My third video for Condé Nast just came out! Before you read this, I encourage you to watch the full video. You can also watch me reviewing sleight-of-hand in movies for Vanity Fair and teaching 9 levels of pickpocketing for WIRED.
The first two 20-minute videos have amassed 8.3 million views on YouTube and have been important moments for my magic career.
Vanity Fair: YouTube
This new video is a sequel to my first video with Vanity Fair and a part of their series in which experts from different disciplines review film and TV scenes.
The video for WIRED was part of their "Levels" video series, in which experts demonstrate different levels of specific skills. My contribution was centered around pickpocketing. There's one where Tony Hawk teaches skateboarding tricks, and there's even one focused on cardistry from Dan and Dave Buck.
Magicians always ask me, "How did you get those gigs?"
This article will answer that question once and for all, and I'll also offer some nuggets of advice and perspective for felling magicians hoping to grow their careers. The fine folks who produce content for One Ahead have made it very clear that their readers want actionable insights and candid behind-the-scenes secrets.
I'm taking writing this article very seriously.
How did you get those gigs?
For all three videos, Condé Nast (the media company that runs WIRED and Vanity Fair) approached me first. However, my involvement in the second and third projects was definitely a result of landing the first video. In other words, the first Vanity Fair video led to the WIRED video, which led to this new Vanity Fair video.
But that doesn't mean I didn't play an active role in making the opportunities happen. Let me share some important tactics for success in magic. These thoughts will focus on specialization and auditioning when the opportunity arises.
In retrospect, I had a huge advantage over most other magicians. In the first two projects, the producers were specifically looking for a pickpocket, not a magician.
For this reason, the pool of performers they were combing through went from hundreds down to only a small handful. So, there’s a strong argument here for specialization within your field of performance.
I'm not recommending you learn pickpocketing specifically; the opportunities and situations where it works are very limited. But it’s a good exercise to consider how you can differentiate your show and services from general “magicians.”
