THE NETRIX EXPERIMENT: A VIRTUAL SUCCESS STORY
HOW IT STARTED
Netrix started life as a gesture of good will.
When UK schools first went into lockdown last spring, I reached out to some clients and asked if they would like me to host – free of charge – some virtual magic lessons for employees and their families.
Something for the kids to look forward to each week – a chance to take a break from their schoolwork (and for parents to take a break from them). I figured it’d offer an opportunity to connect over something new.
The offer was so gratefully received, it ran for over 4 months.
In between sessions I would research ways to enhance the experience, improving the way I used the tech around me, from camera angles to sound design – I even got my own ring-light (FYI: highly recommend; does wonders for the bags under my eyes).
But whilst my motive was simply to give back during a tough time for us all, I learned a lot along the way. Namely, how to engage with audiences virtually as well as I do on-stage. It was a steep learning curve which resulted in a lot of laughs, and the creation of a fully functioning home studio set-up in the spare bedroom.
“It was a steep learning curve which resulted in a lot of laughs, and the creation of a fully functioning home studio set-up in the spare bedroom…”
But it was the feedback that was the biggest shock to me. Initially unaware of the impact this was having, parents started getting in touch and the upshot was that my little shows had become the highlight of people’s week. Several parents shared similar stories of less confident children finding their voices, performing their newfound skills to relatives on Zoom calls and at virtual school events. I was delighted.
Then one of my clients – Google – saw an opportunity. Having experienced the positive impact my ‘Magic Camp’ was having, they approached me to run a companywide version for their teams. The uptake was overwhelming with spaces filling within 3 hours! This updated version of the show then ran for 2 months.
Writing the sessions, creating engaging content and upping the technology again, I wanted these performances to feel like an interactive TV show - multiple cameras, lighting and vision mix graphics – the whole shebang. I was having the time of my life, and ‘Google Magic Camp’ was a huge success.
WHERE IT WENT
A few months into this new virtual world, my knowledge of the technology and experience with virtual audiences was expanding and I was finally getting to grips with all the platforms available too – Zoom, WebEx, Teams, Google Meet, Blue Jeans. Whatever the app, I was on it like a car bonnet.
And with all my new-found confidence, I began writing a new show - ‘WIFI Wizard’.
‘WIFI Wizard’ followed the same path as ‘Magic Camp’. By initially offering free shows to clients as trial runs, I was able to test everything out, honing and refining along the way, and after countless rewrites and further investment in broadcast kits, I was ready to go.
Luckily, the word had started to spread, bookings were soon coming in and from May to October 2020, I performed ‘WIFI Wizard’ over 200 times to audiences globally.
“I performed ‘WIFI Wizard’ over 200 times to audiences globally…”
Often performing throughout the night, I would regularly find myself spending the early hours in LA, be in Hong Kong as the birds began to sing at dawn, then begin a run of European shows that would last most of the next day. It was at moments sublime, surreal, sometimes exhausting, but always exhilarating – I hadn’t felt this motivated in months. And as a result, I began adding more shows to my portfolio. From ‘Magic Gift Box,’ where I send out physical props for all participants, so they have access to the tricks I’m performing, to ‘Conference Call Crowd Pleaser’ – a version of my Energiser pieces designed to fit into long team meetings, as a way to break up the day.
As the world started to adapt to the new normal, the need to connect in the virtual space became the only option, with many of my regular (and some new) clients exploring the concept of broadcasting conferences online. Helping put these events together directly with my clients, I soon delivered shows for global tech and media giants, insurance firms, US universities and several healthcare brands.
Performances like these took me all the way through until Christmas, and as it became clear that many clients were gearing up for the holidays, they reached out to me again, this time for some festive fun. So, I got to work. writing an inclusive, fully interactive holiday season themed show.
“So, I got to work. writing an inclusive, fully interactive holiday season themed show…”
Global bookings filled the diary day and night for the remainder of the year, to the point that December 2020 became fully booked for me. And I got to spend Christmas hosting my ‘Holiday Special’, sometimes for intimate crowds of 10 or so, others upward of 2,500 live viewers. Either way, I couldn’t believe the turnaround from ten months earlier when I’d have assumed a ‘virtual show’ probably meant a lot of wires, an Oculus Rift and Laurence Fishburne in a leather duster.
WHERE IT’S GOING
As we head into 2021 and the acceptance that the new normal is very likely just the normal now, I’ve noticed that brands everywhere are preparing for even more virtual communications with their teams and seeking out people who know how to achieve this.
Luckily, this past year has put me at the top of their list. What I’m hoping for now is that my experience will help inspire others out there to see that although everything changing might be scary, it’s also a fantastic opportunity for change in ourselves. And that’s never anything but a good thing.
So, as I take all the learnings of the past 350+ performances, continue writing new shows, inventing new formats, experimenting with how best to engage with every member of every audience I perform for – wherever they might be in the world – I now have everything wrapped up, packaged and ready to go for whoever wants it. And that’s how Netrix was born – all my shows are now available virtually.
“I now have everything wrapped up, packaged and ready to go for whoever wants it…”
And as I’ve begun to quietly share this seismic shift in how I do things with people, they’ve all been asking me the same thing:
“Do you prefer performing in the virtual world?”
And to be honest, the answer is that I’m having as much of a blast as I do at my shows in 3 dimensions as of right now; the learning, the constant creative push, the connection with new audiences, who I may never have met otherwise, is a privilege I will forever be grateful for.
But prefer it?
I think the answer is I just prefer performing. The only difference now is I have to remember to unmute myself first.
I guess the point here is that what started as a gesture of goodwill proved to me that sometimes, you’ve got to give it away first to get it back, and I intend to stick to this philosophy in everything I do going forward.
Turns out I like living life unmuted. So, I hope sharing this out loud has helped inspire you in some way, and here’s wishing you the very best for the rest of 2021. Because whatever happens, there’s no shortage of tricks up our sleeves - we just might need a push to go looking for them.
Perhaps this can be yours.
N x
