Atlanta Magician Turner Headlines at Florida’s Wizardz Magic Theater
Atlanta Magician Turner Headlines at Florida’s Wizardz Magic Theater This week brought a return to sunny Florida and the lovely Wizardz Magic Theatre in Kissimmee, Florida. Wizardz Magic Theater at Seralago Hotel & Suites has been presenting weekly magic from a parade of outstanding performers since August 2009. This marks the third time I’ve performed here and the first time I’ve headlined. There’s more to Wizardz than just the shows, though. Erick and Kim Olson have built this enterprise into a community that attracts both a flow of tourists and a steady cadre of magicians and local magic enthusiasts. At any given show you’ll find an audience filled with people who have never experienced live magic along with plenty of experienced magicians who are eager to see and support live magic performances in the Orlando area. Part of the fun of performing is the fellowship and camaraderie with this community. It’s always a pleasure, for example, to spend some time talking with Mary Naylor Kodell, the widow of the great stage magician Jack Kodell but also a performer in her own right. Mary was an actress in London’s West End (from the age of 12!) as well as in film and television prior to 1962, when she and Jack retired in Orlando. (You can find out more about Mary in this 2-minute video, hosted by none other than David Copperfield.) At this particular performance, the opening act of the evening was another young lady with stellar performance skills and a magical legacy. Lydia Coomes, age ten, started the evening off with a fantastic close-up act including magic with cards, coins, and even a dice-stacking demonstration! The granddaughter of magical innovator Bob Swadling certainly has a bright future in magic should she choose to pursue this branch of the performing arts. Wizardz Magic Theater was also the site of the IBM JAM in January of this year. The JAM is a members-only day of magic and learning for members of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. I admire the Olsons for their commitment to elevate both the performance and the perception of the art of magic in their community, as well as for the benefit of the IBM. They were willing to stretch past their normal processes in order to help their association be more successful. You can expect elevating performance and perception to be key themes for me as I assume the presidency of the International Brotherhood of Magicians next month. In the meantime – are you looking for ways that you can stretch and benefit your own field and your own associations? It usually takes going beyond what you’re used to doing to get different and better results!
Whether in Magic or Branding, the Tools Are Not the Art
Whether in Magic or Branding, the Tools Are Not the Art What do arcane arguments over magic tricks or other performing arts have to do with your brand and your branding? Read on! In the field of sleight-of-hand magic, seemingly innocuous conversations can sometimes bubble over into a rage over the most unlikely topics. Inexperienced performers will flock to social media wondering what trick they should try to learn, and then become irate when a hundred answers are given. Intermediate performers and even some experienced pros will rant about “the best” move to use to accomplish a given task, sometimes becoming adamant that no other version is even worth knowing. I once actually received a phone call asking why I reviewed a product for magicians in a magazine and thought slightly better of it than another reviewer with another set of criteria in another magazine. (How could it be that two people have non-identical points of view on a product? He was legitimately mystified that reviewers could have a range of opinion.) There seems to be something about magicians that presupposes the existence of an ultimate answer to a question of “What’s the best?” What is the trick to replace all tricks? What is the move to replace all moves? What is the prop to replace all props? Basically, what is the one ring to rule them all… and make me a star in the process? Similar arguments rage elsewhere. What’s the best monologue, or audition etude, or ballet slipper? It’s difficult to imagine, but yes, there are even arguments over “the best” song to sing. Some songs, monologues, slippers, or sleight-of-hand moves may be more appropriate, more efficient, more realistic, or better constructed, but the answer of what’s “the best” is usually a distraction from harder questions: Who is in my audience? What do I want them to think about this experience? How do I want them to feel? What action do I want them to take as a result? How will I use this song, monologue, ballet slipper, or magic trick to have the greatest possible impact on my audience given my current skills? But What About Branding? Many entrepreneurs and small businesses get caught up in the same kinds of details. How many Twitter followers do I have? How many people like my Facebook page? What is “the best” subject line for an email? What is “the best” time to post on social media? What is “the best” format for a direct mail piece? It can be tempting to focus on these kinds of questions because these variables can be measured, changed, argued about, and give one a sense that “I’m doing something.” But one thing I’ve learned as I’ve bounced up, down, and sideways through the mistakes I’ve made in my own business is that no amount of “doing something” is a substitute for doing what needs to be done. Looking for “the best” solution is only meaningful once you understand who you are, who your audience is, and what you want to accomplish in your relationship with them. The questions artists must ask apply to you, too! Who is in my audience? What do I want them to think about this experience? How do I want them to feel? What action do I want them to take as a result? How will I use this [web site, social media account, mail campaign, advertisement, marketing event] to have the greatest possible impact on my audience given my current skills? Once you have those questions in mind, you can evaluate what is “best” in advancing toward that goal in the same way that great performers choose their repertoire: they know what fits them, their character, and their message.
Branding, Engagement, and the Limits of Applause
Branding, Engagement, and the Limits of Applause There is nothing quite like the sound of applause, but strong brands and strong leaders remember that applause is temporary. To build a lasting relationship and have a lasting impact requires more than the fleeting expression of momentary approval. Those more significant outcomes require brand engagement. “What is it that we’re living for? Applause, applause!” Applause (1970) by Lee Adams & Charles Strouse “There must be more to life than this.” Freddie Mercury, 1982 Brand Engagement Brand engagement is the ongoing process of building a connection between a person and a brand. In theatrical terms, it is the unfolding of a story that involves both characters – both listen, both take action, both respond to what happens, and both are involved in the scenes. Engagement can be built in different ways. It can start with that applause, or approval, when the awareness of your brand creates an initial positive response. It can grow when a conversation takes place between the brand leader and the consumer, or the artist and the audience. It can deepen when you provide multiple opportunities for your audience to participate in branded experiences, relating to your brand and talking about it with others. All of these elements must be consistent with the overall story that your brand is telling, and the promise that your brand is making to everyone who encounters it. Pursuing brand engagement can feel like a neverending quest for Twitter followers, Facebook likes, or blog comments. All of these can be useful metrics in certain circumstances, but as Robert Passikoff explained in Forbes, it’s important to realize that engagement with your communication tools or methods is not quite the same thing as engaging with your brand. After all, some people love to go to the theatre even when they don’t care for the play. Interacting with the Brand It is easy for a brand to become a permanent monologue. We have hundreds or thousands of things we want our audiences to understand about our product, whether it’s a retail product or something else, like our art, or our leadership vision, or any other idea we wish to share. And sometimes a monologue can be a strong dramatic experience, so it has a place in the overall texture of the play. But don’t leave the other characters out of the scene too long – they may find another theatre where they can get some stage time, too! Most of my brand’s interaction happens on the Facebook and Twitter pages, and in person at events. I can tell that my brand has engaged with a large part of my audience because they think of my brand when they encounter other providers in my sector. When people in my audience watch television, go to a movie, or see something floating around online – if it involves magic, I will frequently get dozens of emails or shares asking me if I’ve seen it. Those interactions come via Facebook, Twitter, or email, but in all cases they indicate that I have ownership of the “magic” brand for them. What are you experiencing in your own business that lets you know that your brand has traction and engagement? What are you going to do now to increase that engagement?
12 Amazing Audience Engagement Ideas I Learned on a Cruise – Part 3
12 Amazing Audience Engagement Ideas I Learned on a Cruise – Part 3 We’ve reached the conclusion of this short series – better late than never! Though the cruise itself is long past, the memories and lessons learned in each port remain. Out of curiosity – are you paying attention to the experiences you have to see what branding and audience engagement lessons can be learned? If so – let me know of a tip or technique you gleaned from an experience in your own life! Amazing tip #9: Put something awesome out of sight to reward the devoted. Holyhead, Wales – What do you know about Holyhead, Wales? That’s about what I knew, too, as we went ashore for our first visit to Wales. The town is centered around St. Cybi’s Church, which is actually built in what was an old Roman fort. There are lots of nooks and crannies to explore, but the real treasure here isn’t in town. You have to take a cab or a tour to get to South Stack Lighthouse, but even when you are able to see it, you can’t experience it without hiking down 400 steps and walking across an aluminum footbridge. Then you get to climb the 400 steps on your way back. But the reward is a tremendous view of coastline cliffs and the lighthouse itself… an experience you won’t ever forget. Put some not-so-obvious rewards in place for those willing to seriously engage with your brand! Amazing tip #10: Make sure your brand has attentive, observant ambassadors. Liverpool, England – Rosemary and I arrived in Liverpool on a relatively gray day. Cloudy morning, scattered showers, and a blustery wind. We decided to brave the elements and so we made a trek to Liverpool Cathedral. This impressive building – the largest Anglican cathedral in the UK – was full of interesting and beautiful art. It was reverent and inspiring. But it became an unforgettable experience when I was approached by Brian Jackson. A smiling gentleman with a long robe quietly asked how I was enjoying my visit. We began talking about our experiences in church and found common ground instantly. He took me and Rosemary on a private tour, unlocked a walkway across the expanse of the interior, and told us numerous little stories (including a great one about the chairs where the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh sit). This visit was unforgettable because an ambassador perceived my interest and probed effectively, then delivered an exceptional experience. Does your brand have attentive, observant ambassadors on site? On the phone? Online? Amazing tip #11: A fresh approach can make old things new again. Inveraray, Scotland – Inveraray Castle in Scotland looks like a fairy tale with its conical spires on towers. Since the 1200s the site has been the ancestral home of the Duke of Argyll – yes, the same family from which we derive argyle sweaters and socks! While the castle is centuries old, it recently enjoyed a renewed interest when it was used as a location for the 2012 Christmas episode of Downton Abbey. The popularity of a current hit translated into additional visibility and tourism for a site that was relatively unknown to many outside Scotland. By the time Rosemary and I arrived, we were primed to be receptive to much more of the real history of the location based on our interest in a fictional story! Can you connect your brand to something in the news, or some phenomenon in the popular culture? If so, you have a golden opportunity to boost sagging interest in your message. Amazing tip #12: Craft a presentation worthy of your content. Dublin, Ireland – Dublin is home to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Ha’Penny Bridge, and a thousand pubs. It is also home to one of the best universities in the world, Trinity College Dublin. Here, at the alma mater of Swift, Burke, Beckett, Stoker, Wilde, you can view the Book of Kells and marvel at a unique object with artistic, philosophical, and historical significance. But while the pages of that book inspire reflection and introspection, when you walk into the Long Room you will find yourself awestruck. This vast, expansive space houses only 200,000 of the library’s roughly six million volumes. Even so, the presentation of this subset creates a feeling of near infinite knowledge. The levels, the arches, and the sheer visual impact create an experience that inspires respect for the work of masters whose thoughts are recorded in these pages. Presentation doesn’t replace the knowledge in those volumes, but it certainly inspires a high level of respect for whatever you might find in there. Just as the theatre in St. Petersburg primed us to appreciate beauty, this room primed us to respect intellect. When your brand is unveiled for a new audience, what feelings does it inspire? You can read the other entries in this series via the following links: 12 Amazing Audience Engagement Ideas I Learned on a Cruise – Part 1 12 Amazing Audience Engagement Ideas I Learned on a Cruise – Part 2
Atlanta Magician Turner to Perform on 2015 K-LOVE Cruise
Atlanta Magician Turner to Perform on 2015 K-LOVE Cruise Happy New Year, everyone! 2015 is already shaping up to be an amazing adventure – let me give you a quick rundown of a few things coming up soon. It’s cold in Atlanta, but this morning I’m sitting at the airport headed south for a few days. First, I’ll be in Jacksonville to attend convention planning meetings and the mid-year board meeting for the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM). I’m currently serving as the International President-Elect, and I’ll become International President at the convention this July. Hundreds of magicians from around the world will come to learn, interact, and compete. If you’re a magician or a lover of the art, consider joining us in Jacksonville this summer! I’d be thrilled to have your support as I step into the top leadership role for what is sure to be an exciting year. Next up, I’ll head to Orlando for a couple of days to perform and lecture at the first IBM JAM to be held in the United States. These are one-day FREE events for members of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. The idea – a brainchild of my friend and current International President Shawn Farquhar – is to provide a day of magic entertainment and education as an added benefit of membership. Yes, these events are for members only – but it’s worth the year’s membership to attend the one-day event, much less get all the great benefits throughout the year. I’ll be performing and lecturing along with Shawn Farquhar and Oscar Munoz. After that, I’ll head to Miami to get on the beautiful MSC Divina to perform for the 2015 K-LOVE Cruise. This year’s cruise will feature music from contemporary Christian recording artists Mandisa, Casting Crowns, Colton Dixon, Building 429, Newsboys, and more. I’ll be providing piano/vocal music in the lounge and performing sleight-of-hand magic at various events throughout the cruise. We’ll be heading to Freeport, Nassau, Great Stirrup Cay, and then back to Miami. I’m really excited for this opportunity to share a somewhat different mix of my talents than I usually do! The rest of the year is going to be equally fun. I’ve got a public show coming up at the Dallas (GA) Theatre in February, followed by a mission trip to Hungary. Stay tuned for more updates along the way! As always, thank you for your constant support and encouragement!
12 Amazing Audience Engagement Ideas I Learned on a Cruise – Part 1
12 Amazing Audience Engagement Ideas I Learned on a Cruise – Part 1 I recently returned from performing magic on a couple of European cruises which combined to fill nearly the entire month of August. My wife joined me on this adventure as the dates overlapped our 19th wedding anniversary. We started with five days in Stockholm, Sweden, where we saw the sights and I visited a friend who had been an exchange student to my high school many years ago! We concluded with three days in Dublin, Ireland. While we were in Russia, I was inspired by one experience to make a change to the way I think about my business, my performances, and my keynote presentations. As I gave it more thought, I realized that each stop along the way taught me something important about providing amazing and engaging experiences for my audiences, both at live events and for my brand’s audience. What did I learn in each port? Here are some of my takeaways. The rest will appear in the next post. Amazing tip #1: Guide your audience to an experience that most people miss. Stockholm, Sweden – In the five days we were in Stockholm we covered a lot of ground, from visiting royal palaces to shopping in Gamla stan. But the most amazing experience to me was the opportunity to reconnect with my friend Anna, whom I hadn’t seen since high school over 25 years ago. Her insights and advice led us to explore a part of the city we might otherwise have missed. Amazing tip #2: Put a hidden gem somewhere in the experience for your audience to discover. Tallin, Estonia – This wasn’t a port we expected to love, but we were tipped off by Rosemary’s aunt that it was a hidden gem. It didn’t have the name recognition of a St. Petersburg or Helsinki. But it turned out to be a favorite stop – lots of history, interesting things around every corner, and easy to walk and explore. Amazing tip #3: You don’t have to be “on” all the time; create multiple ways for your audience to explore your offerings on their own. Helsinki, Finland – This port had name recognition, but our visit was on a Sunday and so we encountered a lot of closed stores until later in the day. This meant that we had quiet streets and little traffic all morning. We couldn’t get into every location because some places are closed on Sunday morning. But we got to peek inside a Russian Orthodox cathedral during a service and that was a beautiful experience. Amazing tip #4: In every possible interaction, prime your audience to appreciate the beauty in what you will share with them. St. Petersburg, Russia – Rosemary and I spent an evening at the ballet. We saw “Sleeping Beauty” at the Alexandrinsky Theatre. I was intensely moved by the beauty of the building, the sets, the costumes, the music, and of course the dancers. The moment we entered that theatre, we knew something special was going to happen. We were primed to appreciate the beauty to follow. I was inspired to add something beautiful to my presentations – something that gives my audience a chance to appreciate art for the sake of beauty. Amazing tip #5: Make sure the experience you deliver stands up to repeat engagement. Add layers if necessary. Copenhagen, Denmark – This was my second visit to Copenhagen, and it was easy to pick up right where I left off on last year’s trip with my daughter. Since my wife and I had only a single day in port, though, we had to budget our time. We chose to limit the number of attractions and explore more thoroughly, meaning that even though I visited Rosenborg Castle last year, I actually got a bit more out of the visit this year. There’s more to come in part two! Stay tuned! You can read the other entries in this series via the following links: 12 Amazing Audience Engagement Ideas I Learned on a Cruise – Part 2 12 Amazing Audience Engagement Ideas I Learned on a Cruise – Part 3
4 Must-Have Components of Effective Magic (and Branding!)
4 Must-Have Components of Effective Magic (and Branding!) It pains me to say it, but there’s a lot of ineffective magic out there. Magic that people don’t get, don’t like, don’t remember, and ultimately don’t want. Very often, performers may nip at the edges of amazing experiences. Sometimes, some audiences may be engaged for a moment, or think a performer is clever, or be fascinated by great skill, or even enjoy the temporary spectacle of a show… but the overall experience somehow doesn’t quite qualify as “magical.” Why is that? I suggest to you that there are 4 necessary components of truly effective magic, and that they can be summed up in one sentence. No matter how well I perform a sleight, operate an apparatus, or do some other secret action, it’s not really magic until an audience experiences something impossible that means something to them personally. The Magic Side That’s a statement that is going to take a little unpacking. Here are the four criteria, each spelled out in a bit more detail. 1. Magic requires an audience. It can be fun and rewarding to practice a technique to perfection, or to develop a new routine, or to work out a new plot. Rehearsing can give you exciting glimpses of what you may be able to accomplish with the art. But it’s not magic until there’s an audience to experience it. In fact, “performing magic” is somewhat misleading phrase. Magic is a witnessed phenomenon, not a performed one. Magic is not performed until it is witnessed. 2. Magic requires mystery. It can be fun to solve a puzzle, or to engage in some clever wordplay, or to peek behind the curtain. But once it happens, the sensation of magic is destroyed. It’s not magic if the illusion is penetrated. Poor technique, equipment failure, or a lack of good design can all endanger or eliminate the magical experience. Magic explained is not magic. 3. Effective magic has a meaningful context. Walk onstage, push a giant needle through a balloon, and walk off. You might get a smattering of applause. But even the simplest illusion, given some dramatic framework or connection to the world, becomes more powerful. Is the illusion about your comic failure to make the balloon burst as expected? Is it about challenging expectations? Is it about surprising strengths? If it’s just a puzzle, it’s not really magic. Presentation counts as much as technique. Give magic a “why” to heighten its impact. 4. Effective magic connects with people personally. Good magic has a context that gives it a meaning, answering the question “Why are you doing that?” But to go even further, great magic connects to something the audience values, answering the question, “Why should I care?” Whether you are physically doing close-up magic in a spectator’s own hands, or scripting an illusion to perform for a thousand people, find a way to relate what you’re doing to something the audience cares about. Give your audience a reason to care about the magic. The Business Side Interestingly, if you consider each of those points, I suspect you’ll see that they apply just as much to branding, marketing, and customer experience issues as they do to the performance of magic. • You have to gather an audience for your message. • The more of your process that the audience perceives, the less magical their experience. • You increase your impact by giving your audience a framework through which to interpret what you share with them. • You maximize that impact by making that framework something that they care about. What can you do today to change the way you communicate and engage your audience so that their experience with your brand is more magical?
Magic, Management, and Logistics
Magic, Management, and Logistics When I spoke at the National Logistics and Distribution Conference earlier this year, I was interviewed by Bob Bowman of SupplyChainBrain.com for an Executive Briefing video. The interview was recently published and they gave me permission to share it with my viewers on my YouTube channel. If you’ve ever wondered why and how I connect my performances with speaking on the concepts of leadership, management, branding, and corporate communication, you’ll enjoy this interview. You might want to pay close attention to the questions surrounding the issues of deception and “lying” to the audience, and how I can still use my kinds of performances to communicate meaningful messages to an audience. Enjoy!
7 Things About Magic That You Should Have Learned In Business School – #6
#6 – Your props should be in great condition, but they shouldn’t be the star of the show, either onstage or in business. Unless you’re performing a theme act set in a junkyard, there’s not really an excuse for performing with props that are in disrepair. The poor impression they make will be a psychological barrier between you and the effect you’d like to have on your audience. Audiences don’t care to understand the economics of purchasing unusual materials, nor the particulars of trying to fit multiple performances into a day. All they know is what they experience during the show that they have paid to see. If you are giving them wrinkled silk scarves, peeling paint, or badly-fitting costumes, then even the best illusion you perform will have less impact than it should because part of the audience’s attention is being spent on noticing those flaws. While the props shouldn’t be in bad shape, they should also not steal focus from the performance. Some performers – usually those of little experience – have a tendency to think that enough paint, prism tape, or varnish will make a prop so attractive that it will do all the work of sustaining an audience’s interest. But the props can never do that job, because props are not the star of the show. Whether you’re on a stage or in a retail environment, an office, or some other business, your audience wants your tools to be in good shape, but they are far less interested in the tools than they are in what you will build with them. You certainly can’t build a quality product without using tools, but you can’t sell a shoddy product because you built it using a great tool. What about you? Can you think of an experience where the tools or environment were great, but the delivery of the service or product was still lousy? What is your “lipstick on a pig” story? Let me hear from you in the comments!
7 Things About Magic That You Should Have Learned In Business School – #5
#5 – When it comes to polishing your secret move, in magic or in business, smoother is usually better than faster. “The hand is quicker than the eye” is a useful misconception. One of the great myths of magic – and business – is that it’s all about speed. The very word “prestidigitation” means “fast fingers,” and many people think that the magic is produced because magicians can move their hands too quickly for you to follow. The truth is that the hands don’t have to move at superhuman speed in order to create magic. In 1902, a man using the nom de plume “S. W. Erdnase” wrote about secret actions in his classic book The Expert at the Card Table. His discussion of cheating included a segment on palming cards in which he wrote, “It is very simple to to place one or several cards in the palm and conceal them by partly closing and turning the palm downward, or inward; but it is entirely another matter to palm them from the deck in such a manner that the most critical observer would not even suspect, let alone detect, the action.” When executing the critical action, Erdnase knew that the goal was to do the move smoothly and within the natural experience of the situation so as not to arouse any notice or suspicion that an action was happening at all. Smoother is better than faster. Sure, a secret move shouldn’t be executed without the speed that comes with competence and expertise, but once that is achieved, the truly polished performer looks at smoothness as the goal. Why? Because a fast, jerky movement jars the spectator out of the experience of the effect. Even if the sudden movement doesn’t generate suspicion or an attempt to decipher the method, at the very least it has reminded them that there *is* a method at work, and that undermines the experience of magic. What about you? Have you interacted with a brand or a business whose process had so many stops and starts that you lost the experience of service? Have you gone around and around with a business as they explained their internal business processes to you for no apparent reason? Let me hear from you in the comments!
