Nailing the Punchline
Opportunity knocked again one recent Sunday afternoon. Well, actually it called my cell. My family had already left for Tennessee to visit family and enjoy Thanksgiving. I had stayed behind due to plans on Monday evening, with a flight out set for Tuesday morning. Sunday afternoon, then, found me home alone with no real plans, until my phone rang. “Joe, I’m glad I caught you!” said my friend Christian. “Are you working tonight?” “No – why?” “Well, I’ve got a situation…” Christian is a local comedy magician who was scheduled to play Atlanta’s Punchline Comedy Club that evening. Due to some miscommunication between himself and the club manager, each thought the other had booked the rest of the talent for the evening’s show. That is, they had a headliner but no emcee and no feature act. Would I be interested in taking one of those spots? The emcee spot runs about ten minutes, then you introduce the other acts. The feature spot is a 25-minute spot, then you’re done for the evening. I had never worked a comedy club before. Sure, I use humor in my act, but I don’t bill myself as a “comedy magician.” My friend assured me that I would be great and that the crowd that night was expecting strong magic. Back in April I wrote about the importance of being willing to jump into unexpected opportunities. I thought about that post as I considered this offer for a few seconds. “If I can do the feature spot, I’m in.” “Done. See you at the club.” Next thing I know, I’m headed into town to work the Punchline. On the way, I considered how I would start. I had a routine that I knew would fit comfortably into the time slot. I knew the effects would work well together, involve the audience, and generate some laughs from their intrinsic humor. My main concern was precisely how to open for an audience largely primed for stand-up comedy. I decided to take part of a humorous speech I had written for another performance and adapt it to this new venue. Basically, I set out to establish that I was on the show for contrast, to make the funny acts seem funnier. However, in positioning myself that way, I was also getting some laughs. The combination worked well, and I had the audience laughing at my ‘predicament’ before I even started the magic. As it turns out, I had a great time. Excellent comments after the show, including “You were our favorite” from a couple who didn’t know any of the performers, and “You changed our whole outlook on magic” from another couple who had actually come to see the headliner and didn’t expect to see other performers. Some of my takeaways from the experience: Take advantage of unexpected opportunities to grow. I could have stayed home and told myself, “That’s not my venue.” Instead, I now have a new venue. Are your skills or services applicable to a market you haven’t explored? Think about your opening. Find a way to position yourself for success by turning your presumed weaknesses into strengths. They’re not bugs – they’re features! Is there something about what you offer – or about what you don’t offer – that you can use as a point of contrast to others in your field? Nail the punch line. In comedy, you won’t be successful if you don’t nail your punch line. All the build up requires that you deliver the goods at the end. How do your clients know when it’s time to laugh and applaud? Are you nailing your punch line? Here we are at the end of 2011, a year that has been both amazingly challenging and amazingly fruitful. You have just enough time left to nail your punch line.
“One Enchanted Evening” in Vicksburg Sept 8
Mississippi Native Turner Brings Magic, Music From Atlanta to Vicksburg NOTE: Listen to a radio interview about this upcoming appearance! Interview by Annette Kirklin on The Directors Report, WVBG Radio, Vicksburg, MS (8/17/2011) Atlanta speaker and entertainer Joe M. Turner will perform “One Enchanted Evening” at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center on Thursday, September 8. Turner, a Brandon native, will present a unique show of sleight-of-hand illusions and music performances. The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation takes immense pride in welcoming acclaimed international speaker, corporate entertainer, and Brandon, Mississippi native Joe M. Turner back to his home state for a one-night-only, one-of-a-kind theatrical performance on Thursday, September 8th at 7:00pm in the SCH Auditorium. Turner will present a multi-faceted evening of variety entertainment including unreal sleight-of-hand mysteries, uncanny psychological illusions, and unforgettable piano and vocal classics, all woven together into what some consider “a 21st-century one-man vaudeville.” Don’t miss this unique entertainment event! This limited engagement will sell out, so don’t miss out! Tickets are $25 for SCHF Members, $30 for Non-Members and $225 for a Corporate/Private Table. Ticket price includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, punch, a cash bar, and an unforgettable evening of magic, mentalism, and music! Tickets are on sale now at the SCHF Business Office, Paper Plus or charge by phone at (601) 631-2997. You can get tickets and directions online at https://www.southernculture.org Joe M. Turner combines seven years of corporate experience in training design and development, business communication, human performance development and change management initiatives at Fortune 100 clients with extensive theatre experience and magical talents to create customized magical presentations for his clients. Joe is a member of the National Speakers Association, the Academy of Magical Arts at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, the Society of American Magicians, the International Brotherhood of Magicians, The Magic Circle in London (A.I.M.C. with silver star), and the Fellowship of Christian Magicians. He is also a popular speaker, onscreen and onstage talent, a professional pianist, an accomplished vocalist, composer and playwright. Visit his website at https://turnermagic.com Space is limited and an advanced ticket purchase is suggested. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the SCHF office at 601-631-2997 or email info@southernculture.org ### Based in Atlanta, Georgia, professional speaker, mentalist, and corporate magician Joe M. Turner delivers unreal entertainment and keynotes for corporate meetings, events, trade shows, conferences and private events worldwide. Category Entertainment, Event, Arts
Turner Voted Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year
For Immediate Release: Turner Voted Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year Atlanta speaker and entertainer Joe M. Turner has been voted 2010 Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year by the combined Atlanta memberships of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and Society of American Magicians. Georgia Magic Club president Evan Reynolds and the Atlanta Society of Magicians president Rick Hinze announced the news at the clubs’ joint banquet on January 8. The award dates back to 1971 and is based on excellence in seven categories including performance skill, use of talent for charitable efforts, teaching, and creativity. The accompanying “Duke Stern/Hal Martin Memorial Trophy” is engraved with the names of all the previous winners. The winner is honored to keep the trophy for a year, and then receives a commemorative plaque to keep after passing the trophy to the next winner. The selection of the winner is made in stages. Each of the participating organizations elects two finalists from their membership, and those nominees then go on a ballot for a final comprehensive round of voting by both clubs. This year, Turner had the rare honor of being selected as a finalist by both local groups. Turner, a corporate speaker and entertainer often billed as “the Chief Impossibility Officer,” is now a two-time Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year, having also received the award in 2000. He is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Society of American Magicians, the London Magic Circle, and the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood. He serves as the IBM Territorial Vice President for Georgia, as well as the Global TVP Counselor; he is also currently serving a three-year term on the IBM Board of Directors. He writes a bi-monthly review column for Genii Magazine. Find out more about Joe M. Turner’s magic entertainment and keynotes at https://turnermagic.com and https://www.turnertalks.com. # # # Based in Atlanta, Georgia, corporate speaker, magician and mentalist Joe M. Turner – “The Chief Impossibility Officer” – delivers astonishing sleight-of-hand, customizable illusions, and stunning mentalism presentations for corporate events, trade shows, conferences and private events worldwide.
