How To Hire A Magician In Los Angeles

So you have an upcoming event in Los Angeles and think a magician is the best way to spice it up? You're absolutely right. Magicians can invoke a sense of awe as people try to figure out the tricks but are blown away regardless.

However, choosing the right magician in Los Angeles is tricky as there are different things to consider. These include the type of magician (corporate or for birthdays), years of experience, your budget, and more.

To make the hunt much easier, this post will reveal all you need to know on how to hire a magician in Los Angeles. By the end, you'll have a strong understanding of where to look.

Read on!

The Event Determines The Magician

Magicians come with different specialties and talents that depend on the type of event you're hosting. For example, spooky Magicians like Chriss Angel will blow away an adult crowd with his skills on body mutilation.

However, putting the same magician in kids parties will undoubtedly leave them traumatized, thereby defeating the purpose of magic. So, what kinds of events are there for magicians?

1. Family Or Children's Parties

When selecting a Los Angeles magician for your family or kids’ party, you need one with more lighthearted fun. Essentially, these tricks must evoke more laughter than shock, unlike adult tricks.

These professionals are ideal for birthday parties, family get together, first communions, and more. They bring life to the party and make the entire event more memorable. So, if this is your type of event, ensure your magician has experience in this area.

2. Weddings

Why hire a magician at your wedding? The same reason you hire a comedian. A wedding magician offers high-quality entertainment for your guests as can even break the ice when the attendees seem quiet or reserved.

They're also excellent for taking memorable photos as  you capture the audience’s reaction to the tricks. But note that these tricks should have a balance between eeriness and lighthearted fun since kids and older adults will be amongst the crowd.

3. Private Events

Private parties is a broad term but it typically involves occasions like house parties, retirement parties, bachelor parties, and more. Nevertheless, the central theme is that the audience mainly consists of adults.

In this case, most magicians in Los Angeles will apply. Simply make sure they have experience in handling such events. Also, since there are more mature people than kids, a magician that can inspire awe of shock may be the most effective.

4. Corporate Events

Just like private events, corporate events is a broad term too. However, some examples include:

• Trade shows

• Christmas parties

• University events

• Incentive events

• Executive retreats

• Conferences 

• Seminars 

• Team-building activities

Ultimately, their goal is to bring fun, laughter, and awe to the event while being on theme. Sometimes, the magician doesn't have to stand on a podium, he can perform tricks as guests enter the event or move from table to table.

How To Hire The Right Magician

Now that you understand that not all magicians are created equally but perform based on the event, let's go through how to pick the right magician in Los Angeles.

1. Hire The Owner Of The Company

The thing about magic is that it requires years of experience and passion, which you rarely get from an employee in an agency. Most of these companies are after profit and will choose the cheapest entertainers while charging you a hefty price.

So, we recommend only hiring a magician that's the head of his company and has honed his craft. They may cost the same as what those agencies will charge, but for this one, you're guaranteed the best performance.

However, we'd like to point out that not all agencies are the same. Some heavily screen the magicians they employ and ensure they are excellent in their niche. How do you know which agency is reliable? The owner is also a magician.

2. Watch Their Performances

Smartphones and social media have made it much easier for magicians to share their work with others. The same should apply to the magician you want to hire as they should have videos of their performances whether online or their personal record.

We recommend watching their videos because it gives you a sense of whether the magicians meet your expectations. Promises aren't enough, you need proof, and video evidence of their craft may be all you need.

But what if they don't have videos but promise to do a good job? Consider looking elsewhere. There's no excuse in this modern age not to haw videos of their performances.

3. Check Their Reviews Online

If the magician you selected has an online presence, then people should have left comments about their service. You can find business reviews on their website, Google, Yelp, or their social media platform.

If you find more bad reviews than good,  the natural thing would be to find someone else immediately. But what if they have no reviews yet? It means a lot.

It could be that they are new to magic and haven't gathered an audience, or they perform very rarely to get enough reviews. Regardless of the reason, we don't recommend hiring that person as they most likely haven't polished their skills.

4. Be Willing To Expand Your Budget

It's natural to consider the price of a magician when hiring one, but that shouldn't be your primary consideration. Getting an “affordable” magician could mean you get lower quality service and a mediocre reaction from the crowd.

They may perform very lacklusterly with fewer props and gears, which make you question why you hired one in the first place. So, when picking your magician, don't reconsider merely because his price doesn't match your budget.

There'll always be someone willing to do it cheaper, but the guarantee that they'll do an excellent job is very slim. 

5. Confirm Their Specialty

We previously mentioned that the occasion decides which magician you should hire. Is it a kid’s birthday party? You'll need a magician that knows how to surprise the kids and make them laugh uncontrollably.

For university or college events, you don't need a magician that makes silly magic tricks but one that can shock the crowd or even use a member of the audience in their tricks. Irrespective of the occasion, first confirm with the magician to see if they're perfect  

But what about the magicians that take on any show? These are usually jacks of all trades, and while they can be good for the party, we recommend one with a bit more specialty.

Conclusion - Trust The Magician

Undoubtedly, hiring a magician in Los Angeles can be tricky since there are many factors to consider. Fortunately, the information in this post is all you need to hire the best one for your occasion.

Once you've chosen your magician, trust them to take over the party, especially if you were satisfied with their reviews and videos. But if they end up doing a terrible job, you can argue with them and get your money, or part of it, back.