A Fundamental Principle

Dear Friends:

We’re delighted to have another article from our Associate Dean, Larry Hass, this month. Larry’s work always makes me think deeper and in new ways. I expect it will do the same for you. Enjoy!

A Fundamental Principle

Larry Hass, Ph.D.

Over the past couple of years I have used these columns to discuss some key insights about the (show) business of performing magic. In February 2013 I revealed my “Fundamental Secret” for performing better shows. Last October I discussed the “Fundamental Mistake” I see many performers make. Here I will share a “Fundamental Principle” I follow for enriching my magic . . . and my life. Here it is:

In the age of information overload, the focused shall inherit the earth.

Indeed, I have long believed that hand-held smart devices, with their bings, burps, pings, rings, and alerts, turn us into homo interruptus. But recently I have been thinking a lot about the extent to which digital distractions split our attention and diminish our engagement.

 

One part of this has been the increasing number of meals I’ve had during which my dining partner leaves his or her cell phone face up on the table, and spends the entire time interrupting our conversation to send texts, check emails, search for files, or answer calls. Have you had this happen to you?

I continue to be struck and somewhat amazed by this behavior. For none of the people doing this were rude, boorish people—not at all. But somehow they had lost sight of how insulting this kind of behavior would be. And they had no awareness of how they were compromising the quality of our time together. They were there, but not there. Things were said, but interrupted. Start and stop: their participation remained superficial, fragmented, and unsatisfying.

The other part of my reflections on this has been recent empirical studies from places like Stanford and the University of London, demonstrating that multitasking substantially lowers productivity and effectively lowers IQ. To be precise, the studies demonstrated that when people were multitasking they had far greater trouble organizing their thoughts, filtering out irrelevant information, and switching from one task to the next. In effect, their IQs fell to within the range of an average eight-year old.

But to multitaskers it doesn’t feel that way. To them their output feels prodigious, or that they are an exception to the rule. Yet the University of London studies tested for that, too; they showed the more firmly people believed in their ability to multitask, the greater their inefficiency was.

So obviously, when it comes to dinner with a cell phone or the power of multitasking, many people are in the grip of an illusion . . . and perhaps a subtle addiction to continual stimulation, or “fear of missing out” (FOMO). Be that as it may about “many people,” the question is what are we going to do: you and me? What are we, as creative magicians and aspiring performers, going to do?

At this late date in the digital era, the results are in, both empirically and experientially. If we want to have quality interactions and relationships with people, if we want to go deep, if we want to experience levels of complexity and challenge that make genuine learning happen, if we want to become really good at something through focused repetition, if we want to create artwork that’s original and expressive of self, then we must say “no” to digital-age distractions, and reaffirm a rather old piece of wisdom: one thing at a time.

Every New Year season I come up with a motto that I especially want to embrace in my life during the year ahead. I write the motto on note cards and leave them lying around my house at meaningful locations: by the coffee maker, in my magic studio, by my computer, in the dining room. And for 2017 my motto is: “One thing at a time.”

Because when it comes to deepening relationships, conducting business, booking shows, writing with quality, creating a fine piece of magic, or performing it with excellence, it seems clear that “the focused shall inherit the earth.”

Go forth, stay focused, and prosper!

 

Push YOUR EDGE

McBride on Television

Television is always looking for “The New and Edgy,”–but what does “edge” mean?

Not dull… Cuts clean… Gleams and shines!

Yes, we will polish our magic and you will see it gleam from the stage and screen on upcoming TV shows! Here is a photo of Abigail and me from our new version of “Guardian Angel” –a production number that really “pushes the edge!”

Our team taped several segments for the new season of Masters of Illusion.

On this year’s season, we will present numbers from our full evening illusion show. Watch your listings for our upcoming performance of VooDoo People — which is a razzle-dazzle, magic-packed Vegas-style production… Here is a clip of the old version… just wait until you see the new production!

Below is a photo of our Mystery School Apprentice—Will Brandshaw getting his head cut off! Will appears on the TV show Masters of Illusion as well, so watch for him! Will is playing an ever-increasing role on our team. He recently escorted our Asian tour producers up to see Criss Angel and his new show. I’ve seen the new show and it is his best yet! Mindfreak Live is well worth the visit.

Mystery School on TV!

Many of our past students will be seen on the new Masters of Illusion series. Tommy Wind, Bill Cook, Randilyn and many others make the show this season! Guest teacher at our school, Greg Gleason, brings on the giant illusions. Greg and Bill Cook are also part of the touring show. See it when it comes your way!

Magic is hotter than ever in Hollywood!

We took our ABRACADAZZLE illusion show to the Magic Castle at the end of January.

Celebrities often drop in to see the shows there. The VIPs are often escorted through secret passageways at the Castle so they don’t get mobbed by fans. Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp have both come to see us at recent shows. Mr. Depp said that Eugene Burger is his favorite close-up magician!

The hosts at the Magic Castle are awesome at getting superstars in and out of the showrooms with grace and ease!

Secret VIP rooms

Some superstars get whisked away to the “Seance Parlor” and have the top magicians come to entertain them in a private VIP suite! Ahhh, Hollywood! Gotta love it.

Speaking of celebrities: DAVID COPPERFIELD attended our show at the Magic Castle! It was the first time he had visited the Magic Castle for over 20 years! David is a fan of my “Rainmaker” water routine and I think this may have been the first time he saw it live. David was enthusiastic about our show and led a standing ovation for us! We are looking forward to seeing David’s new production in Vegas….He keeps pushing his creative edge and is an exemplar of magical innovation!

The Illusionists continue to break box office records around the globe. Visionary producer Simon Painter stopped by to see my show in the Close-Up Gallery at The Magic Castle.

Simon has strong opinions on what was holding magic back as a popular art form, and big ideas about how to make variety entertainment even more popular than ever. Simon is now transforming the Circus the way he did magic! As the Ringling Brothers Circus dies…  Simon’s new Circus 1903. The Golden Age of Circus is born… and opens soon at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood.

Mystery School Monday hits 300 episodes

Can you believe it? Yes, over the  past years we have created 300 unique episodes covering all facets of magic. We have the longest running internet show in the history of magic!

Beginning on March 20th, we will celebrate by running a  MARATHON OF MAGIC!  All 300 episodes will play back to back on WWW.MCBRIDEMAGIC.TV

The Magic Castle Meets Burning Man

That is how I describe our showroom in Vegas. If you have not seen my Las Vegas show… It is amazing to think we are now in our 10th year! Wow! Jeff McBride’s WONDERGROUND .. the Las Vegas Magic Party!

Our February Celebration has great acts from all over the world.

Schedule for February 16th, 2017

7 PM     Strolling magic with Miguel & Taylor Lloyde, and Jeff McBride. Scott Brown and Allen Scott will do tarot readings in the “art area” before and after the Close-up shows. Abigail and the New World Rhythmatism Belly Dancers are bringing two brand new shows!

8pm   –  Tim Wise is your MC

Jaysin & Nikki Nightengale – Burlesque Magic & Mystery

Jason Andrews – International Champion of Magic

The “Other Brothers”- Demonstration of Innovation

The Mystery – Mask – Mystic

Krystal Lawrence – Magical Twists & Turns

Bizzaro & Shocker – One Mean Magic Dream Team!

9pm  –  Jeff McBride – Pushing the Edge!

Bizzaro & Shocker – Loud, proud and soooo strange!

Tim Wise – Lets Make a Magic Deal!

Will Bradshaw – Escape from Reality!

10pm –  Jeff McBride is your MC

Stephanie Castalone – Twist it Up!

Anthony Rais – Master of Marionettes!

Jason Andrews - I.B.M. World Champion magician

RJ Owen - Marvels of Mirthful Mentalism

DAVID BLAINE sent me a message the other day thanking me for the bit of help and advice I gave him for his last special. I love helping my fellow magicians, and it was a nice surprise to talk with him about his ideas. Now that he has performed it on TV, I can mention it. Did you see the “frog stunt?” David really pushes the edge of our art, and brings new audiences to the world of the mystery arts. David is always looking at old things in new ways and innovating. He is constantly learning from the best and bringing “the new” to his fans. We can all learn from him!

Remember to remain teachable.  Learn new skills, polish old ones and push your edge!

The Art of Prospecting

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain

From Bryce…

For once, I’m at a loss for words.

Tobias asked me to write something and, to be honest, I couldn’t think of anything to write. My whole world these days is sales and marketing, but most of what we do just isn’t applicable to entertainers.

Luckily for you, some of our customers work in fields that magicians could learn a LOT from. In particular, I think about people who are in the professional speaking business.

Enter my dear friend Gretchen Breuner.

I still remember our first phone call. Gretchen started out as a speaker, and did quite well, but found out that her real talents were in three areas necessary to building a speaking business: prospecting, sales and (ultimately) finding, hiring and training people to do most of those tasks for you.

So I asked if she had any tricks up her sleeve that might work for magicians. As always, she came through!

Be careful: this is ninja level stuff.

And… if you’re interested in even more tips and tricks for getting more work, especially if you’re doing (or wanting to do) speaking engagements, a great place to start is with her eBook:

How To Get More Speaking Gigs

[https://speakertraining.wisdomfilters.com/lesson/speaker-workbook]

From Gretchen:

Hot Tip on Doing Research and Prospecting for Magic Gigs

After having a number of private clients all wanting help in getting speaking gigs, I wanted to share a few tips on how to effectively research and pitch for magic gigs, since many of the same strategies are used.

When looking for gigs, I would get extremely curious, and begin to really dig around the speaking industry. I’d ask myself, “How can I use LinkedIn or other forms of social media to find speaking gigs? Where do event planners hang out, online and offline?”

LinkedIn was a fabulous tool to find more speaking opportunities for my clients, and likely for your magic gigs too.

For example, I would put in “speaker” up in the search field to see what popped up. Not only did LinkedIn give me a long list of speakers but, when I clicked on “Groups,” I now had 722 results of speaker groups. These speakers – and these groups – are a perfect way to work backwards, keeping the end goal in mind.

What do I mean?

I would click on the speaker’s name, and that took me to their profile. From there, I could often find the speaker’s personal/business website. On a speaker’s website is a list of where they have spoken in the past. Now I have a list of great leads, on a number of different events. Each speaker may list every event or appearance they’ve recently completed, thus creating a trail of speaking bread crumbs for you to follow.

So, in your search, put Magician in the search field. From the list that LinkedIn will produce, go back to each name and click on their profile. From there, just like with a speaker, click onto their website (if provided). Now, continue to work backwards and see where these magicians have performed. They’ll want to tell you all about their successes, which generates a fabulous “magic” trail of gigs for you to now have. Note these magic gigs down on a spreadsheet and start your pitching from there!

Also, look at the Groups, specifically related to magicians, entertainers, kid parties, team building etc. That too is a great way to prospect for more magic gigs.

I did the same thing with Facebook and got equally valuable results.

 

The Simple Secret to Becoming a Master of Time and Space

Dear Friends:

Learn the simple secret to becoming a master of time and space!

“In order to be a master of time and space you must get to the space on time.”

– J. Magnus McBride

The REAL secrets to success!

What are the REAL “secrets to success?’

Today I will share with you what I feel are some of the most important secrets that I’ve learned over the past 57 years! It starts with something my dad taught me very early on in life.

John Strong McBride was my father. He passed away many years ago, but left me with some great life lessons and a philosophy of his work ethic.

On my 10th birthday he gave me a Timex watch… I had always wanted a real watch. It was a “grown up thing!”

My Dad gave me the watch and said:

To be early is to be on time.

To be on time is to be late.

To be late is to be left behind.

I carry those words from my father with me every day and share them with my friends and students.

If you know me well, you know that I am always early…sometimes an hour early and sometimes a full day! I think it is one of my secrets to success…just showing up a little early.

I will share a few more of my REAL secrets to success…read on!

What is Smart Work?

• Working smart is working with a goal in mind, a goal that is meaningful to you.
• Working smart also means knowing what points are high priority, and what you can be flexible on, so you can focus on what is important.
• Smart work also refers to being creative and looking for other ways to get work done faster.

THE REAL WIZARDS SHOW UP FIRST & LEAVE LAST!

This is a lesson I learned at The Burning Man art festival.

My friend and teacher Gary Stadler is a wizard. He is also the first one to show up at an event and always—always–the last one to leave. I learned so much by watching him work. He did not have to work hard, because he worked smart…he always used what we now call “life –hacks,” special ways he invented to get hard jobs done in an efficient way.

The wizards are the cool guys who don’t mind “putting in the work.”

The wizards get the work set up.

The wizards put all of the work away.

Focus On What is Most Important in your Life!

For many years I was jet-setting from city to city to perform on TV shows. Each week a new city! I would arrive in the city, go immediately to the TV studio, shoot the show and fly out in the morning…I almost never had an opportunity to see the TV show, let alone the city I was visiting. Now I always stay a few extra days in each city and my life has a new way of savoring each experience. Now I spend time focusing on what is most important in life

Would you like to know what is most important?

The following short video is an old story told in a new way. I’m sure you will learn from it!

Love & Gratitude are the new “Fame & Fortune.”

I am very blessed to have a life that I am able to share with my friends and magic students. I love the time with Abbi at home and am grateful for the many magical lessons I have learned, and I LOVE teaching and sharing those life lessons. Here is a breath meditation that Abbi taught me. It is a perfect stress reducer during days of hard work. Just read the directions below for 10 breaths!

“Work is Love Made Visible.”

                           – Kahlil Gibran

I am focusing on love and gratitude for the amazing Las Vegas magic community that we are part of. All of us at the Mystery School love the work we do. It fills us with joy to see our students light up when they learn a new lesson. If you love magic, then please drop us an email and let us know when you are coming to visit Las Vegas. Just reply to this email! We have many ways to share our magic with you! Here is a new way we have developed over the past few years…

Now YOU can be a master of time and space! You can travel to Las Vegas- and never leave home!

I love creating new ways to share magic with my students. Some of them cannot get away from their work but would love to study with us. Now we have a new “Skype mentoring program.” Now I can share magic and life lessons with you on your home computer or phone!

I love teaching over Skype. This is your invitation to join me at The Mystery School from anywhere you are! Take a look!

https://www.magicalwisdom.com/shop/p/product/skype-mentoring-package

AMERICAS GOT TALENT winner Mat Franco at a recent McBride Master Class sharing his secrets of his success with our students

WONDERGROUND NEWS – HAPPY 9TH ANNIVERSARY!

January 2017 – Doors open at 7:30

Our team works so hard every month to bring a new and exciting show to our friends. The WONDERGROUND players make their love visible every time we come to work! When you are in Vegas, you must celebrate with us! We have the biggest magic party in Las Vegas.

Now you can join us and be part of the fun!

Hint: Arrive early to get a good seat!

THREE  ALL NEW AND DIFFERENT SHOWS!

7;30pm Strolling magic with Miguel & Taylor Lloyde

Allen Scott will do tarot readings, Live-Art by Areeya!

 

8pm     Tim Wise is your MC

Jeff McBride – New Magical Creations

David Groves – Adventures in Mystery

Niels Duinker – Juggling Sensation

Scott Land – Amazing Marionette Artistry

 

9pm     Close up and Stand up show

Tim Wise at the WONDER-BAR

Jeff McBride – Panto-Mime & Magic

Steelfyre and his Curios Collection

David Groves – Magic Castle Star Performer!

 

10pm   Tim Wise is your MC

Allan Abbott – Wings & Shadows

William Bradshaw – Progressive Illusion

Scott Land – “The puppet man!”

Stephanie Castellone – Twists it up!

Niels Duinker – The MOST amazing juggler !

PLUS:  Photography by Sheryl Garrett. Bar Magic with Zack Pattee. Scott Steelfyre, Corey Rubino, NEW Belly Dancers, Psychic Sideshow Alan Scott, live art with Areeya – and many more surprises and special celebrity guests!!

A surprise performance from The Amazing Jonathan at WONDERGROUND.

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I hope to see you soon at one of my shows, or live, or on TV. You can catch some of my talks 24 hours a day streaming on my channel at

www.mcbridemagic.tv

Yours in the mysteries of space and time,