We recently connected with GREGG DIAMANT and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, GREGG thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
Returning to the U.S. after 30 years abroad as a Christian missionary family, I needed to find a way to support ourselves. Skill sets that I had learned and used in our work were video production and children’s entertainment. Being the best video producer in Uganda did not translate into doors swinging open in the talented market here, so I tried entertainment. It was a very slow start with balloon twisting at I-Hop and a few magic shows for about a year. Then my magic show referrals started to grow exponentially and soon that was all I was doing. Eventually the show became so popular that I decided to train someone else to handle the overflow. My wife took up face painting and eventually closed down her in-home daycare to handle bookings. At the 10 year mark (just before covid) we had myself, our Fort Worth magician and 10 balloon twisters and face painters in DFW & Houston very steadily booked. Covid hit hard, but we are doing great and growing daily.
GREGG, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Being a magician is not just about the tricks you do, it is much more about how you do the tricks. With a theatrical director as a father and actress as a mother, I had that inborn, God-given, skill set to start with. Not my own doing at all, but I took what I was given and worked with it. I was able to develop the show simply by paying attention to when the kids laughed or didn’t. I thought, “ok, they think that’s funny, I’ll keep that–but they’re not laughing at this part–so even though I think it’s hilarious, I better drop that.” The show has morphed and developed over these 10+ years to where it is full time hilarious laughter or excited rapt attention and edge-of-seat excitement! I very much avoid embarrassing the kids for cheap laughs (how is that any fun?), and the magic and humor are such that the main comment I get after each show, is how much the adults loved it too! Everyone has a great time!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
To be honest, I am not a social media wiz. I am very delinquent in that arena. At the beginning I paid hundreds to Google for placement–waste of money in my case. But I am always on the first page on Google–sometimes with 3 or more first page placements. I believe one secret to this is my Ka-Zam Dollar, which each child at my show wins. There is a link on the back to a free magic lesson video which is hosted on my site. That gets an untold number of hits. I believe that incentive to go to the website to get their free video organically increases my Google standing.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I really enjoy being my own boss. I can accept or refuse work. Well, at first it wasn’t so much like that as I needed the income from any booking, and so I would always make it work no matter how late or early or how full my schedule was. But now as the popularity of the show has grown, I can accept or refuse and that’s a great freedom.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.greggsmagic.com www.virtualmagicshows.com
- Facebook: @GreggsMagic