Andi Gladwin On Why You Should Publish Magic

At the end of this article: an interview with Andi Gladwin.

I have a lot of respect for the fascinating magic product industry we find ourselves in today. During my sixth-form studies in the U.K., I studied Business Studies for two years. I’ve learned far more from the magic product industry than I did in that class. Wholesale, retail, marketing, product development, and manufacturing — all things you can learn just by participating as a buyer.

It’s wild to me that such a niche industry has such an insane number of product releases. It’s nuts that there are even wholesalers or brick-and-mortar stores. The sheer number of product creators fascinates me too.

And then there’s the drama. The pirates, the copycat products, the magic cafe, the doxing, lying, cheating, the money owed to creators and then those bizarre allegations of white-collar crime.

But this essay isn’t about the drama. This is the start of a new series on releasing a magic product. A new part of this series will come out for you every few weeks.

Why I Release Products

I was young, 17 years old when I first stepped into the magic product world. Murphy’s Magic Supplies scouted me at Blackpool Magic Convention and offered me a DVD release. Two other publishers did the same thing around the same time; however, Murphy’s swung me with a free trip to America. Jason Brumbalow had been brought in to launch a producer side for the magic wholesaler. He’d just been run running Ellusionist during the era of Pure Smoke and the Messado Rings. Murphy’s found several creators at the convention that year.

So, I tripped and fell into the magic product industry with a free trip to America.

Years later, the next magic product I released was for the money. I was in America, ready to return to the UK where I was going to spend several months working on a TV show. However, whilst still in America the show was unexpectedly cancelled. I was not prepared for this and decided to release a magic book in the hope that it would cover a month’s rent. I learned a lot about marketing and ended up covering a year’s worth of rent.

Then my following product was released solely because I was dating someone who lived in LA. I wanted to visit them three months out of the year, but I didn’t want to only be there to see them. So, I started a magic company with a friend in LA. This was an incredible learning curve.

And then there’s this — this magic newsletter. I started this during the pandemic. I’d come to realise that I had spent too many years telling people, “I write magic for television but what I really want to do is write comedy-drama”.

However, the problem was that I did enjoy working on the magic television shows. I didn’t want to leave this weird magic world of ours altogether. A magic newsletter became my way of keeping that connection with the industry in a more part-time capacity.

One Ahead has ensured that a decade of TV magic insights and secrets does not disappear with me. Unintentionally, it’s provided me with a monthly recurring revenue, thanks to you, which has allowed me to spend the majority of my time pursuing comedy-drama writing. And whilst writing this newsletter, I can explore topics and share valuable insights I wouldn't usually get to share.

The unexpected bonus is the community I have found. I didn’t always enjoy the company of magicians, but there’s something about relentlessly putting out your opinions and magic ethos every week that attracts people of a similar mindset. Magicians, in general, care more about methods than the story, but more than ever, I feel like most magicians I speak to feel the same as I do — story is everything.

So to recap the reasons I’ve produced magic products:

1. I needed to pay rent urgently.

2. I wanted something to do in LA.

3. I wanted to stay connected to the industry.

I do not think these are all great reasons. Not great reasons like these are always great reasons to get started. But I do believe great magic products often come from magic creators with excellent reasons to release them.

Part 2. Vanishing Inc.

Vanishing Inc. was co-founded by two magic friends, Joshua Jay and Andi Gladwin. I do not need to tell you much about them and their company because you have absolutely heard of them. You may have been to one of the many conventions they run worldwide. You’ve likely bought a trick from them, attended one of their free virtual pandemic conventions, or walked under their humongous Blackpool Magic Convention booth.

If I ask myself who will be shaping the magic product industry for many years to come, my answer is Vanishing Inc. Andi and Josh have grown their business consistently year after year to now stand alongside and even overtake several companies founded decades earlier. They’ve bought entire conventions and businesses along the way and released solid, workable effects like AmazeBox and LevelOne, cementing their place in the industry.

Consistency is the keyword there. They know their brand values, they live by them, and their customers embrace them. To my mind, they’re one of the few magic companies that have been able to bridge the gap and service both professional magicians and hobbyists.

II. An Interview with Andi Gladwin

Rory: Thanks for taking the time to speak to One Ahead readers. Let’s start from the beginning — why should someone consider releasing a magic product?

Andi: The majority of people fall into two categories; they want to release a trick to make money, or they want to make a reputation. But our goal has always been to work with people who want to add something to the magic world instead of taking something from it. For example, I release my magic as a way of creating a conversation with other magicians and to encourage an open collaboration to continue to develop and improve the work. Ultimately, if someone believes they can genuinely move magic forward by releasing their work, then they definitely should consider it.Rory: What makes a profitable product? Any examples of products?

Andi: The most profitable products are typically those where a creator brings us a finished product right from the start. We really tend to shy away from releases where the magician has an idea for a trick instead of a working version that they have used in performance. In the past, we've wasted tens of thousands of dollars on prototypes and experimentation trying to make an idea actually work. But a trick where the performer has put in the flight time-honed the presentation and found all of the pain points will always resonate much better with purchasers and, in turn, their audiences. That typically makes for a better-selling and more profitable product.

Rory: Who should release themselves VS work with a producer?

Andi: Josh and I started Vanishing Inc. because we wanted to be able to control the quality of our releases, which we couldn't do working with third parties, and so, it would be hypocritical of us to tell people that they should always go with a producer instead of doing it themselves. Along the way, we've built a team of experts in production, packaging, marketing, distribution, and video development who can ensure that your idea is produced to high quality with a shared vision. If you believe that you can handle all of those things yourself, then I encourage you to do it — but it's not an easy process, and a magic release is typically always better as a team collaboration instead of a solo venture.Rory: What’s your most important advice for product releases?

Andi: Perform it 1,000 times. More if you can. I see too many releases of half-baked ideas by people who have not spent the necessary time to really understand what they have created. I believe that purchasers can feel when a trick is finished, and the flipside of that is that they can feel ripped off when it isn't.Rory: How many units does a successful magic product sell?

Andi: We've seen some products sell less than ten copies, and I've seen others sell 10,000 or more. I suspect that the typical magic product sells less than 300 copies unless it is backed by a major distributor or magic store.Rory: What are your thoughts on digital VS physical products?

Andi: Learning magic has become about immediacy, and so digital products have become an important part of that process. But, like most magicians, I love my library and magic collection, so I would never like to see a world where magic becomes digital only. I definitely think we're due an upgrade on how the physical world meets the digital world, though. We've seen this with the replacement of magic DVDs to online instructions, but I think there's more to come there.

Thanks to Andi for taking the time to share his insights. You can follow Andi here.