880: Mortenn Christiansen - A Great Dane

For such a limited number of years (he’s only 27 years old), Mortenn Christiansen has accomplished what some take a lifetime to achieve. For as long as he can remember, he has worked in a magic shop in Denmark. He has “cut his teeth” on stage at comedy clubs as he refined a unique style in his country. In 2022 he won the coveted Comedy Award at FISM in Quebec, Canada. Since then, he has been “hot as a skyrocket” having performed on Penn & Teller Fool Us, and he has lectured and performed at the 2023 Magicfest and later that year at MAGIC Live!

If you are more of a visual person, then you might enjoy watching a video of this week’s episode on YouTube.

One of the things that Mortenn talks about in his lecture is his stage fright. In this week’s episode, he goes into much detail about that issue and how he deals with it by incorporating it into his act. He also gives us some “behind the scenes” looks at what it was like to come to Las Vegas and appear on Penn & Teller Fool Us.

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879: Mark Pocan - "Pocan" the Political Bear

Mark Pocan represents the second congressional district in Wisconsin, near Madison. He is also a long-time magician, but had a passion since his youth for both magic and politics. He is now serving his seventh term in office and for a few years was offering a YouTube channel filled with explanations of how politics works using magic in what he called “Magic Mondays.” Although he ceased production of those videos a few years ago, he plans to get them up and running again in 2025.

Mark came from a family of politicians and, as he says, began door-to-door campaigning for his father at the tender age of six. He pursued politics through college while using magic to defray some of his costs of schooling. He still performs magic at fund raising functions and other charitable events. He is often seen attending magic conventions and has twice attended Vanishing Inc.’s magic retreats including one in Washington, D.C. where he was able to use his influence to allow attendees access to some backstage places in Congress.

878: Ed Ellis - Magician/Musician

Ed Ellis is not a name that is on the tip of the tongues of most magicians. I wouldn’t call him an “underground” magician because I think of “those guys” as being the ones who magicians go to when they want to learn some secret move. But Ed has quietly been making a living for many decades having worked at many prestigious resorts and country clubs and of late, has been returning to the magic convention scene. So, if you have not seen him or are not familiar with his work, you can watch his video lecture on Penguin or catch him at one of many convention appearances he plans to make this year.

Ed talks about his journey through life as he maneuvered jobs on film, nightclubs, and resorts. He gives some valuable advice on calling on past customers and maintaining personal friendships to ensure future opportunities.

880: Mortenn Christiansen - A Great Dane

879: Mark Pocan - "Pocan" the Political Bear

878: Ed Ellis - Magician/Musician

The Magic Word