S7E11: Jon Armstrong - Having No Plan B for Magic!
In this episode,\xa0magician Jon Armstrong talks about his career so far in magic and why he has no Plan B!
\nIf you\u2019re a magician and don\u2019t know who Jon is, you\u2019re probably new to the club or have been living under a rock. Jon has performed in such notable venues as Walt Disney World, Sea World, and Caesar\u2019s Magical Empire where he headlined. He\u2019s also taken his act around the world performing in over 30 countries.
\nHe\u2019s a sought after director when it comes to producing quality magic acts and has consulted on films and TV shows like The Mentalist and Spider Man 3. This is in addition to many TV appearances, his most recent being a performance on Pen & Teller\u2019s Fool Us.
\nThere\u2019s almost too much to mention about Jon, like his comic series Smoke and Mirrors, his products for magicians, and his involvement in the Academy of Magical Arts. Even this is just scratching the surface! \xa0 \xa0
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\nKris' Recommendation of the Week\nChris Ruggiero Podcast - a show where variety entertainer Chris Ruggiero interviews other entertainers he meets in his adventures. In this show\xa0you\u2019ll find incredible stories that will leave you intrigued, inspired, and ready to live your own dreams. He\u2019s interviewed entertainers like Justin Flom, Jeff Civillico, Brett Loudermilk, and Barry Friedman. \xa0
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\nInterview with Jon Armstrong: Success\xa0Mantra\nHaving a fallback plan means you can fall back. \xa0
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\nNo Plan B\n\u2022 Talks about his early days.
\n\u2022 Either he hustles or doesn\u2019t eat.
\n\u2022 Talks about some of his lean times.
\n\u2022 Tells about some of the \u201cday jobs\u201d he\u2019s had.
\n\u2022 Gives a brief synopsis of his career up to this point.
\n\xa0\nJon\u2019s Time at Walt Disney World (WDW)\n\u2022 Talks about how he got his gig at Rose & Crown at Epcot.
\n\u2022 What they initially wanted him to do for his act and what he ended up doing.
\n\u2022 Talks a little about the character he developed to Epcot.
\n\u2022 Developing his material, some of which he uses to this day.
\n\u2022 This is where he cut his teeth.
\n\u2022 Reformatting his material out of \u201cthe British\u201d character for venues outside of WDW.
\n\u2022 Within a show, you can say anything to anyone as long as you beat yourself up first, and deliver your jab or witty remark to them with a smile on your face. \xa0
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\nJon\u2019s Time in Vegas\n\u2022 Talks about his first steps when getting there.
\n\u2022 Connecting with other professional magicians in the area.
\n\u2022 Working with Joey Burton, Apollo Robbins, and Armando Lucero doing strolling magic at Caesar\u2019s Magical Empire.
\n\u2022 Tells how he got lucky and became a featured performer at Caesar\u2019s.
\n\u2022 Why he left Vegas.
\n\u2022 Surrounding yourself with people who are doing what you want to do and will challenge you to further yourself. \xa0
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\nPersistence and Overcoming Challenges\n\u2022 Dealing with dyslexia and overcoming it in daily dealings.
\n\u2022 Systems he has in place to hep him work around it.
\n\u2022 Why he\u2019d much rather jump on the phone with someone rather than correspond in written form.
\n\u2022 Nobody likes writing, they only like having written. Living and Working in LA
\n\u2022 Performing at the Magic Castle and handing out business cards.
\n\u2022 Engaging and befriending people and getting their cards or contact info.
\n\u2022 Getting people on his email list.
\n\u2022 Looking for creative ways to add value to people\u2019s lives.
\n\u2022 Focusing on his strengths in that he\u2019s a really good people person so he uses that.
\n\u2022 Sending \u201cstuff\u201d to his top clients.
\n\u2022 Personalizing his interactions with his email list and clients.
\n\u2022 Creating cool different ways to keep in front of his clients and prospects.
\n\u2022 Referring other magicians when he\u2019s already booked. \xa0
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\nFailure Moment\nTells about a time very early in his career where he learned about the importance of hygiene. He literally felt like his career was over. \xa0
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\nFavorite Success\nWining Close Up Magician of the Year from the Academy of Magical Arts.
\n\xa0\nParting Advice\nGo out and make as many friends and genuine connections with people as you can. Make human connections. \xa0
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\nRecommended books and resources:\nNote: Many of the links in this section are affiliate links, meaning we\xa0earn a small portion of any sales. If you're enjoying our\xa0podcast and decide to purchase one of the recommended resources or books, please consider using our\xa0affiliate links to help support the work we're doing here at the Successful Performercast. Thanks! \xa0
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\nResources:
\n\nMint.com for Keeping Track of your finances \xa0
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\nBooks
\n\n\n\xa0\nWhere can we find Jon Armstrong?\n\n\n