Illusionary Podcast

Kray Mitchell

The Illusionary Podcast talks to different Canadian Magicians about their careers and influences. We talk about magic, illusions and life.

Episodes

  1. 07/10/2019

    Episode 10: Mahdi Gilbert

    Mahdi is a professional sleight of hand magician, but he's also the only magician alive born without hands or feet. He's well known for fooling Penn & Teller, providing online education for magicians and speaking around the world., check out his website for more details, or visit Before Magic to live and obtain the impossible. Mahdi's struggle for life began while he was in the womb. He received a death sentence before birth but was miraculously spared and was born into this world without hands or feet in 1989 in Toronto, Canada. His early years were difficult. Mahdi would face a difficult childhood in poverty struggling daily with bullying, violence, loneliness and depression. He was tormented by his physical differences and constantly wondered what would become of his life, if there was even a point of him having a life. Through these trials and tribulations he found strength, passion, and hope through God, family, friends and the many kind people he has met during his journey through life. Since his first magic performance at age 14, he has traveled around the world, sharing his story & magic, and giving hope to millions; to the multitudes of every race, color, age, religion, and social status. He is also an accomplished artist and currently writing his first book for the public. Now, Mahdi performs wonders without hands and walks the Earth without feet and is a walking miracle to everyone he meets. Magicians Mentioned David Copperfield Dai Vernon

    41 min
  2. 06/12/2019

    Episode 9: Ryan Hayashi

    Ryan has appeared at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, the Magic Circle in London and he stumped Penn & Teller on Fool Us. You may know him better as the Samurai Master of Magic (and for good reason, check out his sword skills on Britain's got Talent), check out his website for more details. Hayashi is a legend in the world of magic. Known worldwide as an incredibly versatile entertainer and an international television personality, he has blown away even the greatest minds in magic. He has appeared at the prestigious Magic Castle in Hollywood and the legendary Magic Circle in London, and his terrifying samurai sword act on "Britain's Got Talent" has over 50 million views on YouTube. He has performed in 18 countries around the world, and has been seen by over 80 million television viewers worldwide on 36 national TV shows in 12 countries, performing in 6 different languages. He has won awards at both of the two largest events for the industry in the United States - the Society of American Magicians National Championships and the International Brotherhood of Magicians American Gold Cups - and he won both of these awards in the same year, in 2007. He also won the 2017 FISM European Championship in Close Up Magic, and ranked in the Top 10 Close Up Acts at the FISM World Championships of Magic in 2006, 2012, and 2018 (Among many more wins!). Magicians Mentioned David Copperfield Doug Henning Penn & Teller Shoot Ogawa Apollo Robbins Armando Lucero Martin Eisele Shin Lim Eric Chien

    59 min
  3. 03/06/2019

    Episode 5: Julie Eng

    When you grow up in a magic family, straight jackets in the living room are the norm. It wasn't mine, but it was for Julie! She has grown up with magic all her life and had the pleasure of working with many top performers through her work with Magicana. You can also check out her website for more info. Julie Eng is best described as a charming and enchanting performer who is passionate about her craft. Both her peers and her clients consider this award-winning magicienne one of the up-and-coming performers of her generation. Her interest in magic began early; raised in a family of magicians, she has been a stage performer since she was a child. As she earned her Commerce degree, Julie’s true love for the unique art of magic blossomed into a career. And now, for over three decades, Julie has brought her magical expertise to thousands of private functions, festivals, conventions and special events around the globe. Julie is also the executive director of Magicana – an arts organization and registered charity dedicated to the study, exploration and advancement of magic as a performing art. Inside of her work with Magicana, Julie is one of the founding organizers for two unique community outreach programs, My Magic Hands and Senior Sorcery. Julie was also a part of another one of Magicana’s productions, a theatrical show, Piff Paff Poof which was designed specifically to introduce the experience of the theatre to young families. Magicians Mentioned Johnny Thompson Dale Harney Charlie Miller Pat Page Adelaide Herman Celeste Evans Full Transcript Download PDF Transcript

    45 min
  4. 02/20/2019

    Episode 4: Todd Shapiro

    If you're into magic in Montreal, then you've probably heard of The Amazing Todsky, aka Todd Shapiro. You may have even stopped by his magic shop (check him out online at MagicStore.ca), and if you haven't, you should! It was my pleasure to speak with Todd on this episode of Illusionary Podcast.   One starry starry night, many many moons ago, Little Todsky woke up from a nap in his crib, and it occurred to him that the Earth upon which he crawled was a planet full of wonder and mystery. Soon afterwards, Little Todsky would embark upon a journey into wonder, magic and discovery; a journey that continues today. Over time, Little Todsky was able to unearth some of the secrets of the magical arts, and in doing so found a way to share the wonder and mystery with others. Little Todsky soon grew to become the Mediocre Todsky, for his magical abilities were just beginning to form, and, frankly, his tricks were pretty sucky. But with much perseverance and his nose to the lodestone, Todsky progressed in the magical arts, and soon he would be called The Somewhat Impressive Todsky. It wasn’t long before he became The Pretty Good Todsky and then The Great Todsky. And now, of course, he is known as The Amazing Todsky. Magicians Mentioned Tom Auburn The Great Richiardi Henry Gordon Richard Sanders Houdini Cardini David Roth Books Mentioned Royal Road to Card Magic Bobo's Modern Coin Magic 13 Steps to Mentalism Full Transcript Download PDF Transcript

    42 min

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The Illusionary Podcast talks to different Canadian Magicians about their careers and influences. We talk about magic, illusions and life.