If you think being a corporate emcee is no different from a regular performance (or that any “funny guy” at work can do it), think again. Being an effective emcee requires a distinct skill set. Think about it…as the emcee, you set the tone for the entire event. You have to be able to cut or expand your planned material on the fly, often based on circumstances you have no control over, such as a last minute agenda change or technical problems. All in all, it’s a stressful role, and you have to pull it off with ease. Unfortunately, many people believe that anyone can emcee an event – that the funny guy at the office can handle the role or that any entertainer can jump in and do it. Such a mindset does not give the role of emcee the respect it deserves. No wonder so many emcees do an average job at best. When it comes to effectively emceeing an event, you need to do your homework. You can’t be so confident in your regular material that you blow off the emcee role as “easy” or “a cake walk.” Being an emcee really is a big deal, and you need to approach the role as such. The following guidelines will help you emcee any event so you appear professional, confident, and in control of the agenda. (more…)
Ricky Kalmon is a sought-after Stage Hypnotist, Corporate Entertainer and Motivational Speaker, and the originator of the Subconscious Makeover™ System.
Ricky is the star of the popular TV show Seeing Stars, that airs on the TV Guide channel. In each episode, Ricky encounters real people on the streets of Los Angeles and hypnotizes them to become TV personalities. The volunteers actually think they are characters on their favorite shows—Dr. Phil giving advice to people, Paris Hilton on a shoe-shopping spree, or even the next American Idol. (more…)
When you look around the room, all you see are smiling faces. Alternately, in place of smiles, you will see mouths agape with amazement at the spectacle unfolding on stage. That spectacle is Chuck King, “America’s Premier Corporate and Variety Entertainer.”
King has earned this title in part because of his ability to be hilarious and clean at the same time – a feat lesser entertainers have attempted and failed. How does he do it? Easy: talent, and an understanding of what today’s talent buyers, event planners and, ultimately, audiences are looking for. Where other entertainers use fluff and shocking language to elicit responses (usually lukewarm, at best) from audiences, King rises well above the rest with his expert blend of hypnosis, comedy, magic and slight of hand – a blend he has perfected throughout his career; red-hot reactions from his dazzled audiences are the result. (more…)
You’ve never seen a Magician like Jay Mattioli – At 26 years old, he has already traveled across the globe with his unique blend of magic. Audiences from Las Vegas to New York City and LA to the UK have witnessed Jay’s dynamic magic with sensational reviews.
Jay’s unique style obliterates the past concept of what people expect from a magician and is one of the few illusionists in the world who has truly brought magic up to date. The combination of hilarious, and jaw-dropping illusions along with a diverse blend of chart-topping music, has catapulted Jay into a field where he stands alone.
Matt Marcy has spent the last 15 years performing around the world as a comedy-magician and emcee. With nearly 3,000 shows under his belt, he’s entertained everyone from Hollywood celebrities to CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies to royalty. Matt has made a name for himself by combining his unique style, quick wit, and completely original magic and illusion, and is a regular entertainer for corporate events, colleges, and cruise ships. He is also a favorite at the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, having performed over 1,000 shows at the exclusive magicians’ clubhouse. As one reviewer put it, “Matt is one of the most orignal comedy magicians I have ever seen. His performance is nuanced, goofy, broad, full of humor on multiple levels, and his magic is baffling to the point of swearing off drink forever.”
MATT MARCY is proudly represented by Expert Performers and available for Corporate Event bookings Worldwide.
They are Siegfried and Roy’s favorite act for a reason, and as soon as The Evasons, the world’s top mentalist duo, take the stage, it’s very clear why: you simply can’t take your eyes off them, or keep yourself from wondering what’s next.
It’s impossible not to be completely blown away by Jeff and Tessa Evason’s two-person, audience-interactive telepathy, even for the most jaded skeptic. The only thing that might distract you from what’s happening throughout their performance is the sound of jaws dropping to the floor, audible gasps of incredulousness, and other audience members excitedly exclaiming their delighted shock. Even those distractions, as numerous as they are, can’t break you out of the spell The Evasons quickly put you under as you watch them defy logic time and again.
For these expert performers, stepping on stage is a joy. Says Jeff, “No matter what you’re going through, the moment you walk on stage, it’s gone. There’s just nothing like that moment when you step on stage.” Tessa adds, “It’s communicating. Not just what you say, but how you listen. The audience gets that we’re really listening, and paying attention to them. I get a lot back from the audience. It’s looking at them, looking into their eyes and really listening. How are they going to respond to us? The audience takes us on a journey we hadn’t planned on!” (more…)
In today’s economy, many meeting planners feel that they have their hands tied. They want to create a memorable event for their attendees, but they know they have to be more mindful than ever of expenses. They also have to watch perception. So even if they stay under budget for their meeting, if attendees perceive the event to be filled with wasteful spending, then all their hard work will be criticized.
Unfortunately, the “entertainment” is often the area that people cut corners on during their planning. They perceive entertainment as a luxury item that they can eliminate or get for very cheap. In reality, your entertainment is the one thing you should never cut, no matter how meager your budget.
Why? Because the entertainment is what attendees will remember. It’s what evokes emotions and memories in people. It’s what brings people together and what ultimately strengthens your brand. (more…)
Jim Wand’s career is the career that almost wasn’t. He didn’t aspire to be a performer, and he is not driven by rave reviews and accolades, though he certainly has a large enough collection of both. In fact, the skeptics in his audiences are in very good company; Wand was one, himself. That is, until he saw first-hand just how powerful hypnosis can be. “I was in college and about 60 pounds overweight. I had a friend who finally convinced me to let him hypnotize me, and after he did that, the weight came off and has stayed off ever since.” So moving and powerful was that experience that Wand changed his major from computer science to psychology, and thus began his journey and exploration into the powers of the mind.
After graduating from college, Wand ran a hypnotherapy clinic for six years until hypnosis again changed his life. “I put together a 15 minute demonstration for a college friend who had been asking me to perform, and I had been resisting for a while; with my clinical background, I really wanted to do more therapy. In fact, it was against my beliefs to use hypnosis as entertainment. But, he finally convinced me, and when 850 students showed up for what I thought was going to just be a small demonstration, I realized there was really something to that.” Indeed. (more…)
He’s known as “The Stone” among colleagues, since his lips don’t move – at all – during his performances. It seems impossible, when you’re in his audience, to believe that the voices are really coming from Ken Groves, since no matter how much you concentrate and focus on his face, you won’t see so much as a twitch!
Your attention on his face won’t last long though, because his show is so funny and entertaining, you soon lose yourself in what he – excuse me – the puppets are saying. You find yourself, a normal, rational human being, completely believing that the puppets Groves features in his shows are actually real, living creatures. Even more astonishing and hilariously surprising is that you find yourself wanting to engage in conversation with them, wanting to know their points of view. Ken Groves makes it seem like all of that is possible, because he stands back and lets the puppets run the show.
“For 15% of the show, I talk. The rest, the puppet is talking, and they talk straight to the audience. They ask questions of the audience, and it’s so funny to see people responding to them as if they’re real people.” Each show features three specific puppets, which are based on people from Groves’ life. He finds inspiration in every day conversations, events and observations, and then allows his puppets to expand and explore those things with hilarity as the result. (more…)
For most people, the voice is a standard-issue, one-per-person proposition, a possession needing little attention or consideration. But Larry G. Jones is not most people…or is he?
“The Man of 1002 Voices,” Jones personifies practically every entertainer, celebrity and political personality known to humankind as he dances and sings his way through each performance, guaranteeing his audiences an escape from reality that leaves them feeling uplifted, excited and joyful.
“I’m trying to bring joy into people’s lives,” says Jones. “I want to make them smile, and get them to become part of my life.” Personable and effervescent, he wants audiences to get to know him not just as a performer, but as a person. He accomplishes this by sharing true things about his life as he takes audiences on a musical journey through time which includes “appearances” from superstars of all musical genres. From Motown hits to iconic, contemporary Broadway numbers, to pop and rock – the list is seemingly endless; there truly is something for everyone. “I’m very selective with the music. I choose songs that everybody’s going to know, everybody’s going to love.” If audience reaction and participation is any gauge, Jones’ calculations are right on the money. Audiences love to sing along, and the instant familiarity and recognition of the chart-topping hits Jones includes makes for a memorable experience. (more…)
by Jeff Civillico
When you look around the room, all you see are smiling faces. Alternately, in place of smiles, you will see mouths agape with amazement at the spectacle unfolding on stage. That spectacle is Chuck King, “America’s Premier Corporate and Variety Entertainer.”
They are Siegfried and Roy’s favorite act for a reason, and as soon as The Evasons, the world’s top mentalist duo, take the stage, it’s very clear why: you simply can’t take your eyes off them, or keep yourself from wondering what’s next.
Jim Wand’s career is the career that almost wasn’t. He didn’t aspire to be a performer, and he is not driven by rave reviews and accolades, though he certainly has a large enough collection of both. In fact, the skeptics in his audiences are in very good company; Wand was one, himself. That is, until he saw first-hand just how powerful hypnosis can be. “I was in college and about 60 pounds overweight. I had a friend who finally convinced me to let him hypnotize me, and after he did that, the weight came off and has stayed off ever since.” So moving and powerful was that experience that Wand changed his major from computer science to psychology, and thus began his journey and exploration into the powers of the mind.
He’s known as “The Stone” among colleagues, since his lips don’t move – at all – during his performances. It seems impossible, when you’re in his audience, to believe that the voices are really coming from Ken Groves, since no matter how much you concentrate and focus on his face, you won’t see so much as a twitch!
For most people, the voice is a standard-issue, one-per-person proposition, a possession needing little attention or consideration. But Larry G. Jones is not most people…or is he?
