Behind the counter with Paper Crane Magic
Behind the Counter is a chance for us to go behind the counter with the online magic shops and find out who, what, when, where and of course Why! Paper Crane Magic is our featured magic shop kicking off what we hope to be an on going series. Come and see what Shaun Dunn of Paper Crane Magic and I talked about when we went Behind the Counter.
Chad Rees: When was Paper Crane Magic Established and Who Created it?
Shaun Dunn: Paper Crane was formed in 2007 and was created by myself, Mandy Hartley and Ian Martin
CR: What was the decision to create Paper Crane Magic?
SD: We felt at the time that there was not a lot well produced magic DVDs on the market and we wanted to offer something that was cool but also tasteful.
CR: Why the name Paper Crane?
SD: Mandy came up with that name. She likes origami and it just seemed to fit both artistically and also with the philosophy of the company.
CR: What was the first product you guys released?
SD: It was a beginner magic DVD called declassified. It was a flop commercially and artistically however the content is very good.
CR: How many employees where apart of the company the first year and how large is the company now?
SD: We started off with 3 employees, Right now Mandy and Shaun share the management responsibility. Jamie works as a gimmick builder, order shipper and tech person. Greg works as a staff editor and films for shoots and our online lectures. Nate also works in gimmick construction and Chris Oberle and Brandon Wolfe sometimes fill in when we need extra help.
CR: How many products have you released to-date and what is your best selling product?
SD: We have released 20 to 30 products to-date. Our best selling product is probably Psypher but there are several that have sold close to the amount of Psypher.
CR: What makes Paper Crane Magic different from all the other magic companies out there?
SD: Paper Crane really is different. We tried really hard to not become another ellusionist copy. While we have tons of respect for E we just felt that they did a good enough job doing so we wanted to do something completely different. If you look at our product line you can see that we are not afraid to take chances on unknowns and that we also take major risks with our comedy marketing.
We try to find a balance between what we like and what our customers will like. I like to think of our company as the punk rock alternative to other more corporate magic companies. Not saying we’re better, just saying we’re different.
CR: Any sneak peeks for the TDD readers?
SD: We have several things coming out now. Quadrant is a great gimmick that allows for visual transformations of playing card cases to other things. The Money Card is a really commercial 3 card monte routine and we got a bunch of fun toys coming out that remind me of Tenyo stuff but aimed at performers.
CR: I noticed on your site you have a submit a trick link. Can you tell us how that works and what could a creator expect when working with Paper Crane?
SD: If you choose to submit a trick we will review it and tell you what we think. I think this video best describes the experience of working with Paper Crane.
CR: With so much social media out there how can our readers get in contact with Paper Crane?
SD: The best way to contact us to chat is through twitter or our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/
Well Thank you Shaun Dunn and Paper Crane Magic for taking the time to sit down and answer some questions with me. I love getting to know the companies I shop at and I hope this helps our reader and your fans get to know you that much more. Make sure to follow Paper Crane Magic on twitter at @papercranemagic and also subscribe to their YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/papercraneproduction. Don’t forget to also head over www.papercranemagic.com
