Forums > Help! > JOBS IN THE POI WORLD

Posted: 28th Dec 2013
hacked, dont be a dick; hes just trying to get a job doing something he enjoys doing, as steve jobs said "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do"

kyle, i wish i could be more helpful but im in ireland and havnt been to america nevermind california haha. but if you dont get any other advice then id suggest choosing a location you can get non-poi work first (that way you can get a job to keep you fine financially) and find out its busking laws (so you can earn money while practicing in your free time while searching if theres any poi troupes in the area. once you move there go to some club managers and offer your services and/or if you are good enough maybe think about doing some workshops (all you need is to be able to book a venue to host the class, like a small studio room, put together a plan for the classes and make some basic practice poi for other people to use then advertise the classes) which could lead you to putting together your own troupe which you could go on to manage by booking gigs....it may be difficult but you succeed then it'll be worth it

I dont want to be called 'the greatest' or 'one of the greats'; let other guys claim to be the best. I just want to be known as a clown, to me thats the height of my profession. It means you can do everything-sing, dance, and above all, make people laugh

Posted: 1st Jan 2014
i think i lost some brain cells reading that. kyle, as R D Hunter said; Do what you do best

I dont want to be called 'the greatest' or 'one of the greats'; let other guys claim to be the best. I just want to be known as a clown, to me thats the height of my profession. It means you can do everything-sing, dance, and above all, make people laugh

Posted: 2nd Jan 2014
If you're in California, perhaps go to a festival in the US, meet people, make friends, network a bit, and then put out some feelers/ask a few questions about performing groups/troupes? I'm certain most peeps who perform professionally will know many of the others in the field, and be able to give you some insight on not only who else is out there, but also the sort of skill level/things they're looking for. Having friends in the business seems to be the best way of getting a start on with things, imo.

"If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error."

Posted: 5th Jan 2014
ditto to finding security in something else while you work on a consistent poi gig. then as it (if it) blossoms, you can rely on it a bit more.

more than that though, i received some sound advice i when i asked something a long the same lines a while back. not sure how long you've been spinning, but if you're still getting into things, i'd put having a job in poi on the back burner and really just focus developing your skills and exploring the discipline. not that you should give up the dream or goal of doing it for work, but if you're just doing it to be "good enough to get paid," suddenly the thing you wanted to do out of love can become one more thing you have to do, and that can be a serious bummer.

anyway, good luck with the big move, and good luck finding a troupe! i'm in utah and have been looking for a troupe for ages, hopefully you have better luck out there.

Fluidity.