936: Tony Hassini - Merlin Maker

Tony Hassini is well into his 80’s and has earned a time to look back at his illustrious career and all that he has done for entertainment. In the 1970’s he developed “The Magic of Burger King” which was a nationwide campaign coupling their advertising with real life characters. But before that, in 1968, Tony formed the International Magicians Society (IMS) which developed into the world’s largest magic organization that today presents the Merlin Award to deserving magicians around the world at special, high class award ceremonies.

This conversation was recorded using Zoom prior to the annual Merlin Awards banquet that typically takes place in Las Vegas on the night following MAGIC Live! We first talk about Tony’s involvement with creating and developing the Marvelous Magical Burger King ad campaign in the 1970’s. During that time, he met Ray Croc, founder of McDonald’s, who gave him some good advice. But before the campaign was adopted, Tony created the IMS which, according to the Guinness World Book of Records, is the largest magic organization in the world.

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The winner for Week #1 was Nicolas Nardi. Congratulations, Nicolas. A Houdini Legacy Deck of cards will be awarded to a different winner each week in October. These beautiful cards were designed by the Past National President and artist, John Midgley. If you are interested in learning more about these cards and the cause, then please visit their website at https://houdinicards.com

Join us in New York this Halloween for this seminal event. I plan to be in attendance and will host one of the panel discussions. For more information, please https://newyorkmagicconference.com/

923: MAGIC Live! 2025 - Days One & Two Report

Time Stamps for this episode:

00:00:19 – Join Scott as he patiently waits in the Chicago airport to depart for Las Vegas and MAGIC Live!

00:06:06 - at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas for the opening night party, we first chat with my friend, Ian Rowland from England, as we share our excitement about being in Las Vegas and preparing for this convention. We chat also a bit about Carrot Top.

00:12:36 – James Dimmare is dressed as a pirate from Treasure Island at the dress up party. He will be hosting some of the Focus Sessions.

00:15:53 – MP Fisher and Robb Fisher (a Friend of the Magic Word) are dressed for evening as Rocky Balboa and Indiana Jones. They often attend MAGIC Live! and listen to the podcast during their commutes.

00:21:08 – Rob Tarry and Josh G. from Austin talk about the overwhelming experience of attending their first MAGIC Live!

00:26:01 – Comedy magician, John Archer, from England, is a frequent attendee at this event and is always a delightful guest.

00:30:36 – Julie Eng is the Executive Director of Genii and tells us what new looks the magazine has and how Jim Steinmeyer has brought his vision to the editorial staff, too.

00:36:16 – From the Magic Land of Allakazam, Greg Wilson, brings us up to date on the video digitization and some stories from the historical archives.

00:40:21 – from the stage of the first day in the first session, Stan Allen welcomes the registrants to this year’s MAGIC Live!

00:42:22 – Scott DeYoung and Alex Rogers met at this convention many years ago and became friends. They reunite each year at this event.

00:53:00 – Mark Mason, magician extraordinaire, lost a roller case of props and hopes that someone who is attending this convention and possibly saw something that will help him recover the contents.

00:55:48 – Michael Chaut, co-producer of Monday Night Magic, talks about the first day of activities here.

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 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

909: Joe Monti - One of the Men Behind the Man

Often we don’t know nor recognize those who work behind the scenes and spotlights. But they are the ones responsible for making the person in front of the curtains or camera look good. As they say, “it takes a village” and that is especially true for “stars” who make it on television and stage. One such person that is a “go-to” consultant is Joe Monti. When Criss Angel got his television deal for “Mind Freak”, Joe was one of the first people Criss called. As time went on and it became apparent how valuable Joe was, he also assumed the role of “producer”. Joe continues to this day to consult for magicians as well as performing for high profile corporate clients. He has even fooled Penn & Teller on their show, “Fool Us”.

My friendship with Joe Monti goes back nearly 40 years from when we performed together at Houston’s Magic Island. It was good to catch up with a long-time friend this week as he shared many stories about what he has been doing during those years. He has a few “behind the scenes” stories to tell about working with Criss Angel plus his experience on “Penn & Teller Fool Us”.

936: Tony Hassini - Merlin Maker

923: MAGIC Live! 2025 - Days One & Two Report

909: Joe Monti - One of the Men Behind the Man

The Magic Word