarely live up to either expectations or the vendor’s hype! Companies invest in “teambuilding” and […]

Why Your Teambuilding Failed

A Teambuilding (Mis)Adventure Leaders – how many of you have experienced the following? You realized you had a problem in the way your people worked together. You decided to invest in a teambuilding activity at your next meeting. Your people engaged in the process, some willingly and some grudgingly. You went back to work. There […]

Meeting and Event Planner Personality Types: The Exorcists

This week we wrap up our exploration of meeting and event planner personality types. Last week we discussed the Expanders. Today: The Exorcists! Exorcists like to ask the question, “How can I just end this and avoid another horrible experience?” An unfortunate third possibility is that a client has worked with another provider in the […]

Meeting and Event Planner Personality Types: The Expanders

This week we continue our exploration of meeting and event planner personality types. Last week we discussed the Explorers. Next up: The Expanders! Expanders like to ask the question, “Where else can I use this idea?” Another possibility is that a client has worked with a magician or mentalist on a previous event, but the […]