Posted on Leave a comment

February Recap

Well this month has come and gone fast hasn’t it?

Even though February is the shortest month, we’ve still managed to cram a whole lot into it! Let me update you with all that’s gone on since we last caught up.

We started off the month by sourcing new props for future shows, making sure we have fresh, exciting illusions to entertain our audiences. We picked up four different illusions and have been busy rehearsing with them ever since. There is something we bought that we’re so excited to use as it involves an audience member participating! Do you think you’ll be brave enough to take part?

We started touring again this month, performing our old show for now at Butlins. We had a lot of fun performing and seeing our friends there who we haven’t seen for a couple of months. It’s always nice to get back onstage after a little break.                   

Another exciting thing that came this month is our new merch! We’ve released new magic sets, slap bands, wristbands and restocked our caps as they are a fan favourite! Everybody loves a good deal so we have released package deals of our new merch that are exclusive to our online shop, one of them even includes the opportunity to personalise some of the items! 

As usual, there have been many close up gigs that we’ve attended for events such as parties and corporate events. We always love doing our close up gigs as the intimacy of engaging with our audience up close and personal brings another level of magic to our performances. Being able to witness the immediate reactions of the audience is such an amazing feeling!

The thing that we’ve been the most excited about this month however is the Blackpool Magic Convention. This is the world’s largest convention where over 3,000 magicians go to meet to showcase their talents; sell any props or merchandise that they own and to just have a great time! We were there for the whole weekend and loved every minute of it from watching the gala performances to once again, buying new props and illusions for our shows! The warehouse here at Jay & Joss HQ is definitely getting a little bit too full now!

We finished off the month by performing at Butlins again and rehearsing with all of our purchases that we’ve acquired over the month, it’s been a lot of fun! Keep checking back for more updates!

Posted on Leave a comment

A Week in the Life at Jay & Joss HQ

There are a lot of things that our fans don’t get to see when we’re at work but not on tour and it’s a lot of fun! So I thought I’d share what it’s like behind the curtain and experience a week in the life at Jay & Joss HQ, where the magic comes to life both on and off stage!

We will start the morning with a debrief of things we would like to complete for the day; brainstorming new ideas of routines we can bring to the show in the future and sorting through any emails we get about close up gigs, merch orders and general enquiries. A coffee is always needed at this point so we all have a nice cuppa (and a biscuit or two…) to give us a little boost and get the creative juices flowing! There are always new and exciting things in the works and we get so excited for people to find out what we’ve been working on!

After touching base, we all get to work on our individual tasks. Not many people know this but Jay is extremely talented at building, welding and engineering so he often spends a lot of time in the workshop manufacturing new props to use in the show and refurbishing old props to give them a new lease of life. Joss is equally as talented, but within the technical aspect of the job so he spends a lot of his time editing videos for the upcoming shows and creating showreels, programming and coding lights and automating some of the props that Jay has built by writing script and code. Joss is responsible for a lot of the technical elements in the show which helps give it an extra flare of amazement and most people may not realise that he was behind it all!

 As you can see Jay & Joss work hand-in-hand with each other to create incredible shows simultaneously. As their own individual skills and talents complement each other and help bring together an all round fantastic performance!

At this time I will be working on ideas for our 2025 project, compiling a lot of visually impressive ideas for the project we have got in the works. For example, sourcing new costumes, pyrotechnics, lighting equipment and special effects to ensure this show is our most visually impressive ever! It certainly won’t be one to be missed. I will also take over a lot of admin duties from this point: replying to emails, packaging and posting merch orders, writing blog posts such as this one and coming up with social media ideas for the boys.

Multiple times a week, Jay & Joss head out to perform close-up gigs for weddings, parties and corporate. These intimate settings allow them to connect with their audience on a personal level, creating memories that last a lifetime. Seeing the magic up close and personal is an experience that cannot be matched and I love hearing back on emails following up after the event on how the audiences have reacted to their talent.  

Another thing we do here at Jay & Joss HQ is hire out props to other magicians who may want to use them for their own shows. We will go into the storage unit to find where they are, get them ready for whoever is picking them up and make sure they’re fully prepped and ready for showtime!

As you can see, we are always really busy here at HQ. There is always a lot to do and we have the most fun while doing it. I hope you enjoyed this little insight into what goes on behind the curtain and all of the stuff you might not think about. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this behind the scenes exclusive. What is the thing that has surprised you the most? Please comment down below and let me know. See you on the next one!

Posted on Leave a comment

January Recap

Hey everyone! My name is Luke and I am a part of the Fine Entertainments family! I am working closely with two of our biggest clients, Jay & Joss, so I thought I’d give you all a little introduction to me and a run-down of all of the fun we’ve been getting up to this month.

So, as I said, my name is Luke, I’ve just turned 22 and I am the creative assistant here for Jay & Joss. This means I have lots of fun helping create ideas and content for the show, I help manage their diary and busy schedule, help with a lot of admin work and sometimes will make the occasional coffee 😉

I have a long history of being within the performing arts industry starring in a range of shows like ‘Grease’, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Bugsy Malone’ and ‘A Dracula Spectacular’ to name a few. Then, when I got older, I secured my first professional contract at a highly reputable holiday resort in the UK. I’ve always had a passion for performing and Musical Theatre with some of my favourite current productions being Six the Musical, Mrs Doubtfire the Musical, The Play that Goes Wrong and Wicked.

Now, as you’ve learned a little bit more about me, it’s time to catch you up on all of the fun we’ve had at the Jay & Joss HQ this month!

We started off the month brainstorming ideas for the show that will be performed in 2024 and something VERY exciting for 2025 (watch this space!) There were many long days at the office so we thought we would have a little bit of renovation so we moved into a bigger workspace and added some personal touches to our desks. I’ve been loving buying lots of wax melts from my favourite company to make our office space smell incredible! They definitely make a difference helping boost our mood and creativity!

Jay & Joss have been working on an exciting project behind the scenes for a couple of months now so we’re very excited for everyone to see the end result! The boys have also been busy with private gigs where they have been hired to companies offices and peoples parties, to add an extra sparkle to their events.

My birthday was towards the end of month so we all had an amazing night out watching the incredible Cirque Du Soleil Alegria at the London Palladium! It was such a spellbinding night watching such talented performers show off their skills, they were really inspiring and we highly recommend you go see the show if you get the chance.

I also spent some time in my hometown, Durham, so I could see my family and friends which was lovely as I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like to because I’m now based 3 hours away from home. We went for a delicious carvery and let our hair down with a couple of drinks.

Dinnertime has been fun this month as I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with some tasty home cooked meals, to tour with on the road! Some of my favourite things to make have been hunters chicken, pasta with hidden cheese meatballs and a classic Sunday roast. Personally, I have quite a sweet tooth so our homemade sticky toffee pudding with ice cream was definitely my favourite!

Maybe one day we’ll create our own Jay & Joss cookbook… Who knows 😉

As you can see, it’s been a jam-packed month full of lots of exciting things! Check back next month so see what we’ve been up to, there’s a lot planned and we think you’ll love what we have lined up!