Spotlight on Marco, New Jersey-based Magician

 

Do you remember the first Magician you ever saw or first magic trick?

Mark Wilson and The land of Alakzam on TV. It was a weekly show in the 1960's.

What was the first magic trick you mastered? How old were you?

My first pro trick or effect was vanishing a red silk. I was 20 years old. I did card tricks when I was a kid. I also bought some tricks from the five and dime store, but the first pro effect was vanishing a silk in my bare hand.

What was your day job when you decided, "Hey, Let's do the magic gig full-time"?

I was a full time musician for many years. I played drums. I then moved into part time magic and built my business into full time.

Have you had your beard as long as you've had your Magic?

Longer—I have had a beard for over 30 years now.

What is your most requested Balloon Animal? What is your personal favorite?

A Dog!!! I like swords. They are Quick and really easy to make.

Do you have any stories of the personal challenge of performing in front of skeptics?

I tell people that I do not have special powers. They could debate that with me. I then tell skeptics I have certain knowledge. They cannot debate that with me. I certainly know something they don't. Then I say to them "In this day and age knowledge equals power." I rest my case!!!!

What do you love about your different audiences?

I love the interaction with my audiences. The more audience interaction the better my performance and the better the shows are.

Kids: I can get kids all revved up anytime during my show on my command. I enjoy this mental control of them.

Corporate: With Corporate audiences and Adults you really have to be on your game. They are not as forgiving as kids.

At Trade Shows, are you a Marketing Magician or a Mingling Magician or Both?

Trade Shows are great. I perform promotional magic at the client's exhibit booth. I create attention by using my magical art. I send the message to the attendee's that the clients want me to promote. I also design magical effects with the company's logo on the effect. I give away promotional magical effects to the attendee's with the company logo and info on it. These effects are easy to do and the best part is every time the attendee shows the trick it promotes the company.

How do you customize your presentation?

I do my research on the client. I sit down with the client and discuss certain magical options. The effects have the company logo on it and I also use their name or product in the Patter of the effect.

Do you use your magic in your Motivational Speaking?

Yes, I take classic magical effects and change the patter to fit whatever the motivational subject is. I drive the message home using my magical art.

As a magician, can you watch other magicians and figure out "How they did that"?

Not all the time no.

What would be your "Ultimate Gig?"

Being a national corporate magician for a worldwide company like Disney or McDonalds.

What do you like to work with most as far as magic props? Cards? Scarves?

Yes, Cards, Coins, Silks, Keys, Rubber bands, Money, Sponges, Pens, Etc. It's not really about the props. It's about the magical entertainment you bring to the table using that prop.

What advice would you give to a young person who has just started to master their magic and wants to perform it?

To pursue your dreams, keep practicing and never give up.

Do you have groupies?

No… (He says with a laugh)

Do you get heckled? What then?

Not often, but when I do I just ignore them and they usually go away.

You've been doing magic for over 20 years. Have you seen a change in how your audience reacts?

Yes, their reaction is stronger because I'm more polished today then I was 20 years ago. I know how to entertain people more today using my magical talents then I did 20 years ago.

What is your favorite part about being a magician?

Not working a day job, being independent, and traveling.

How do you decide what tricks to learn?

When I see an effect that appeals to me I research it and see if it fits my style and repertoire.

Where do you see magic heading in the future?

Magic is way more popular today with especially adults do to the new brand of TV magicians such as Chris Angel and David Blaine. Also Las Vegas has become the magic Mecca of the word. I see Magic sky rocketing and going on to new heights.

What has been your favorite moment in your career?

Performing on "Good Morning America"

You've been a Gig Salad Member since May 2007, how has it been working for you?

It not only paid for itself within the first week, but it continues to give me leads. I have booked a few thousand dollars so far in my short time of being a member. Gig Salad is great and I will be a member as long as I'm a full time magical entertainer.

Is there anything you would like to see done differently on Gig Salad?

Yes. Be successful on the Internet. To come up on the first page of all searches. The more successful Gig Salad becomes the more exposure entertainers like I will get.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be spotlighted on Gig Salad.

To find out more or to book Marco, click here.

 

 

Spotlight on David Crone, Ventriloquist in Columbus, OH

 

I read that Researchers at UCLA have released results of a five-year study which indicate that as many as 90 percent of all people who have their jaw wired shut for medical reasons for more than 30 days eventually pursue ventriloquism as a hobby or career.

I have two questions: What do you think about UCLA getting funding on Ventriloquism for a 5-year study and have you ever been hit in the jaw by a hard object?

I think it's great. I'm not surprised that people with their jaws wired shut develop an interest in ventriloquism, but I am surprised that so many people continue to pursue it after the wires have been removed. I'd be interested to see a follow-up study to see the decay rate of 5, 10, 20 years after to see how many people continue.

When was your first experience seeing a ventriloquist? Was it love at first sight?

Paul Winchell on Saturday morning TV when I was a kid. I loved it.

Which came first, the comedy, the magic or the ventriloquism?

Magic came first. I started with a trick in a cereal box (Wheat Chex) and then expanded my act by saving box tops and sending away for the full magic kit. Ventriloquism came next. Comedy just kind of happened along the way in the early days (we're talking 1970's here…) At some point I realized I got better response from audiences when I was just plain silly than trying to be the fancy, dapper magician in a tuxedo. Since I'm naturally a klutz, this worked well for me. For most of my performing years, magic came first with ventriloquism as a sideline. Now ventriloquism is the primary aspect of the act with magic as a sideline. Comedy is really my goal and I happen to use ventriloquism and magic to achieve that.

Ventriloquist Terry Fator was crowned the winner of America's Got Talent. How do you think this will help ventriloquism become more mainstream? Do you feel it help you to get noticed?

Kevin Johnson's success in the first AGT series was a boost to ventriloquists and now Terry Fator winning the grand prize has absolutely returned ventriloquism to the mainstream. On top of that, Jeff Dunham is leading the way with two record-breaking specials on Comedy Central and multi-platinum DVD sales. Jeff Dunham's success even more than Terry's winning has paved the way for me as a full time professional ventriloquist. And don't forget Jay Johnson winning a Tony award for his 1-man show on Broadway this past year. And 2: "ventriloquist week" series on David Letterman. It's a great time to be a ventriloquist.

What was the name of the first Ventriloquist Dummy you bought? Did you choose the name or did he/she come already named?

The very fist one was Danny O'Day, a very cheap dummy from the JC Penney catalog. I got it as a Christmas present when I was in the fifth grade. It came with a record by Jimmy Nelson with instructions on how to be a ventriloquist. I never bothered changing it's name. There were no movements, just a string coming out of the back of his head to move the mouth. The first "real" dummy I bought was named "Harold". I named him. I wanted a name that was not quite mainstream and that was easy to say without moving my lips. Then I figured out it didn't matter because the character almost never says his own name.

How do you choose the characters you want to work on?

Whatever strikes me as fun and funny at the time. One of my most popular characters (José) started out as a sock puppet created on the fly at a camping trip I was on with my daughter. He has since grown into a full-fledged puppet and character.

Did you use a how-to book or just do a lot of mirror practice?

As I mentioned above, I got a record with instructions. I grew up in a small town with not much to do and spent countless hours sitting in front of a mirror practicing. That same record was recently made available on CD, which is really cool. Now I sing along with the radio when I drive and people in the next car have no idea.

What or Who made you decide to make your career as an entertainer?

Wow, loaded question. I seriously contemplated being an entertainer when I graduated college (BS Electrical Engineering from University of Pittsburgh). I realized I was not ready for a life on the road with no steady paycheck. Fast forward many years. The pull of entertaining was still strong and I got re-energized in the act and as a business. I had always wanted to own my own business and was waiting for the right inspiration for what that business would be. It finally dawned on me a few years back that I was the product and the business was entertaining. My family has been very supportive. It was a hard decision, but I decided that I'd rather have my kids see me follow my passion and risk failing than continue to slave away doing something that was no longer fun just to earn a paycheck. It was less a decision to do it than a realization that I HAD to do it.

What was your day job prior to becoming and entertainer?

I was most recently an executive for a Fortune 500 company. I was responsible for data center networks around the globe with annual budgets in the 10's of millions of dollars and staff in multiple locations across the US. Before beginning to climb the corporate ladder, I was a software engineer specializing in embedded systems and communications protocols.

Do you have more than one Dummy you work with? (Loaded Question)

Ha, I work with far fewer dummies now that I've left the corporate world. I currently have 7 dummies/puppets in active rotation in my act as well as 2 more that I create during the show - what I call "People Puppets" where I bring 2 people from the audience and turn them into ventriloquist dummies. Every one of these characters has a unique voice and personality.

If so, how do you decide which Dummy fits which audience?

Some of the characters are designed specifically for adult audiences, some are specifically for kids, some (most) cross over. I listen to the event planner to understand the audience and then build the show based on that information.

Do you ever use your Dummies to drive in the Car Pool Lane?

I live in Columbus, OH. What's a car pool lane?

What words give you trouble in the Lip Department?

Any answer to the question, "Does this make me look fat?" will end in a fat lip. Oh, you mean moving lips... There are no specific sounds I can't make. It's usually combinations of words that trip me up. For example, I recently found that "grand poobah" was difficult to say. (I was ramping up for a show for a fraternal organization.) Once I find one, I add it to a list I keep and practice the heck out of it until I can do it.

Do you get heckled... and if you do, who gets heckled more, you or the dummy.

I have not had to deal with really bad hecklers. What I have had to deal with that is more annoying is parents who hire you to entertain the kids, then stand around in the back of the room talking among themselves. I rarely do those kinds of events. I love doing family shows where the families stay together and everyone has a good time.

How does one heckle a dummy actually?

Usually by looking in a mirror.

What do you like about the different audiences you perform for?

Wow, that's a big question. I love all-adult audiences and I love family audiences. Family audiences where people think it's for the kids are fun because I always get the parents laughing, too. Corporate events are my favorite because I get to pick on the bosses without worrying about a pink slip the next day. Having spent so many years in the corporate world, I know how valuable laughter can be and how helpful it is to an organization to humanize the leaders. The after-effects of turning the boss into a People Puppet linger for months after the show. I love performing for difficult audiences, groups of people who wish they were somewhere else. This happens a lot with corporate events. They're bored, wishing they were home watching TV, or even back in the office "being productive." My goal is to make them glad they came - and I always do. Invariably I hear comments like, "Oh, Bob's going to wish he had been here for this."

Do you have any advice for aspiring ventriloquists out there?

Practice, practice, practice. Really. There is no substitute. The other thing I'd say is to go to the annual convention. You can find out more at http://www.venthaven.com.

Most moms say, "Don't talk with your mouth full." Did your mom encourage you to talk with your mouth full?

No, but my brother was always telling me I was "full of it."

To find out more or to book David Crone, click here.

 

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