Zoom Magic Show for Remote Onboarding: Giving New Hires Their First Shared Story
Zoom Magic Show for Remote Onboarding: Giving New Hires Their First Shared Story
Starting a new job remotely is a strange experience.
A laptop arrives in a box. You log in on Monday morning. There’s a welcome video, a stack of documents to read, a calendar full of introductory meetings, and a dozen new names attached to small faces on a screen. By Friday, you know where the HR portal is and how to submit expenses.
But you don’t really know anyone.
In an office, new hires bond naturally. They get lost looking for the same conference room. They eat lunch together. They whisper about the coffee machine. Those small shared moments turn strangers into colleagues.
Remote onboarding has none of that. And it shows.
I’m Katrina, known on stage as Magical Katrina, a professional magician and mentalist based in Las Vegas. I perform live, interactive virtual shows for companies around the world. If you’re responsible for onboarding remote employees and considering a Zoom magic show, this post explains how magic can help new hires connect with each other, and with your company, from day one.
And at the end, I’ll explain why I think the most important thing a new hire can take away from their first week isn’t on the onboarding checklist.
The Remote Onboarding Problem
Companies invest heavily in onboarding: training, documentation, systems access, and introductions. But remote onboarding often misses something essential.
New hires feel isolated. They’re learning alone at their kitchen tables.
Cohorts don’t bond. People who start together rarely get the chance to really know each other.
Culture is hard to feel. It’s difficult to sense a company’s personality through slide decks.
Everything feels like a meeting. Even social time can feel like another calendar obligation.
A Zoom magic show can bring warmth, laughter, and connection into the onboarding experience in a way that training modules can’t.
How a Zoom Magic Show Fits Into Onboarding
Welcome Day
Open the first day with something unexpected. Before the policies and passwords, give new hires a moment of genuine astonishment. It tells them this company is a little different, in the best way. Magical Katrina can set a warm, welcoming tone before the training begins.
End of the First Week
Close the first week with a celebration. New hires have survived five days of training. A Zoom magic show gives them something fun to share before the weekend.
Cohort Kickoffs
For companies that hire in groups, such as graduate programs, intern classes, or seasonal teams, a shared show at the start helps the cohort bond. A Zoom magic show at the kickoff gives the group something to rally around from the very start.
Quarterly New-Hire Gatherings
Some companies bring together everyone who joined during the quarter. Magic gives the gathering a focal point beyond introductions. Magical Katrina can tailor the show to your company’s culture.
Why a Zoom Magic Show Works for New Hires
It Breaks the Ice Instantly
New hires are often nervous, polite, and careful. A moment of shared astonishment cuts through all of that. Everyone reacts the same way, at the same time.
It Creates Shared Memories
When a cohort experiences something impossible together, it becomes a story they share. “Remember the magic show from our first week?” is the kind of line that bonds people for years.
It Includes Everyone
Magic doesn’t depend on job title, department, or experience level. A new engineer and a new executive react exactly the same way. That makes a Zoom magic show one of the most level playing fields in onboarding.
It Shows Culture in Action
A company that invests in a joyful welcome experience is telling new hires something important: we care about how you feel here. Magical Katrina can echo your company’s values in the experience.
Participation Is Optional
Every guest Magical Katrina invites to take part walks away looking good. Nobody is ever embarrassed, and anyone who’d rather watch can simply enjoy the show. That matters for new hires who are still finding their footing.
What Happens During the Show
Every Zoom magic show is shaped around the group, but here’s the general experience.
New hires are invited by name to take part from wherever they’re sitting. It’s a gentle way to learn names and faces.
Mentalism, the art of seemingly reading minds and predicting decisions, works especially well online, because a thought doesn’t need to travel through a camera lens.
Reactions ripple across the screen. When one person gasps, everyone sees it, and the group starts to feel like a team.
Pairing the Show With Other Onboarding Activities
A Zoom magic show can be the highlight of a broader welcome experience.
Breakout rooms afterward. Send new hires into small groups with a prompt: “How do you think she did it?” It’s an easy, low-pressure way to start conversations.
A welcome box. Mail new hires a small package with company swag and a treat to enjoy during the show.
Leadership drop-ins. Invite a senior leader to say a few words before or after, so new hires feel welcomed by the people they’ll be working with.
Buddy introductions. Pair each new hire with a buddy who joins the show with them.
Magical Katrina can work with your People team to fit the show into your onboarding plan.
Planning Tips
Choose your platform. Zoom works well, and other platforms like Microsoft Teams and Google Meet can also work. Share your setup when you inquire.
Encourage cameras on. Seeing faces helps new hires connect. Mention it in the invitation.
Keep it optional but encouraged. Make it clear the show is part of the welcome, not another required training. New hires already have plenty of mandatory sessions on their calendars. This one should feel like a gift, not an assignment.
Plan around time zones. If your new hires are spread across regions, choose a time that works for as many as possible.
Share details about the cohort. Tell Magical Katrina how many people are joining, what roles they’re in, and anything special about the group. The more I know, the more personal the experience can feel.
Book early. If your company hires on a regular schedule, consider booking a Zoom magic show for several onboarding dates in advance.
What It Costs
My virtual shows range from $1,400 to $5,000, depending on format, audience size, and customization. Share your cohort size, platform, and goals when you inquire, and I’ll recommend the right fit for your Zoom magic show.
Who You’d Be Booking
I’ve been performing for more than 13 years across over 20 countries. I’ve appeared on Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Masters of Illusion, won five magic awards, and I’m a member of The Magic Circle in London and the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood. My work includes events connected to Formula 1, the Olympics, Porsche, Prada, and Ritz-Carlton.
I also lead team-building workshops and give keynotes that weave magic into marketing, entrepreneurship, communication, and ADHD.
Questions to Ask Before You Book
Can the show fit into our onboarding schedule?
How do new hires participate?
Can you work with our People or HR team?
Can we book recurring shows for future cohorts?
Can I see footage of real virtual audiences reacting?
I’m happy to answer every one of these. They’ll help you decide whether a Zoom magic show is the right fit for your onboarding program.
What It Looks Like
Picture a software company welcoming its newest cohort: twenty-four new hires across six countries, all starting on the same Monday.
On Friday afternoon, after a week of training, they log in for the welcome celebration. A support specialist in Dublin is invited to think of a word. A few moments later, I say it. She gasps. The chat floods with exclamation points in four languages.
Afterward, the cohort goes into breakout rooms to debate how it worked. By the time they come back, they’ve traded stories, swapped LinkedIn profiles, and started a group chat.
The details always depend on your event, but that’s the kind of moment a Zoom magic show can create.
The First Shared Story
So here’s what I promised.
The most important thing a new hire takes away from their first week isn’t on the onboarding checklist. It’s not the benefits overview, the security training, or the org chart.
It’s their first shared story.
Every team has stories. The time the launch went sideways at midnight. The legendary holiday party. The client call where everything went wrong and then somehow right. Those stories are how people feel like they belong.
Remote new hires start with no stories at all. They’re on the outside of every inside joke.
A Zoom magic show gives a new cohort its very first shared story, on their very first week. “Remember when she read Priya’s mind?” becomes something they can laugh about together, in Slack threads and team meetings, months later.
That’s the beginning of belonging. Not a policy or a perk, but a moment people experienced together and still talk about.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Zoom magic show work for remote onboarding?
Yes. A Zoom magic show can welcome new hires, help cohorts bond, and create a shared experience during the first week.
When should the show happen during onboarding?
Many companies choose welcome day or the end of the first week. Cohort kickoffs and quarterly new-hire gatherings also work well.
Can we book shows for multiple cohorts?
Often, yes. If your company hires on a regular schedule, we can discuss recurring dates.
How much does a Zoom magic show cost?
My virtual shows range from $1,400 to $5,000, depending on format, audience size, and customization.
What should I include when I inquire?
Your date and time zone, platform, cohort size, onboarding schedule, and goals. That helps me confirm availability and recommend the right format.
Let’s Welcome Your New Hires
If you’re planning remote onboarding and want new hires to feel connected from day one, I’d love to hear about it. Tell me about your cohort, your schedule, and what you want them to feel.
Get in touch to check availability with Magical Katrina, and let’s give your newest team members their first shared story.