I struggled down the stairs , all the while wearing a smile because people were on the stairs with me . Men would offer help but I would gracefully decline as I curse myself for not putting casters on this box .
When I stepped into the room that I was asked to perform in , I was met with the most shocking seen . This was not a room , it was an auditorium filled with over 1000 screaming children . Staff were running all around trying to make sure that there was plenty of sugar and caffeine to fuel this kids up to a frenzy . There were four fully costumed clowns doing balloon animals . I quickly discovered that this was not a show for a few friends , this was a show put on for the families of the enlisted members of the Canadian Navy ’ s West Coast Fleet .
I stood there stunned .
I had been bamboozled .
I made my way through the sea of candy cane sticky fingers all clawing at me as if they were from some dystopian post-apocalyptic future . I stepped up onto the stage and looked in vain for someone in charge of this chaotic circus . I put my things down and grabbed a waitress and asked where the manager was . She looked at me as if I was an idiot and said , “ It ’ s Saturday ,” shook her head and just walked away .
I grabbed another server and asked if there was someone in charge of this event , someone to introduce me to the kids . His reply was , “ You ’ re the professional ,” as he walk into the fray with another chaffing dish of sliders and was swallowed up by the unsupervised mob .
The Augustes were absolutely no help . They just kept twisting with that heart broken , 1000 yard stare .
I climbed up onto the stage , with no mic , no back drop , no music and bellowed out my invitation for the kids to gather around for the show . The show went really smoothly . I was able to project my voice but after forty minutes , I was spent .
After the hundreds children all came up and took their turn to pet the bunny , I packed up and went on the hunt for my check for $ 89 . It wasn ’ t much but at least I could fill the gas tank and grab some drive-through . As I walked around the private club , I was met with the same indifference as before the performance and decided to just leave and deal with it later .
It took me almost two weeks before I was able to contact the club ’ s management and informed them that I had not gotten my check as promised . They asked me for my tax information so it could be reported . When I informed them that I was a private contractor and that I took care of my own taxes , I was informed that the navy doesn ’ t work that way . Defeated , I gave up my information and was informed that Ottawa would be issuing my check in six to eight weeks . When the check did finally arrive in February they withheld the taxes and I ended up with a check for $ 68.53 .
To make matters worse , when I was regaling the local magic club of this ironic tsunami of foibles , a member came up to me and said that show was her biggest paying annual gig and I took it from her .
The moral of this story is , I didn ’ t ask the right questions . I didn ’ t ask , how many kids were expected , I didn ’ t make it clear that I would need someone to introduce me and I didn ’ t get a contract signed so everyone knew what their responsibilities were , such as having the check ready . Most importantly I didn ’ t charge the appropriate fee .
When we discount our services , it doesn ’ t just hurt our personal pocket books but it brings the price down for almost everyone . Now if Angel is being asked to come in for a private show , it ’ s a little different but for those that are sloughing it out during the corporate season , discounting your show makes it harder for the next guy . Worse , you could
be taking away someone ’ s show for next to no gain for yourself .
Charging the appropriate fee is always a struggle for workers starting out . We all want the most we can get and end up accepting what the customer is able to fork out . After the Y2K debacle , I decided to simply charge what I would make if I was called into work for an overtime shift . At the time I was confident on that figure . For an accurate way to calculate fees , check out JC Sum ’ s book Showbiz Master Plan . Here he breaks down a beautiful formula for calculating your fees in a way that you can feel confident about . Also make sure you listen to Michael Ammar ’ s Negotiating Higher Fees CD on how to get that rate .
Finally , and this has served me very well , if you can ’ t take on a gig for whatever reason , the proper way to say no is to just charge a stupid amount of money for it . This has nothing but amazing consequences . 1 ) If you get the gig , you get a great pay day ; 2 ) The potential customer will think that you must be an amazing magician to charge such exorbitant rates ; 3 ) if you don ’ t get the show , remember that a rising tide lifts all boats . The guy that does want that gig has a better chance at negotiating that higher fee .
54 VANISH Magazine www . VanishMagazine . com