Everyone had a blast at the Ontario July 4 Festival! We had the opportunity to perform both our “Premier” show and our “EGGstraordinary” show!

Thanks to everyone who came out and made the shows such a success! We had some great pictures e-mailed to us after the event! Keep in mind that most of these were taken by folks using cell-phones, but they still came out great! Keep an eye out for more of our public performances coming up soon!

We know the economy is tough. Everyone’s looking for a way to make some extra cash! At Shizzle Dizzle Magic, we’ve got you covered!

We’ve done this for quite a while, but never mentioned it publicly. If you refer someone to us and they book a show, we’ll give you a 15% finders fee.

So here’s how it works.

1. Recommend our unique blend of clean, visual, high-impact comedy magic to a friend, family member, or colleague.
2. Send us their name and phone number so we can follow up. Talk to them first! Make sure they’re expecting the call.
3. If we book the show, you’ll receive a 15% finders fee once everything is done and settled up! So for example, if our performance fee were $1,500 you’d receive $225. Not bad for a simple conversation!

So where did we come up with 15% from? I’ll let you in on a secret. 15% is our advertising budget per show. On average 15% of what we bring in on a show is what we paid in advertising to land it. If we don’t have to cover advertising costs, we can pass the savings on to you!

So there ya’ have it! Take advantage of this… If you’ve seen our acts you know just how polished and professional they are! This is an easy way to score a little extra pocket change!

The .com boom and its mania marked my youth. The words “New Economy” were pressed into my consciousness from all directions.

In contrast my grandfather grew up in The Great Depression. He talked a lot about the difficulties and struggles of that era. As a Millennial his stories always seemed surreal to me. It felt like an America that no longer existed and wouldn’t exist again.

Today in my mid twenties it’s amazing how real my grandfather’s world has become.

One story he told me really stuck. It’s about the hamburger joint he frequented. It had the biggest, juiciest, most amazing hamburgers on the planet!

For the depression’s first couple years the owner did an incredible business! People lined up and paid more because these burgers were the bright point of their difficult lives.

He did so well he was able to send his son to college. The professors there said things were only going to get worse. The philosophy of cost containment was drilled into him.

He came home and convinced his dad to reduce the size of the hamburgers. People saw this change and many stopped coming back.

To make up for lost sales the hamburgers got even smaller. Sales dropped again.

At no point did the owner realize that folks weren’t showing up because his hamburger was no longer remarkable. He blamed the economy. This vicious cycle continued until he eventually went out of business.

It seems obvious, but many businesses are making the exact same mistake today!

Professional Magicians are included. We’ve felt the effects of the economy as much as everybody else.

Many working pros have dropped their prices in the hopes of booking more gigs. To stay profitable they’ve made their shows smaller.

Before they might have loaded a whole minivan up with props and equipment. Today their entire show fits in a suitcase.

The result is a market flooded with guys doing small, unremarkable shows. Guess what? They’re having a harder time getting bookings than ever before!

We picked a different path. Instead of making the show smaller we made it bigger.

We know your entertainment budget is slim. In an era where charging more for less is fashionable, we go out of our way to offer something incredible.

Are we the cheapest entertainers out there? Absolutely not. If you want cheap, don’t be surprised when that’s what you get.

Are we one of the best values? Absolutely. I can look you in the eye and give an emphatic “YES!” without a doubt.

If you care about your event and your reputation, give us a call. Preferably sooner rather than later. It turns out a lot of people appreciate what we do and our calendar fills up fast!

We look forward to hearing from you.

Image Attribution: Source | License

Image Attribution: Source | License

I ran across a quote recently. It struck home so I’d like to share it with you.

“Profanity is a great shortcut of comedy and the reason I don’t use it is that I am concerned about the joke quality suffering.” – Jerry Seinfeld

If you’re wondering where this is from, I found it on an audio interview. You can purchase it here from amazon.

It took me about 500 words to say the same thing in a previous blog post. Thanks, Jerry.

If you were scared away by the rain at the Miss Ohio Festival yesterday, you missed a fantastic show!

The sky cleared up and the weather was beautiful. We had a lot of fun sharing our “EGGstraordinary” comedy magic! The crowd came out and had a great time! Here’s some pictures for you to enjoy.

If you missed us yesterday, it’s cool! Check out our list of upcoming public performances. See you soon!

The Masked Magician hit the scene a year after I started in magic. He was just as controversial in the magic community as you’d expect.

The big names in magic asked their fan bases to write angry letters to the show sponsors. This is ultimately why the Masked Magician left TV. He ran out of people willing to give him money.

When the Masked Magician finally faded the magic community breathed a sigh of relief. People would forget and move on. The art of magic was safe!

Then the Internet hit. YouTube hit. Wikipedia hit. We entered an era where secrecy is nonexistent. Suddenly we realized that the Masked Magician wasn’t a “one time problem” that could be solved. He was the first tiny wave in a hurricane of exposure!

In a world of total exposure, what’s an artist who relies on secrecy to do? As I thought about this I was reminded of what the Masked Magician said at the end of his final special (see video above).

Let me be clear. This guy did it for the money. He saw what was coming and cashed in at the right moment. The harm he did to magic wasn’t the exposure, but to people’s perception of the art. They began to believe that all magic was easy once you know the secret. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Still, as I re-watched that video I couldn’t help but admit… He’s not wrong…

There are no more “secrets” in magic. The genie is out of the bottle. That ship has sailed. So what’s left?

• What’s left is entertainment.

• What’s left is how you feel when you watch the show.

• What’s left is the performance.

• What’s left is the emotional journey that the audience is taken on.

Once you realize that you begin to see that the art of magic isn’t dead after all. It just needs to evolve. The old school was about flawless technical execution and manipulation. The new school is about charismatic performance and audience engagement.

Welcome to the new school. Welcome to Shizzle Dizzle Magic.

Here’s a listing of our upcoming public / semi-public performances! We have a few more coming down the pipe, so I’ll try to update this post when they’re confirmed!

• June 12 @ 4:00 PM – Miss Ohio Festival, Gazebo Stage (Google Map)
• June 19 @ 6:00 PM – Polk Strawberry Festival (Google Map)
• July 3 @ 1:15 PM & 5:00 PM – Ontario July 4 Celebration. Two performances, completely different! (Google Map)
• July 24 @ 7:00 PM – Pleasant Hill Marina (Google Map)
• July 31 @ 7:00 PM – Charles Mill Marina (Google Map)
• August 21 @ 7:00 PM – Pleasant Hill Marina (Google Map)
• August 28 @ 7:00 PM – Johnny Appleseed Center (Google Map)
• September 5 @ 7:00 PM – Charles Mill Marina (Google Map)

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. We’d like to take a moment to honor all of the men and women who have given their lives to protect our home. It’s all too easy to overlook their contributions. The freedom we all take for granted was paid for by the blood of patriots.

If you’re a vet reading this blog, thank you for your service. If you see a vet, remind them that their sacrifice is not forgotten!

With that in mind I hope you have a wonderful extended weekend! I’ll see you back here next week!

Image Attribution: Flickr Page | Creative Commons

In the early 90′s there was a line of shoes called “Street Hots”. Google doesn’t remember them, which is a testament to their market success.

“Street Hots” were characterized by tacky neon colors and little doodads that changed color. They were heavily advertised on Nickelodeon. Everyone wanted a pair!

At this point I was in first grade. With much persistance I convinced my parents to buy me a pair.

At first it was like all of my wildest dreams had come true! I was suddenly popular… Everyone wanted to talk to me! I became known as “the guy with the cool shoes!”

I grew up being “the fat kid” so the positive attention was a big deal! Overnight I moved from being laughed at to being the cool guy.

There was only one problem… They hurt my feet like you wouldn’t believe!

Walking over shards of broken glass and rubbing salt into the wounds would have been less painful! I couldn’t walk anywhere without serious pain. Big callouses formed on my feet that are still there to this day.

Eventually the “cool factor” wore off and I was left with hurting feet!

We’ve all had this experience in one way or another. We’ve all bought something that promised us the world but didn’t deliver. It may not have been a pair of shoes for you but I’m sure you’ve been there! You’re left holding the bill and have nothing to show for it!

Today I’m on the other side of the table. I sell magic shows entertainment experiences. I can promise that we don’t stink but that doesn’t prove anything. How can I convince you we’re worth your hard earned money?

Seeing is believing. No skeptic of Shizzle Dizzle Magic has actually seen us perform. The easiest way to make someone a believer is to have them see our show.

We’re going to have several public performances soon. The dates will be posted on this blog. Please come out and see us in action!

Afterwards we’d love to meet with you and chat! I always hang out after the show and meet with people. Don’t be shy!

See you soon!

- Mystical Matthew

Many folks have a less than favorable impression of magicians. They’ve sat through a magic act and said “this is boring!” or “I don’t like this!”

Part of the problem is that anyone who buys a magic trick is suddenly a “magician”. These guys go out after about five minutes of rehearsal and start trying to perform professionally.

This doesn’t explain the entire problem though… Recently one of the bigger names in Vegas came to Columbus and lost his audience’s attention! They started loudly talking to each other, taking cell phone calls, and texting!

Was the audience rude? Yes, but it really wasn’t their fault! The theater was full and the guy on stage pulled out a little deck of cards. Nobody beyond the second row could see what was happening. I got bored myself and fell asleep a couple times.

This guy was well rehearsed and well known so what was the problem? Even though many magicians have put forth the requisite effort, they’re performing for the wrong reasons.

Here’s why many magicians put an act in their show:

1.) They spent ten years learning the sleight of hand to make the trick work.

2.) They spent a lot of money on the prop. (Magic equipment is EXPENSIVE!)

3.) They saw someone else do something similar and it worked for them.

4.) The “secret handling” is really clever and they enjoy doing it.

All of these reasons are focused on the magician. They aren’t focused on the audience at all! This is why you frequently see “professionals” that stink.

There is only one reason we put an act in our show:

5.) We want the audience to feel something.

That’s the ONLY reason we do anything. Frankly, it’s the only reason a magic show should exist in the first place. When someone chooses to see a movie, watch TV, or be an audience member it’s because they want to experience something.

Any entertainer who is performing for a reason other than giving the audience an experience is misguided. As we design every act we ask ourselves the following question:

“What do we want the audience to FEEL as a result of this performance?”

In each of our acts we have designed moments where the audience feels joy, surprise, curiosity, contentedness, happiness, anxiousness, uneasiness, and even… love.

The difference this makes from the audiences perspective is incredible.