235: FISM Italy - Day Four

It may have been a little overcast outside, but the weather and the magic was perfect in the convention center. After viewing the stage competition from 8:30 to 12:30, I got to walk around the dealers a bit more, chat with friends, and attend a couple lectures. And of course, it was Thursday which meant magic and Martinis in the evening with friends at the bar.

After watching Luke Jermay's one man show, was the evening gala featuring: Cyril Takayama and Eun Gyeol Lee as co-MC's with Mike Chao, Topas, David Kaplan, Tony Frebourg, Alberto Giorgi, Rob Zabrecky, Sos & Victoria and Samuel.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:01:10 - Reuben Moreland

00:06:39 - Michael Perovich

00:11:23 - Rainer Pfeiffer and Martin Eisele

00:18:18 - David Kaplan

00:34:34 - Will Houstoun

00:42:43 - Bill Herz

00:57:14 - Phil Cass and Philippa

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169: Day 4 - IBM/SAM Combined Convention 2014

On this Independence Day in the U.S., we saw plenty of fireworks in the close-up and stage contests today. The finals were held in the evening with some solid competitors that made it difficult for the judges to decide upon a clear winner.

Also this day was the annual banquet which included the awarding of the Milbourne Christopher trophies. This year the recipients were:

Illusionist Award - Alex Ramon

Mentalist Award - Joseph Curcillo

Close-Up Award - Dani DaOrtiz

Visual Magic Art Award - Rick Heath

Masters Award - Dale Salwak

Literary Award - Jim Steinmeyer

Lifetime Achievement Award - Stan Kramien

Some of the past winners of the Milbourne Christopher Award.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:01:48 - Eric Jones will be traveling to China and Australia to perform, plus he has a new effect that will soon be on the market.

00:10:56 - Christian Painter (one half of the Christian and Katalina mind reading duo), was one of the contestants in the FISM North American Championships. He talks about entering contests plus some of his advice and tips.

00:27:41 - Past National Presidents of the S.A.M, Mark Weidhaas and Vinny Grosso talk about this convention as it relates to registration and the contests as each chaired those respective positions for this event.

00:36:33 - Chris Hannibal, another of the contestants (close-up, in this case), tell us about his road to prepare for this competition and his creative process in developing this routine.

00:40:40 - Joe Curcillo talks about his excitement of being a recipient of the Milbourne Christopher award.

00:44:17 - Inside the banquet, I set my recorder to capture the auction for a prized photo of Joanie Spina and David Copperfield, the proceeds of which went directly to help with Joanie's medical expenses. We also hear the announcements of the recipients for the Milbourne Christopher awards.

01:18:43 - Bill Gleason tells about the history of the "Patriot and Patriotism Award" and how deserving members can apply or suggest a recipient for this prestigious award.

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featuring Christian and Katalina in Indianapolis, Indiana

154: Day Two - F.F.F.F. 2014

So much on Day One, but this second is the first FULL day and night of non-stop close-up magic and learning. Great lectures by Tim Ellis and Guest of Honor, Shawn Farquhar.

This podcast may be one of my favorites because of the subject matter discussed particularly in two separate chats: one with Chris Pilsworth and the second with Tim Ellis. Great material that should be heard more than once. I heartily advise you to pay attention and maybe even take notes.

Time Codes for this podcast:

00;00:13 - Chris Pilsworth, from Ottawa, Canada, (the guy who puts the cactus in the balloon) talks about creativity and working on the street.

00:29:1 - Last year's Guest of Honor, Stephen Bargatze, gets caught in the elevator talking about creating a routine for the closing show.

00:30:49 - In the Dealer's Room I catch up with Bob Little and Andy Dallas as we talk about the brick and mortar shops, their future, online competition, and more. Plus they talk about the upcoming Bob Little's Super Sunday, June 8, 2014.

00:37:32 - Tim Ellis, from Australia, gives us a short synopsis of his lecture: How to make your audience care about what you do - C.A.R.E. (Connect with your audience, Alter your presentation, Relate to your audience, and Excellent magic). Plus he also talks about FISM 2015 in Italy.

01:01:04 - Geoff Williams talks about his recent lecture tour and his upcoming fund raisers. He also gives his perspective of why he loves the F.F.F.F. convention.

01:11:43 - Vinny Grosso, author of "Exposed and Fearless" gives us a follow-up to his Kickstarter project that we discussed on The Magic Word Podcast posted on September 9, 2013.