Successful Performercast By Kris Sheppard | Successful Performer Cast | Weekly Interviews With Professional Entertainers | Sh

In this interview, Brian Glow and I talk all about corporate entertaining. We discuss everything from customizing your shows, targeting your marketing, and communicating with your prospects! Brian Glow is a corporate magician based out of Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada. Brian specializes in corporate magic shows melding the companies message, theme, logos, products, and services into his magical performances wowing and educating all that witness his presentations. He’s performed over 7,000 corporate shows in over 40 countries for Fortune 500 and local businesses alike, including, but certainly not limited to Ford, Canon, Apple, Air Canada, and Hewlet Packard. The Chicago Tribune says, "Joy and cleverness seem to pervade his work.”   Success Quote: To be good is not enough when you dream of being great! — Anonymous     Corporate Magic • Creating and customizing material that fits with your clients. • Gives specific example of creating material with a custom presentation. • The magic is secondary to selling product

In this interview, Christopher Lyle and I talk all about restaurant magic! He offers some great insight into landing gigs, keeping them, and working with the restaurant staff as a team. Christoher Lyle, also known as the guy in the yellow suit, is a magician, comic, daredevil, and balloon twisting genius! Some have described him as a “modern day cartoon." Based out of Dallas, TX, he offers 10 different types of shows that he performs for audiences of literally all ages at private parties, restaurants, fairs, festivals, and anywhere else you can think of. He’s taken his act across the globe, on television, and has also become a much sought-after coach for other performers wanting to improve their acts and he was also a columnist for the Magic Menu.     Success Quote: Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. - Ferris Bueller     All About Restaurants On the Magic Cafe, it's been said that Christopher Lyle can walk into any restaurant he wants and walk out wit

In this interview, Dan Holzman and I talk about his ups and downs in his juggling career. We cover some great topics like how to find creativity, the power of positive thought, and exercising your comedy! Dan Holzman is a comedy juggler who’s juggled with the Raspyni Brothers as well as a solo performer. He's opened for the likes of Robin Williams, Dana Carvey, and George Burns. He’s appeared on countless TV shows including The Tonight Show with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, Entertainment Tonight, and the Howie Mandel Show. He’s also performed for top name corporate clients including IBM, Kraft Foods, McDonald’s, Macy’s, and Sears. He’s skillful enough to be a great variety act…funny enough to be a comedy club headliner. - Mike Lacey     Success Quotes: Don't say no to yourself. Take care of the day-to-day, but also swing for the fences!     Failure Moment: he hasn't focused on a target market yet for his solo juggling endeavors.     Favorite Success: Being able to rise to the occasion when the risk is hig

In this interview, Justin Willman and I talk about his career in magic and TV and cover a great deal of topics like how he's gotten TV appearances, performing magic for a TV audience, and some business and marketing tips he's used to help him get where he is today. Justin Willman is a magician, actor, comedian, TV host, and all around fun guy. He’s been a regular guest on TV shows like The Tonight Show, Ellen, Rachael Ray, and Chelsea Lately as well as hosting the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars and Disney Channel’s Win, Loose, or Draw. You may have also seen him on such shows as Gilmore Girls and Disney’s the Suite Life on Deck. In addition to all this, he’s been touring his comedy and magic show “Tricked Out” around the country to great success and acclaim. With all this going on, I’m amazed that he was able to find time to talk to me for this interview.     Success Quotes: Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion. — Tony Hsieh of Zappos If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, yo

In this interview, Doug Scheer tells us all about creating themed educational magic shows! Doug Scheer is a magician and an expert at creating customized educational shows. He’d originally worked in the auto industry for two decades creating custom magical presentations for General Motors. And now he’s found success in offering 13 different shows to the educational school show market creating and performing shows that teach lessons as well as amaze!     Success Quote: I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. — Bill Cosby     Theme Shows: • Brainstorming ideas for themes. • How to match tricks with topics. • How to choose a topic to teach on. • How bolding a theme show is like building a house.     Doug's Book and a Contest! Entertaining Education: A Comprehensive Guide to Creating & Performing Educational Magic Domestic Shipping | International Shipping This book teaches us Doug's method of creating educational magic shows and includes 18 scripts to different

Learn how to bring the value in this interview where I talk to Dean Hankey, the DEAN of Success! We also talk about testimonials and he gives us some great practical business tips! Dean Hankey, The Dean of Success, is a magician, public speaker, author, trainer, and marketing expert out of Reno, NV. This guy has been successful in so much, it’s hard to know where to start! Dean has performed in casino show rooms like Harrah’s, Hilton, Bally’s Grand and Peppermill, corporate engagements for top companies like IBM, Apple, Kodak, and American Express, for famous celebrities like Robin Leach and Bill Cosby, and he’s been featured on a number of TV stations like ABC, NBC, CBS, BBC, Fox News, and CNN. Through his extensive performance career, he’s gained tremendous insight into business and marketing techniques which he now teaches others to help grow their businesses and generate real world results.     Success Mantra: 1. Never leave the site of a human interaction without creating value. 2. Leverage everything. 3

Listen in as I talk to magician Shawn Farquhar! He shares with us how and why he only does business with friends and gives us an amazing business card hack that constantly keeps him busy! Shawn Farquhar is a magician from Canada who spends his time entertaining people around the world. He’s performed for corporate clients like IBM and Konica, and has been featured on some of the most luxurious cruise lines like Norwegian Star and Radiance of the Seas. You may have seen his magic on TV shows like the Fringe and Arrow, or movies like Spooky House and The Fly 2. As for accolades, he really is a Magic Champion, being a two-time winner of the Magician of the Year Award by the Canadian Association of Magicians, Grand Prix D’Honneur from the P C A M, both Stage Magician and Sleight of Hand Magician of the Year by the International Brotherhood of Magicians, and his most prestigious award, Grand Prix World Champion of Magic from the Olympics of Magic in Beijing, China given in 2009. Shawn also tours giving talks and l

In this episode I talk to Zach Waldman! We cover a lot of great topics like pricing, adding value, and how Zach overcame debilitating anxiety and depression. This is a good listen. Zach Waldman is a magician and comedian in and around Los Angeles who caters to high end, corporate clients, and celebrities. He's performed for the likes of Al Gore, Seth MacFarlane, Pete Carroll, Chris Rock, and Gene Wilder, not to mention his corporate clients which include Microsoft, BusinessWeek, Absolut, and Anheuser-Busch. Zach is also a frequent performer at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. More importantly, for us, Zach is a marketing expert with various products that help other entertainers book more gigs and make more money doing what they love. As one of his clients says, "Zach is an amazing fountain of knowledge that will give you the tools to get booked and be successful."     Success Mantra: Goals. Writing down your goals and taking responsibility for yourself. Basically everything in Brian Tracy’s book GO

In this episode I talk to Brian Brushwood!!! We cover a lot of great topics like how he got on the Tonight Show as a guest, passive income, and what really happens when you botch a prediction on live radio! Brian Brushwood is a magician, TV host, Podcaster, author, and internet celebrity. Magic-wise, he’s performed his bizarre magic show around the country at colleges and universities. He’s the host of Discovery’s Scam School where he teaches all sorts of magic tricks and bar bets that you can use to score free drinks from your friends at the bar. He’s also authored six books on the subject of magic. Internet-wise, he’s been featured on a number of shows and podcasts like the NSFW show, Weird Things, Too long Didn’t Listen, Cord Killers, Night Attack, and he’s been a frequent guest on Leo Laporte’s show This Week in Tech. I guess you can say he’s sort of a big deal on the internet. As if that isn’t enough, he can most recently be seen on TV hosing Nat Geo’s Hacking the System.     Success Mantra: Fail faster.

In this episode I talk to magician Suzanne! We cover various topics like what she learned studying under Al Schneider and what you can learn about your audience from a horse! Suzanne is a world class magician and expert story teller from Minneapolis/St. Paul MN! Using her magic as a vehicle to play with her audiences, Suzanne specializes in performing close-up magic for corporate and private audiences as well as at a number of restaurants in her area. She’s also a favorite at the Hollywood Magic Castle where she's been the only female magician to not only be nominated for, but also win Close Up Magician of the Year which she received in 2010. She’s also appeared on the covers of Genii and MUM magazines. She makes shy people shine and bold people laugh. Jonathan Levit says "Her routines are masked in stories that touch your heartstrings and tie into her mystical imagination.”     Success Quotes: Follow your bliss. — Joseph Campbell Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safel

In this episode, I talk to corporate juggler Katrine Spang-Hanssen, partner to Scotty Meltzer. We delve into corporate entertainment exploring topics like brainstorming jokes for your act, writing custom scripts, and memorizing them. Also find out why the show MUST NOT GO ON! Katrine Spang-Hanssen is a corporate juggler who’s talents have taken her around the world! She grew up in Denmark from a musical family, so performance was not an uncommon thing. She moved to the States when she was 20 and is just barely recovering from culture shock. She’s had the opportunity to tour with and open for a number big name entertainers like Kenny Rodgers, Willie Nelson, and Natalie Cole. Add to this hundreds of comedy clubs, fairs, festivals, colleges, and theater productions. She’s now one of two principal performers for Comedy Industries which specializes in creating custom presentations for trade shows, training sessions, sales meetings, and other corporate applications. Clients include Ansys, Commvault, HP, IBM, NETGEA

In this episode, I talk to comedian John Crist about his business and career in comedy. We touch on such topics as setting goals, taking risks, and failure. Enjoy! John Crist is an award-winning comedian from Denver, CO who’s edgy, yet clean comedy has taken him around the country and made him popular with people of all ages. He was a finalist in Comedy Central's 2013 Up Next Comedy Competition, winner of the 2012 Denver Improv's Got Laughs Competition, as well as the 2012 Loonees Comedy Competition. He's opened for Seth Meyers and In 2013, he performed 275 shows at top comedy clubs like The Hollywood Improv, the Comedy Magic Club in Los Angeles, the Las Vegas Laugh Factory, The Punchline in Atlanta, and his home club, The Comedy Works in Denver. Add to this performing for Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, GE, Lexus, and HP. Oh yeah, he was also Hand-selected by Adam Carolla to share the screen with him in an upcoming 2015 film called Road Hard. Louie Anderson says "It's only a matter of time until John C

In this episode, I talk to Eric Henning about his career in magic and his expertise: finances. This financial wizard gives great practical information on how entertainers should manage their finances for their business. This is not an episode to miss! Eric Henning is a magician from the DC area who’s magic has taken him around the world. He’s had the honor of performing for President Obama and the First Family, as well as three Presidential Inaugurals and five other White House appearances to boot. As for accolades, He’s been voted DC Magician of the year, and made it to the quarter-finals of the World Championships of Public Speaking. He’s also an international speaker, author and teacher on the subject of money and investing. He was senior editor of The Cornerstone Investment Letter, and he also wrote “The Financial Wizard,” which was a regular column in The Magic Menu where he shared his insights on money and how it pertains to entertainment professionals.   Success Mantras: Do it now! — his wife For examp

In this episode, I talk to CJ Johnson about his career in magic, hypnotism, and being a game show host! He talks about his approach to business and tells us how he found balance between work and family. CJ Johnson is a magician, mentalist, hypnotist, and a game show host! He’s also author to more than a dozen books and self-hypnosis CD’s which includes his super popular book “More Shows, More Money” which has been credited to helping countless magicians take their passions full-time. CJ is certainly qualified to teach this, as he maintains a full calendar traveling the country performing his shows as well as managing teams for his six touring "Game Shows to Go.” When he’s not performing, he enjoys kiteboarding and flying precision stunt kites, but nothing is more important to him than being with his family, just outside of Austin TX. This guy exudes entertainment and success.   Success Mantras: A man is only as good as his word. Work hard, be nice.     Failure Story: CJ Tells us a story about a mishap he had

I had the wonderful honor of talking with magician Nick Lewin! One of the main things we talked about was corporate magic. We also talked about putting a twist on magic classics and there was was even a little performing advice taken from Billy McComb! Nick Lewin is a magician, comedian, actor, host, and keynote speaker from Austin Texas, originally from London. He's certainly run the gamut, being featured on countless TV shows as both a magician and actor, he’s performed for English royalty, presidents, hollywood celebrities, and fortune 500 companies. Companies like Apple, AMD, AT&T, Bank of America, Coca Cola, General Electric, and Nutrasweet. He’s also been featured in top showrooms around the country including Vegas with his One Man Show and has also performed on every premium cruise line. In addition to this, he also finds time to create products for and teach the magic industry, contributing his thoughts to multiple outlets, on the industry, performance, and business. Entertainment Today says “Lewi

In this episode I talk to magician Jay Alexander! We talk all about various methods that Jay uses to market his business, encourage word of mouth, build relationships with his clients, and customize his shows! Jay Alexander is one of the top corporate and society entertainers in the country and one of the highest paid magical performers in the industry. Jay started his career early performing for the patrons of his parent’s shoe store. At the age of 14 he won the Society of American Magicians Gold Medal of Honor. He now creates customized shows for Fortune 500 companies. Some of his corporate clients include Apple, Cisco, Lucas Films, Bank of America, Kaiser Permanente, Coca Cola, and Chrysler. He’s also performed at private parties and events for the likes of Robin Williams, The Rolling Stones, and Duran Duran. In the words of Ron Wood from the Rolling Stones, “Jay is the best magician I have ever seen!"   Success Mantra: Under-promise and over-deliver.   Failure Story: Tells about not quite understanding th

In this episode, I talk to paranormal magician Joe Diamond. We go into detail on publicity stunts and how to get the press to notice! We also have an interesting discussion on "Pay What You Want" pricing structures and he mentions an awesome resource that you probably already have but just aren't using! Joe Diamond is a paranormal magician from Chicago Illinois. Just in his twenties, Joe has been able to turn his fascination for the paranormal into a full time career and has an amazing understanding into the workings of the strange & bizarre, often defying the boundaries between what we assume can and can't be done. He was the youngest First Place winner of the “Close Up Magic Classic,” an award given in Colon Michigan, the Magic Capital of the World and now performs his paranormal magic all over the country for private parties, corporations, and theaters. Four years ago, Joe performed the world’s largest mind reading demonstration: completing a 33 acre cornfield maze while blindfolded, finishing in less

In this episode, I talk to casino magic and comedy act Mark Kornhauser. We talk about his career in magic, what it takes to perform in casino showrooms, his successes, challenges, and how hard work really pays off.   Mark Kornhauser is one of the most successful comedy acts in the world boasting 25 years plus, consistently performing in and producing shows in the most prestigious casinos in Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Atlantic City. We’re talkin’ Harrahs, Planet Hollywood, Mandalay Bay, Flamingo, Tropicana, and Hilton, just to name a few.   He’s opened for more than a few top name entertainers like Tom Jones, Elvis Costello, Frankie Valli, Terry Fator, David Letterman, and Tim Allen.   He’s also been featured on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Masters of Illusion, NBC, FOX, Comedy Central, and HBO.       Success Mantra: Hard work, clean living.     Working in Casinos: • Fitting into a time slot   • How the casino venue has changed: catering more toward headliners than variety entertainers   • How he stays in

In this episode, I talk to corporate magician and mind reader Kevin Viner. We talk about his career in magic and numerous other topics including some insight into his internet marketing strategy. He gives some great practical advice that we can plug into our own marketing efforts! Seriously, this episode is packed! Kevin Viner is a corporate magician and mentalist. Starting young, he learned his craft and by the tender age of 14 started performing at the world famous Magic Castle. Within a year of that, Qualcomm hired him for his first corporate gig, but we’ll get to that in a moment. Kevin’s been recognized by his peers with numerous awards including First Place at the Las Vegas World Magic Seminar, he received a Comedy award from International Brotherhood of Magicians, and was awarded 1st Place at the Magic Castle Strolling Magic Olympics. He’s appeared numerous times on television on the program Masters of Illusion, on Johnny Carson’s American Masters Biopic, and on Japan’s SuperDrama TV. When it comes to

In this episode, I talk to bizarre magician Christian Cagigal. We talk about his career and numerous topics including leaving a long-lasting immersion on his audiences and how he gets people through the door of his shows. Christian Cagigal is an actor, writer, and magician out of and around the San Francisco Bay Area. He’s one of “Ten Bay Area artists on their way to becoming icons” as dictated by the San Francisco Weekly and was voted Best of the Bay, for the second time, by the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Has performed his unique brand of “slightly creepy,” and I’d add “mildly disturbing” magic as an artist in residence at two theaters: San Francisco's EXIT Theatre, and Quebec’s “Beyond the Mountain." He’s Produced a number of his own shows:  The 13 Steps, The Pandora Experiment, the long running OBSCURA, The Collection, and the show Now and at the Hour which he’s currently working on a performance film of and that is being directed by internationally recognized San Francisco filmmaker H.P. Mendoza. Finally