Tag, Your It!

Merry Christmas dear readers. I hope you had a wonderful
holiday with your friends and family, and that you took
time to reflect on the true meaning of the season with
respect to your own lives. Reflection is not something most
people do well. We tend to move on, never looking backwards.
This only sets us up into making the same mistakes -
personal, business, spiritual - and that's not healthy.

Speaking of reflection (get ready for a really bad
segueway), I finally received the lost DVD that was
supposed to accompany my set of Mirrors. The DVD is called
James Prince's Menu of Miracles, and I have yet to have
time to watch it, but hope to this weekend when guests leave
and I can go to my man cave for an hour of magic DVD
watching.

One reader had recommended that I check out a new effect
called Tagged by Richard Sanders. Well, I went to Richie's
site to watch his video demo of the effect and was not blow
away by it. I know it is rather popular. Then when I visited
ellusionist's site in a search of more information, I found
another effect called Tagged by Rich Ferguson.

Now if memory serves me right, there is also another Tagged
which I own by Shawn Farquhar which can be used to end an
Ambitious Card routine. In this version the selected, signed
card appeared pinned to the inside of your jacket with one
of those electronic security tags they put on clothes in
department stores so you can't walk out with them. I like
that effect a lot. Very clever and very funny.

Rich Ferguson's Tagged is quite different though and the
video demo is a mind blower. It makes Stigmata look like a
kiddie trick. Basically it a mind-reading climax where a
selected word or series of numbers of even a phrase appears
on a spectators' arm -- not yours. This element of having
the prediction reveal itself on the spectator's body is
amazing.

Now we're not talking about a one inch prediction. We're
talking a prediction that is an inch high and several
inches across. Go watch the demo to see what I am talking
about:

http://www.ellusionist.com/product/dvd+training/intermediate-advanced/tagged-by-rich-ferguson.do

I watched it and frankly never saw Rich "tag" the
spectator. Of course, the video is well edited, but it
definitely sparked my interest, so I purchased and
downloaded it.

Now the idea of imprinting something on a spectator is not
new as you all know. I'm not a historian but the first
effect I ever learned using this type of reveal was from
the Jerry Lewis Book of Magic (does that bring back any
memories for any of you?). It involved you drawing a
symbol, selected by the spectator, on the face of a sugar
cube. Then you dropped the cube into a glass of water, and
asked the spectator to hold their palm over the glass. As
the symbol dissolves off the cube (thus vanishing), the
spectator turns his hand over to reveal the symbol is now
on their palm! A very strong effect indeed for a kid's
magic book.

Next, I saw Jeff Spiller during my college days make
cigarette ashes penetrate the back of a spectator's hand so
they appeared in their palm. I think the effect was called
"Hex" and I have no idea whose effect this was originally
(nor do I really care). I developed my own handling for it
and had great success with it. Amazingly simple but very
strong effect because it happens in the spectator's own
hands. But as cigarettes became passe, ashes are not
usually readily available and I don't really want to carry
ashes with me. I don't like getting my hands dirty.

Next, came Rocco's Stampede which enables you to imprint
one of several different symbols on someone as well as
yourself. The gimmick was nothing special, but the
accompanying VHS tape showing live performances of Rocco doing
different performances was worth the price of the effect.
And it came with a kit of different rubber stamps and pads
to play with. I bought it but never used because at the end
of the day - while it was novel - it lacked the awe that Hex
created. It was a little too cute for me. Not quite as
mysterious as the simpler Hex.

Well, Tagged is a horse of a different color. The gimmick
approach is relatively easy to construct in a variety of
sizes and may be customized to reveal literally anything
you want. I could see using this at a trade show and making
the name of a company or product appear on the arms of many
people during the course of a work day. Rich says he has
made his own phone number appear on an entire room of
people. Neat promotional opportunities though you probably
need to be selective about the type of person you imprint.
Some people will probably be amazed while others very
pissed off. It is, after all, ink on their arm, and a lot
of it.

The best part of this video is the performance tips and
live demos of Rich tagging various people on the street as
he performs his mind reading. Here is where the effect
shines. It seems as if he never touches them. And some of
the predictions run down the length of a spectator's arm,
making it seem virtually impossible. The spectator must
wonder how and when did this guy get this on me, and how
did he know this is the word I was thinking of? As Rich
suggests this double bang climax really messes with
people's brains. It is a mind blower of an effect. Having
had great success with Hex I am anxious to build my Tagged
gimmicks and start trying Tagged. I recommend you check it
out, especially for restaurant work, trade show or walk
around work.

If you want to receive an immediate 5% discount on Tagged
or any other ellusionist effects, please click here.

My new Christmas gifts to myself, Hello My Name Is and
Departure have arrived. I've just cracked open the packages
but will share my findings with you next week.

Until next time,


Steven

P.S.: Please, please, please, share this blog with other magicians!

Give the Gift of Satan for Christmas!

I was just preparing to leave town when I checked my email
one more time. I found a "Happy Holidays" email from
Diamond's Magic in Peabody, MA.

Among the holiday DVDs he was recommending was a biography
of known satanist, Aleister Crowley. Here's his product
description:

"Aleister Crowley was an accomplished mountain climber,
poet, chess player and writer. He is also the most well
known and influential occult magician of modern times. His
admirers saw him as the prophet of a new age, whose goal
was a spiritual awakening for himself and all humanity. At
times his unique message and unusual behavior led to
misunderstandings and contempt. His detractors denounced
him as a Satanist, a drug addict, and a sex maniac. The
tabloids labeled him a Black Magician, The Wickedest man in
the World and the Man We'd Like to Hang. The Great Beast, as
he called himself, continues to be an influence on the
spiritual world today."

Occult magician? I don't recall Crowley's finesses on
popular card tricks or tips on presenting bizarre magic, do
you? He was misunderstood? He wanted to awaken humanity?

What kind of crap is this for a magic dealer to be selling?

I ask you, is this the type of DVD we want to buy and have
on our magic bookshelves?

Is this the type of tasteless material we want our kids to
spend their money on? Do I want my son watching this in his
bedroom, so he can develop a kinder and gentler acceptance
of "The Great Beast"?

Is this the type of holiday message a magic dealer should
be spreading at Christmas.

What does the Magic Dealers Association have to say about
this?

This offends me as a Christian and as a magician, and if
you share a similar belief, please let Eddie at Diamond's
Magic know this:

Diamond's Magic, Inc.
515 Lowell Street, 2nd floor
Peabody, MA 01960
(978) 535-8950
Toll Free: 1-800-330-2713 (Orders Only)
Fax: 978-535-8947
Website: www.diamondsmagic.com
E-mail: info@diamondsmagic.com

Remember the season, folks,

Steven Schneiderman

Issacson's Prophet

The sound of a buzzsaw outside my window makes me think
about the day I saw Richiardi perform his bloody illusion
at the World Festival of Magic and Occult back in the 70's
at Madison Square Garden's Felt Forum.

It was quite a show and included folks I never heard of
and many I never saw again. Richiardi was the headliner and
he was supported by a huge cast of acts from around the
world, many specialty acts, but not what I would
necessarily call bizarre. Otto Wesley was probably the only
magician I can remember. I remember his canes and razor
blade productions were nothing short of amazing.

But the buzzsaw outside my window is cutting down dangerous
branches from the trees outside my house. You see, last year
Tulsa got hit by the ice storm of the century and many of us
were out of power for days as a result of huge tree limbs
falling on power lines.

We're actually under a freeze right now. I've been iced in
for the past two days and going stir crazy. So last night I
decided to watch the Issacson Prophet video on Theory 11 one
more time before making my decision to buy and download the
instructional video.

A few months ago I had purchased Richard Sanders' Extreme
Burn DVD and while I believe it is one of the most magical
looking transformations of dollar bills I have ever seen, I
had a terribly difficult time constructing the gimmick and
making it look as flawless as Richard's demonstrations.

I know there are many versions of Page's Easy Money and I
actually own a copy of Fred Kaps' Flash Cash from his
lecture notes -- that's the version I knew and performed. But
having seen this flurry of new releases over the past two
years and wanting to perform a more magical, less "movey"
version for business and pleasure, I took a shine to
Prophet.

While Prophet looks different than Extreme Burn in its
performance, I have to say the illusion is just as good and
appears to involve less handling. Less monkey business. I
scavenged the magic forums for reviews of all the versions
out there and Prophet got good reviews. So I bit.

I have to say I am not disappointed. While the gimmick you
must construct is virtually identical to all of the other
versions out there, Issacson includes some tips which
Richard Sanders' did not, which in my opinion, make a big
difference. There's also no inertia to play with. And the
method whereby you perform the transformation actually looks
just as good if not better.

I have not constructed the gimmick yet, so only time will
tell, but if you want an easier handling with a better
looking packet of bills, this is the product to purchase.

Go check it out at Theory 11's site.

Stay warm,


All My Best,

Steven

Mirrors

Good afternoon, magical buds. It's freezing here in Tulsa
today. Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I walked hand in
hand to the local cafe, it was sunny and a balmy 72
degrees. A few hours later we got hit by a cold front, and
it started sleeting. This morning it was 22 degrees with a
wind-chill factor of -2 degrees. Thankfully, this type of
weather does not occur often and it never lasts very long
either.

Schools were closed today, so Daddy is having a hard time
working with the kids screaming at each other in the
background. I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids
-- but I love them more when they are in school.

Trilogy: 3X Dan and Dave Buck
-----------------------------

I wanted to tell you I have been reviewing the content from
the Dan and Dave Buck DVD set, Trilogy, which I mentioned
last time. Sad to say I will probably not learn a lot from
these DVDs. There is some very cool stuff, but very little
of it is actually explained by the kids. Most of it is
captioned: do this, do that, kewl, right? I can't learn
this way.

What I want to know is why does my LePaul Spread look
crappy compared to theirs? What do they do to their cards?
I'm using the same deck of cards, mine have been broken in,
and they have been treated with fanning powder. Still my
cards zig when theirs zag. I guess it's back to practicing
for a few hours a day until I get the knack. The problem is
most of their stuff is so damned complicated, that I am
afraid my knicks will get knacked before I get knocked.

Mirrors
-------

I also wanted to tell you about a neat thing I came across
while reading a magic review in The Linking Ring. They
mentioned this new DVD featuring the magic of James Prince
that has an effect called Mirrors. Before I get into it,
let me explain my interest.

Back in 19XX when Paul Harris came out with his effect,
Solid Deception, I was intrigued by the idea of a deck of
cards turning into a solid block. I played with it and came
up with my own routine called Rent-A-Deck where a rented
deck (solid) requires a deposit of a dime to be used
(loose). You put the dime in the slot in the deck, and the
cards transform from a solid deck to a regular deck --
until the time expired buzzer sounds -- and then the deck
is solid again.

I entered this routine in the 1976 SAM Close-Up Contest and
it was about the oddest act going that year. I give myself
credit for going against Imam and Peter Maloney (Peter was
very gracious, but he won hands down).

I later marketed the effect and years later actually found
someone who bought it and performed in his restaurant magic
-- Ken are you out there? You are my favorite subscriber.

Well, as luck would have it, this solid deck theme
continued to perpetuate with a Screwed Deck, a Glass Deck,
and a few other renditions. I owned them all at one point
or another, but this new one called Mirrors seems to be the
best application yet.

You do an Ambitious Card routine and then hand them their
card and the deck and ask them if they know how the trick
was done. Of course, you explain, it was done with mirrors.
When they examine the deck, they discover it is really a
stack of 5 mirrors! I think this is brilliant -- a perfect
ending.

RSVP Magic makes a limited supply of these mirrors, so I
ordered a pair immediately. They are cut the same size as a
poker-sized deck and you must glue 5 cards onto the back of
the 5 mirrors. The corners are rounded, the edges are a bit
rough, and the mirror surfaces are covered with protective
plastic which should be removed before performing.

I used a spray adhesive because I was impatient and that
got glue everywhere. I spent more time cleaning the edges
than if I would have just rubber cemented the 5 cards on
the backs of the mirrors. When stacked they look somewhat
like a deck. You need to hold them in a deep grip after the
switch.

The mirrors are supposed to come with a DVD showing a
routine, but mine did not arrive with the mirrors. I'm
waiting for my replacement. To order your own set, go here:

http://www.rsvpmagic.com/mirrors

You can order by sending an inquiry to info@rsvpmagic.com.
They are UK-based.

Cap Through Bottle and Magic Cafe
---------------------------------

You know, it doesn't take me long to get sick of magic
forums and magicians. All I have to do is spend enough time
surfing through the Magic Cafe and I realize what a bunch of
a--holes there are out there. Back when we used to share
ideas on USENET news groups, I used to call them forum
nazis -- these are self-proclaimed, self-righteous,
self-appointed guardians of magic -- who tell you what you
can and can not do online.

I love it when these guys get into it over something stupid
on the Magic Cafe. They start arguing about anything. Don't
these guys have a life or is this it? Pathetic, sniffling
bunch of losers.

Anyway, so I was surfing around looking at reviews, trying
to find some sensational effects for some possible
restaurant magic I might start doing in the near future.
The Cap in Bottle effect intrigues me if for now other
reason than there are so many versions out there. It's hard
to know which one to choose.

After careful consideration, I selected Aquarius and
Elmwood Magic just sent me an email to let me know it
shipped. I'm excited. Of the many example videos I saw,
Aquarius displayed a performance that absolutely killed me.

You show a clear bottle of water with no label and water in
it. You come up from behind with the white plastic bottle
cap and push it visibly forward through the back of the
bottle. You actually see it vanish from the hand as it
penetrates the side of the bottle, and then, and this was
the coolest part, you watch this same bottle cap slowly
float to the top of the bottle. I have absolutely no way to
reconstruct that effect, so I made my deposit and ordered
it. I'll let you know how it is when I receive it.

If you have any recommendations for earth-shattering
effects for restaurant or walk-around work, please share
your list with me.

Until next time,

Steve Schneiderman

Dan & Dave Buck Trilogy Review and Preparing for Q1/09 Marketing

Good morning readers. Steve Schneiderman here with a
quick review and some more end-of-year recommendations to
help position you for greater success in 2009.

First, the review. OK, I admit it. I used to think I was
pretty good at flourishes and manipulation. I remember when
I was 16 seeing Jeff McBride billed at a Larry Weeks
convention in New York as "Manipulationist Supreme". OK, I
give Larry Weeks credit for coming up with new ways to bill
performers.

But in those days I could do a coin roll-out with silver
dollars with relative ease, coin rolls in both hands like
Gosh, split fans, card springs, spinning and shooting cards,
pressure fans, arm spreads and catches, billiard ball rolls. I was
pretty good. Maybe no Manipulationist Supreme like Jeff,
but I was pretty good for my age.

Like Dan and Dave Buck, I practiced magic incessantly. I
had no life except for magic. Not necessarily a good thing.
I hope Dan and Dave have a life and occasionally are not so
serious and do goofy things like sneak up on each other and
give each other wedgies. Somehow I doubt it though. These
guys never ever smile.

But magic has changed. We no longer speak of manipulation
and flourishes. Now is is XCM: Extreme Card Magic with a
million swivel cuts, kick cuts, spins, flips and other
extreme combinations. It is referred to as "cardistry" which
is actually a pretty cool term but you can't call yourself
a cardist, can you?

Dan and Dave sent me their first lecture notes and a very
rough VHS tape back when they were around 15 or so. I
thought they were very creative and did some amazing and
new things. I also thought they were very strange young
men. They ran through their series of moves with very
little thought on performance. They were like zombies
running through moves without thought -- like robots
pre-programmed to run through complex series of moves over
and over again. They spoke monotone. Their direction was
poor and almost impossible to learn from. Every sentence was
punctuated with the words "like" and "cool". Like cool, OK?

Now Dan and Dave have grown up and not long ago they
released a trilogy of DVDs that includes flourishes and
tricks and over 20 basic moves. Having watched their demo
reel on Theory 11 one too many times I decided to go for
it -- an early Christmas gift to myself. I also purchased a
deck of their cards.

I have to say I really like their deck design. The backs
come in either black or white with a design based around
their DD monogram. The Ace of Spades and the Jokers have
unique designs and the court cards are simplified in design
with less details and brighter colors, making them more
easily seen from a distance. I found the card stock softer
and fanned better even fresh out of the box. They went to
some expense here and they are not cheap. Like Theory 11's
Guardian cards, they come packaged with a double backer
which is a nice added touch. I am also becoming a fan of
black backed card designs. Don't know why there haven't
been more of these.

As for the DVDs, I have only watched the performances on
the Flourishes DVD so far. There are at least two moves
that I like and want to learn to add to my repertoire. Much
of the other flourishes are comprised of an insane number of
fast running swivel cuts in the hands. I'm sorry, this does
not look like magic to me or even juggling. I don't even
find it entertaining. I like Daniel Madison's stuff better
from the XCM2 DVD. At least he breaks up the cuts with some
throws and other movements.

I'm anxious to get through the other DVDs, and I'll fill
you in as I watch them. Thus far, I would say the
production value is high, but if you are looking for
detailed explanations -- forget it. I am assuming that Dan and
Dave still don't talk much. These DVDs use slow motion, stop
motion and animation with textual subtitles to break down
and explain moves. I'm not sure the vast majority of people
out there can learn this way without some form of verbal
explanation and interview like the L&L DVDs.

I have additional concerns because other than seeing D&D
perform this crap on the side of the road or in the dessert
(in a break dancing - can you top this style), they don't
offer any tips on performance at all. Like when and where
is the best way to integrate this type of cardistry into
your own routines? In walk-around? On stage? On the street?
I'd like to know what to do with my new skills once I hone
them. Without a reason, this becomes a form of masturbation
with cards.

I remember Johnny Hart catching my attention on the Tonight
Show when I was 15 with his ability to spin cards from one
hand into a hat held in the other hand. I learn this technique
from Jackie Flosso. I mastered it and added it to
my act. Later, I taught Jeff McBride and he added it to his
act in a bigger way. His card spinning is a major highlight
of his act. It works for him and he knows how to sell it.

But where does this XCM D&D stuff come into play? I'm not
sure. Jeff may be the only one who can sell it.

--------------

OK, so January 2009 is around the corner and you need to be
preparing for the next quarter. Competition is going to get
tough as people get tighter with their funds. There will be
less cash to spend on parties and events. People will become
very selective of who they hire for entertainment. How can
you survive?

The most important thing you can do is to work on improving
your relationship with prospects and customers. The majority
of people out there who you will be competing against do a
crappy job of this. They do not understand the value of
building and deepening relationships. You do the opposite.

Reach and touch people repeatedly -- at least monthly -- if
not bi-weekly. Let them know what you are doing, where you
are appearing, what's changed in in your act, new
testimonials (critical), new photos and videos of you in
action, funny stories, party and event planning tips, etc.

Now the best way to do this is to use software or services
to send personalized emails to your entire list on a
scheduled interval. Lots of tools to choose from here.

For those who prefer to do it themselves, check out
GroupMail:

http://www.emailmarketingassistance.com/groupmail.htm

For those who prefer greater automation and scheduling,
check out Get Response:

http://www.getresponse.com/index/35884

Once you have the system in place to deliver your
personalized emails, you need to write the series. I advise
a minimum of 20 touches these days. I used to use the direct
mail approach that said 7-10 messages were required to warm
up a prospect to the point where they would either contact
you or buy from you, but I believe in highly competitive
times like these that you need to touch them longer so your
name becomes second nature to them. You want them to think
of you, and only you, when they think of "entertainment".

I can write a series of 10 emails for $500.00 or a series
of 20 emails for $1000.00. You can break that into two
payments by PayPal. Send the first payment to
info@schneiderman.net to reserve your space in my schedule,
please. Do it now. I'm getting very busy.

Why pay me to write these messages for you? I write for a
living and understand your world better than any other
copywriter out there. I'll study your site and talk to you
to get the info I'll need to produce a custom series of
messages just for you.

I strongly suggest you add a newsletter subscription form
to your site. Every visitor should become a subscriber. You
need to provide a compelling reason to subscribe. Just
adding a form is not effective marketing and will do little
to grow your database. Offer a bribe, whether it's a free
report, a downloadable trick, or a discount coupon. If you
need help creating these things, I can help you with this,
too. Check out the way Michael Kett does it on his Amazing
Flea Circus site:

http://www.amazingfleacircus.com

Yes, we designed this site for Michael about 2 years ago.
We also designed his corporate site:

http://www.michaelkett.com

We'll be updating this subscribe form later today with the
same free report offer.

You need to tell people to subscribe to your newsletter on
every page.

You need to tell people to use your contact form to get
info on every page.

If you don't tell them, they won't do it.

If you don't ask for the sale, they won't buy.

We recently completed a new site for Eric DeCamps but it's
not public yet. We've added some pretty slick stuff to his
site including slide shows of performances, videos of his
new show and one-on-one performances, too. And we added a
blog so he can interact with his visitors, clients and
fans. The second we launch it, I'll show it to you. It does
everything right.

And it is focused on building relationships.

The more your prospects and customers think of you as a
close and trusted friend, the more business you will get.

Want to discuss your site? Call me at 918-298-9531 or email
me at info@schneiderman.net.

All my best,

Steven Schneiderman