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Jim Wand - Hypnotist

Jim Wand is a well-known figure to anyone familiar with hypnosis in the market and most certainly anyone remotely familiar with this magazine. A staple in the industry, Jim has been nominated for numerous awards in our Reader’s Choice Awards and is known for his hip show always being up-to-date and never repeated at any one venue. Every show is one of a kind and packed full of content so fresh even some of the younger crowds aren’t caught up.

There are a lot of hypnotists out there. There are also a lot of things that make Jim Wand unlike any of them. More time, care and detail are taken in any one of Jim Wand’s shows than many other entertainers of his profession care to imagine. Heck, even Jim’s background and entrance to the profession set him apart from his peers.

Back when Jim was a freshman in college, he was overweight. A friend of the family, who was a doctor in Chicago, told Jim he wanted to hypnotize him. “My first reaction was ‘no way’. I didn’t really believe in it and I certainly didn’t think I could be hypnotized. Finally he talked me into it, we sat down and it worked.” Jim lost 65 pounds over the next six months and determined right away that there was something to the power of mind. He was majoring in Computer Science at the time but immediately elected to change his major to psychology. He got his degrees (Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate) and opened a private practice in clinical hypnotherapy. This was all before he even considered the possibility of using his knowledge and skills as a form of entertainment. He actually stumbled on this prospect completely by accident.

Jim had a friend who was an activities director at a local college, and was in a pinch. He was new in the position and had a previously booked event with an entertainer he wasn’t comfortable with. Jim had been doing an educational self-hypnosis program on college campuses for three or four years and at his friend’s request put together a short presentation to fill the time slot. When Jim showed up for the allotted date, he was blown away. “When I got there, 800 students were waiting. I knew right away that students would pay to be entertained where they wouldn’t pay to be educated. I decided this was a forum in which I could entertain (which I soon learned to enjoy) and educate, reaching a much larger audience than through traditional methods.” Jim performed about 100 shows his first year, 150 the next. Now twenty years later, he does over 250 dates every year, the sum total of shows being in the thousands.

Jim could do his show anywhere and in many markets (and in fact he does), but recently he has been concentrating most heavily on the corporate market. This isn’t mere coincidence. Several reasons persuade Jim to focus here and on professionals, but obviously the most significant is the audiences themselves. “Corporate audiences are very good subjects; they are very captive audiences. Hypnosis is an ideal outlet for the corporate life. It involves the employees themselves and in my show, concentrates on all the pop corporate culture in which most of them are constantly immersed. It keeps me excited, involved and educated. I am always working on new acts, styles, routines and anything else that will relate to corporate clients.” Jim explains the most difficult aspect of what he does is keeping the routine fresh. So many performers today become locked into a stagnant show just because it works; they are comfortable with it and are hesitant to update or change material they know they can depend on. Jim tries to dispel this mentality, going even as far as training young up-and-coming hypnotists who want to make it in the business. “90 percent of the dates I do are repeat engagements, so it is vital to have fresh material every time I go in.”

The time Jim invests in making his show absolutely the best it can be is staggering. He does more pre-show and follow up work than one would think possible, often devoting six to eight hours at an engagement that lasts ninety minutes! In addition to that, he does all of his homework for writing new material, constantly immersing himself in the world of pop and corporate cultures. When an event is booked and long before it is to be executed, Jim studies up on the group to be entertained itself. “I find out what sort of event it will be, what things are happening in the company and anything else that would be relative to the show. When I leave, I take all of my notes from throughout the show. I then stay current on all the topics or people that interest that particular client, so that next year I can include all of the things on CNN and the hot business and political shows since the last performance.” The sheer number of sources Jim uses to keep on the very edge of what’s hot is staggering. CNN, C-SPAN, and other news networks; even the most recent internet fads are used and most especially details relating to each client’s own industry. Consider how significant a portion of television these genres of entertainment take up. He then takes all of this and writes skits around theses current events, making a show completely individual and unique from any previous show he’s done. Add to that the fact that hypnosis shows vary as widely as their audiences and Jim never has a dull night.

When a client books Jim Wand’s hypnosis show, they are getting a turnkey operation. From the complete accessibility of he and his staff (clients can reach Jim by cell phone almost any time), to promotional materials and special requests, Jim provides five star services to all his clients. He works extensively with planners day, night, weekends and holidays before every event to ensure success. After the event, he spends time not only with people in the audience, but with the programmers as well, in order to make absolutely sure everything went off without a hitch; if it didn’t, Jim will find out why and correct it. He follows up later to make sure everything is still fine; and usually rebooks the event. Such is the norm for a Jim Wand event, all the planning and preparing going off without a hitch is a strong incentive for repeat performances.

With all he does, one may wonder how Jim could possibly have time to do anything other than work. Well, he makes it by. For starters, where many of us may squander eight to ten hours a day on sleep, Jim takes a three hour power nap at around 2 a.m., rising at about 5 to begin his day anew. With vitality and enthusiasm that would leave an eighteen year old envious, Jim certainly makes a great case for self-hypnosis and the powers of the mind. As a matter of fact, he offers techniques on his website for self-hypnosis and aids for problems covering every nature from smoking cessation and weight loss to better study skills and healthier habits.

Whatever his secret, Jim Wand has undeniably found a method for success, as evidenced by his numerous shows a year in our market alone and over twenty years of doing so. A guy who is clearly healthy and happy, he spreads this energy wherever he goes.

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Wand Enterprises
(815) 747-6954