A Short Interview With Nicholas George!
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Short Interview With Nicholas George - Top Booking Agent!
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My Short Interview With Nicholas George:
Why are you called "The Worlds Most Famous 'Unknown' Booking Agent"?
"Acting as a personal Booking Agent and Personal Manager for the many top acts that I have handled, my name, Nicholas George, was wildly known across North America by Film Producers, Actors, Movie Stars, and other Major Talent Houses,...And yet is virtually unknown to the general the Public.
So I was ‘known in the Industry’, but ‘Unknown in the Public Eye’.
-- Thus: "The Worlds Most Famous ‘Unknown’ Booking Agent!".
What is the single most biggest factor in preventing a Magician or any Entertainer, from getting to the top - FAST!
"There are actually two Reasons:
1) Competition, and
2) Lack of Knowledge
YOU HAVE LOTS OF COMPETITION! The whole world in fact! Everyone wants to be a well paid ‘Star’.
‘Fame and Fortune’ is a ‘Hook’ for many. That ‘Hook’ sells guitars, costumes, dancing shoes, magic tricks, instructional videos, modeling classes, California beaches, and a whole lot more. So everyone wants to get in on the band wagon. Compound this Competition with Ignorance, and you have a lot of people Chasing Rainbows!
In my prime, you would not believe how many Promo Kits and Videos I got in my offices every month - try 200!!! Its crazy. If your promo did not make the bill, it would go directly in to the round file - And if a professional in the Industry, like myself, was not impressed by YOUR Promo kit, then how do you expect the Client, who ultimately pays your fee, to be impressed. We used those junk promo videos as ‘Blanks’.
I can tell you exactly what the difference is between getting your video canned, or getting it watched! The Big Boys have no time for ‘FLUFF’."
OK Nick, forget the fluff - How do Magicians get booked into the real BIG PAYING shows?
"I became a Booking Agent for the Stars in Hollywood because Entertainers had No Common Sense! Entertainers are just that - Entertainers, not business people. I saw a need, and filled it. I get a hefty fee for doing this. That’s exactly what you Magicians need to do - Find the Big Paying Market, and CREATE THE EXACT ACT that will fill that bill. You cant go wrong that way."
Here is a silly example, but it makes the point.
If a Microsoft corporation was looking for an act where they needed someone to vanish a spinning plate on a straw in their mouth, while riding a unicycle in the dark, while wearing a red tomato costume with a Microsoft sign on their forehead, and they were willing to pay someone $14,000.00 to do that for a half an hour, would you try and sell them a Magic Show with vanishing birds? - No, of course not.
What you should be doing is finding out what they need for their next stunt, and tell them that you will have that exact act available, when they need it! Its only Common Sense, because who’s flipping the bill? Well, Microsoft would, so don’t ask questions, just give them exactly what they are looking for, and they will gladly pay for it. Its that simple!.
Secret #2: Why do some shows Pay Big? Because they have budgets that are paid for by others. Others like Large Advertisers, Governments, and Large Corporations. They can afford to pay you more. Magicians should seek out these kind of shows!, not just the standard low paying shows."
So what are these ‘Industry Secrets’?
"Well, they are not ‘Secrets’ for say. They are just techniques that an average performer can use to be able to market and promote themselves, so they are able to get the Bigger and Better Paying shows. We don’t want to just put an ad in the paper or yellow pages, and wait for people to call, or just hope that referrals will find us - That is a very Passive and Stupid way to find work.
You Don’t Want To Be Sitting At Home When Your Ship Come In!
Do you think that Doug Henning would have found his way to the top by just sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring? I don’t think so, in fact, I know so - because I was Doug Hennings Personal Manager and Booking Agent for many years. His first big break was at the Royal Alexander Theater in Toronto - It was not by accident! He choreographed a Broadway Style Musical using a theme of "The Magic Show".
I remember Doug’s act very well, since I helped stage it. It included not only Magic, but also a Rock Band, Singers, Dancer, Jugglers, Mentalism, Illusions, Clairvoyance, Comedy, and even Close Up Magic - from the stage! Doug Henning was a Multi-Entertainer!, and a good one at that! So was Joe Dunninger, Mandrake The Magician Sr. and Jr., and Harry Blackstone Sr. and Jr. I know because I worked with them too!
"You Cannot Be Crazy Successful These Days - If You Are Not A Multi-Entertainer"
My course goes in to some detail about what a Multi-Entertainer is and how you can become one. I guess if you did not know about these techniques, then I suppose they would be classified as ‘Industry Secrets’."
Given two equivalent Magicians, what would cause one to be ‘Big Time’, while the other stays ‘small’?
"Well, there are many determining factors. First off you must have a great act with eye-catching appeal. Without that - you will get NOWHERE FAST! My home study course will not show you how to become a good act. I do steer people in the right direction on how to find yourself a good act. There are many training videos that can help you to find a good act. You must have a little something different to offer than the other guy!
Once your good act is polished, here are some ‘Agent Techniques’ that will make you the ‘Big Bucks’ and Increase Your Work Flow.
 Showmanship Enhancement
Becoming a Multi-Entertainer
Celebrity ‘Hi-Jacking’
Personal Promo Kits
Moving Up In Your Class
Personal Media Kits- Media ‘Wonderment’
Union Proofing
Using The 1-4-8-48 Rule - Booking Agents
Catering To The Big Payers
Personal Managers, and
Filling Required Key Positions
Publicity Stunts
How important is Publicly?
"Oh!, Publicity is Soooooo IMPORTANT! - that It Will Make Or Break You. A Publicly Stunt makes an instant impact. A well known Mentalist, that I had the pleasure to do work with, was a man by the name of Robert Nelson. A superb Mentalist. He wrote many many books for Magicians on how to get FREE Publicly and how to exploit yourself publicly for profit. Find these RARE, hard-to-find, books if you can, as they are worth GOLD to your success!
Robert Nelson would do simple Mentalism Magic like prediction headlines, or reading minds, and he always got BIG BIG Publicly. And because of this, all his theater shows were sold out completely! Had he have to pay for his advertising, he would have gone broke!
Publicity will put YOU in the lime light!
Remember that the Media will not be interested in only a Magic Show. They will, however, be interested in News - that involves a Magic Show.
Media and Press will NOT be interested in writing a headline like this:
"Magic Show at Western High School, Saturday at 1:00 pm"
Media and Press WILL, Very Much, be interested in writing a headline like this:
"Local High School Magician Helps Raise Money for Crippled Children by Predicting Next Sundays Headline - This Saturday, at 1:00 pm!"
The trick is this - just call the media, and tell them! Its that simple! Also send them your ‘Preferred Media’ Kit.
When I created the ‘Spook Show’ in the 50’s and 60’s, I framed the entire show for TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS!!! It Made Me Many, Many - MANY Thousands! - I sold out ‘5,000 seat’ theaters constantly! It was ALL due to the Publicly stunts I had created. It took years before other copycats could steal my concepts because they did not know how Media and Publicly worked! Every Magician should become an expert and know this side of the business!
I have seen guys cause a State Wide Sensation on Television, Radio, and the Newspapers - using only a $5 thumb writer! - A real head turner. If you had to pay this kind of Advertising, you would have to sell your house! But do it with Publicity, AND IT COSTS YOU NOTH’IN!, not - one - dime!!! This creates a striking yet simple effect.
Here are some techniques, discussed in the course, that are sure to get you FREE Publicly:
- Hijacking other Celebrates Fame
- Delivering the Media and Press Kits to the ‘Key’ Controllers
- Writing Weekly or Daily Newspaper Articles
- Performing Outstanding Prediction-type effects at Charitable Events
- 5 Reasons why you should do Charitable Shows - AND GET PAID!
- Having Prominent People and Officials assisting in your routine
- Creating your own Publicly Campaign using MORC!
There is not enough time here to touch on what Publicly is, but just remember this:
Publicity is designed to Exploit Talent! Talent is designed to Exploit Publicity!
Nick, what is this 1-4-8-48 Rule, that you have coined!
"Its all detailed in the Book! It a nut shell it simply means this:
1 theater show = 4 specialty shows = 8 specific type shows = 48 birthday party shows!
And cash wise, the 1-4-8-48 Rule basically translates to this:
A Theater weekend = $12,500.00
A Cruise Ship weekend = $ 8,500.00
A Vegas weekend = $ 7,500.00
A Television weekend = $ 6,200.00
A Magician Specialty weekend = $ 5,050.00
A Trade Show weekend = $ 4,200.00
A Magician/Mentalist weekend = $ 3,500.00
A Magic Stage Show weekend = $ 1,500.00
A Birthday Party weekend = $ 750.00
Choose Your Weekend Above! Remember that All these weekends take the about same amount of time and effort, so choose your show carefully!
Here are some ‘FLAGS’ that I look for when I book an Act:
"Income can be increased 20 times over, for doing the exact same show, except that...
You Perform For a Different Class of Clientele (I will show you how)
You Perform For a Different Performing Purpose, other than Entertainment
You Perform When someone else is Making Money Off Of Your Show, or
You Perform When someone else is Paying For Your Clients Budget! (Best!)
Also, if you had some great testimonials from major corporations like Microsoft, Coka-Cola, or AT&T, would that not make your act 10 times more valuable to a potential client?, than a Magician without these testimonials?
Do you know what it costs to have a testimonial letters like these ones? -- 50 cents! yes, just 50 cents. A simple one page letter requesting a testimonial will cost you just a stamp, and how many Magicians do you know will do just that?
Just When You Thought You Knew Everything!
And what would YOUR picture - holding a Top Hat and a Magic Wand - standing beside Brittany Spears, be worth to your potential clients? This packs a wallop! Do you know there are Celebrity Swap Meets where you can have your picture taken beside Famous Stars for a $5 Donation to Charity?
The art of being booked into the Bigger Paying Shows is a special talent that any Magician or Entertainer can learn. Be well-informed. It's not as hard as you think (Here is a hint - 90% of it is Psychology). You only need to study the very successful to find out the Simple Secrets of Success. You need to Look and Perform in the same caliber that these Successful Performers do.
I’ll tell you some acts that Can’t be booked!!!
You can’t be booked for something you don’t have!
You won't be booked for an act That’s not required!
Nick, Let's talk Bucks now. You say ‘get the BIG BUCKS doing BIG SHOWS’. How much Money can a Magician make doing a Single Magic Show?
"There's 2 answers to that question:
1) $125.00, or
2) $25,000.00
Just choose your number!"
Ya, I know that, but how does the little guy get the Bigger Paying Bookings. Nick, give us a COUPLE of POINTERS!
"It all begins by taking the First Step!
You see - You can’t change the income if you don’t change the act!
Change is good. Remember, Idioticy is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results! You need Knowledge and Know-How.
There are two ways in which you can earn More Money:
Method 1) You work more shows and more hours doing the same thing, or
Method 2) You work better shows & less hours doing something different.
You don’t want more bookings, you want more ‘Better Bookings’!
First, here is just a simple way to change and create a bold new look: Trade shows will give you a taste of professionalism, and they will make you some bigger dollars of $1,500.00 - $3,500.00 per day. Start in this Arena - just to get ‘Perfected’. You will use much less props here, than you would doing a $125.00 birthday party. Trade Shows are great to Polish your Professionalism and Public Interaction. Take a tip from the professionals. Then...
"Get A Hold Of Some Of These Hundreds And Hundreds Of Trade Directories Available!"
OK, now I’ll give you a couple of ‘Better Paying’ examples:
Even one single lead can be worth a $25,000.00 one-week-contract for a Magician - Agreed?, Now I will show you this book; This is an Entertainment Trade Directory that has over 10,000 leads in it! Its published by Maclain Hunter - Any one of these leads can be worth a $25,000.00 contract!
Here is all the contact information, dates available, audience type, Entertainment Budget, and more importantly THE ACTS NEEDED TO BE FILLED!!! Contact the person right here... here is each name and phone number, and tell him that you have the exact act he needs! Simple!
Listed here also is the entertainment budget, so you know ahead of time, what they got to spend on you! - now start negotiations. Done! This particular exhibition comes around every single year, and has come around every single year for the past 151 years! In fact, every single State Fair and Exhibition comes around every year, and they are all set up as circuits, in sequence. In fact, there are literacy 500 State Fairs and Exhibitions happening EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND in the United States ALONE!
These Exhibitions And Fairs Each NEED 5-50 ACTS PER DAY!
This alone is a gold mine to any performer - CHASE THESE SHOWS!
You can get a list of Exhibitions free from the IAFE (The Association of Fairs and Exhibitions), or if you go on the web you can search fairs by City, State, or date, or whatever. If you get the Trade Books through, you can search by Budget and by Entertainment sought also! There are numerous other organizations like CAFE (The Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions). These Directories of Entertainment Buyers are so huge that they are subdivided by State, and even by City! - Like MAFE (The Michigan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions), or PEIAFE (Prince Edward Island Association of Fairs). These are HUGE HUGE HUGE. Millions and Millions of people go to these fairs every year - and THESE PEOPLE NEED TO BE ENTERTAINED!
Get In Good With The Fair Board, And YOU WILL WORK FOR LIFE!
Check out some of these Entertainment Trade Manuals --> HERE
I know of two Magicians/Hypnotists that perform 2-3 hypnosis shows per day, for 10 days straight at these ‘10 day fairs’ in western Canada. Then, in the evening, they would work the local bar with an adult hypnosis show. After the event, they would rent a ballroom or theater somewhere and pitch this Gala show all week long.
Here’s the real payoff...
I can tell you from experience that a Magician/Hypnotist performing at a these shows, would net $30,000.00 - $40,000.00, after expenses, for the 10 day Fair! I know this, because that's exactly what I do for these people! They would then go on to the next Fair, already scheduled by their Booking Agent, and do it all again, and again. They would repeat this year after year as the Fairs repeat year after year!
This circuit can also be repeated for:
State Fairs and Agricultural Fairs
Festivals and Multi-Cultural Events
Home Shows and Sportsmen Shows
Colleges & Universities, and
The Hotel Circuit
There are virtually 1000’s of these also listed in Trade Manuals!
If your shy about calling these Entertainment Buyers yourself, than there are guys like Me around - Booking Agents. They will do it for you. Of course you will have to pay me 10-15% commission (hee hee), but I will find you an ‘IN’! Don’t just tell your Booking Agent to book you into shows, give him a list of Fairs or Universities and tell him to CALL THEM ALL UP and get you in - or else he’s fired!!! Don’t be passive!
This particular directory that I am showing you now, is for State Fairs and Exhibitions, but I tell you that there are Hundreds and Hundreds of these Trade Directories, each containing 10,000 leads! - Not just for the fair circuit. These Trade Directories list State Fairs, Exhibitions, Rodeos, Flea Markets, Casinos, Trade Conventions, Cruise Ships, Shopping Malls, Festivals, Concerts, and many many more. That’s an awful lot of Entertainers positions to fill!
Most Magicians Are Just Chasing The Wrong Market!
These two ‘Small’ arenas: Exhibitions and Fairs, will make you $8,000.00 to $15,000.00 per week - to start as a beginner. This will ‘Polish’ your act further. Then, later, you will be ‘moving up in your class’. I know performers working Exhibitions and Fairs that make $40,000.00 - $50,000.00 per 10-Day-Fair - doing almost the same show that they would get $300.00 for doing elsewhere!
Be Careful not to get caught in the $10,000.00 ‘per-week-trap’ (I Did - for 12 years - Heee Heee!!!), as this will prevent you from moving on to the ‘Elite’ Shows (discussed later).
There Is NO Shortage Of Work For The Professional Entertainer!
These very Trade Manuals are exactly where Booking Agents, like myself, match up Entertainment Buyers to Entertainers - then ‘steal’ a commission!!! (now don’t tell other Agents I told you this!). How do you approach these leads? Many, factors, again - all in my course."
Nick, You said a COUPLE of POINTERS, what else? What about Booking Agents?
"Money Is The Booking Agents Purpose!"
"Well, I also discuss 12 ways How a Booking Agent will choose YOUR act over someone else’s act. Remember that a booking agent is not particularly interested in booking YOUR show, a Booking Agent is more interested in booking ANY show. Their only concern is to book as many acts that they can. As to who they book, is sometimes irrelevant!
So how do we get Priority over the other performers? for the Better Paying Shows?
Hint: Very Few Entertainers Are Booked For The Actual Entertainment Purpose Alone!
Some Psychology now: Here are the ONLY 2 reasons why ANY act is booked...
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