By Rory Johnston
that synergy going by calling each other every day to compare notes, continue to improve the product, and encourage one another. Welcome to the wonderful world of the
uppose you and a half-dozen friends all decided to do the same Pro Kids Show! magic show within your individual markets. You were all experienced, The birth of the show goes back to the late all talented, all inspired. Each of you had your 70s with a production called The People own skills and specialties, and you were willMover show created by Gary Mullens in ing to share everything you knew with the Southern California. Steve Pennington was others: not only the on-stage techniques, but involved and, after a time, went on to create in the marketing area as well. Suppose your his own show, the Pro Kids Show! For a numshow was a huge success and you could keep ber of years Steve hired other performers, gave 64 MAGIC • SEPTEMBER 2 0 0 3
them a salary, a truck, and scheduled the shows. Then, in 1994, Scott Humston suggested that he take out his version of the show. This time, however, the relationship was not to be one of employer and employee, but more of a partnership, with Scott licensing the rights to the show. The sharing of thoughts and ideas that resulted was encouraging and, in 1996, Tim Hannig, a magician from the Chicago area, joined the group. Word spread from friend to friend and, within a few years, the co-op of licensed performers had grown to
Third-grader Anthony
Evangelista assists Tim
Hannig for a Pro Kids
Show! at an elementary school in Henderson, Nevada.
Pro Kids Show! founder Steve Pennington recruits an audience member at a show in Nashville, Tennessee.
include Ralph Metsler in Washington, D.C.; Terry Hedges in Nashville, Tennessee; Tad Conner in Fort Worth, Texas; and Jerry Storz in Denver, Colorado. To be honest, when watching a Pro Kids Show, the audience would have no idea that there was a large team behind it. On the surface, it appears to be a one-man operation. The eight individual performers each have their own territory within the continental United States. The show centers on a star that “does it all,” including the load-in, set-up, the
performance itself, tear-down, and hauling the show to the next venue. He also provides the publicity and coordinates everything with the school, in much the same way any schoolassembly performer might. The average child, teacher, or parent in the audience would never guess they were watching a team effort except for one big hint: the show is really good. The Pro Kids Show! is not so much a magic show as it is a motivational experience for children. Using magic, music, puppetry, ventriloquism, singing, juggling, and drama, MAG
the show teaches important messages about character, friendship, respect, honesty, and responsibility. The magic tricks are not standalone illusions, but merely tools that are skillfully integrated into the performance to enhance a story line and message. Tim Hannig explains, “The magic boosts the message. It’s like a trade show for kids. So many magicians try to do that... simply take a trick then tie a message to it. Like ABC Blocks: ‘A’ stands for this, ‘B’ stands for this... blah, blah, blah. In our case the magic is part of the drama. The trick is never the focus; it’s part of the over-all picture. We create a story. What do we want to happen? How do we want it to end? Then we search for the ideal trick to help sell it.” In addition, there are professionally produced musical soundtracks to create the right mood. “It’s original. The production value is very important.” Each of the Pro Kids Show! personalities uses the same storyline and script, but each performs it in their own way with different approaches and styles. The principle thing they all have in common is that one doesn’t walk away remembering the magic, one walks away remembering the message — quite an achievement in today’s world. Of course, parents and teachers are constantly reminding students of these basic life skills, but there’s something very cool about having a crazy, fun guy talk about the same things. Scott Humston, whose territory includes the Orlando, Florida area, agrees. “My goal is not to be a flashy magician with the kids jsut oohing and aahing. I don’t want to just show them stuff that I can do that they can’t. My goal is to be a big brother. I want the kids to think that guy is cool. I’d like to be like that! It’s a synergistic approach to the over-all development of a child’s character. Hopefully they hear it at home, at their church or synagogue, and at school. They see posters in the hall. Now here’s a live show. It’s fun, but the message is clear and important. Character is not taught, it’s caught. It’s learned by repeated exposure. That’s how you learn to be honest.” If Scott sounds sincere, he is. A quality that stands out among the Pro Kids Show! performers is their genuine passion for youngsters. Both Tad Conner and Jerry Storz are teachers, they have been in children’s-show biz for many years, and neither of them see this as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. To them, this is the best of the best. Humston explains, “So many performers have a hierarchy in magic, saying they’re ‘going to do birthday parties, school shows, then whatever, and finally trade shows, because that’s where the money is.’” Yet, Scott maintains, “The money will come if you love what you do. I’ve done corporate stuff, but I don’t care much for it. I don’t get hugs from moms and kids who loved the show. I don’t C • SEPTEMBER 2003 65
The Pro Kids Show! team Steve Pennington Founded Pro-Kids Inc. in 1981 "I'm amazed that the thrill and magic of the ProKids Show! is still there, even after doing it for over 20 years. Seeing tie faces of the kids light up at tie betginning of each show reminds me of what a special privilege I have to be a part of something with a group of people that is making a difference/' Other accomplishments: Master puppeteer for Walt Disney World Legend of the Lon King and Voyage of the Liitle Mermaid. Director & scriptwriter for shows at Opryland and Silver Dollar City. Co-creator and puppeteer for the award-winning syn dicated TV promotion, Snowbird.
Scott Humston Joined Pro-Kids: 1994 "I was born with a birth-defect known as a cleft palate, which I overcame in part because my parents, teachers, pastors, and others encouraged and inspired me, and taught me that I could accomplish great things. The ability to reach children and fami lies is a lifetime dream." Other accomplishments: Voted "Best Young Magician in Florida" at age 17. Performed over 500 shows for Cypress Gardens. Has a degree in theater from Trevecca University, and has performed at tie White House.
Tim Hannig Joined Pro-Kids: 1996 "In 1996,1 married my wife, Sacha, and also began presenting the Pro-Kids Show! Both of these events continue to bring h^^r^^r^tdous blessings into my life.
Working with Steve and the rest of the team has been a great experience." Other accomplishments: Earned a degree in communications from Wheaton College. Performed 900 shows at Six Flags theme parks. Has worked at the W^hite House, the Magic Castle, and is tie author of The Ultimate Guide to Entertaining Kids
& Families.
Ralph Metzler Joined Pro-Kids: 2001 "Doing the Pro-Kids Show! is my new passion. Instead of doing shows just for fun, I can now make a real difference in the lives of children and their families/'
Other accomplishments: Voted "Best Entertainer for Kids" for eight years in a row by the readers of Washington Families Magazine. Has performed at the White House and Kennedy Center, and proposed to wife, Rosa, on stage during a show.
Tad Conner Joined Pro-Kids: 2002 "Everything I've done since college has required me to use my personality to influ ence kids. Being a schoolteacher and administrator were rewarding, but very tough. I love it that the Pro-Kids Show! allows me to have a wider influence on young families and school communities." Cither Accompiishments: Has a bachelors and masters degrees in education, and eight years experience as a ^^acher, coach, and administrator, as well as serving as a children's pastor for four years.
Terry Hedges Joined Pro-Kids: 2002 "Pro-Kids has really expanded what I do. I have always been into heavy-duty close-up magic, but now love being the Pro Kids guy on stage, delivering fun mixed with message." Other accomplishments: First Place '95 & '97 World of Wizards Magic competiton, and the Sam Walkoff Memorial Award of Excellence.
get dads with tears in their eyes saying, ‘This is great. I really needed tonight.’ I had a dad come up to me with tears rolling down his face and he said, ‘I want to thank you for tonight. My wife died about six months ago and tonight’s the first time I laughed with my kids.’ When you touch people, that’s powerful.” 66
MAGIC
•
Hannig adds, “I was at a theme park doing a piece about spending time with your family, and this youth pastor came up after the show. I could tell his kids were uncomfortable because he was sobbing. He said, ‘I spend all my time at the church and no time with my kids.’ Two months later, the guy came back with his famiSEPTEMBER 2 0 0 3
ly. His kids were there as a testimony, to tell what a change it had made in their life. I thought, wow, even if for nobody else, this made a difference. That’s part of the reason I’m not just doing restaurants any more.” Scott capped if off, saying, “Do what you love and don’t always be looking for the next goal. This is not the bottom rung of the ladder that we’re climbing. Kids are 100% people, not just future adults. Hopefully we are helping to develop their character. We love that.” One of the things that makes the program unique in the world of school shows is that it is sold primarily as a two-part program. The first part is the 40-minute daytime assembly for the student body. From the moment the performer enters squirting the kids with water, the emphasis is on fun and learning how to be a better person. When the high-energy performance is over, one might expect the kids to be so wound up that the teachers may as well write off the rest of the day. “Teachers have a resistance to assemblies because the kids are hyped-up and out of control at the end,” explained Tim. “It takes them half the day to calm the kids down.” Not so with a Pro Kids Show. Its hallmark is the dismissal of the children. A challenge is given to the students: Show your appreciation by exiting the auditorium, class by class, in an organized fashion. And the students do so, in complete silence, except for the calming music that plays in the background. “This refocuses the students and sends them back to their classroom ready to learn,” explains Tim. “The number one comment we get from teachers is, ‘My students were better behaved after the show today than most days.’” Back in the schoolroom, the experience isn’t over. Teachers are provided with a guidebook that contains suggestions for follow-up discussions and activities. There are reminders of all the subjects that were covered in the Pro Kids Show! and ideas on how to reinforce them. For example, a Hat Tear effect is used to illustrate that when learning something new, we must remember to not give up. It was the teacher who was onstage who successfully restored the ripped papers and made them into a hat. The discussion guide has such questions as: “When Tim’s trick didn’t work, he said he felt like giving up, but did he give up? Who did Tim get help from? When you’re having trouble, do you think it is important to get help from your teachers? Remember? Tim said if you want to succeed, you must work together with your teachers and show them respect. In what ways can you show respect for your teachers in class? In the hall? In PE? In the lunchroom? On the playground?” A variety of fun and interesting activities are presented in the booklet, such as imagining that you are a world famous magician, making up a name for your show, and drawing posters for it. Another is to perform a
Tim Hannig gets the attention of the kids with the “water-squirt-bottle opener, ” a bit that’s become a tradition with the Pro Kid’s Show!
good deed every day and report them at the end of the week. It also suggests writing a letter to the magician thanking him for the show and telling him what was learned. In the latter activity the teachers are also encouraged to write their own comments, which are used as a valuable publicity tool! Amazingly, that is only the beginning of the Pro Kids Show! experience. The second part is an hour-long family-night show. Hannig explains, “Schools are trying to build parental involvement. We offer a tool that does that.” The children, after having such a wonderful time at the day assembly, practically insist that their parents bring them to the show that evening. “We set the kids up during the assembly show, saying, ‘Tonight we were going to do the famous Houdini Rope Escape and I was hoping he could come, but... he’s had some other problems... but, hey, Mrs. Blanchard, are you coming tonight?’ The kids go home and tell their parents that they’re going to tie the principal up like Houdini did.” Scott adds, “Whether we saw the principal in half, shackle them up or whatever, we try to make them look good. They come out the hero and they love it. Teachers are crucial to the show.” And these teasers work toward drawing the parents. According to the Pro Kids performers, schools that typically have 90 parents show up for a PTA meeting will have 500 or more show up for the evening Pro Kids Show. “Parents tell us all the time that they weren’t planning on coming, but their kids wouldn’t stop talking about it.” The evening show opens with the same
water squirt, as the kids expect, but other than that, it is completely different from the assembly show. “The night show isn’t preachy at all,” Hannig says, “There are messages about the value of family relationships, but mostly it’s good, clean family fun. There is a part of the show where I say, ‘You know, I speak to kids about character all the time, but as you moms and dads know, so much of that really comes from home. That’s why I applaud you for coming out here tonight and spending some time with your kids, because really the best way we can pass on these things to our kids is simply by spending time with them.’” The message is simple — the most important gifts parents can give to their kids aren’t things, but time. “We close the show with a musical piece that let’s the parents know how important they are in their kids lives.” The evening show is sold as a package deal and is not available on a stand-alone basis. “Without the day show it wouldn’t work,” Tim explained. “They’d get the same involved parents who come to everything, but we’re trying to make a bigger impact than that. And the audience wouldn’t be as warm.” The school assembly, on the other hand, is available without the family night show, and that happens in varying degrees according to the individual markets. When schools make that choice, however, they often regret their decision after seeing the positive response to the day assembly. The Pro Kids Show team is constantly working to improve their product, which changes from year to year, enabling them to return to the
same schools regularly. The advantages of being in a co-operative of performers are many. They talk to each other as much as two or three times a day, not only about the performances, but about marketing. They share the costs of promotional materials. Their individual web sites are coordinated with the main Pro Kids Show site, through which any of the performers can be contacted and booked. The concept of six experienced professionals brainstorming on a regular basis to raise the bar of their product has been inspiring, and the results are significant. The half-dozen performers were accepted into the group through personal relationships with the others — a friend telling a friend. So far, there is no application process for other performers who might be interested in joining the Show Pro Kids team. However, other entertainers could certainly use the co-op concept. In fact, the Pro Kids Show performers have indicated that they are all for it. As Scott Humston hopes that rather than wanting to copy the show or even be a part of it, that others will find it inspirational. “Think about how you can raise the bar in your own show. Don’t be afraid to step out of the magic world for inspiration. Add variety. Variety is the key. To be a better magician, you go to magic conventions and attend a magic lecture, but try a puppet convention or a theater convention or a juggling convention and start to draw in those elements.” And, as over 100,000 kids who saw the Pro Kids Show last year would probably agree, cooperation and sharing with others sure doesn’t hurt. ♦
MAG 1 C
SEPTEMBER
2003
67