Doc Dixon: From the Funny Bone to the Fortune 500 by Mary Cvetan
A magician is supposed to:
A) Look far too serious and pull pigeons out of thin air
B) Chase white Tigers around Las Vegas.
C) Be as funny as he is amazing, and play the shell game with a shell that's more than a foot tall.
If you answered "C," you must have seen Doc Dixon, the MagiComedian!
Doc Dixon is a Pittsburgh based magician who travels the country performing at corporate and association events. His act is, to say the least, different -- and extremely entertaining.
"The visual power of magic, combined with my offbeat sense of humor, has proven to be a very effective combination."
It is these corporate events that occupy the other half of Dixon's career. His clients read like a section of the Fortune 500., including such clients as American Express Inc., Anheuser-Busch Inc., Bayer, Mellon Bank, USX, Walmart and Westinghouse. He's even entertained at The White House. (No Monica Lewinsky jokes please! His visit occurred during the Bush presidency.)
"Corporate events present wonderful creative challenges because I tailor each show to the client's specific needs," Dixon explains. Working with the meeting planner, I create a unique magicomedy event, based on the audience-tested routines I've done hundreds of times." For example, in a trademark routine from Dixon's show, he borrows a twenty dollar bill, has it signed and makes it vanish. It reappears later, deep within a set of Russian nesting dolls. "During a show for the Bayer Corporation, I made the signed bill appear in a sealed bottle of Bayer aspirin instead of inside the dolls. The client loves it when their product gets a starring role in the show!"
This is especially true when Dixon uses his world-renowned magic skills to communicate a company's sales message at a trade show booth. "Magic, particularly close-up sleight of hand magic, is the ultimate attention getter and communications tool," he says. "Using magic, I stop traffic at the booth and visually communicate the client's message." His clients agree. James Morris of American Express Financial Advisors noted that hiring Dixon for their trade show booth enabled his company to get 50% more leads than they would have otherwise."
Corporate events. Trade shows. Doc Dixon is a busy man. Is that why he brought a heavy duty saber saw to the interview? Is the stress getting to him?
"No," he laughs. "A client recently asked me to saw him in half to illustrate the importance of cutting unnecessary costs in his company. A magician's work is never done!"
| Boomers Magazine Volume 1, Issue 4 |