When the bookings aren’t coming as expected, many hypnotists naturally gravitate towards the notion that enhanced marketing strategies are the silver bullet. They imagine that a better sales page, a burgeoning social media following, or the aid of a savvy agent might be the key to unlocking a flood of bookings. However, this perspective overlooks a fundamental aspect of any performance art: the uniqueness and quality of the product or service itself.
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Hypnotism is not a mystical power or ability; it's a skill that anyone can learn. As a skill, it is not particularly complicated and can be taught relatively quickly. Here's the catch: knowing what to do with people once you have them hypnotized is a considerably more complex issue, and requires much more learning and preparation.
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In the world of entertainment, few acts draw as much intrigue and skepticism as stage hypnotism. The lure of watching someone seemingly command the will and actions of another is undeniably fascinating. As more performing hypnotists come into the marketplace and want to get noticed, there's an old technique that seems to be making a comeback with some hypnotists: the hypnotic bridge technique. If you're unfamiliar, this is when a hypnotist places a person between two chairs, rendering them supposedly so physically rigid that the hypnotist can stand on them. And while it may elicit gasps from the audience, there are several compelling reasons why it should be relegated to the annals of stage history.
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Stage hypnotists make up a pretty small community. While there are thousands of people who have received training in stage hypnotism, there are only a few hundred that are actively performing as stage hypnotists worldwide. Those numbers could decrease significantly in the next five to ten years if stage hypnotists fail to address a critical issue within the profession: the declining availability of liability insurance.
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The pandemic drove some stage hypnotists out of the industry. After two years of disruption to the live entertainment industry, experts are beginning to discuss the possible end of the pandemic, but that won't necessarily mean a return to normal for entertainers. Instead, it may signal an evolutionary leaping point in how entertainment is distributed, consumed, and experienced. Are stage hypnotists ready?
"In times of rapid change, experience could be your worst enemy."
-J. Paul Getty
Human beings love certainty. Our need for certainty is encoded within us. It's a survival instinct. The more we stick with what we know, what consistently works, the more likely we are to survive. Unfortunately, no survival instinct is perfect for all situations in which there is a threat.
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I recently had a stage hypnosis show at a boarding school. It was a gorgeous campus, made up of classic federal style buildings from the 1800's and newer contemporary buildings that glistened with glass that allowed the warm light of the interior to spill out into the cold January evening. The campus was nicer than many colleges I perform at, which is often the case when I do shows at private schools. They are places of great privilege and means.
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There has long been a division in the profession of hypnotism between consulting (or clinical) hypnotists and stage hypnotists. Many consulting hypnotists believe that stage hypnotists misrepresent the true value of hypnotism, and some would even say that stage hypnotists hurt the profession with their playful use of a skill set that can help people change their lives. As a hypnotist who keeps a foot in each circle of hypnotism, I believe that there is tremendous value in the work stage hypnotists do, when they do it well. In fact, I would argue that besides the internet, stage hypnotists are the greatest asset that the profession of hypnotism has today.
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An important aspect of business for hypnotists is keeping track of emerging social media platforms. How do you know which ones to get involved with and which ones to stay away from? It's tricky.
Zach Pincince trained with us in 2018, and when he finished his training he immediately started working on his social media branding, primarily through Instagram and YouTube. But then, Zach heard about a lesser-known platform called Tik Tok, which was getting more attention with young people. He joined the platform, and in just months skyrocketed to the top hypnotist profile on the platform amassing over two MILLION followers. In this interview, Paul and Zach talk about what it's been like for Zach to become "Tik Tok famous," how he's leveraged that fame to help him on his other social platforms, and what it has meant for his business so far.
When asked to speak at a conference for stage hypnotists in 2018, I framed my presentation right away from a perspective that was bound to make some people in the room uncomfortable, but it's important that we be honest about what's going on in our profession: there's a serious lack of innovation.
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