287: F.F.F.F. 2016 Day One

The annual gathering of international close-up stars begins..It's been a long day and it's after 2:00 a.m. and time to upload this half hour podcast from Batavia, New York. I'll update this blog later with more links and info about some of the folks I've chatted with today.

Wednesday April 27:
8:00pm: 4F Kick-Off Show - Canadian Gala (Joan Caesar emcee)
10:00pm: Huot/Lacroix Lecture
11:00pm: Hospitality Suite

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:05- We're off to see the wizard. We depart Houston leaving for Buffalo, New York and the 46th annual F.F.F.F. convention.

00:03:49 - We ran into Lion Fludd on the airplane on our connection in Chicago. This will be his first 4F convention and we discuss how he has prepared for it and his expectations.

00:11:50 - Obie O'Brien, the "Head Forker" explains his title as the organizer and founder of this convention.

00:18:44 - Geoff Williams talks about the evening Canadian Gala Show.

00:22:25 - Chris Pilsworth, Keith Fields join Geoff Williams to talk about what makes this convention unique from the others.

00:28:29 - Weekly trick reviews: Double ACAAN and Transcend (both by Creative Artists), Post-It Mysteries by Mr. Bless, and Fusion by Zolo

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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

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.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. (please note: this RSS Feed subscription system may not work with Android systems). Remember, you can download it through iTunes. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

Magic & Martinis' Thursday

At Alex's Steakhouse in Batavia, NY with Geoff Williams, Peter McLanachan, Scott Wells, Don Wiberg, and Steve Friedberg.