Can You Hire a San Francisco Magician for a Stadium Event? I Threw the First Pitch for the SF Giants
- Spencer Grey
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
You never know what's gonna come through your inbox. That was the case when I was genuinely surprised to see an email from the San Francisco Giants marketing team inquiring about bringing magic to one of their upcoming games, including the opportunity to throw the ceremonial first pitch.
The Giants are always looking for unique angles to entice fans and make things a little more exciting. This was their Harry Potter themed evening, where fans could come dressed as their favorite characters, and that's where the idea of bringing in a professional magician came about.
And here's a fun detail. I did some digging, and as far as I can find, no magician has ever vanished a baseball during a ceremonial first pitch at a Giants game before. I might just be the first!
How does a San Francisco Magician end up on the pitcher's mound?
Their marketing team had two ideas in mind. The first and main section was the ceremonial first pitch at the start of the game, plus a way to make it magical on the field. The second was a quick magic segment in between one of the game's innings, filmed and projected on the Jumbotron screens for the stadium to watch.
They were meeting with several magicians, gathering ideas, and looking for a custom proposal from each one. Letting my imagination run wild, I dreamed up as many options as I could for fun things that would be exciting for baseball fans to see on the field. After pitching those ideas, we got on a Zoom call with several of their departments, talked logistics, and landed on a plan. After discussing and hearing from several magicians, they offered me the opportunity. Of course, I said yes!
Now, I have performed inside a stadium before at Levi's Stadium, working alongside the San Francisco 49ers Foundation. However, that event was crowds on the field with no one in the stands. This would take place at an actual sporting event, where tens of thousands of people would be in the stadium. Understandably, this was something I had never done before, but I was unbelievably excited to make it happen.
The first pitch that vanished
On the day of the event, I walked out onto the field with Lou Seal, the official Giants mascot, carrying a small wooden chest reminiscent of something you would find in the wizarding world. Dramatic, mysterious music played as I opened the box, and out poured light and smoke. Reaching inside, I produced a baseball, which Lou Seal autographed.
After autographing the ball, Lou Seal took his oversized glove to home plate to receive the pitch. I got prepared, wound up my arm, and just as I threw the ball forward, it suddenly vanished. The ball was nowhere to be found. The cameras quickly cut to Lou Seal at home plate as he reached inside his glove to show that the ball had magically teleported over, the same ball he had signed!
I think I was most nervous about dropping the ball and the trick not working. When you have one chance to get something right in front of a live audience, it can be a bit nerve-wracking. Not just that, but the coordination of making sure all the cameras in the stadium cut at the right moments so the audience knew what was happening. All in all, things went really well, and I'm happy the ball successfully ended up where it needed to.
The team at the Giants said it best:
“Thank you for creating such a memorable evening for the San Francisco Giant's! We truly appreciated your energy and talent and look forward to future projects!”
-Annamarie, Promotions & Marketing, San Francisco Giants
What is it like performing magic on a Jumbotron?
Later on, I presented another trick over at the Jumbotron involving a Harry Potter book and a group of five Giants fans. I made a page from the book vanish and reappear inside a popcorn bat souvenir that one of the other fans was holding!
Performing in a stadium is, as you might guess, very different from a corporate cocktail hour. At corporate events where I'm doing close-up mingling magic, the magic is happening inside of people's hands, up close and personal. People can comment and react in real time, and it's a beautiful back and forth relationship between myself and the guests. When you're inside a stadium, there's a lot going on, and you cannot rely on the live audience to give you feedback in real time. It's on too big of a scale for that dynamic. For me, it was important to keep the tricks as simple and easy to follow as possible, so guests in their seats could follow the narrative even if they couldn't fully hear or see everything.
Even the sound is its own adventure. In a stadium, your voice reverberates and is delivered to the crowd at a much later time than when you're actually speaking, which is a pretty cool thing to experience. But you definitely have to be very concentrated so it doesn't throw you off.
What clients say
“We were fortunate enough to have Spencer perform during a large company event last week, I think I had a smile on my face the entire dinner. The magic was awesome, but also his stage presence and showmanship, so much fun! I highly and enthusiastically recommend Spencer for any company or private dinner party function.”
“Spencer was the perfect addition to our event! My company held a VIP dinner at EOS&NYX in downtown SJ. It was an open cocktail hour with no program or show, so I was not sure exactly how the flow would go... but Spencer jumped in head first and literally DAZZLED our clients, executives, even my company president will not stop raving about him. Outside of the tricks, Spencer had the best, upbeat, warm energy that was so magnetic. Some clients were trying to pull him back to their group as he charming others! Thanks you so much Spencer, we hope to work with you again soon!!!”
Can you actually hire a magician for a stadium or large scale event?
Absolutely! The wonderful thing about magic is that it is extremely versatile and can be customized to fit pretty much any format.
For big events at stadiums, arenas, festivals, large galas, or conferences, there are two options I typically recommend. Close up roaming magic always works because it involves being up close with the guests. The trade-off is that one strolling magician performing for a couple of hours will reach a smaller amount of guests, which is not always a bad thing. The benefit of a more presentation style format, on a Jumbotron or projected onto screens, is that everybody is included all at once. You can always increase the scale and spectacle by adding large scale illusions, like making somebody appear or disappear.
It always comes back to expectations of what you want the experience to be for the attendees and how magic can help get you there. As with any of my events, it's so important to have meetings to discuss expectations, logistics, and the desired outcome, so the magic can find its space.
What does this mean for your event?
Just think, if a San Francisco Magician can hold the attention of a stadium of tens of thousands of people, then magic certainly works for a 200 person holiday party or team offsite.
It's also important to find a performer who has this type of big event experience. There's a lot you learn working on these larger scale projects that applies to smaller events. Things like being able to read the room are just as important in a stadium or arena as they are in a close up environment. Whether it's 100 people or 10,000 people, there's always an energy in the space, and a well seasoned performer who has their 10,000 hours can feel that and act accordingly. I think that's the real power of a great performer.
For planners on the fence about bringing entertainment to a big event, I always say trust the professionals. If you like the idea of magic but you're just not sure it's a fit, reach out and have that conversation. A great entertainer is going to give you options and steer you in the right direction. Magicians are artists and natural problem solvers, so even if your event is a total one of a kind, we can usually create something custom just for you. Always ask, and leave no stone unturned!
Final thoughts
I had an absolute blast working alongside the San Francisco Giants and their amazing marketing and promotions team who put this together, and I look forward to the possibility of doing it again in coming years.
If you have an upcoming event you're curious about having magic or mentalism for, feel free to reach out through my website. I'd love to hear from you and see if we can make your event unforgettable. As always, thanks for reading, and I will see you on the next one. Cheers!