891: Marvin Berglas - International Son of Mystery

We finish talking with a trio of officers from The Magic Circle (TMC) this week as we sit for a chat with the current President of TMC, Marvin Berglas. Not defined by being the son of the legendary “International Man of Mystery,” David Berglas, Marvin decided early to go his own way. Nealy four decades ago Marvin founded “Marvin’s Magic” which created magic kits that swept the globe The results are that he received the Gold Medal as winner of Toy of the Year in the electronic games category of the Independent Toy Awards and was awarded the coveted Outstanding Contribution Award in the British Toy and Hobby Industry in 2015/16. And as far as magic goes, he received the Outstanding Contribution to Magic award from the British Magical Society in 2014/15. And n 2016 Marvin was awarded The Maskelyne Award from The Magic Circle for services to magic. During 2017, 2018 and 2019 Marvin was the Vice-President of The Magic Circle and in 2023 was elected President of The Magic Circle.

This week Marvin tells us about his magic kit empire and how the business grew to international proportions. And although he came from a home where magic was talked about all the time, he tells us that he did not care to pursue a career like his father until later in life as Marvin’s Magic developed. He then got involved with The Magic Circle (TMC) and became one of the very few father/son Presidents of TMC. Find out in this episode who the others were.

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.

To visit the website and get more information, please Click Here.

Please vote for The Magic Word in both categories, Best Magic Podcaster and Best Magic Newsletter. You can cast your votes by Clicking Here.

890: Katherine Rhodes - Minds Blown

The Magic Circle Past-Vice President and current Examiner, Katherine Rhodes is a powerhouse of a stage performer. She specializes in mentalism and has a unique take on how she creates and performs her show. Katherine also has her light aircraft pilots license (though we never got around to talking about that) and she frequently travels outside the U.K. to present her unique brand of mentalism. She has had long term residencies at venues where she has honed her craft over the years, and the proof is in the results.

This week Katherine Rhodes tells us about her unique perspective performing magic from the distaff side. There are not a lot of female mentalists in the world, but Katherine is one that reigns high among her peers whether male or female. In this episode she also talks about the Magic Circle and the examination process one must go through to belong to this prestigious organization.

Click on the graphic above to visit the website for more information.

868: TRICS 2024 - Days One and Two

Thursday November 7, 2024

Event Time

Ed Ellis 6:00 pm – 7:00pm
Newcomer 8:00pm – 8:45pm
David Parr 9:30pm – 10:00pm

Friday November 8, 2024

Event Time

Paul Gertner 11:00 – 12:00
Bernardo 1:00 – 2;00
Lunch 2:00 – 3:30
Pipo 3:30 – 4:30
Insights 5:00 – 6:30
Dinner 6:30 – 8:00
Friday Night Show 8:00 – 9:30
Pizza Party 10:00 Until

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:17 – Join Scott Wells at Starbucks in the Austin, Texas, airport as we prepare to jump on our “magic carpet” to Charlotte, North Carolina, for TRICS Convention.

00;04:57 – Before the first event (Ed Ellis lecture) we visit the dealers’ room where we chat with Roy Kueppers who is showing his wares for the first time. Roy also talks about his brand being stolen and the importance of owning a trademark for your name and why you should consider doing it if you want to own your own brand.

00:11:30 – Rocco talks about joining Franz Harary with his new show in Hong Kong that will be similar to his show in Macau.

00:15:53 – Organizer, Scott Robinso, tells us what to expect this weekend and how it differs from previous years. This year he went international and contest winners (i.e. FISM, IBM, SAM winners, Penn & Teller Foolers, etc.) He tells us there are 160 registrants plus performers here this year.

00:23:06 – a word from our sponsor, the New York Magic Conference, coming up on Saturday November 16th in Douglaston, NY.

00:26:40 – Mike Dunagan, International President of the I.B.M., talks about the conventions he’s attended as president. He talks about next year’s I.B.M. convention being in Houston, Texas, featuring Randy and Kristy Pitchford as the Guests of Honor.

00:35:21 – Following Paull Gertner’s lecture, we chat with Michael Bloemeke who just qualified at MAGIC Texas to compete in FISM Italy in 2025.

00:44:18 – Geoff Williams was another lecturer/performer from a previous year. We do a quick overview recapping what went on today.

891: Marvin Berglas - International Son of Mystery

890: Katherine Rhodes - Minds Blown

868: TRICS 2024 - Days One and Two

Thursday November 7, 2024

Friday November 8, 2024

The Magic Word