funtymemagic

Birth of Buzzy

  Several people have commented on the striking resemblance between our company logo “Buzzy” and the logo of another website that is in the business of selling magic over the internet. The resemblance was even commented on at the Magic Café Forum, (Wow, fame at last). Others have asked the question, “Why would you put that ugly old buzzard at… Read more →

Magic For Rent – Part Two

This is the second chapter in the series on an untapped source of revenue for magicians, Apartment Communities. If you missed chapter 1, you can read it here. OK, we all agree that performing magic at apartment communities could be a good source of income. Now, how do we get started? How long should the show last? What Kind of… Read more →

Magic For Rent – Part One

This is the first in a series of articles that will show you how to make money in a widely ignored venue. At one time, I worked for a company that managed several luxury apartment communities. One of my responsibilities was planning special events for the residents. Cookouts, Pool Parties, Free Carwashes, Tennis Tournaments and anything that I could think… Read more →

Our Magic Course Outline

Ed Williams and I set out our definition of magic in a prior post.  We used the definition to develop our course to teach magicians how to effectively perform rather than doing tricks.  We spent many many wonderful hours reducing our thoughts and experiences into a form that could be taught to others.  Ed was one of the few magicians… Read more →

What is magic?

Ed Williams and I worked on a course to teach aspiring magicians how to be entertaining.  The course was built around our understanding of the nature of magic.  We define magic as Magic is the performing art of conjuring in which the performer expresses himself creatively through his performance  by creating meaning and context consistently and clearly  in his performance… Read more →

When Things Go Awry

What if something goes wrong? You might as well forget the “what if”. Something will go wrong. I personally guarantee it. Regardless of how much you practice the mechanics, rehearse the presentation, follow the techniques of good showmanship, something will go wrong. Usually, the chances of you completing a performance of any length with everything going exactly as planned are… Read more →

Remembering the Ultimate Candle

Here’s a blast from the past.  Ed Williams created a number of interesting magic effects.  This is one he developed for his own act and later released through the FunTyme Magic Shop.  The original ad copy is below along with a private video of Ed performing the Ultimate Candle.     NOW AVAILABLE! INTRODUCTORY PRICE!   The Ultimate in dancing… Read more →

5 Easy Steps to Improve Your Magic Shows and Make Your Customers Beg to Hire You Again and Again!

Imagine that you have walked out on stage and just finished your opener to rave applause.  Your show continues like a well tuned sports car until you get to the fourth magic effect.  You introduce the magic trick and the audience quiets in eager anticipation.  You begin to patter and suddenly realize that the trick was not set up correctly. … Read more →

I Need A Volunteer, Please!

Choosing a volunteer from the audience may seem like a very miniscule aspect of your performance. After all, you have enough things to worry about. Are the props set, is the 3 of diamonds in my left pocket, is the sound system working, is my fly zipped? You know from experience that there are plenty of things that could adversely… Read more →