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The Magic Word The Magic Word

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839: Giovanni Livera - Where Talent and Passion Collide

Giovanni Livera won the I.B.M. Gold Cups close-up award in 1991. But he was a force to be reckoned with even before then. From the Florida area, Gio has worked with Tim Glancy who, between the two of them, developed the “t-shirt cannon” that is used to this day in stadiums and ball fields and concerts across the land. In recent decades, Gio has developed a successful speaking platform that has taken him before some of the most prestigious corporate giants in the industry. Always keeping his eye and passion on magic, he returns to perform at the Magic Castle now and again. It is always a treat to see and hear this “larger than life” man tell his stories and give life advice.

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While recently visiting Los Angeles, California, Gio sat down for a reunion with his friend, Scott Wells, to catch up on old times and tell us what he’s been doing and where he’s going. We talk about speaking engagements, trade shows, working with executives, developing a brand, finding your voice/message, and ways that you can “live to be 1,000 years old.”

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.

"Live a Thousand Years" by Giovanni LIvera. Click on the link to visit the Amazon store and support The Magic Word Podcast.

The I.B.M. International convention takes place July 10-13, 2024 in Tacoma, Washington. Register today at: https://ibmconvention.com/

Tagged with The Magic Castle, Academy of Magical Arts, Hollywood, Giovanni Livera, IBM Gold Cups, keynote speaker, motivational speaker, speaking.

June 20, 2024 by Scott Wells.
  • June 20, 2024
  • Scott Wells
  • The Magic Castle
  • Academy of Magical Arts
  • Hollywood
  • Giovanni Livera
  • IBM Gold Cups
  • keynote speaker
  • motivational speaker
  • speaking
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536: Mahdi Gilbert - Finding Inspiration

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This week we feature a conversation that has been in queue for a few months but is a wonderful, inspirational episode to end the year and prepare for a new year. Mahdi Gilbert is a Canadian magician and inspirational speaker who has been slowly gaining attention on the international scene. His manipulation skills are amazing when you consider that he has no hands or feet, much like the 17th century German magician, Matthias (Matthew) Buchinger. Mahdi hosts his own podcast called “The Caged Canary” on the BeforeMagic.com website that is well worth hearing.

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In this conversation, we talk about what “being on television” does for your career (or not) such as “Penn & Teller Fool Us” and “America’s Got Talent”. He also talks about working in China, working with tech companies in developing aids for those without hands, and a little history lesson about Matthias Buchinger. He also talks about how he has overcome his challenges and learned to type, play the piano, and more. He also talks and inspires corporate executives and youth groups in his talks. He discusses how he was bullied as a child and taken advantage of and beaten up and what he did to adapt and react.

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

Tagged with Mahdi Gilbert, Matthias Buchinger, motivational speaker, magic on television.

December 26, 2019 by Scott Wells.
  • December 26, 2019
  • Scott Wells
  • Mahdi Gilbert
  • Matthias Buchinger
  • motivational speaker
  • magic on television
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222: My Week at the Magic Castle 2015 - Part Three

Join Scott and Lisa Land for a stroll down Hollywood Boulevard as we return to the Nirvana Apartment from breakfast at Mel's Diner. Scott Land is a puppeteer who was performing in the Palace theater at the Magic Castle during the same week I was in the Close-Up Gallery. We talk about many things and people including Scott's friend, Carl Ballentine. We stop along the way for Scott to point out some of the tourist landmarks on Hollywood Boulevard such as the El Capitan theater, "Walk of Stars" like Robin Williams, Julie Andrews, John Travolta, Milt and Bill Larsen, and Mann's Chinese Theatre.

After we return to the Nirvana Apartments (which is where many of the Castle performers are lodged during their/our week), I took a walk across the street and up the hill to the Academy of Magical Arts where I spoke with its General Manager, Joe Furlow. I happened to have been in the epicenter of the timeline when an agreement had just been reached between the Milt Larsen, the Magic Castle and the Academy of Magical Arts. Many of the agreed terms were discussed during our conversation.

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00:02:52 - Join Lisa and Scott Land as we depart from Mel's Diner and walk along Hollywood Boulevard back to our apartment near the Magic Castle. Enjoy the sights and sounds and stories along the way. As we get back in front of the Nirvana Apartments, Scott talked extensively about Carl Ballentine, the development of his act, an entertaining story about Carl's' belief of Steve Martin "lifting" his act, and the puppet of Carl that Scott created.

00:20:18 - Joe Furlow, General Manager of the Academy of Magical Arts, talks about the resurrection of the Magic Castle and how they are now thriving as a financially successful enterprise.

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.

Tagged with The Magic Castle, Joe Furlow, Scott Land, Lisa Land, puppets, Hollywood stars, Canter's Deli, Carl Ballentine, Steve Martin, Tommy Cooper, Neil Patrick Harris, NPH.

May 7, 2015 by Scott Wells.
  • May 7, 2015
  • Scott Wells
  • The Magic Castle
  • Joe Furlow
  • Scott Land
  • Lisa Land
  • puppets
  • Hollywood stars
  • Canter's Deli
  • Carl Ballentine
  • Steve Martin
  • Tommy Cooper
  • Neil Patrick Harris
  • NPH
  • Post a comment
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The Magic Word The Magic Word

A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells

This podcast is totally free for everyone to enjoy. This is provided to you out of love and respect for our art of magic. If you enjoy the podcasts and other material on The Magic Word, then your financial support will be greatly appreciated and help offset the monthly hosting service fee as well as the hardware and software to produce this podcast. Just click on the "Donate " button at the top of this page to make a one time donation through PayPal.

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  • The Magic Word
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In May 2024, Scott Wells had the distinguished honor of receiving a “Special Fellowship” from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) for the Magic Word Podcast which promotes “not only personal stories of fascinating individuals, but also fellowship amongst our extended family of artists and entertainers everywhere.”

Do you have a comment or suggestion for The Magic Word Podcast? Click on the SpeakPipe logo and leave a short audio message for Scott. It’s fast, easy and fun. Send a “shout out” today and who knows? Your message may be heard on an upcoming podcast!

Travel Breather in the Eye of the Storm - We are between two (actually three) major events: FISM, Abbott's Get Together and MAGIC Live! Last week was a full week of FISM reports. Next week we travel to Colon, Michigan for Abbott's Get Together then i
Rome may not have been built in a day, but we tried to see as much of it as we could in an afternoon.
Another beautiful day in Umbria visiting #Assissi and #Perugia #Italy
More time near the Tuscan sun. But this time we traveled south to Umbria where we visited #Bevagna #Montefalco and #Spello
More time under the beautiful Tuscan sun with a visit to Montalcino and Montepulciano for wine tasting and exploring. Now staying in a monestary. #italy
Travel Breather in the Eye of the Storm - We are between two (actually three) major events: FISM, Abbott's Get Together and MAGIC Live! Last week was a full week of FISM reports. Next week we travel to Colon, Michigan for Abbott's Get Together then i
Another delightful day under the Tuscan sun in Siena and other cities I can't spell, but enjoying the sun, the food, the wine, and the culture. And the Gelato is amazing. #gelato #siena #italy
A tour of the Chianti Classico region. Two wineries and a sunset Tuscan dinner followed by, of course, gellato. #chianti
From Turin to Parma where we tried the music,  cheese, prosciutto,  wine, and Gelato. #parma

The Magic Word Has been recognized by FeedSpot as the # 1 magician podcast in the world. Thank you all for your support and for listening throughout the years.

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