828: Obie's 4F 2024 Close-Up Convention - Days One and Two Report

Wednesday April 24

7:45 p.m. tribute to Guest of Honor (GOH) Christian Schenk (host: Rogr Nicot)

8:00 p.m. Lecture #1 GOH Christian Schenk

9:00 p.m. 1st Show 4F Opening Gala (MC :Keith Fields)

Thursday April 25

10:30 a.m. Lecture #2 Bernardo Sedlacek

1:30 p.m. 2nd Show Magical Moments (MC: Gary Morton)

3:30 p.m. Lecture #3 John Bannon

745 p.m. Tribute to GOH Jimmy C. (host: Darryl Rose)

8:00 p.m. Lecture #4 Jimmy C.

9:00 p.m. 3rd Show Friends Old & New (MC: Michael Dardant)

Time Stamps:

(00:00) Scott Wells recently returned from France

(01:04) Scotty heading to Buffalo for four f convention this weekend

(03:13) Scotty will receive a fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts

(04:07) So, as far as a convention, since I missed last evening, Rick,

(06:42) Gino: Okay, now it's time for lunch. We have to go to the liquor store

(09:43) Gene Gordon and Chuck Ark attended the evening gala last night

(10:37) Christian: What did you think last night? Kind of stood out

(13:30) Jimmy C. started in magic at 42 and now does 22 gigs a month

(17:54) What do you say to encourage people to get into magic at a later age

(19:13) A friend of mine does a magic trick for laymen five times a day

(20:15) So my other question has to do then with the five star reviews

(21:02) Do you have a character when you perform? I mean, like,

(22:44) One of the recent podcast episodes with Rolando Santos has received overwhelming positive feedback

(23:18) Rolando discusses the difference between evoking and provoking

(25:28) The pendulum work is all ad lib because you don't know

(26:20) Have you been enjoying this convention so far? Yeah. The magic has been terrific

(28:24) Alain Iannoni from Italy joins us from NPR

(29:21) You've been a professional magician for 30 years now

(31:54) Talk about some of the things that are in your lecture

(36:22) Scott: Henry Evans recently finished a lecture tour

(37:41) Another guy that did a lot for you was Mike Miller taking you on chinese tours

(39:34) In China, most of the people speak only Chinese, so they need interpreter

(41:51) Scott Bennett says he fooled Penn and Teller on his Las Vegas tour

(45:26) You maintain citizenship in all three nationalities because you were born in Antigua

(46:56) Dev Patel's four f routine was a hit last night

(49:31) How many conventions have you been to? This is your 11th

(53:28) Keith Fields: I have a friend who owns a theater in San Antonio

(56:22) Gino Mozzarella got a call to do a gig in Spain

(01:00:10) Renee Levan performed for John Lennon once

(01:02:57) Well, yesterday at the four f, you gave a lecture. I missed that. But I was today, actually

(01:03:09) The theme of this lecture was how to create a special moment

(01:05:53) Bernardo gave a lecture on how to create a special moment

(01:08:29) Bernardo says being a first timer in magicians is daunting

(01:10:31) Scott, as a first timer, performing magicians was daunting

(01:14:00) Bernardo: The vibe at four f is very different from other conventions

(01:17:36) Mark: I'm anxious to see what Bernard is going to show us here

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826 - Mike Miller - Talent Booker

More than a magician, Mike Miller, Past National President of the S.A.M., also books talent for many magic conventions including the S.A.M. convention, Abbott’s Get Together, Super Sunday, and many others. He scours the world looking for unique acts to book. He has a good eye for spotting up-and-coming performers before they “hit it big” on the international scene. The best way to be seen by Mike is by competing and performing in other magic conventions. For several years, Mike also booked acts for a multi-city tour of China. Today he regularly performs at the Smoke & Mirrors Theater in Philadelphia while still searching for convention acts. As a result of his untiring efforts in helping magicians around the world, the Academy of Magical Arts will present a Special Fellowship to him at the awards banquet on May 17, 2024.

If you are more of a visual person, then perhaps you might enjoy watching our interaction during our Zoom conversation.

In this episode, Mike Miller talks about his career as a talent booker and how Hank Moorehouse shaped his life. He talks about how he goes about finding unique acts and how he learned to be a stage manager, too.

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 Pandora and SiriusXM (formerly Stitcher) by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here. If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

734: Magifest 2023 - Day One Report

Thursday 26th January 2023

5:00pm - 8:00pm

Dealer’s Room Open

5:30pm - 6:30pm

Charles Greene Historical Lecture.

Presenting his groundbreaking research on one of magic’s most elusive figures, Charles Greene will recount the unusual life story behind Ionia. Ionia was a pioneering figure in the world of magic—all the more difficult in her era because of great biases against female performers. She astounded the world and then…disappeared from public view. Greene has uncovered what happened, and how she lived the remainder of her life. This talk will feature many of the astounding visuals we associate with Ionia, including several newly uncovered images. 7:00pm - 7.45pm

Michel Huot Lecture

The creator of the hit trick “Socks” is making his Magifest debut with a lecture packed with unusual, non-card parlor material. Mr. Huot comes from Quebec, and he will astound people with his unique, creative brand of magic. 8:00pm - 9pm

Mark James Show

Straight from a successful tour of the UK, Mark James has a truly “parlor” magic show–a rarity in these times. You’ll be amazed and delighted by his high energy approach to the classics, and you’ll be amazed by the clever twists along the way. 9:00pm - 9:45pm

Youth Program Welcome Event

We invite all young magicians (and guardians) to attend this welcome party. You’ll meet our directors, a couple of our headline performers, and get insider tips on how to make the most of Magifest as a young person. There may even be a surprise or two… 9:30pm - 11:00pm

Peter Turner Show and Lecture

Hailing from the UK, Peter Turner is a radical, disruptive performer and thinker who has taken the mindreading community by storm. He will perform and then speak on his powerful, unique approach to mentalism.

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:18 - Early morning departure from Houston to Columbus. Thank you, Andy Lacky, for the Dunkin’ Donuts gift card! It helps keep my eyes open for the 5:30 a.m. departure.

00:04:58 - Lance Burton and Gwyn Auger chat about his old Kentucky home

00:11:45 - Francois Xavier aka FX discusses this as his second Magifest and why he returned to see some stars of magic

00:16:04 - Nancy Anderson tells why she enjoys the podcast and some of her favorite episodes plus a chat with two other Chicago magicians, Scott Levens and T.J. Tang

00:19:35 - David Williamson is from Ohio and talks about the Magifest and his childhood memories of attending this event, plus what he’s been doing during COVID. He gives lessons through an online community at https://www.sleight.school/

00:22:52 - Jim Krenz is one of the many employees with Vanishing, Inc.

00:27:38 - Mark James is one of the performers who will also be lecturing this weekend.

00:33:14 - Charles Greene III will kick off the convention with his talk about his historical book, Ionia and his journey to uncover her story.