401: David Berglas - International Man of Mystery, Part Two

This week we present the second installment of our two-part podcast with David Berglas. Last week we talked about his work on British television and this week we talk about his career in the film industry and people he worked with and knew. Also, David has a profound sense of "giving back" to our community. He is a supporter of the Capetown (South Africa) College of Magic. He is the founder of the "David Berglas International Award of Magic" which has been presented to Uri Geller, David Copperfield, Juan Tamariz, Lu Chen, Derren Brown, Jeff McBride, Dynamo and Penn & Teller.

David Berglas comes out of retirement for a special occasion August 2001

David Berglas talking with Andrew Eborn about The Magic Circle in Pinoli's at the unveiling of the British Plaque Trust plaque on 13th April 2016. Film by Gordon Drayson, Drayson Design.

In this podcast, David talks about working with Orson Welles and Peter Sellers on the set of Casino Royale; his work with his marketing company, E.S.P.; the Piddington's mind reading act on the radio (which is featured on "Radio Lab" podcast HERE); how David acquired his moniker, "International Man of Mystery"; his philosophy on disclaimers; performing for British royalty; meeting Picasso; his philanthropic work with the Capetown College of Magic; magic conventions like the IMX, EMC, McMillan Weekend, etc.; his International Award of Magic, and more.

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. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

Happy New Year! I've got mine. Have you ordered yours yet? Click on the graphic above to visit Amazon.com and purchase your 2018 calendar while helping supprt The Magic Word Podcast. Or you can Click Here.to visit the Amazon.com site for more inform… — Happy New Year! I've got mine. Have you ordered yours yet? Click on the graphic above to visit Amazon.com and purchase your 2018 calendar while helping supprt The Magic Word Podcast. Or you can Click Here.to visit the Amazon.com site for more information. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Please consider donating to David Berglas' pet project, the Capetown South Africa College of Magic.

356: Richard Faverty - LIghts, Camera, Hold

Some of the best cover photos ever published on MAGIC Magazine, Genii, The Linking Ring, and M.U.M. were the product of Richard Faverty at Beckett Studio in Las Vegas. But before he was the "go to guy" for creative promo shots, he was "Professor Bubbles" who toured the world with a bubble act and a world record holder, too.

Richard Faverty a.k.a. Professor Bubbles attempts to break his world record and fit 5 people (children) inside a giant bubble or bubblesphere at West Edmonton Mall, Alberta, Canada. 1999/2000 Filmed for Lindford's Record Breakers, and re-edited as late night filler for the Dave channel.

Tune stamps for this podcast:

00:04:21 - Richard talks about his early career with a bubble act then goes into a discussion of getting the right shot for the perfect promo shot. Sometimes the performer finds their "real selves" during the photo session. He talks about the process of creating something different every time, the differences between using traditional film versus digital, stock photos, setting up the shots, getting his photos on the covers of magazines, and stories about shooting some of the "guerilla" shots without being caught (it's always best to ask for forgiveness than it is for permission)..

01:09:17 - Product Review - "Flat Pack" by Andrew Mayne - a very commercial trick that can be carried in your wallet. Highly recommended.

01:11:52 - Product Review - "Bring It!" a three DVD set by Will Fern with his close-up Magic Castle act and his roving magic show explained. A very entertaining guy with wonderful routines and excellent thinking behind why he does what he does. Recommended.

Available here: http://bit.ly/flatpackeffect Flatpack takes one of the most powerful effects in magic and squeezes it inside your wallet. It's a credit-card sized effect with a huge impact. Tossed Out Deck: You produce a small card with every playing card printed on it and ask several people to glance at one.

Visit the virtual studio and see what Richard has created for others. He can create a memorable photo that will make you look like the star you are!

334: A Magical Christmas Carol

Over the past year, I have attended a LOT of magic conventions. During those events, i have tried to update you with what was going on each day with daily updates from the organizers, talent, registrants, and dealers plus sometimes a little "color" background outside of the hotel.

But while I had some of my guests "cornered" for a few minutes, I asked them to do a reading of the classic story, "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. As many of you don't know, Dickens was a bit of a conjurer himself having performed during the summer of 1949 in a coastal resort off of the Isle of Wight purveying prestidigitation to those on holiday in the area. He was known as the “Rhia Rhama Rhoos - the Unparalleled Necromancer" and reportedly performed many unusual tricks including making playing cards magically burst into flames, transporting a woman’s watch from inside a wooden box and into the middle of a loaf of bread, and even cooking a steaming hot plum pudding in a gentleman’s top hat.

But prior to his venturing onto the stage to prestidigitate, he had already written many of his well-known novels including one published in 1843 which would become the iconic classic and perennial treatise on the holiday, "A Christmas Carol".

So here I present you this year's audio greeting card with great gratitude to all of my guests who participated in this project and also to all of you who regularly listen to The Magic Word Podcast. Happy Holidays!

As a little added treat for you this holiday season, here is a video I filmed and edited in 1985. Magician Scott Wells is visited by "three foreign" visitors who want to learn magic. In this video, Scott performs close-up, stand-up and stage magic for his guests. He also gives magic lessons to his guests; however, these instructions have been edited out of this public video.

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. You can download or listen to the podcast through Stitcher by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here

Order your calendar from Amazon and help support The Magic Word Podcast