ShowBird Artist Interview

What started as a young artist with no idea what he was worth has since grown into a full-time magician with glowing reviews. But his success did not come overnight. Managing bookings smartly, investing in collecting reviews, and most importantly gaining a lot of stage experience ultimately proved to be the key to success.

The numbers behind the success

Hamza’s development is not only noticeable during his performances, but also clearly reflected in his results:

• Bookings: From 17 bookings in 2019 to 42 bookings in 2025
• Customer satisfaction: 87 reviews with an average score of 4.9/5.0

How did your career as a magician begin?

"I started doing magic when I was eighteen. A few years later, I signed up for ShowBird to get my first bookings. Back then, my act was still called Magic Nape. I clearly remember someone asking me what I charged. I honestly had no idea what to ask, so I said €10 an hour. The person started laughing and said: 'I’ll give you 50.'

"I honestly had no idea what price to ask, so I said €10 an hour. The person started laughing and said: 'I’ll give you 50'"

That was a real eye-opener for me. I realized there was actually a market for magic and became curious about what other magicians charged. That’s how I ended up on several websites, including ShowBird. I looked at the prices of other magicians on the platform and decided to position myself as one of — or maybe even the — cheapest magicians online. That way, I tried to get as many bookings and reviews as possible. It allowed me to gain experience and slowly build my name."

"I decided to position myself as one of the cheapest magicians online. That way, I tried to get as many bookings and reviews as possible. It allowed me to gain experience and slowly build my name"

You grew up in Bos en Lommer. How was magic viewed there?

"Magic was actually something completely unfamiliar there. I come from the Kolenkit neighborhood. In 2009, that area was named the worst neighborhood in the Netherlands. Most guys from the area went into music or were involved in hip-hop. They weren’t really familiar with ‘Dutch talents’ like magic. When I started performing magic, they had never even seen a magician before. A lot of people were surprised, but in a positive way.

Because I started doing magic, suddenly there was someone from the neighborhood who could perform magic. For many guys, that broadened their horizons. They realized that if I could become a magician, they could also do things they never thought were possible before."

"They realized that if I could become a magician, they could also do things they never thought were possible before"

So you want to inspire others?

"Yes. Besides my bookings, I also give workshops every week. I do this in prisons as well, for young people. Of course I teach them some magic tricks, but more importantly I try to teach them presentation and communication skills. I also want to give them confidence: that they can do whatever they want, regardless of who they are or where they come from, as long as they believe in themselves."

"I want to give them confidence: that they can do whatever they want, regardless of who they are or where they come from, as long as they believe in themselves"

What does it take to become a successful magician?

"Courage. Anyone can learn magic. You just have to get over the threshold and go for it. Sometimes you fail. That’s part of it.

At my first performances, I always prepared extremely well. I had, figuratively speaking, thousands of tricks I could perform. If I was booked for one hour, I would sometimes stay for three or four hours. Not to earn extra money, but simply because I loved doing it."

Do you still remember your first ShowBird booking?

"Yes, I definitely remember it well. It was in 2019 in Amsterdam, for a children’s birthday party. They booked me for €125. Her name was Milou. Coincidentally, she recently sent me a message with photos.

By now, I’m more than 200 bookings further and I charge a bit more than €125. I’m also a fulltime magician now, but things were very different back then. During my first bookings, I still had three side jobs. I worked as a waiter, sorted mail at PostNL, and in the evenings I did open mics to improve my presentation skills."

"I’m a fulltime magician now, but things were very different back then. During my first bookings, I still had three side jobs"

Why do you think magic works so well at events?

"Magic is one of the few forms of entertainment that works almost anytime and anywhere. At a corporate party, wedding, birthday, or networking event — it really doesn’t matter.

People often don’t realize what they’re missing until they book a magician once. If someone has never booked a magician before, they often wonder whether it fits the event. But once you’ve experienced it, you realize what an amazing addition it is."

"People often don’t realize what they’re missing until they book a magician once"

What advice would you give other artists on ShowBird?

"When I had just created my account, I asked the ShowBird team how I could rank higher on the website and what I could do to get more bookings. The advice I got was to respond quickly and collect as many reviews as possible. So that’s definitely what I would recommend to other artists as well.

"My advice is to respond quickly to requests and collect as many reviews as possible"

The contact with ShowBird and the mutual trust also helped me enormously. Occasionally, I was recommended to a client or asked to fill in for another artist. For me, it was never about what I could get out of ShowBird, but about how we could both grow together."

Hamza Karimi’s story shows how success as an artist is built. Talent, smart entrepreneurship, visibility, investing in reviews, and simply putting in countless hours of practice form the foundation of his success.