Career Options
Poof! How Wij turned himself into a magicianWijendran Namasivayam, alias Wij the Magician, never imagined that he'd earn his living as a magician/entertainer. CHRISTINE CRISTIANO |
|
 [ 2002-08-21 ] |
To find out, take this test by eCareerFit, the career assessment experts.
"I always loved to do magic. I didn't train under anyone -- I taught myself," says Wijendran Namasivayam, known as Wij the Magician/Entertainer.
"I didn't grow up thinking I was going to be a magician. My parents wanted me to be a doctor."
Wij the Magician/Entertainer has been pleasing audiences for more than 15 years. His unique style of magic, comedy and audience participation has earned him the reputation as one of the top 'slight of hand' Magicians in Toronto.
Magic started as a hobby for Wij and it gradually worked itself into a part-time job and then a full-time occupation.
Wij's first gig was performing at his uncle's wedding.
"I was so scared," he remembers. " I told my brother I couldn't do it and he told me I had to because they just called my name.
"I always loved to do magic. I didn't train under anyone -- I taught myself. I went to a lot of magician conventions and have over 400 books on magic," he explains.
"When I started, I knew how to do magic but I didn't know the business side of it. You have to have some business sense. I had to learn how to promote myself."
Wij the Magician is well known across Ontario and performs about 250 to 300 shows yearly, including corporate functions, trade shows, fundraisers, picnics and private parties. Some of his corporate clients have included Canada Trust, General Motors and Bell Mobility.
Wij has also appeared on numerous TV shows, including The Grand Illusion -- The Story of Magic on The Discovery Channel, City TV's Breakfast Television and on The Women's Television Network.
Wij's specialties include strolling magic and stage magic. Strolling Magic is 'in the hand' magic performed while strolling from group to group at events such as sales conventions or corporate functions.
Stage Magic is on a much grander scale with a seated audience using bigger props, lots of audience participation and situation comedy. Wij entertains people of all ages and all occasions.
"Performing for kids is very different than performing for adults," Wij points out. "You can't get too sophisticated when you perform for kids or the trick will go over their heads. You can get very sophisticated and inject a lot of humour when you perform for adults."
"Magic is mostly for entertaining purposes, but when you hire a magician for trade shows, the magician's purpose is to draw attention and prospective clients to the booth," Wij explains. "At a trade show, you want to increase the traffic to the booth -- magic does it well. Sometimes a crowd can form very quickly.
"When I'm hired for a trade show, I script the show beforehand to include the company's information. I implement the product, logo or message into my act. Trade show magicians are very popular in the U.S., but not as common in Canada, unless the company's head office is in the U.S."
Wij's magic has taken him across Canada and the U.S., and to Germany and Brazil. Performing in a country where there is a language barrier calls for a slight adjustment to his routine.
"When I perform in a country where the audience speaks a different language, I have to rely on more visual 'slight of hand' tricks as opposed to talking. I have also performed for the deaf -- this required my tricks to be all visual."
Wij says his greatest accomplishment is making people smile and laugh.
"I can't imagine sitting in an office all day. I'm happy that I have earned a living doing something I enjoy," Wij concludes. "I can't imagine doing anything else."
For more information on magic education, call the Cheikhe Dem Academy of Magic in Trenton, Ont. at 613-394 1789 or visit www3.sympatico.ca/expo.sciences/chd/
How many years experience do you have in your current position or industry?