#198 - Henning Magic - Part Two

In this second and final podcast of my "pre-Halloween" coffee talk with Eric Henning, he picks up where we left off talking about his experience of performing at a Halloween party in 2010 in the White House for President Obama. This story, as most of Eric's stories, goes down several side roads before it all comes to a satisfactory conclusion. But it is a delightful journey.

In addition to his story about performing in the White House for the President, Eric also talks about some additional thoughts and tips since he published his book "Tips: Real World Ideas from a Working Magician". His website for magicians, http://thewand.net is where you can find this excellent set of lecture notes which I highly recommend. During our conversation, One of the tips that is not in his book if for Amazing Insoles for anybody who's on their feet a lot (like most all performing magicians).

He also talks about the importance of learning to be a better public speaker by joining Toastmasters in your area. We also talk about the importance of taking pictures with your client and sending it to the client with a hand-written "thank you" card. Eric shares a few additional tips like ideas from the old Linking Ring columns by Rick Johnsonn, "Come A Little Closer" He finishes with a great tax tip that every magician should do BEFORE the end of the calendar year.

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Eric "The Financial Wizard" Henning will be one of the professors at M.B.U. in 2015

Join Trixie Bond and Charles Gauci and Scott Wells for lunch in Houston in this short podcast.

Fill your Christmas stockings with all things Banachek.

#197 - Henning Magic - Part One

Henning, Eric Henning. No, this is not about Doug Henning but instead about the "Financial Wizard", Eric Henning who resides in Maryland outside of our nation's capitol, Washington, D.C.

Eric and I talked for nearly two hours and so this podcast has been broken into two separate, easy to digest, podcasts. In this first one, Eric talks about how he followed Fidel Castro as a speaker in Barbados, the early years of the Electronic Grymoire, working as a strolling magician at the Presidential Inaugural Ball, and he also gives some advice to magicians who might be performing for political dignitaries where security is a critical issue. And have you ever wondered why some federal buildings (such as Treasury buildings) don't allow certain performers (like magicians and rock bands)? Eric weighs in with his analysis why this is the case. He also talks about why several opportunities have dried up due to tightening of restrictions to certain types of entertainment due to "appearances". That particular story was the topic of a feature article in the Politico magazine. You can read the full article by clicking here. We also talk about Jasper Maskelyne and the "War Magician".And did you know that George H.W. Bush was interested in magic and often came into Al's Magic Shop in Washington, D.C.?

His website for magicians is http://thewand.net where you can find TIPS, an excellent set of lecture notes which I highly recommend. During our conversation, One of the tips that is not in his book if for Amazing Insoles for anybody who's on their feet a lot (like most all performing magicians).

Eric Henning "The Financial Wizard" will be one of the faculty members at M.B.U.

#196 - School Shows, Libraries, and Kids...Oh My!

Julian Franklin and David Hinkin are a couple of the hardest working kid show entertainers in the Houston area and indeed throughout Texas. David is semi-retired after working for the McDonald's corporation for 37 years though he still entertains children at multiple functions around town. Julian performs hundreds of shows each year in libraries and school auditoriums.

I caught up with Julian and David after our annual Houston Magic Auction where they opened up about their careers. Julian talks about working in libraries and for school assemblies. He has several shows that he offers to schools including the Wild West Reading Show, Top Secret, Color Your World - A Magical Exploration of Diversity, Go Wild - A Humorous and Engaging Tour of The Scientific Process, Book Bash and the Arctic Express, just to name a few. Julian discusses how magic and mystery are important, but it's all about learning. And that doesn't necessarily mean an hour of magic tricks. You can learn more3 about Julian and the shows he offers at his website LibraryRat.com

David Hinkin had an illustrious career with McDonald's and shares suggestions for how others might get into this line of work. They both talk about how they go about writing scripts for shows, booking, and much more.

Click on the image for more information and to order Kid Control by Julian Franklin.

#198 - Henning Magic - Part Two

#197 - Henning Magic - Part One

#196 - School Shows, Libraries, and Kids...Oh My!

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