magic is about honesty
everything here is true
except for the bits I made up
The trailer for a new short documentary about magic in Toronto, and in particular our local secret magic shop, the Browser’s Den of Magic, has just been released.
In order of appearance: Mark Lewis, The Sentimentalists (Mysterion & Steffi Kay), Ryan Murray, Mark Correia, John Talbot, Jim Byrnes, Wij, me, Jacqueline Swan, Ahmed Alexander, Mike Segal, Kevin Rusli, Jeff Hinchliffe, Patrick Nemeth, Ben Train. Produced by Paul Steinberg.
Some mysterious stranger has nominated me for the Canada’s Magic 2018 Readers Choice Awards
“In the past year he’s helped numerous performers make their acts better, has participated in leadership roles on several major magic projects (including Toronto Magic Company, Ring 17 Hat and Rabbit, Magicana, etc). He’s lectured on his original magic, he’s supported the community...
I could keep going on.”
The criteria are delightfully vague:
“You may nominate living Canadian Magician(s) of your choosing by leaving their name along with a short note about how they inspired you in 2018…
This is a "bragging rights" only contest. There is no cash value for this award.”
I’m nominated along with some other wonderful magicians and friends including (in alphabetical order) Jonah Babins, Ryan Brown, Jeff Christensen, Greg Frewin, Carisa Hendrix, Mike Segal and Kent Wong. So, happy to be nominated and I hope I can count on your vote, dearest reader.
Back in June, along with several other magicians, I was asked to film a series of short pieces to help promote a new product being introduced by Wendy's Canada - the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger. Tied in with the magic is the chance to win a trip to Las Vegas. This was originally intended to be a project using faked magic (actors performing with camera tricks) but instead Wendy's opted for real magicians performing with no trick photography. Everything was shot continuously in one take (although there are multiple camera angles for better visibility). The result was the online ad campaign Expect to be Amazed.
The hardest part of the project is the name: try saying "Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger" over over again - it's hard to say on camera, and I don't think any of us got it right in less than three takes.
Now that the product has been launched, the videos that were shot here in Toronto are being released one by one every few days through Wendy's Canada's Facebook page and YouTube Channel. You can watch my performances along with Mike Segal (Canada's Magician of the Year) and David "Baldini" Grossfield. More are coming, so follow and like to see them all.
And of course, get yourself to a Wendy's so you can try the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburgerbefore they all disappear.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XZhR3G5WQA&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhYpg9vIkDs&w=560&h=315]
