736: Magifest 2023 - Day Three Report

Saturday 28th January 2023

10:00am - 5.30pm

Dealers Open

10:30am - 11:30am

Mark James Lecture

You’ve been amazed by his show; now is your chance to learn his magic. This lecture will focus on professional, doable magic. With a focus on non-card tricks, this is a can’t-miss lecture. 1:30pm - 3pm

Paul Gertner Show and Lecture

This was our most anticipated event at the last Magifest…but needed to be postponed due to Covid. We’re pleased that Paul has consented to return this year to deliver what will surely be an unforgettable presentation. A multiple-winner on Penn & Teller’s Fool Us, a FISM winner, and one of the industry’s leading professionals, Paul will present a show for us and then lecture on some of his best material. 3:30pm - 4:30pm

David Gerard Marketing Lecture

Here David will share hard-earned, seldom-shared insider information on a topic he has dedicated his life to: marketing and branding. Having played an integral role in several Silicon Valley startups (as well as a lengthy tenure at Google), by day David Gerard helps companies put their message across. By night David entertains top brass at these companies, and he will share his marketing and branding insights with us in this rare, candid lecture on an area of performing most of us overlook. 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Shoot Ogawa Lecture

On the heels of his first-place FISM win, Shoot Ogawa will share the magic that has taken around the world and made him a household name in magic. This lecture will feature new, non-card material, as well as a few “Ogawa” classics. 8:30pm - 10:00pm

Gala Show

Hosted by Lucy Darling
Mortenn Christiansen
Erik Tait
Ruben Vilagrand
Shoot Ogawa
Paul Gertner
JunWoo Park 10:30pm - 11.30pm

Bar Magic with Mark Calabrese

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:18 - Charles Greene III talks about his restaurant and trade chow career plus Charlie Randall helps us recap some of the shows from Day Two

00:12:47 - Matthew Neely talks a bit about what impressed him the most at this convention

00:18:13 - Joe Cole from Omaha, Nebraska, stopped to show us a photo of one of his winning trophies

00:21:40 - Jep Hostetler, Past President of the I.B.M. was also the chairman of the Magifest before it was turned over to Josh and Andi

00:26:12 - One of th highlights of the Mgifest, Mortenn Christiansen, FISM Winner this past year talks about his experience and his journey to Quebec.

00:35:00 - Cosmo Solano, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, has his own magic theater and talks about his show

00:44:56 - Erik Tait, host of the Penguin Podcast, talks about his FISM experience, this Magifest and what’s new and hot at Penguin right now.

00:54:28 - Cody Clark works with the Society of Young Magicians for the S.A.M. and he talks about the Magifest and how much they have been doing for the youth at this convention.

01:01:23 - Don Burcell with Don’s Magic Books talks about how the sales went this year in the dealer’s area

01:05:29 - Charles Greene III and Scott recap the evening;s show plus the overall convention

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261: Project Alpha with Mike Edwards

After viewing the highly acclaimed documentary, "An Honest Liar" about the career of James "The Amazing" Randi, I wanted to talk with Mike Edwards, the "psychic" who was "tested" along with Steve Shaw (Banachek) over a three year period in the late 70;s to the early 80;s. I have discussed Project Alpha with Banachek many times privately, on the podcast and on an L&L Video (Psi Series Volume 4 - Psychokenisis) but I had never met or spoken with, Mike Edwards, his partner on the project.

The stars aligned with my travel plans to Phoenix, Arizona and Mike's availability so we were able to find a relatively quiet corner in an otherwise busy restaurant and record this chat. It is a completely different perspective from the one I have heard from Banachek and the revelation during the last few minutes of our conversation figuratively "bowled me over". I was not expecting that news. You might be surprised and excited once you hear it, too.

Recorded: 5/27/2010 Original Alpha Kid, Michael Edwards pays a visit to the foundation and recalls some of the behind the scenes tricks that he and Steve Shaw (Banachek) did during the MacLab test. From Wikipedia: Project Alpha was an elaborate hoax orchestrated by the stage magician and skeptic James Randi.

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#203: Banachek - The Mentalist on "The Supernaturalists"

As a friend and business partner, The World's Number One Thought Reader, Banachek has joined me on dozens of podcasts over the years on The Magic Word. But I don't think I have ever had him as an exclusive guest. I just never think about recording our conversations; however, I have heard from listeners who have asked for "more Banachek". So, this one is for you.

Criss Angel recently announced the new show "The Supernaturalists" which is slated for a three week debut in June 2015 in Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. The show will feature some of the magicians that filled in for Criss Angel in the "BeLIEve" show earlier this year during his shoulder surgery. This show is supposed to be something completely different and nothing like the other magic touring show, "The Illusionists". This show promises to do for magic shows what Cirque du Soliel did for the circus. They hope and plan to take the show on an international tour after their Foxwoods run.

For those few of you living under a rock who are not familiar with Banachek, here is a short bio from "The Supernaturalists" website:

“THE MENTALIST” BANACHEK (SOUTH AFRICA)
Lifetime Achievement award recipient, two time Entertainer Of The Year, awarded Outstanding Contribution To The World Of Mentalism, Banachek is the only man to fool scientists with the power of his mind, and is known by his peers as the greatest mentalist alive. He has performed all over the world, is an author of eight best selling magic/mentalism books, has appeared in countless TV specials and has been the magic producer of the most successful magic series in television history, MINDFREAK.

Banachek begins his chat with a short discussion and appeal for magic donations to his favorite charity, The College of Magic in South Africa. He also talks in detail about the upcoming show The Supernaturalists" which will include: "The Illusionist" Brett Daniels (U.S.), "The Mystfier" Cosentino (Australia), "The Mentalist" Banachek (South Africa), "The Street Magician Phenom" Adrian Vega (Spain), “The Femme Fatale Of Legerdemain” Krystyn (U.S.), “The Dog Whisperer Of Magic” Johnny (Columbia), “The Joker” The Great Maestro (Mexico)

He also talks about James Randi, The Amazing Meeting (TAM), The Million Dollar Challenge and his new documentary which trailer you can view below. For more information about "An Honest Liar"" then visit http://AnHonestLiar.com

Live Q&A Session: November 19th - Banachek - Mentalist (Wednesday 4pm ET 9pm UTC 9pm UK) Hosted by Paul Draper

On this podcast, Banachek also talks about his early years of working hundreds of shows annually the college circuit which he still does a dozen or so dates a year. He then talks about how he first met Criss Angel and started working with him on television. He talks extensively about his TV experiences and work in Las Vegas and his view of the future on what he wants to do and where he wants to go.

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. (please note: this RSS Feed subscription system may not work with Android systems). Remember, you can download it through iTunes. See the preview page by Clicking Here.