747: Alex Ramon - Part One - Mr. Tahoe

Alex Ramon has been performing in Lake Tahoe, California for over a decade with a residency where he has headlined in every local casino showroom. There is no one better who fits the title of “Mr. Tahoe” having been seen by hundreds of thousands of people who visit this vacation destination all year long. He also found success performing virtual shows during COVID which he still performs today. But he has developed a unique model of “touring” by performing consecutive nights in different locations across the U.S. in venues from theaters to people’s driveways and garages. All of this promotes his brand and results in big financial success.

In this first of a two part series featuring Alex Ramon, he talks about building a fan base, why not to offer “free” shows, plus how he successfully pivoted during COVID to earn six figures in one year by performing Zoom shows. He goes into some detail, too, about how he developed a touring structure that he can make serious income by having his shows sponsored by the fan base he developed.

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One of the books recommended by Alex Ramon in this week's episode.

How to build your fanbase. This was another book discussed in this week's episode.

746: Mark James - Pro Tips

Mark James visits with The Magic Word Podcast from England where he is a very busy professional magician. He constantly works “holiday camps”, restaurants (three different restaurants a week), cruise ships, weddings and more. His stage show consists of magic, comedy, juggling and vaudeville-style performances. Mark follows a specific formula in developing his shows which is discussed in some detail in this week’s podcast.

This episode was recorded in Columbus, Ohio, where Mark James was a featured performer/lecturer. Here Mark talks about his tattoos, performing magic and pantomime at “holiday camps” in the U.K. as well as working in restaurants. He also talks about how to build an act and how to make each effect “strong.” While everything was fresh on his mind, Mark shared an in-depth analysis of some major points in his lecture. In particular, the elements of building his professional show include (in order):

Attention Getter
Legitimacy Prover
Teach the Audience How a Thing Works
Get Everybody in the Audience Involved
Palette Cleanser
Pathos
Best Trick in the Show
Pitch your Social Media
Closer

745: Kyle Purnell - On the Couch

While attending the 2023 Magifest in Columbus, Ohio, I sat down with one of the performers/lecturers, Kyle Purnell. He impressed me when we first met at the TRICS convention with his charming personality and crazy good creativity. He has since been on “Penn & Teller Fool Us” and he continues to make a name for himself with his innovative and eclectic creations, and not just card tricks. He has a Penguin Lecture that captured some of his creative ideas, but I’m certain that with his brain full of information, there will be more to come. Kyle Purnell is definitely one magician to keep on your radar.

This week Kyle talks about his creative process, performing on “Penn & Teller Fool Us”, breaking into the wedding market as a magician, plus he opens up about his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and how he deals with it.