Magician adapts to online shows during pandemic

“The pandemic hit the gig worker very hard. Normally, as a magician, I would be wrapping up a busy season of magic shows for parties. But no parties means no need for entertainment.

“I usually perform for the Houston Children’s Museum and for private children’s birthday parties. When those all had to be canceled, I felt bad for the kids. So I adapted by offering free streaming magic shows via Zoom.

“I set up my laptop in my living room with a webcam to create the feel of being in the living room of the kids watching online. It worked well, but I initially hated it. After I made some tweaks to the show, they got a lot better and a lot more fun to perform.

“Magicians set up online groups to offer each other advice on hardware and material that would play well in a streaming environment. A small investment for additional equipment made my shows a lot better for streaming, and I opened up performances for adult audiences.

“With this new medium comes new techniques. I can take advantage of the one angle all viewers have while watching the streaming shows.

“Through the new online communities for magicians, I’ve made many new friends from all over the world. I’ve had the opportunity to share my knowledge by teaching other magicians tricks, techniques and other ways to make their performances even better. This also opened up more sales for me, as I’m a creator of magic with several products that I sell through an online distributor.

“The silver lining in this new world that we live in has been the chance to get creative, learn new techniques, and expand my services for online shows and training other magicians. Fortunately, I have a day job so the economic impact has not been as devastating for me as it has for many full-time gig workers.”

— Jamie Salinas