The Experience

What Actually Happens When You Hire White Rabbit LA

A behind-the-scenes look at what a White Rabbit evening actually looks like — from the first phone call to the follow-up note.

Most people have never hired a magician before. And the ones who have usually describe the same thing: someone shows up, does some card tricks during cocktail hour, and leaves. It's fine. It fills time. Nobody complains, but nobody talks about it on the drive home either.

That's not what happens when you hire me, Scott Syme from White Rabbit.

I've spent years thinking about what makes people feel something real at an event. Not impressed. Not politely entertained. Actually alive — present in a way they weren't expecting to be on a Tuesday night or at a company holiday party. Everything I do is built around that question, and the answer touches every part of the evening, not just the 45 minutes I'm performing.

Here's what it actually looks like.

Before the Event

It starts with a conversation. Not a quote form, not a price sheet — a phone call or an email where I ask about your event, your guests, what you're hoping the evening feels like. A wedding rehearsal dinner for 30 people in Malibu is a completely different animal than a product launch for 200 in Manhattan. I need to understand the room before I can build the right experience for it.

From there I coordinate directly with your venue or planner on timing and logistics. Where are guests arriving from? What's the flow of the evening? When does dinner start? Is there a moment you want the energy to shift? All of that shapes what I prepare.

Every set list is built from scratch. I don't have a standard show I repeat. What your guests experience is designed specifically for your evening, your space, and the kind of energy you want in the room.

The Setup

I arrive early. Usually 30 to 45 minutes before your first guest walks in. If you've booked the full production, this is where things start to look different from anything you've seen a magician do.

The emerald drapes go up. A scent diffuser fills the room — something warm, familiar, the kind of thing you'd smell walking into a great hotel lobby. The soundtrack starts playing. Lighting gets adjusted. A side table is set with intention. By the time setup is done and I've changed into costume, the space doesn't look like it did an hour ago. Your guests are walking into a world that was built for them.

Even for events where I'm doing strolling magic only — no production, no stage setup — I'm still there early. Walking the room, understanding the layout, figuring out where the energy will naturally gather. The best close-up magic happens when you meet people where they already are, not when you interrupt them.

The Greeting

This is the part most people don't expect, and it might be the most important thing I do all night.

Before I perform a single trick, I move through the room and personally greet every guest. Not as a magician. Just as Scott. A handshake, eye contact, a short genuine exchange. I want to know someone's name. I want them to feel like they've been welcomed, not like they're about to be performed at.

I learned this from a magician at the Magic Castle who didn't speak a word of English. Before his show he greeted every person in the room — unhurried, warm, always the last to let go of the handshake. By the time he started performing, the audience already trusted him. He could do no wrong.

That changed how I think about everything. The connection you build before the show is the foundation the entire evening stands on.

That changed how I think about everything. The connection you build before the show is the foundation the entire evening stands on. When I walk to center stage or approach a table later that night, I'm not a stranger. I'm someone they've already met. That changes what's possible.

The Walk-Around

For cocktail hours, receptions, and corporate mingles, I move through the room performing close-up magic and mentalism in small groups. This is the format I perform most often, especially when I'm traveling for events outside of Los Angeles.

Here's what that looks like in practice: I'll approach a group of four or five people, introduce myself if we haven't met yet, and within about 30 seconds something impossible happens — a borrowed ring vanishes, a thought gets read, a card they're holding changes in their hands. It's happening right in front of them, sometimes in their hands, and there's no stage, no distance, no room to explain it away.

The goal isn't to show off. It's to create a moment between the people standing there. The best reactions aren't "how did you do that" — they're the ones where people grab the person next to them and say "did you just see that?" Those moments connect people. They become the story of the night.

I typically work a room for 60 to 90 minutes. By the end, every guest has had at least one personal experience. Nobody was left out and nobody was put on the spot against their will.

The Produced Show

For private events, house parties, and intimate gatherings — usually groups of 10 to 80 — I perform a fully produced 45-minute parlor show. This is where the emerald drapes, cinematic lighting, and curated soundtrack come into play.

The show is built around the people in the room, not around me. Every story I tell during the performance is ultimately about someone else. The interactions are real, the volunteers aren't plants, and the final moment of the evening is addressed directly to the audience — not as a crowd, but as individuals.

I don't want to spoil the specifics because the surprise is part of what makes it work. But I'll say this: the last five minutes of a White Rabbit show tend to be the quietest. Not because people aren't engaged. Because they're fully present.

After the Show

The evening doesn't end when I take a bow. Every guest receives something personal — a message on their phone that ties back to a moment from the show. It's not a business card. It's a reminder of something they felt.

And within a day or two, I follow up personally with whoever hosted the event. Not a template, not a review request. A genuine note from me to the person who trusted me with their evening. The last impression matters as much as the first one.

What You're Actually Hiring

I think the reason people come back — and most of my bookings come from someone who's either seen me before or heard about me from someone who has — is that White Rabbit isn't really about magic. It's about how your guests feel for the two hours they're in the room with me. And honestly, it's about how they feel driving home.

I've performed for Netflix, Disney, Morgan Stanley, Rolls Royce, Paramount, and hundreds of private clients. I'm a member of the Magic Castle® in Hollywood and I've consulted for performers on America's Got Talent and Disney Channel. But none of that is what gets me rebooked. What gets me rebooked is that the host's phone blows up the next morning with texts from their guests saying that was the best evening they've had in years.

Nothing about a White Rabbit evening is accidental. You feel the difference before you can name it. That's what you're hiring.

Where We Perform

Luxury Event Entertainment Nationwide