313: Day 2 - MAGIC Live! 2016

Day Two Schedule for August 15, 2016:

24 hours - The Back Room
9:00 a.m. - Registration
9:00 a.m. - Photo Booth
10:00 a.m. - Monday General Session for Maroon lanyards (showroom until 12:15 p.m.
   Keynote - Lance Burton
   Classic Correspondence - Mike Caveney
   The Delicate Beauty of Honesty in Magic - Luis Piedrahita
   Bending the Real - David Penn
   Magician Without Borders - Michael Muldoon
   The Future of Magic - Kevin Phillips
   Parallax - Max Maven
   Friends Remembered
10:00 a.m. - Monday Focus Sessions for black lanyards until 11:00 a.m.
The Power of Invisble Thread - Yigal Mesika
Flashback - Steve Reynolds
The Art of quick Change - Retonio, Natalie & Eli
11:00 a.m. - The MAGIC Shop until 6:30 p.m.
11:15 - Monday Focus Sessions for black lanyards until 12:15 p.m.
   The Power of Invisible Thread - Yigal Mesika
   Flashback - Steve Reynolds
   The Art of quick Change - Retonio, Natalie & Eli
12:15 p.m. - lunch break
12:30 - Close-up Experience until 1:45
2:15 - Monday General Session for Black lanyards (showroom until 4:30 p.m.
   Keynote - Lance Burton
   Classic Correspondence - Mike Caveney
   The Delicate Beauty of Honesty in Magic - Luis Piedrahita
   Bending the Real - David Penn
   Magician Without Borders - Michael Muldoon
   The Future of Magic - Kevin Phillips
   Parallax - Max Maven
   Friends Remembered
3:30 p.m. - Monday Focus Sessions for Maroon lanyards until 12:15 p.m.
   The Power of Invisible Thread - Yigal Mesika
   Flashback - Steve Reynolds
   The Art of quick Change - Retonio, Natalie & Eli
5:00 p.m. Dinner break
6:00 p.m. - Close-Up Experience
7:00 p.m. - Live Onstage until 8:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m. - Close-Up Experience until 8:45 p.m.
7:30 p.m. MAGIC Cabaret: The Secret Class until 8:30 p.m.
9:00 - Close-Up Experience until 10:15 p.m.
10:00 p.m. - Live Onstage until 11:30 p.m.
10:30 p.m. - Close-Up Experience

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:02:08 - Lance Burton kicks off the first General Session with a talk on...the sponge ball vanish. It quickly develops into an object lesson of how we can teach and inspire others to be the next generation of magicians.

00:13:45 - Ken Scott is the coordinator of the Focus Sessions and he talks about his experience of working behind the scenes at MAGIC Live! He is also the organizer of the upcoming Atlanta Harvest of Magic on September 29 - October 1, 2016

00:24:50 - Mac King has been on the cover of MAGIC Magazine many times.

00:29:14 - Jonathan Kamm talks about this being his first MAGIC Live! and his experience plus he talks about his trick "Toi Box"

00:34:17 - Jamie D. Grant talks about his "Anything is Possible Bottle" (deck of cards in a bottle) that are hidden around the hotel. Clues are given daily on Instagram and Twitter using #Jamie_D_Grant

00:38:52 - Steve Brooks, Webmaster for The Magic Cafe, talks about his forum plus his experience this year at MAGIC Live!

00:44:51 - Kozmo, producer of Reel Magic, talks about his mentor, Cellini.

00:50:41 - Daniel Will, a Friend of The Magic Word, talks about what he has enjoyed at this year's convention.

00:53:47 - Stan Allen makes a major announcement about the future of MAGIC Magazine.

00:58:35 - Noel Brittan talks about not having to do anything this year since he was a presenter in the past.

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Click on the graphic above for more information about Ken Scott's convention "Atlanta Harvest of Magic"

246: Day Two - MAGIC Live! 2015

Stan Allen opened the conference with the keynote speech that set the tone for the convention. His one word this year: curiosity. The morning session was a variety of outstanding presentations but the highlight everyone was waiting for was David Copperfield "In His Own Words". He was genuine, humble and charismatic and enjoyed by all. He admitted some of his failures and talked about continuing to work on projects and being forever committed to excellence and tweaking effects to make them perfect. He also discussed his disgust for those who steal from creators.

The afternoon sessions (for my colored badge) included Ian Rowland on mentalism (his third appearance at MAGIC Live!), Joel Bauer talking about trade shows, and Steve Valentine talking about variations of Cards to Pocket.

The evening show was outstanding hosted by Jorge Bass and opened with one of my favorite acts, Charlie Frye & Company. It concluded with not one or two, but three illusionists: Nathan Burton, Mike Michaels and Greg Gleason.

My evening rounded out with the 11:00 close-up show. Not your typical professional close-up show. In fact, this was perhaps for me, one of what will remain asa highlight of this MAGIC Live! Michael Weber hosted an evening of top professionals presenting one trick from the original "Stars of Magic" series. This featured Johnny Thomson, R. Paul Wilson, Paul Vigil, Julie Eng, Eric Mead and David Ben with a special guest appearance by the Professor himself, Dai Venon, perfectly portrayed by Jared Kppf.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:26 - Host Stan Allen explains the theme of this year's convention.

00:07:26 - Jamie D. Grant talks a bit about the show he just finished presenting on the memorized deck

00:08:50 - Michael Chaut, producer of Monday Night Magic talks a bit about his 18 year run at producing the show. We are intermittently joined by several people who are passing through the casino near the entrance of the theater.

00:22:00 - Simon Coronel was the master of ceremonies for the morning session and he talks a bit about not scripting his show.

00:28:55 - Shep Hyken and Seth Kramer talk about MAGIC Live!

00:41:16 - Bill Cook talks about performing on "Penn & Teller Fool Us" and "Wizard Wars".

235: FISM Italy - Day Four

It may have been a little overcast outside, but the weather and the magic was perfect in the convention center. After viewing the stage competition from 8:30 to 12:30, I got to walk around the dealers a bit more, chat with friends, and attend a couple lectures. And of course, it was Thursday which meant magic and Martinis in the evening with friends at the bar.

After watching Luke Jermay's one man show, was the evening gala featuring: Cyril Takayama and Eun Gyeol Lee as co-MC's with Mike Chao, Topas, David Kaplan, Tony Frebourg, Alberto Giorgi, Rob Zabrecky, Sos & Victoria and Samuel.