Last year was a challenging one for many but the magic still prevailed. Throughout this time I was serving my Magic Circle apprenticeship, so this blog was put on hiatus. I was fortunate to be part of a superb Facebook group that was set up to assist apprentices towards passing their entry exam into The Magic Circle. Whilst in the group I took the opportunity to reach out to practicing magicians, creators and entertainers to share their wisdom. The response was phenomenal. As you can see from the picture montage above of those that were willing to share their time with the Magic Circle Apprentice Network in a Q&A. Again, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks towards the group and all of the amazing guests. I’m excited to see the guests we have lined up this year.

During my apprenticeship I spent time in honing an act for my exam and one that I could continue to use after. I love a creative challenge and set upon my goal in creating a short routine that I could perform over Zoom. At the time the pandemic prevented in person exams at The Devant room at TMC HQ, so Zoom was the alternative.

Whilst consulting Pete McCabes Scripting Magic for inspiration, I was looking towards a coin effect, cards and that ‘something else’. The most frequent piece of advice that many magicians would give upon preparing for the circle exam was to do what you have performed many times. The Mr Quinn act mostly consisted of stage mentalism and I realised that most of these effects would be a challenge over zoom with lack of audience participation. Originally my stage act consisted of a book test, PK routine and an ESP card effect amongst others. Back in my former days of close up I used to perform Pat Page’s coins through table. So that was my initial choice of coin effect. Followed by the classic ‘Out Of This World’, using Rob Zabrecky’s ‘Another World’ Houdini card routine.

My good friend Avi Yap also released his amazing coin matrix routine alongside a set of Morgan coins that I would use as part of my act. I had also been practicing Guy Hollingworths ‘Reformation’, a superb signed card restoration. The act was gradually coming together, with the addition of another coin effect, ‘The Moon’, released by TCC. I was also accompanying each effect to music, whilst also drafting a script using the online script writing tool Celtx.

I had booked in my exam and was ready to go, or so I thought. I had shared my routine with some members of the group and it was clear my routine was no way near ready. With their honest, constructive feedback I decided to postpone my initial exam date and go back to the drawing board. Although a minor set back, this took the pressure off myself and enabled me to refocus my efforts.

At the time I was also reading Eugene Burgers, ‘From Beyond’ and always admired his gypsy thread routine. I then set out to research all the various methods and routines on this classic. Special thanks to Peter Samelson for sharing his time and advice with his beautiful rendition of the gypsy thread, ‘Heart Strings’. I also looked towards the performance of a legend in magic Ali Bongo that would also help out towards the script and choreography.

In between inviting guests for the Q&A’s I was also sharing my ideas in my magic club. During lock down the club had a Facebook group where we could jump on and perform our act on Facebook live. Running through your act with magicians proved really beneficial, whilst also seeking any opportunity to perform for lay people. I would record every zoom show and in person performance where possible. By doing this I discovered that an effect I did impromptu in my magic club got a great reaction and was encouraged to add to my act.

I then approached Marc Oberon for advice and we started workshopping my routine. Marcs expertise is paramount and I highly recommend anyone looking to hone their act to look towards his knowledge and experience, it’s worth the investment. Having now got my act to around eight minutes I booked in for my exam over zoom. A deadline to work to is invaluable, motivating you to focus on practice for the day. I had got into the habit of running through my whole routine from beginning to end, yet it was Marcs advice on micro practice that proved to be a game changer. Dedicating practice time whereby I was solely practicing on a specific moves, e.g. this might be a sleight of hand or even picking up and ditching.

I booked myself for a magic workshop with Marc Oberon that was to be held on Lee Hathaways Canal boat. Marc kindly offered me the opportunity to perform my act in between his lecture and I jumped at the chance. Craig Petty was in attendance and gave some invaluable advice on part of another effect I was working on that became my opener. The week before my exam I also had the chance to run through my act between Marc Oberons lecture at my magic club.

Shortly after performing my exam routine over zoom, I set out another goal; enter a magic competition. I had entered a few previously with my magic club, but when I heard of the new London Magic Convention were having their own close up competition I took the chance. Just a week before I was awarded my memberships and was fortunate to be in the line up for the close up competition. Despite nerves and some errors on the day I really enjoyed the process of preparing for the competition. The first London Magic Convention was a roaring success!

Entering the London Magic Convention close up competition was a great highlight of the year, but most importantly it’s been making friends within the magic community. I’ve already signed up for this years close up competition and looking towards creating more more magic opportunities and friendships throughout this new year.

Looking forward to aiming for the stars.

Twenty twenty was not the vision many had hoped for. The year started off with an alakazam but then it all went up in a puff of smoke. Yet magicians, mentalists and performers alike proved themselves to be resourceful to adapt to the situation. It has truly been a testing time but there have been many silver linings. With lockdowns and working from home, I had probably become more socially active than I would normally. Social media proved to be a great means to keep in touch with family and friends, and what better way to share the magic. I’ve been very fortunate to meet and converse with magicians and entertainers from around the world via video chat.

So who’d have thought a year ago that many performers would be plying their wares over the internet via Zoom? Magicians are generally an innovative bunch, with the recent pandemic causing many to diversify, some out of necessity. As previously documented, I've visited many online magic shows, mostly via Zoom or Stream Yard. All had varying degrees of audience participation and interaction. The most recent of which that I attended was Two Headed Dreams. An exceptional line up of talent hosted by the mercurial Zabrecky.

I was also fortunate to partake in some of the early zoom shows of Colin Cloud and Piff the Magic Dragon. Both had equally stamped their persona on the format. It will be interesting to see how Magic via Zoom evolves. Whilst not for everyone as performer or spectator, it’s certainly a trend for the time being. In my day job this is an area I’ve been researching, so I hope to share further knowledge on streaming a multi-camera show in the future.

Whilst I prefer performing on stage, I have been using the lockdown to practice more close up/parlour. I too was able to embark upon the Zoom train, making a few appearances at the South London Magic Society. I also gave my first mini magic lecture, discussing lighting in the zoom environment. There’s also been many diverse magic lectures over the last few months and conventions may look to adopt this for future gatherings, such as Vanishing Incs The Session for July 4th, with possible in person and online attendance.

Over the lockdown, I was also very lucky to be able to contact a number of magicians who were only too willing to share their knowledge with others in a magic Facebook group. Again, I’d like to personally thank the following who shared their time and expertise; Nikola Arkane, Christian Grace, Oliver Tabor, Ali Cook, Richard Young, Alan Rorrison, Paul Roffman, Matthew Wright, Marc Oberon, Wayne Fox, David Penn, Tony Clark and Rob Zabrecky. I’m also excited to be inviting a group of Asian Magicians for the new year to share their insight to their magic.

Whilst 2020 was a challenging time, it was a opportunity to rise to the occasion and make most of the situation. I’ve made some fantastic friends in the magic community. Special thanks also goes to Luke Dancy, who has continued to champion all things magic in a superb magical community, allowing magicians around the world to join in on the All Things Magic Lounge. Without this opportunity I wouldn’t have been able to connect with the diverse talent within the realm of magic across the world.

Bricks and mortar magic store Propdog, continued to entertain their customers every Friday with their fun Facebook lives. Saturn Magic with their informative Sunday night reviews. The ‘Top Gear’ team in magic reviewers at The Wizard Magic Review praised Henry Harrius’s latest.

I was also able to make connections with many talented magicians throughout Southeast Asia. I love South East Asia and have really missed my second home in Thailand this past year. Shout outs also to Patrick Kun, Henry Harrius, Avi Yap, Edo Huang, Eric Chien, Takumi Takahashi, Andrew Lee and Jeffrey Tam for sharing their time and magic! Check out Jeffrey Tams amazing graffitti skills in a Mr Quinn image below!

And what would be a good way to kick off the year with a quick review of some of my top Magic products of 2020

Magnet-0. Henry Harrius Presents delivers once again. His first addition to his worker series, so look forward to seeing what else he will be adding to his amazing cube effects

‘Spark’. A brilliant candle effect from The Orange Tree Magic.

‘Flatpack’ from Jason Nowles. Also the excellently crafted ‘Changing Cards’ from Richard Young. I spent some time over the last few months in creating some card gimmicks. Calen Morelli continued to share some awesome visuals on Instagram as well as the extremely talented Elliot Gerrard. Check out Elliots gumroad subscription with his Perceptual Illusions

TCC — excellent products as always this year. Their mini cups and balls are superb. TCC continue to put out great quality and priced products via their site and Kickstarter campaigns. Keep an eye out with their next collaboration with Eric Chiens ‘Portal’.

Card effects this year for me have been ‘Invisible Deck Kicker’ from David Penn, Max Mavens ‘Pocket Nightmare’ and Asi Winds ‘Gypsy Queen’. I’m also a big fan of Adrian Lacroix’s outstanding work that he has shared with his take on effects you can perform over Zoom. Adrians acaan, ‘Isolated’, is excellent.

As an avid reader I love magic books, so the following have made it into my humble magic library;

Dr Michael Rubinsteins ‘Coin Magic’. Morgan and Wests ‘Parlour Tricks’. Harapan Ongs ‘Principia’. David Regals ‘Approaching Magic’ and Ben Harts, ‘The Darkest Corners’. Marc Oberon’s ‘Grips, Lines and Look’s’ is a great insight into performance. Vanishing Inc continue to produce some lavish books and Asi Wind has a project with them in the works.

Looking to the new year there are also some fantastic creators sharing their thoughts, ideas and processes in magic. Do check out Luke Oseys latest venture, ‘Osey Fans’ where you can subscribe to learn some tricks of the trade and up your social media campaign at www.oseyfans.com

As a self proclaimed B-Boy and hip hop head, I was saddened to hear of the recent loss of MFDOOM and Shabba Doo, aka as Ozone from the hit 80’s dance movie Breakin’. A great anthem to start the new year in his honour, ‘There’s No Stopping Us’ and this posts title is a homage too.

And finally, as we see in the new year, I wish you all safe and well for 2021 and hopefully meet you at the next convention. I’ll hope to write a bit more throughout the year in this blog and beyond. Continue reading, keep practicing, put in the work and share the magic.

Whilst recently sharing a brief insight into my creative process on character, I was also contemplating sharing my scripting process for the stage act. Having gained some years of experience within script development, specifically for TV and film, I thought I might have something to share. I thoroughly enjoy the creative process of writing, hence this blog, whilst also sharing and helping others in realising their ideas. This involved providing script feedback and notes for both writers in film, novels and book adaptation to screen. I also shared some of this detail within a magic Facebook group which was well received, so I hope some insight can be garnered between the lines.

Most of the advice is based primarily on my experience in screenwriting, which is different to writing for stage. However, I do find they often overlap, but you will need to consider the difference in formatting for the stage play. I believe this is a fascinating process within the magical arts, which often gets overlooked. It’s not about patter per se, this advice is geared more towards a stage performer, whilst I’m sure it can be adapted. Again, these are highlights of my experience to date, there’s a lot more that I may discuss in a later post on stage craft as I’m always learning as a hobbyist mentalist, magician.

Books

There’s a plethora of books and advice out there on writing, plenty on screenwriting and stage plays, not so much for magic. I just so happened to discuss this topic recently with a magician friend, Ryan Beyer, looking to present his magic via storytelling, so here’s what I shared. As a starter, when it comes to story writing, I’d look at Syd Fields ‘Screenplay’, Robert McKees ‘Story’, and anything by Christopher Vogler and Joseph Campbell. The one book, perhaps I should say two, that I’ve referred to more often which are related to magic are Pete McCabes ‘Scripting Magic’ Volumes one and two. Also check out Ken Webers ‘Maximum Entertainment 2.0’. I would also add the ‘A, B, Z’s of Magic’ by Rob Zabrecky. I highly recommend these titles as a worthwhile investment in improving your magical performance and writing.

Writing

Biggest piece of advice I’d share from the get go is; write. Sounds obvious, but you do literally need to park yourself in front of that blank screen, paper, whatever, and start the process. It’s a discipline, one that I’m always striving to improve. Much like with magic practice, I find short and frequent works best for myself. Try not to self edit your words, just put them down. Like a ‘vomit’ draft a writer might do for a screenplay. Nobody is going to see it. I wouldn't advise sharing any early drafts of written work until you’re 100% entirely happy with it. Well, maybe 90% because if you’re going to share it with trusted partners, be prepared for feedback. Don’t be too precious with your words early on, just get them down. Writing is rewriting. Writing long hand is great for jotting down ideas, especially in a new moleskin notebook. Initially, I tend to write mostly in pencil, as I also have several sketchbooks containing ideas for effects. I recall Paul Daniels sharing this tip in writing in pencil, as it’s unlikely to fade overtime like ink. I also find a good desk and chair helps in creating a conducive environment to writing.

I believe its also important that you format your script accordingly. This looks professional and sharing your work this way shows you mean business. Over the years, Final Draft was the go to software for screenwriting. Whilst there are now others on the market, I’ve recently been using celtx.com. An online screenwriting tool, which has a free version for a limited number of projects, allowing you to format your script to a stage play.

After some scribbles of ideas, I’d then turn to my computer and start in MS Word or similar. Initially I will type up the routines that I’m considering as part of my act. I’ve got a file of routines that keep evolving with Mr Quinn in mind and appropriate titles. Creating titles for the routines is a fun exercise in itself. I’m currently working on a short act, with three routines, with a couple of bridging effects. I’ll then draft an outline, which is essentially the order of the routines with a brief description of the effect and also the running theme throughout. For longer acts, after the draft stage I’d also put together a running order, which involves timings on dialogue, music and lighting.

Theme helps to bond the effects together, rather than it just being a list of trick after trick. How does the first trick connect with the second. I’ve also drawn storyboards and stage plans of where I will see myself in relation to any props or furniture that might be on the set. Also, an inventory of what’s in your pockets is good planning. Tommy Cooper may have looked chaotic on stage, but his preparation was meticulous.

Conflict is always highlighted when conveying plot. To engage the audience in a TV show for instance, conflict helps move the plot forward, engaging the viewer. This might not be so obvious in a script for magic. Yet conflict could easily be translated in the magician in trouble scenario as an example. I was in a recent lecture by Ali Cook, who shared some valuable advice on magic performance and referred to the common plot device of man vs themselves, man vs world, man vs man.

I wont dwell too much on plot structure here as this can be found in many of the books on writing I’ve mentioned. Its good that you discover your own method after you’ve grasped an understanding on the rules and tools of writing.

Feedback

Once you have a draft of a script you’re happy to share, its worth seeking constructive feedback. I would share your ideas with a few trusted friends or colleagues who’s judgement you respect. Spreading your ideas to all and sundry will only cause confusion, everyone chipping in with well meaning advice, with conflicting opinions.

When I have something worthwhile sharing, I’ll schedule in a zoom chat with my mentor, Rob Zabrecky. Usually consisting of a script with a video recording of my run through. This is more like a dress rehearsal, where I’ll often edit this with music and titles. I now religiously film all my run-throughs, and quite often an impromptu phrase will make it into the script. Sharing your script and run-throughs is instrumental in honing your act, and more often than not, suggestions will be made that resonate with you.

Whilst sharing my ideas and filmed performance with Rob, themes and ideas are discussed. This might be music, films and other magicians or mentalists. Here are some highlights of a few pointers that came to light in my last Zabrecky session.

Sharing the magic moment with the audience — I’ve been guilty of this of late. Whilst performing to camera and staring right down the lens performing a routine. Show that you care, when you share. Try not to stare.

Relish the moments — when performing the magic effect, surprise, reveal, express your own wonder or surprise. We often forget that we should perhaps suspend our own disbelief when we share the magic before an audience.

Consistent, cohesive look — the term ‘wheelhouse’ often gets mentioned when discussing character. Over the last year as Mr Quinn has evolved, I’ve started to gravitate more towards material that would suit his character. What’s in Mr Quinn’s wheelhouse? As much as one likes buying the latest shiny effect, there’s an encyclopedia of magic effects in books and tricks of old that can be mined for their value. Most of which are probably in ones magic book shelf too. I often ask myself the question, ‘What would Mr Quinn do?’ when I look at effects and routines. Does the trick suit the character, how could I weave a story around the effect that would fit with the act. There’s some great patter attached to many bought effect, but when you add your own spin to it, it makes it you own, so to speak. You have to be disciplined, as magic as a hobby isn’t cheap if you’re tempted by the newest fang-dangled electronic gadget that will end up gathering dust in your magic drawer.

As with writing, you’ll start to collect a drawer of ideas. Some will get used, others need to mature for a later date. The important part is just to continue to write and improve with practice as you would with your Magic.

Happy writing!

End note: at the time of writing our friend Piff just shared the following pearls of wisdom from R. Paul Wilson.

Magic Brand

Greetings reader, I hope you are well. This is part of an unpublished blog post I drafted nearly a year ago, so thought it was timely to update. It’s also a year to the day Mr Quinn made his stage debut here, and I look forward to treading the boards again soon. In the meantime I’ve been practising more close up magic.

During the current climate I’ve also been busy working behind the scenes on my act and the Mr Quinn brand. Creating an identity within the realm of magic is a fascinating process. Whilst I have been honing Mr Quinn’s background story and scripting routines, I have also developed concepts for logos/idents to suit the character. Originality and consistency is the challenge.

The Mr Quinn logo has gone through numerous iterations, prior to settling on a simple minimalist design atop this post. This will also prove beneficial for replicating in print and other formats for the future. There is also a theme that I’ve tried to keep consistent throughout; mystery and sci-fi. Having dropped the monikier ‘Mysterious’ for now, inspired by the Agatha Christe novel, Mr Quinn continues to be the brand name. The name’s also inspired from the Mr Men, Mr Benn and Mr Bean.

So, check out some of the following designs for Mr Quinns brand in chronological order, some of which have been shared on my Instagram @mister.quinn . Incidentally, Instagram has proved a great means of sharing ideas, so a big thank you to those who gave feedback on the various designs.

Mr Quinns trademark glasses. The classic Dark Tortoise shell Yvan frames by Curry & Paxton, as worn by Sir Michael Caine in both “The Italian Job” and the Harry Palmer films. I’m a big Michael Caine fan and love the retro look of these glasses that I wear on stage as Mr Quinn. A distinguised looking font.

A Quinn ambigram. This idea stemmed from some concepts for a Quinns deck of playing cards. The logo reads the same either way up.

An abstract design for Q Division, a secret project. This is based upon a flying saucer looking emblem and all seeing eye, with a letter Q feel to it. I rendered some of these with music effects too.

A metallic render of the Q logo floating in space, with some lens flare. The hypnotic score of Mings Ring from the Flash Gordon movie soundtrack.

Simple black design, with a hypnotic effect and the Logans Run movie theme.

Concept for a Mr Quinn channel ident, with background music from Picture Box, which had a haunting theme tune

A concept with Mr Quinns shadow as the letter ‘I’. Liked the idea of adding the character within the font. A ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E’ and ‘The Saint’ vibe. This formed the basis towards an opening ident I created, from a sci-fi film trailer soundtrack and some hip hop beats.

I then created the following abstract. Would make for a nice pin badge perhaps? Mr Quinn likes badges.

And from that I started concpetualising a cartoon character for Mr Quinn. An alien type being floating in space. Somewhat inspired by the Mekon from Dan Dare.

From the alien character, inspired the following abstract Q. A question mark, that looks like an alien and the letter Q.

The following is a more corporate looking design. I liked the idea of incorporating the mobius strip. Note the use of just ‘QUIN’, mainly for design reasons, although this harks back to the original spelling of the Agatha Christie novel. We’ve come full circle!

As you can see, throughout the past year I’ve been testing out all kinds of designs and interations for the Mr Quinn brand look. There are plenty more that didnt make the cut. Artist’s tears, as Rob Zabrecky would say. As a side note, do check out Rob Zabrecky’s latest interview with Harrison Greenbaum. With excellent guest appearances from John Lovick and David Kovac!

Abracadabra!

The design process is fun and challenging, seeking original ideas and looking for inspiration. That inspiration struck recently, from the excellent design by the talented Blake Vogt.

Do check out these fabulous magic themed prints, currently available via Vanishing Inc. Theres a great story behind its conception too.

So working with a similar principle of the design, I discovered some great looking fonts online to replicate the one Blake had designed himself. I liked how it looked abstract and minimalist, and reminded me of a maze. I’ve also been looking at film titles. I’m a bit of a movie buff and always loved the intricacy of the logo of Christopher Nolans ‘Syncopy’ company and his movie ‘Inception’.

Which again, reminded me of the neat Vanishing Inc design for their online Masterclasses.

Initially I worked with a few fonts to come up with the following.

Then working on a few variations, shared via Instagram to get some feedback. Incorporating my previous design to finally come up with these inverted options.

And with a few tweaks this is the final design below, for now. A nod to magician and designer @diesel_illusions for mentioning the use of the shadow figure again.

And a few variations.

I hope you enjoyed a quick peek behind the magic curtain, throughout this adventure. I always strive to seek inspiration from within all my interests and how they connect with my character. Be it movies, music, comics and other entertainers. I always keep a sketchbook of designs and a virtual scrapbook of imagery.

Shout out also to Nikola Arkane for her brilliant blog, that has been a constant source of inspiration. Do check out her latest posting, which gave the impetus on sharing my post, via Nikolas journal.

Thank you also to inspiration from the Coolest Magician On Earth, Rudy Coby! With his excellent advice from his brilliant Lab Notes: ‘How to Become a World Famous Magician’.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey so far, which constantly evolves as we embark upon establishing a character and brand in magic.

During these challenging times, it has been uplifting to see so much creativity being shared within the magical realm. Now more than ever we could all do with some magic in our lives.

This last month I’ve had some magical highlights. One of them was a brilliant lecture on stage craft from Freddie Davies at The Magic Circle. Learning about stage craft I’ve found a challenge as theres not a great deal of written resources on the topic. The best way to learn is to gain your flight time whilst treading the boards.

Freddie shared his secrets of the trade from his career that spans over several decades. Freddie is a familiar face in the UK for his ‘Parrot Face’ days on TV throughout the 60's/70's, but you may recognise him from the brilliant comedy film starring Lee Evans, ‘Funny Bones’. Heres an excellent podcast from the legend himself.

Another legend, Dynamo, has been busy this past year, overcoming his health issues he has just released the awesome cinematic looking trailer for his forthcoming show, ‘Beyond Belief’, on Sky One.

Dynamo has also shared a very frank interview on Paul McKenna’s podcast which you can listen to here;

‎Paul McKenna's Positivity Podcast: 46 - Dynamo on Apple Podcasts

Whilst Magic Live has officially cancelled this years convention, Vanishing Inc continue to share the magic by offering their first free, online Magic Convention with a stellar line up , Share Magic Live

An excellent line up witj Harapan Ong, Caroline Ravn, Jim Krenz, Daniel Garcia and Morgan & West!

Morgan & West have also just released their spiffing book, ‘Parlour Tricks’. An indepth look within their routines and craft of the same show which you can also watch in conjuntion with the book. Marvellous!

The Marvellous Matthew Wright has a couple of new releases and also starred in a recent line up on House of Illusions Facebook live here:

Pete Firman performed his first episode of his experimental show via Facebook. Do check it out, just to meet Mr Woodcock!

Ben Earl has a new M-Word podcast episodes through Studio 52 as well as live Instagrams with recent excellent guests Chris Kenner, Piff and Asi Wind.

Benjamin Earl

Murphys Magic continue to host a series of brilliant Facebook lives and more recently via the brilliant app with Zoom for magicians to socialise online. This has certainly set a trend of self isolated performers using social media to reach their audience, continuing to share the magic. Stay safe.

Another brilliant year for magic at Blackpool Winter Gardens. Whilst only visiting on Saturday, I managed to attend a couple of lectures and visit the dealers hall. This year however was more about catching up with Magic friends whilst making new ones, as we only get to see one another once a year besides interacting on social media.

The convention was beyond magic, and it was lovely to personally meet up with fellow magicians who all share our love for magic. Being ‘present’ during a packed convention is key when networking or just catching up with friends.

Ilusionista Snake from Tumi Magic demo’d a brilliant deck device that caught the eye of Mark Calabrese. Plus something in the works that will be out soon from the creative mind of John Byng with Murphys Magic…

Social Media continues shaping magic in new ways and Luke Dancy hosted an insightful talk with some key practitioners; Instagram legend Niel Henry, Youtuber Jonti Sparrow and Steve Faulkner. Check out Steve Faulkners brilliant youtube account for his take on the whole Blackpool convention via his Real Magic Review channel.

Throughout the talk, there were lots of tips and advice in utilising Instagram, Facebook and other platforms to reach your audience. Also in attendance were some young movers and shakers in the world of Instagram magic, Charlie Davis and Joel M who have found their niche in attracting followers.

There also followed a lecture with some youger magicians, ‘Kids in Magic doing BIG things’, who are clearly the future in magic, demostrating excellent prescence and skill on stage. Issy Simpson and Ben Morey and co., proved that magics continued legacy is in safe hands.

In the dealers hall, David Penn had another great effect this year with his excellent worker ‘Invisible Deck Kicker’ and Wayne Fox revealed his latest effects ‘The Real Box’ and ‘Sharpless’. Tobias Dostal continued to astound attendees with his excellent mobile phone vanish. The one effect that caught mine and many others imagination was ‘Voodoo Needle’ from Peter Eggink, by Aeon Son soon to be released with Deceptive Dreamz.

The Nobody Knows team had their bag of ‘Essentials’ pre-release on their smart Turnerwatch stand and prize giving spinning wheel. Essentials contents will be available from February 27th. I won a fetching NK bag and keyfob too.

If you’re seriosuly interested within the theoretical, methodology of magic, I encourage you to seek out Ben Earls latest venture into the podcast world,‘The M-Word’. I bumped into Ben at the convention, and as promised he crossed my palm with something shiny, a lovely pin badge.

You can listen to Bens podcast, ‘The M-Word’, via the link below.

‎The M-Word: #2 - 'Zombie Attack' on Apple Podcasts

We had a great discussion at the Vanishing Inc stand with Christian Grace on ‘Level One’ and one of Christians latest effects, ‘Switch One’, which sold out at Blackpool. Switch One is a great effect coming soon from Vanishing Inc!

Vanishing Inc have also started venturing into the playing card market with www.vanishingincplayingcards.com. Whilst bumping into the Murphys team at the dealer hall, I was the lucky recipient of a free deck of cards from the delightful Michelle Quinn. Also a big thanks to Will Roya from playingcarddecks.com for sending over my prize from Murphys Instagram live of an uncut sheet and deck of Hustling Joe playing cards.

And finally, Blackpool 2021 is going to be a stellar year with the following announcement from Criss Angel! 🤟🏻

This was my first time attending The Session and I had a fantastic day meeting magic friends old and new. Whilst attending just the Saturday of the three day event, I managed to catch most of the talks in between some jams and chats with fellow magi.

Henry Harrius kindly shared his time discussing cubes and magic principles. Dynamo and Dan Albion screened some exclusive footage of their new upcoming show ‘Beyond Belief’, which has an awesome filmic quality!

Special shout out to David Penn and Wayne Fox, for making my first day memorable with their kind hospitality. Also to Christian Grace for killing it on the Vanishing Inc stand with his Level One. Looking forward to the two day ‘The Event’, which focuses on mentalism. Josh and Andy have created a greatly polished convention at Vanishing Inc.

UK Card Con 2020

I’m an avid fan of playing cards with a humble collection of decks. Cardistry beholds an amazing visual aspect of pasteboards that has always fascinated me and I attended my first Card Con. The young cardistry community has an array of cardists, only too willing to openly share their card manouverues. It was also great to see a group of familiar faces from the magic fraternity in attendance, with Nobody Knows, 4MG and Dynamo.

Andrew Frost gave a brilliant insight into magic practice, that can be applied to cardistry. Papercuts founders were in attendance discussing their UK Card Con designs, and Luke Oseland presented a great launch of his website selectplayingcards.com.

Every attendee received an awesome swag bag of goodies, ten decks in all. The UK Card Con have found an excellent venue with a crew of devoted cardists and I look forward to seeing the community flourishing. Brilliant work UK Card Con!

If like me you missed some of the lectures at The Session, the brilliantly talented Rory Adams is publishing his lecture notes. Get your orders in quick, link here.

And finally. Marc Spelmann on AGT! Absolutely brilliant!

Keep practicing! Next stop, Blackpool!

2020 looks set to be a magical roller-coaster with some great line ups on forthcoming magic conventions The Session, Blackpool and Magic Live! and my first UK Card Con! Last year saw some amazing new effects and magic books, some of which I put to good use in my best of list below.

Top effects of 2019

Level One has got to be my number one! Having seen this at first hand, demo’d by its talented creator Christian Grace at Blackpool. This is becoming the new Omni deck, in a good way. Its pure genius. You might spot somebody in the preview trailer below.

There is also a great Facebook group for Level One. Facebook secret groups are becoming an excellent tool for magic creators and magicians to share their ideas. Really looking forward to see what Christian has planned next with Vanishing Inc.

NKTW. I’m a big fan of the original and was pleased to see NK continue in delivering the goods with a new edition. Rory and Chris look to have some more NK projects in development, with Rory planning a follow up to his gem of a book, ‘Only Ideas’.

Siamese Waltz. This is a superb version of Anniversary Waltz by the card gaff extraordinaire, Bennie Chickering. I was very excited to learn that Bennie will be having one of his new effects also released through Vanishing Inc soon. Check out some of his work via Bennies site here, Way to go Bennie!

Spectro Touch. Joao Miranda’s creations are like James Bond gadgets. I’ve already put this awesome PK effect through its paces on stage, so picked up another! Joao Miranda and his team deliver consistently with the magical goodness!

Celebrity Presage by Svenpad. This is my first book test purchase. I’d never been swayed by book tests, until Steve Valentine showed me ‘Booked!’ and I was sold. This truly is a great effect with multiple routines.

RD Insta by Henry Harrius. I’m a bit late to the Rubiks cube magic party, but upon seeing Henry’s cube magic on social media I gave it a shot. This will feature in part of my new act for sure.

TGR 2.0. I love Tumi Magics visual eye candy, and always look forward to seeing what Erick has in store for Blackpool. I’m sure it will be sweet with Candy Cash!

Top Magic Books of 2019

I had a lot of books this year that caught my eye, so here’s a mention of some of them.

Magic Rainbow — Juan Tamariz — This magic tome on performance and theory is as madcap as its creator. It’s a totally different outlook on magic that is worth spending time on.

Maximum Effect 2.0 — Ken Weber. The entertainers go-to bible with updates! A superb guide book on how to improve your act from scripting, staging and beyond. This should be on every performers shelf!

Eugene Burger: From Beyond. Eugene truly speaks from beyond, with some excellent performance downloads accompanying this book on his gypsy thread and other unpublished material. A follow up is on its way.

Pure Imagination — Scott Robinson. I’m still going through this sumptuously produced book from Vanishing Inc of a smorgasbord of card effects.

The A,B,Z’s of Magic -Rob Zabrecky. If you want to learn about creating an original solid act, this is the book by a true master performer. A great series of books from Vanishing Inc ‘Astonishing Essays’, this is my favourite to date. Also check out Rob Zabreckys bio ‘Strange Cures’.

The Code by Fenik — full of killer card routines that I’ve started to put into effect. Thank you also to Feniks translator, Alejandro Hinojosa Cantu, for tips on the excellent Miracle routine!

The Neat Review. A great compendium of magical related articles. An excellent interview with Asi Wind in issue two!

The Shift- Volume One. Ben Earl has produced a stylish book that covers effects, performance and theory. Volume 2 on its way!

I’m a big advocate of attaining magic knowledge through books. That’s where the real magic resides!

As the new year was approaching, Theory 11 announced an awesome collaboration with Star Wars with these cool looking cards.

Theory 11 also ran competitions over the holidays to make a Star Wars themed trick to nab some of the empire/resistance decks. See my Dark Side below with the Derren Brown boxed set of playing cards!

The new year finally sees the rebirth of Jerry’s Nuggets. After a massive success on Kickstarter, these world renowned decks have been reborn in a variety of finishes.

Finally, to kick off the new year, check out these splendid Art of Magic Calendars! Thank you to Scott Wells, of the excellent Magic Word podcast for the heads up on these magical calendars, celebrating the art of magic in vintage posters for 2020!

Happy New Year!