Magicians in Midlothian

A close-up magician who's brought back disbelief and wonderment to events around Edinburgh. He can also teach a few of his tricks!

What do you need to know from an organiser in order to provide a comprehensive quote?

There are a few things I need to know. The number of guests (approximately) they are expecting to be there is important. It takes approximately 1 hour to perform to 40-50 guests. So for example, if there are over 100 guests, I would suggest a booking of 2 hours or more. Whereas, if there are only 10 people, I would recommend 1 hour of magic. The date of the event is also important. Also, a personal message from the customer describing more details about the event makes it more personal and the additional information is really useful. The type of magic is also important to consider – children’s magic, adult magic, close-up, stage, cabaret, etc…I provide adult and family magic – i don’t provide children’s magic.

What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

The most important thing is to consider is your budget. I find that many people looking for a magician have a budget much lower than what a magician charges. Another important element is to consider what type of magic you are looking for. Some magicians, specialize in being a children’s magician, others as an adult magician, others a stage magician, others a close-up magician. Some a mixture. Make sure you know what type of magician you are looking for, so you get the expert you are wanting for your event. When looking at their profile and reviews, check out if the magician states they are ‘professional', this indicates if they are making a living as a magician. If they state they are ‘professional’, you know they are good enough to be making a living from it. It’s also important to check where they are based. Although magicians are willing to travel across Scotland, if they are not based in the local area, they are likely to add travel expenses and time to their quote. Finally ask the magician, whether they need room to set up and re-set. Some magicians arrive all set to go, others need a room they need to set up and re-set, before each group of people they perform to. If your venue, does not have a room, this may cause problems.

Please tell us a little bit about how and why you started the business.

I started learning magic as a hobby when I was 8 years old. My father was a magician and in the Magic Circle and so I was inspired by him and his friends, leading to me performing stage magic as a teenager, up to my early twenties. It wasn’t until a few years later, that I started learning close-up sleight-of-hand magic. When my friends said I was better than magicians they had seen at weddings, I decided to start performing at paid events, whilst working in another full-time job. It was in May 2017, that I decided to take the step of working as a professional full-time magician and I haven’t looked back. With many five star google reviews, my testimonials show how much my magical entertainment is loved. I love performing and entertaining people. What I love about performing magic is bringing that magic back to people’s lives. Many people have never seen live close-up magic, maybe on television or in a theatre projected on a big screen. But, not live. As children, we grow up believing in magic, as an adult we lose this. So to see people’s reactions seeing the impossibility happen right in front of their eyes, which they can’t work out, brings a real buzz to me. Bringing magic back to people’s lives. It feels like I am giving them a gift of wonderment and amazement that will stay with them for many years to come. The closer you are, the more amazing it is! It brings a new conversation to the night, as people share stories to each other of other magicians they have seen and/or they come up with theories of how the magic was performed. I also provide magic lessons to people who are interested in learning, which can be combined at an event I am performing at. With a background in education and training, I can bring in my teaching background into my magic work.

Please tell us about a booking you've had through Add to Event, how did it go? Would you recommend us to others?

A caterer recommended Add to Event to me. I have used similar platforms, without success of getting any bookings, becoming increasingly frustrated. I signed up to ‘Add to Event’ with hesitation and although at the start had not bookings, after dedicating time and money I am now getting bookings. I have only had one successful, completed, booking through Add to Event. Although, I now have 3 more upcoming events through Add to Event in November and December 2018. Add to Event platform is by far the best one I've used and I have now started recommending the platform to others. The one event I have had with Add to Event, was a small after dinner event (10 diners). It was an amazing night, everyone loved the magic and really loved the entertainment. The reviews were amazing! I love performing, entertaining and connecting with people and we had an awesome time! I stayed afterwards for a while and chatted to the guests which was super fun getting to know the guests. I finished the show, by teaching everyone a magic trick - I heard afterwards that they were showing the card trick to their colleagues at work. Looking forward to seeing them all again sometime soon with another booking.