The nominations are closed and voting is now open for the 2017
"Readers' Choice Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year" award! Voting will close on Saturday, December the 23rd at 11:59pm EST.
To vote, scroll down to the bottom of this post and participate in the
poll. (Unfortunately, the poll does not appear in the mobile version of
the site.)
Let's have a look at the nominees (in no particular order):
Caiden Finch (12 yo)
Nominated by Phil Matlin.
"He has performed on stage for paying audience and I might say he was
great. His magic was excellent. He was dressed for the occasion. He had a
themed routine and what I really liked was that came in [to Perfect
Magic] about week before the show and asked for some advice. I talked,
he listened and implemented 95% of it in his show."
I had the pleasure of meeting Caiden at Sorcerers Safari in 2016. He's a fine young man with a bright future ahead of him!
Website:
Ryan Brown
Nominated by dmdlfyer.
"Many years ago, I gave Ryan Brown his first opportunity to perform
professionally. Seeing his accomplishments to date astounds me, just
like his magic does.
Ryan continues to diversify his act. In
2017 he added new stage illusions and executed them flawlessly in his
own style. As Ryan moves to the next phase of his career, I can't help
but be inspired by his daily dedication to the craft of magic. New
wardrobe, new card manipulation, new stage illusions, he's been hard at
work this year.
On a personal level, 2017 was an extra
challenging year for Ryan, with the passing of his father. Ryan's first
performance on a Las Vegas stage this past September would have made
him very proud.
It is for these reasons that I nominate Ryan Brown for "Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year"."
Website:
RyanBrownMagic.com
Neil Croswell
Nominated by Anonymous.
"I would like to nominate Neil Croswell. I have watched Neil devote his
life to magic from a young age and he has stuck to his vision from day
one. His determination and work ethic over the years make him an
inspiration as well as his countless awards and international TV
appearances (Fool Us, etc.). In 2017, he appeared on "Masters of
Illusion" , completed 250+ shows on a cruise in the Bahamas, and
performed internationally across Asia which helped raise money for
charitable causes in Sri Lanka. To accomplish what he has at his age, I
believe, is an inspiration to Canadian magicians with goals of a
professional career. "
Neil's Asia appearances include the "Knights of Illusion" magic show held in Colombo, Sri Lanka alongside Michael Finney and Xavier Mortimer. He also performed 32 stage shows in Beijing, China at the annual "Happy Valley International Magic Festival." This year, Neil performed over 300 shows across five countries.
Website:
NeilCroswellMagic.com
Julie Eng
Nominated by James Alan.
Along with running programs such as "Senior Sorcery" and "My Magic Hands," this year Julie has had a few other things on the go!
"The Magic of Johnny
Thompson": Julie has been project managing the production and publication of "The Magic of Johnny
Thompson." Her roles include: photographer, photo editor,
and editor.
Magic Live - performer, presenter, and host: Julie was invited back (for the third time since 2015!) to co-host all the general sessions with Jonathan Levit. Sometimes hosting
meant interviewing interesting magic characters, like the one-and-only
David Williamson, or being part of something like a “show and tell” with Levent (where he talked about 3D printing).
Magicana - Magic Collectors Weekend - producer, host, project manager: As part of Magicana, Julie staged and produced a Magic History Conference called the Magic
Collectors Weekend in Montreal (first time out of the USA). It coincided with the opening of Illusions: The Art of
Magic poster exhibition featuring some of the top-drawer posters from
the newly acquired Allan Slaight Collection of posters.
Magicana - A Rich Cabinet of Magical Curiosities - publisher, project manager: This
year, Julie also worked closely with Dr. Eddie Dawes and his family to
start the process of publishing the historical series A Rich Cabinet of
Curiosities (published in the Magic Circle’s organ the Magic Circular).
Magicana will produce and release Dr Dawes's collected monthly series in
an epic, multi-volume compendium spanning forty years, of over 450
articles. The first volume is now in the works and with hopes of getting an
edition out by the late fall of 2018 or perhaps early 2019.
Magic and Science - performer, host, presenter: Julie was included as part of the Magic and Science special,
one-hour documentary for CBC’s "The Nature of Things: which will air
sometime in the early part of 2018. Julie acts as “host” and helps to link the
segments together, performing a bit of magic along the way. This is Julie's first major television piece.
Somehow, while doing all of that, Julie still found time to be the Executive Director at Magicana.
Website:
magicienne.com
Murray and Teresa Hatfield
Nominated by The Magic Demon.
"The Magic Demon nominates Murray and Teresa Hatfield for starring in
and producing their second ever extraordinary magic and
illusions-filled phantasmagoria "Unbelievable" at this summer's PNE in
Vancouver. For the second year in a row, it was again one of the the
most inspiring and entertaining stadium-scale magical events Vancouver
has ever seen."
In addition,
Murray and Teresa amazed on season 4 of Penn and Teller Fool Us this year where Penn said of their performance "I haven't seen a better version of Metamorphosis ever." Murray is also the
President of the Canadian Association of Magicians.
Website:
MurrayHatfieldMagic.com
Benzi Train
Nominated by Ari.
"I nominate Benzi Train because of his tireless work over the years to
promote the performance of live magic in Toronto and his efforts at the
Sid Lorraine Hat & Rabbit Club and bringing in of top quality
lecturers to our community. His (and partner Jonah Babbins) show
Newest Trick in the Book gives any magician a venue/opportunity to perform in
front of a live audience. He has inspired many magicians to challenge
themselves creatively or to even perform live."
Supporting information from Steven Lafond:
"I second the nomination for Ben Train for his incredible work with the
Toronto Magic Company. He is an amazing performer and producer and has
worked very hard to keep magic alive in the Toronto performing arts
scene."
Supporting information from Natasha:
"I’m nominating Ben Train for all the work he’s done for the Toronto magic community. Besides becoming one of the most popular performers in the city, Ben also founded the Toronto Magic Company and produces different magic shows every week across the city. Whether working with aspiring young magicians to give them the confidence to go on stage, provide professionals with new opportunities to share their magic, or bringing the best magic in the world to Toronto for public shows and lectures, there isn’t anyone in the city doing more for magic than Ben."
Website:
BenTrain.ca
Cast your vote now at Poll Junkie!
