Thirty seconds with Ben Train

This is the fifth in a series of "Thirty seconds with ..." interviews, so called because I approached the interviewees at Sorcerers Safari Magic and Performance Arts Camp last summer with the idea that I would interview them for 30 seconds. It didn't always work that way.

Professional magician Benzi Train is from Toronto, Ontario.  Proud of his homecountry, Ben thinks of "poutine, maple syrup, and free health care" when thinking about Canada.  (Good thing for that health care too; poutine and maple syrup aren't good for you in large doses.)

FUN FACT:
Ben's a fan of Harry Potter, chocolate chip cookies and Netflix.

DID YOU KNOW?
Ben's most embarrassing moment was getting pantsed at camp last summer. (I think there's video footage of that out there somewhere.  Finding it will be left as an exercise for the reader.)

Ben first came to Sorcerers Safari Magic and Performance Arts Camp loving the idea that two of his passions, magic and camping, could be experienced simultaneously.  He comes back because, it's "the most amazing place in the world."  The words family, fun, and magic come immediately to mind when he thinks about magic camp.    Last summer marked Ben's twelfth year at Sorcerers Safari.  He has attended as a counsellor in training, a counsellor and most recently as an instructor.

Ben's first memory of magic was seeing Triumph performed when he was 14 years old.  He hopes that magicians today adapt to, integrate, and utilize all of the new technology and platforms to their advantage.

Ben heads up Five Academy Magic and performs as well as lectures all over the world.

Visit Ben's website at bentrain.ca .

Ben will be appearing this coming Sunday at Magic Tonight (50% discount with coupon code cmagic) .


From the Fireside Productions Facebook page:

Post by Fireside Productions.

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Previously published "Thirty seconds with ..." interviews:

Dan Wiebe | Eric Leclerc | Lisa Close | Alex Seaman

From the Sorcerers Safari Twitter feed:

Guarantee your spot at #MagicCamp Aug.15-19 2015. Tell your parents registration is on your wish list - it's now open at sorcererssafari.ca
— Sorcerers Safari (@SorcerersSafari) December 22, 2014

Pickpocket James on Daytime TV

From Pickpocket James' Twitter feed:

Popping on Daytime TV for the Live show on Feb. 16th. @RTVBarrie @VioletsVenue
— PickpocketJames (@PickpocketJames) February 10, 2015

Shawn Farquhar interviewed by Scott Wells

There are two parts to the interview!

From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

Post by Shawn Farquhar.

Europe: Jay Sankey tour

From Jay Sankey's newsletter:

I also love meeting my awesome students and fans. Which is why I'm so psyched for my European Lecture Tour, starting NEXT WEEK! 

Bruxelles/ Feb 16
Lieges/ Feb 17
Luxembourg/ Feb 18
Geneve/ Feb 19
Reims/ Feb 20
Strasbourg/ Feb 21
Dijon/ Feb 23
Clermont Ferrand/ Feb 24
St. Etienne/ Feb 25
Nimes/ Feb 26
Marseille/ Feb 27
Toulouse/ Feb 28
Poitiers/ March 2
Lorient/ March 3
Paris/ March 4
Bale/ March 5
Zurich/ March 6
Lille/ March 9
Velden/ March 10
Antwerpen/ March 11 

Read more.

Toronto: Markham Street Films at the Browser's Den of Magic

From the Browser's Den of Magic Facebook page:

Hello everyone! Tomorrow a film crew from Toronto's Markham Street Films will be at Browser's Den of Magic starting around 2:30pm to shoot footage for a documentary film about the bullet catch. The documentary features Scott Hammell, Magic Mike Segal (who will be in attendance at Browsers), and numerous other magicians. The crew would love to meet some young, budding local magicians to hear their stories, see them shop and talk about tricks, and to discuss the joy and wonder of getting into magic for the first time. Please come out if you are interested in participating. Please note, individuals under the age of 18 must have a guardian with them to sign a consent form to appear on camera. We hope to meet everyone there! 

Read more.

Mark Correia: Card to vending machine

From Mark Correia's YouTube channel:

Toronto: Browser's Bash update *More tickets are now available!*

From the Browser's Den of Magic newsletter:

Dear Magic Friend,  

Thank you very much for your patience regarding the Browser's Magic Bash. 

*More tickets are now available!*  

The wonderful news is that to accommodate everyone we have switched to a bigger and better venue, the Montecassino Hotel and Banquet Hall(3710 Chesswood Dr. Toronto, On. M3J 2P6).  

The Montecassino is:

• - 5 minutes off the 401 highway.

• - Has loads of Free Parking (if you're driving).

• - 5 minute bus ride (15 minute walk) from the Downsview Subway station.

• -Connected to a hotel in the event you want to stay overnight.

Buy A Ticket To The BROWSER'S MAGIC BASH 2015

(click here) 

We hope that you still plan on attending. 

Sincerely,
Jeff Pinsky
(Your faithful magic shop owner) 

ps. As always, if you have any questions about the BASH, just ask. I'm right here with the answers!

Read more and buy your ticket.