Title: Party Business
Artist: Stephen Albett
Producers: Stephen Albett
Link: http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/S18702
Retail Price: $19.95
Learning Difficulty: Easy
Length of DVD: 2 hours 24 minutes
Notes: Digital Download
British Party Magician Stephen Albett has stepped up to the plate to deliver an information jammed packed video download on the business of performing as a party magician.
If you have ever wondered what went into having a successful career as a children’s party entertainer then I would consider Stephen’s video Party Business to be an essential resource to study on the subject. In his video Party Business Stephen takes you back stage and discusses everything that you would want to know about how he has ran his very successful business of doing children’s parties the past several years. Stephen leaves no subject untouched including the very controversial one of how much he charges for his shows. By the time you finish this video you should have everything you need to be successful at doing children’s parties with the exception of all the props, prizes to give out to the kids, payment options, pa systems, and acts should you not already have any of that to start with.
Party Business is more of a two hour lecture on performing for parties than anything else. You’re not going to learn any new tricks of the magical sort, but you’re going to get a lot of good information on how to manage large numbers of kids, tips for keeping the parents who book you happy, secrets to setting up good photo opportunities for the moms and dads with the birthday child, and a lot of different fun games to play with the kids. But the information in this video isn’t just all about what to do while you are at the party, there’s a lot of really good advice on marketing approaches, using conformation sheets, dealing with cancelations, sending out party invites, promo videos, and getting deposits among a long list of other topics. I really liked some of his marketing tricks, especially regarding party invitations. That’s something I am going to have to start making better use of myself.
One of the things that I found particularly interesting is the idea of using visual puzzles to give the parents something to do during the show as well as the kids. I just never thought to do something to include the parents, even subtly, in the show. That was some good food for thought. The only thing I didn’t like about the download is that it really is more of a two and a half hour lecture, and Stephen can get a little preachy at times. I found that the material got a little dry in sections, but it wasn’t like it was unwatchable. There’s just a lot of information covered.
If you’re at all interested in working children’s parties as an entertainer, but you either have no idea where to begin, or you’re looking for ways to improve your existing show, then I highly recommend you take a look at Party Business by Stephen Albett. I think you’re going to find a lot of useful information on this video download and the best part is this is all information that works! Nothing is theoretical. Everything Stephen talks about has been tried, proven, and hand selected from his own personal bag of tricks. This is undoubtedly the most honest, complete, and real work on children’s parties that I’ve seen in a long time. This download has earned the Draven Seal of Approval.
When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The four points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, Sound & Video Quality and Overall Quality.
Product Quality: 8
The price is fair, and the material is useful.
Teaching Quality: 7
The material is dry in places which can make it hard to get through. This feels like attending a lecture at the local magic club meeting, but it is information that you can use so it’s worth it.
Video & Sound Quality: 6
This looks and feels like it was privately produced outside of a studio. The editing, direction, and camera work is crude and reminiscent of a single guy doing everything himself, lacking the finesse and polish of a professional studio produced product.
Overall Quality: 8
Anyone who wants to do children’s parties should see this download first. Anyone already doing children’s parties should watch it and compare notes with what they are already doing. This is a great find! I highly recommend this product!
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