Mia's Magical Night fundraiser with the Toronto Magic Company [Feb 6]

From Chai Lifeline Canada:

On the occasion of my Bat Mitzvah, I have chosen to support the important work of Chai Lifeline Canada. Chai Lifeline is devoted to supporting children and families facing illness. For over 15 years they have given thousands of families across Canada the concrete services and emotional support that enables patients, siblings and parents to find joy in their lives.  My goal is to raise $18,000.00 to provide critical support services, including therapy, to children as well providing funding so that families can create some long lasting and special memories through experiences.
 
Families coming together and laughing is something we can all enjoy.  On Sunday February 6th, please join me as The Toronto Magic Company delights us with their UNBELIEVABLE virtual magic show that has been entertaining thousands across the globe.  Ben Train and Jonah Babins will mesmerize us and it is definitely something you won’t want to miss!

An Interactive Virtual Magic Show for all ages!

Date: February 6, 2022

Read more and buy tickets.

 

 

 

Unconventional.Fun - back in time! [Nov 27-28]

From the November 10th Instagram post by Unconventional.Fun:

WE'RE BACK!

WAY BACK!

The world's most unconventional magic convention is going back in time for a weekend filled with lectures, shows, jamming - even dinosaurs!

Learn from the best magicians on the planet and make friends from around the globe.

It's all happening one weekend only - November 27th and 28th.

 

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Toronto: Hocus Jokus with Babins, Clearview, Train, and Westfall

Catch them Sunday November 21st. 

From the November 5th Instagram post by the Toronto Magic Company:

Is this Toronto’s FUNNIEST magic show or Toronto’s most MAGICAL comedy show?

Why not both?!?

Four of Toronto’s funniest magicians are jumping on the Yuk-Yuk stage for a night of non-stop laughs, fun surprises, and of course, mind-blowing magic.

You’ve seen them on Penn & Teller’s Fool Us, America’s Got Talent, and Breakfast Television. Now see them LIVE for ONE. NIGHT. ONLY!

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Jonah Babins in Narcity Toronto

From the October 25th article "How This 27-Year-Old Queen's Math Major Ended Up Earning Six Figures As A Magician" by Sarah Rohoman in Narcity Toronto:

As he got older, Babins said that enough people started hiring him that it seemed like something he could potentially get into full-time.

"I had to give it a shot, you know, so it was more exciting for me to do that than for me to pursue something a little more serious. And it just ended up kind of snowballing from there."

As well as being a magician and doing both live and virtual shows, Babins notes that he wears many hats in order to run a successful business and that no day is ever the same because of it.

"I am a podcaster. I interview world-famous magicians, and I share it with the world," he said. "I'm a magic business coach. So I help other magicians grow their businesses and use some online marketing techniques to make them effective and more fun. And then I'm an event producer. We produce ticketed events for people that come to see magic shows, and also we produce events online for magicians for the community."

Read more.

 

 

Toronto Magic Company presents Tricks and Treats for the Boys and Ghouls

Get your tickets for this October 30th event at the Tricks and Treats for the Boys and Ghouls Eventbrite page.

 

From the October 13th Instagram post by the Toronto Magic Company:

I was working in the lab late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight.
For two magicians on zoom began to rise
And suddenly, to my surprise 😮

They did a show!
All done over zoom - 💻
They did a show!
Family friendly in your living room -
They did a show!
With prizes for best costumes -
They did a show!
They did a Halloween show! 🎃

That’s right! Back by popular demand we’re putting on a virtual Halloween show!

We’ve got ghosts, ghouls, and mind-blowing magic in this BRAND NEW, ONE TIME ONLY, show that’s perfect for the whole family! 🙌

Family-friendly in your living room - ting this year - we're doing it on October 30th so you can make it! 😉

For more info and to get your tickets, click the link in our bio!

 

 

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Jonah Babins interviewed by Jake Strong

From the September 16th Facebook post by Discourse in Magic:

I was a guest on a wonderful podcast!

And you know what that means? 

We talk about things I don’t usually talk about - so I wanted to share it with all of you.

The phenomenal magician, and podcaster - Jake Strong Magic, interviewed me for his show!

Jake has a podcast called Three Questions wherein he asks his guests... well… three poignant questions!

In the interview, Jake asked me about the misunderstood aspects of running a magic biz, how I prepare to interview my own podcast guests, and about my strengths and weaknesses with the Toronto Magic Company.

As you can imagine, not only do we go pretty far behind the scenes - but you also get some extra insights about getting more bookings as a magician and so much more.

Listen to this podcast episode now—link below  👇 👇
https://discourseinmagic.com/three-questions-with-jake.../

 

 

 

 

 

Jonah Babins and Ben Train in the Toronto Star

From the August 29th article "Abracadabra! The Toronto Magic Company makes fun appear - Friends and partners Jonah Babins and Ben Train aim to provide opportunities for the city’s budding magicians" by Briony Smith in the Toronto Star: 

Toronto is, in fact, a pretty magical place. It’s home to The Hat and Rabbit, one of the oldest active magic clubs; it has produced such famous magicians as Jay Sankey, David Ben and Ross Bertram; and currently it has one of the largest magic communities on the planet. Despite this, Train says, there often weren’t enough opportunities for the two friends to share their magic. So, in 2016, they started The Toronto Magic Company to produce shows for public and private events, featuring rising local talent, as well as the best magicians from around the globe. They also launched “The Newest Trick in the Book,” an open-mic show at See-Scape, a science-fiction-themed bar in the Junction, where magicians could try out fresh material and audiences could experience new types of magic, for free.

Read more.

 

Jonah Babins and Ben Train in the Toronto Star
https://t.co/hxRb4HgnQa
@jonahbabins @ErdnaseinTO @TorontoMagicCO pic.twitter.com/yTmSWwZy86

— Canada's Magic (@canadasmagic) August 29, 2021

Tarbell Challenge v2

From the July 30th Instagram post by the Toronto Magic Company:

 

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Unconventional Fun in Space

From Unconventional.Fun:

Talent includes:

• Dani DaOrtiz
• Garrett Thomas
• Daniel Garcia
• Harapan Ong
• Ryan Plunkett
• Patrick Redford
• Eric Leclerc
• Abby Segal
• Jason Suran
• Trigg Watson
• Spidey
• Xavior Spade
• Fritz Alkemade
• Kaitlyn Chen
• Evan Northrup
• Michael Eaton
• Jacque Swan
• Noah Sonie
• Chris Leuck
• Felice Ling
• Bri Crabtree
• Ryan Pilling
• Jonah Babins
• Ben Train

Read more and register.

 

From the July 31st Instagram post by unconventional.fun:

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2021 Canadian Rising Star

Congratulations to Jonah Babins for winning the Allan Slaight Canadian Rising Star award!


From the June 21st article "Canadian Rising Star 2021" at Magicana: 

As is our tradition, we start off by introducing you to this year’s Canadian Rising Star. This award acknowledges outstanding work by emerging Canadian magicians, and comes with a prize of $5,000 from the Slaight Family Foundation. Past recipients of this award include Mahdi Gilbert, Luc Langevin, Eric Leclerc, Nick Wallace, Carisa Hendrix and The Sentimentalists (Mysterion and Steffi Kay).

We are thrilled to now include JONAH BABINS on this impressive list of rising stars.

We invite you to meet this energetic Toronto-based magician. Jonah is an accomplished and impressive performer who is dedicated to building and fostering an inclusive and interesting community. A true rising star.

AND IT BEGINS! We start the #AllanSlaightAwards by introducing this year’s #CanadianRisingStar He's an accomplished and impressive performer, based in Toronto, and is dedicated to building and fostering an inclusive and interesting community. WATCH: https://t.co/7Xt00n9ynh pic.twitter.com/hRGqWwzVVN

— Magicana (@sharingwonder) June 21, 2021

Ring 17 hosts: Unconventional.Lecture [June 3]

From IBMRing17.com:

Thursday, June 3, 2021 

Jonah “Ringmaster” Babins, Ben “Hostile Takeover” Train, Margaret Catwood, and Presto the Toronto Magic Company Raccoon spill the beans on Virtual Magic!

 

 

 

 

Tarbell Challenge: volume one

Watch the video on YouTube here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLyLDGPL6a4

 

From the May 18th Instagram post by the Toronto Magic Company:

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Ring 66 hosts an UnConventional lecture with Jonah and Ben [May 20]

From the Facebook event Calgary Club Meeting and UNConventional Lecture:

Description: In 2020 magic went through a radical change - moving predominantly online for the first time in existence.

During that time Ben Train and his partner Jonah Babins performed more than 300 virtual shows for audiences all over the world - and of all ages and sizes. They also produced the world’s first 8-bit virtual magic convention (Unconventional.fun), transformed their magic company so it could operate entirely online, and worked with countless magicians helping them with their virtual shows.
 
Now Ben and Jonah wants to share what he learnt and answer any questions you might have. They’ve got advice on marketing your online shows, tips on how to maximize virtual audience engagement, and insight into what you can do to make 2021 your most magical year yet.

This is NOT a lecture - so don’t come expecting to learn any tricks - but it will be a fun night all about the world of virtual magic; filled with learning, laughs, and bottomless drinks*

*Provided you have a lot of drinks at home. 

Read more.

UnConventional.Fun at Magicland [May 29 & 30]

Return to Magicland May 29th and 30th! 

From the Unconventional.Fun website, the virtual line-up includes:

• Caroline Ravn
• Sean O
• Mario "The Maker Magician" Marchese
• Chris Westfall
• Jeremy Griffith
• Steve Reynolds
• Xavior Spade
• Carisa Hendrix
• Avi Yap
• Danny Goldsmith
• Kevin Ho
• Dustin Dean
• Jay Sankey
• Wes Barker
• Spidey
• Chris Pilsworth
• Kaitlyn Chen
• Doc Dixon
• Noah Sonie
• Ryan Kane
• Jonah Babins and
• Ben Train

 

From the May 7th Facebook post by UnConventional.Fun:

After MONTHS of hard work, tickets to Magicland have finally gone live!!!
We put together a convention weekend packed with shows, lectures, jams, dealers, panel talks, and even games (with real world prizes!).
Head to www.Unconventional.Fun to see what we've got planned - then comment below what YOU are most excited for!
#VirtualMagicConvention #Magicland #TicketsAreNowLive!

 

 

Discourse in Magic and Shezam podcast crossover (Jonah Babins and Kayla Drescher)

ICYMI:

• Kayla is hosting the Online Wonder Gala virtual convention this weekend, April 30 - May 2nd
• Jonah and Ben are hosting three more Unconventional.Fun virtual conventions May 29th & 30th, August 28th & 29th, and November 27th & 28th
  

 

From the April 27th Instagram post by Discourse in Magic: 

In this episode, we are teaming up with Kayla Drescher (@magicinheels) for a crossover episode of Discourse in Magic and @shezampod! In it we talk about producing magic podcasts, hosting virtual conventions, and the challenges facing the magic community today.⁠

 

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Late Night with Ben and Jonah [April 25]

From the April 11th Instagram Post by the Toronto Magic Company:

Late Night with Ben and Jonah takes everything you love about late night tv and combines it with a highly interactive virtual magic show… Toronto Magic Company style.

You can expect fun, special guests, outrageous segments, and a whole lot of magic.

Plus this time, it's not just Ben and Jonah. We're bringing on two special guests to share incredible magic of their own to blow your mind: One of Boston's finest up and coming entertainers - Colin Robinson, and AMA award winner, and Penn and Teller Fooler, Suzanne! 

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Take the Tarbell Challenge

From the March 15th Instagram post by the Toronto Magic Company:

We're throwing out a challenge to all the magicians out there!

The Tarbell Course in Magic is widely considered one of the most important collections of magic secrets ever published. Most magicians have copies on their shelf, but few have actually gone THROUGH them. Time to change that.

For the next 8 months Jonah and Ben will be going through the Tarbell course, one book per month, competing to see who can find the coolest trick. The winner each month gets fame and fortune. The loser? A horrible punishment.

Here's how YOU can participate! First, grab book one of the Tarbell course (available from any good magic dealer as well as online as a free resource). Then, read the book. Find a cool trick.

Next, send us a video of your performance (either by emailing it to us or posting it online and tagging us). EVERYONE gets a shout out when our video comes out... but if our judges like your trick better than either of Ben's or Jonah's, YOU win the prize and the boys get punished!

Get in on the fun. Take the Tarbell challenge today!

 

 

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Unconventional.fun take 2

Visit Unconventional.fun for more details.

(A perfect opportunity to dust off you magic convention bingo cards!)

 

From the January 28th Instagram post by the Toronto Magic Company:

Unconventional.fun 2 is coming. February 27th and 28th! Link in bio to sign up to be the first to know when tickets go live

 

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Discourse in Magic roundup

Jonah Babins has also been busy.  Have a look and a listen to some of his wonderful recent podcasts!  (And if Jonah tricked you with an April Fools' podcast a number of years ago, have a look at the second last episode on this list.  That's your reward!)

• Magician Appetizer #15: Four Types of Luck
• Becoming a Content Creator with Alex Boyer 
• Improvisation without Improvisation with Dani DaOrtiz 
• Virtual Restaurant Magic with Graeme Reed 
• Acting, Magic, and the Importance of Performance with Steve Valentine 
• Translating Magic with Rafael Benatar
• Magical Appetizer #16: How To Sell a Virtual Show 
• Maximum Entertainment 2.0 with Ken Weber 
• Preconceived Podcast 
• UnConventional.fun 
• Magical Appetizer #17: Getting Into The Virtual … 
• Better Business with Magic Podcast 
• UnConventional.fun’s Virtual Show Panel 
• Magical Appetizer #18: Facebook Ads 
• Defining Magic for Yourself with Erik Tait 
• Adapting for Virtual With Jon Armstrong 
• Classic Magic with Alex Boyce 
• Appetizer #19: Virtual Magic Sales Secrets 
• Appetizer #20: How To Get Virtual Bookings 
• Creating Magic For Virtual with Adrian Lacroix 
• Appetizer #21:  Small 
• Reinventing Magic with Kyle and Mistie 
• Creating Your Own Space with Eric Dittelman 
• Teaser 
• A Life of Magic with Teller 
• Appetizer #22: Ticketed Virtual Magic Shows

 

Ring 17 hosts a panel on magic in the age of digital reproduction

From the Ring 17 website:

Thursday, January 7, 2021

On Zoom. 

Hosted by David Peck

Featuring:

• Jonah Babins
• Matt DiSero
• Michael Feldman
• Graemazing
• Steffi Kay
• Felice Ling
• Aaron Matthews
• Mysterion
• Ben “Racoon Tamer” Train

In the past year we have been forced to make drastic and rapid changes if we wanted to continue performing. We have assembled a panel of performers, each of whom has made their own transition into the virtual space and found a way to perform from home. The panel will share their experiences, what works, what doesn’t, the challenges they have overcome and the gadgets and gizmos that make virtual performances possible.

Read more and buy tickets.