345: Marcie Hume Documents Magicians - Life in the Impossible

Marcie Hume, co-director and co-producer of the recently released documentary, "Magicians - Life in the Impossible" visits us this week to talk about her new film. It follows the lives of four magicians over four years: Jon Armstrong, Brian Gillis, Jan Rouven, and David Minkin. After 18 months of editing, it was finally ready. As they say on the website:

MAGICIANS follows four very different professional magicians on stage and off, exploring how and why these characters so passionately dedicate their lives to the artistry and craft of illusion: from the most humbling of road gigs to the grandest performances on the biggest of stages; to finding love to terrible personal loss; and, most dramatically, to the prospect of losing everything for the one constant in their lives: magic.

As we come to understand why each is pursuing his own dream, we’ll discover the greatest secret that has been hidden right before our eyes all along: far more fascinating than the magic are the magicians themselves.

This was just released on Netflix on February 13, 20161 and available in many digital formats for viewing.

Equal parts awe-inspiring and heartbreaking, MAGICIANS captures the world of professional magic and the challenges that come with seeking illusory fame in a business where being sawed in half is the norm. The film follows four magicians on and off stage, exploring why they so passionately dedicate their lives to the craft of illusion.

In the first half of our chat, Marcie Hume talks about being a female mentalist, performances, developing her character, overcoming obstacles in a predominantly male performing art, and growing up and deciding to pursue mentalism rather than magic. In the second half of our chat, she discusses the selection process of who was going to be in the film, the way they decided to film the pieces, and a little about what wasn't said in the final cut. One of the things that we touched on but did not go into any detail was the fate of Jan Rouven which you can find here.

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#201 - Murray Sawchuck - Celebrity Magician

Murray Sawchuck recently completed two and a half years at the Tropicana's Laugh Factory in Las Vegas. On December 20, 2014, he will begin a new afternoon show at Planet Hollywood's "Sincity Theater" along his wife, Chloe, and his partner, Lefty. Murray will add illusions to his comedy magic show plus bring in different aspects of his other appearances on television such as "Pawn Stars" and other shows.

During our conversation, Murray talked about his upcoming appearance on Hallmark's Home & Family morning talk show. After you have listened to the podcast, then be sure to come back to watch this video. The other two videos below are from a couple of his appearances on "America's Got Talent" (sic).

Murray and his baby Chihuahua Kahlua do a magic trick for the Emmy Nominated show Home & Family. www.murraymagic.com

Why is Murray considered a "Celebrity Magician"? Hear what he has done and what he is doing in and around Las Vegas and on television and determine for yourself if you think he deserves the title. Breaks happen, but as they say, "luck is when preparation meets opportunity." Murray works hard to find opportunities to promote his brand so you could say he is one of the luckiest guys in the business.

Among many other topics discussed in this podcast, Murray talks about how he got his first break to headline his own show in Las Vegas and how it evolved to the new show at Planet Hollywood. He talks about contracts, "two-wall" versus "four-walling" a venue in Las Vegas, working on "America's Got Talent", "Pawn Stars", "Wizard Wars", "Extreme Escapes", advice from Marvin "Mr. Electric" Roy, using social media to your advantage, and more. He also gives us an idea of what a typical day in his life is like. He also talks at the end about his favorite charity, Children of the Night", rescuing children from prostitution, which draws attention to one of the least visible charities out there. He is one busy guy!

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Magic & Martinis & Murray Thursday

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

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