Clownstuff We have the best prices for all your Facepainting needs. 12 Color Professional Case Paula “Stickers” Biggio P.O. Box 1023 Park Ridge, Illinois 60068 847 698 3378 Fax 847 384 1822 www.clownstuff.com Page 12 The New Calliope Convention Issue
Line Work from page 11 for an agent, check to see if you need to hand out their cards instead of your own. If they booked you, they can make that request). Mentally prepare to be interviewed by the media. Ask the client about having people help handle your line keeping it orderly, and cutting it off when necessary. Sometimes you are the only one doing this. Sometimes the people who are assigned to help you vanish! Plan for the worst, hope for the best, and expect something in between. Now for the most important part. Your main focus in a line work gig is not to paint faces, do balloons, or hand out whatever! Your main focus is to provide the guests with a favorable, memorable experience! Your method of doing this is the balloons, face art, free stuff, etc. Plus, and this is important, be entertaining. Do not accept a line work gig unless you have about five minutes of material to keep the onlookers from being bored. You do not have to be a Steve Martin, or a Jackie Gleason. Just be interesting. A bored line gets to be an angry line really quickly! You must keep your line in order. There are several strategies: use rope partitions, a number machine, hand out playing cards and call them in one by one, or get someone else to help you. Most of the time, I handle this by myself. It’s hard, but I get paid well for what I do, and it’s fun! I have in the trunk of my car, a runner rug, about 8 feet long. I set it on the ground in front of my station, and let people know that the front of the line must stay on the carpet. This strategy tends to funnel people right to you. It works for me. Time passes, your line is flowing smoothly, you manage a potty break when you must, and it comes time to close down. This is the hardest part! People do not like being told no! But you have to go. There are many reasons: you have another gig, the money stops and so do you, you must meet the spouse for a bowling date, whatever. I judge how fast my line is moving. I figure out how long it takes for the last person in line to get to me. I do this before I must shut the line off. The last person in line gets a fluorescent yellow vest to wear that says in both English and Spanish the line is closed. I promise the wearer something special, and say if they let anyone in line in front of them, I will not be able to give them this really neat thing I have in mind for them! I have tried signs on the ground, closed circles, and a lot of other things. The vest works best for me. I also make frequent announcements for all to hear, telling people that I am leaving at such and such a time. I once turned off a 45 minute line, just by having the last person wear the vest. No announcements, no nothing, just the vest. How cool is that! Try to have an overtime policy in place with the event coordinator. If the person who hired you is against overtime, fine. If they are for it, get their approval before you cut off the line. Find out specifically whose approval you will need. Do that before the gig starts. Sometimes, if you have a long line, the event person will authorize you to stay. And most of all - keep a great attitude and have fun! u DAYTONA MAGIC SHOP AT HOME VIA OUR WEBSITE: www.daytonamagic.com THOUSANDS OF ITEMS EACH WITH PICTURE AND DESCRIPTION PRICE BUSTING ONLINE SALES EVERY WEEK OF THE YEAR! SIGN-UP WITH YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF OUR WEEKLY SALES AND SPECIALS. INCLUDES A SUBSCRIPTION TO THE HOT SHEET BEST PRICES IN MAGIC! 136 South Beach Street, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 1-800-34-MAGIC (386) 252-6767 All Other Inquires • (386) 252-9037 Fax HARRY ALLEN & IRV COOK MasterCard SPECIALIZING IN MAGIC FOR CLOWNS May/June <strong>2009</strong> Page 13
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