Thirty seconds with Steve Valentine

This is the last in my baker's dozen 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 actor and magician Steve Valentine was born in Scotland and currently resides in LA. Love and happiness are the things that come to his mind when he thinks of Canada; his wife, Inna, is originally from Toronto. Steve met Magic Mike Segal at a chance encounter at The Browser's Den of Magic. After hearing Mike talk about Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp, Steve said that he'd "like to help out if he could in anyway." And so, Steve attended magic camp last summer.

FUN FACT:
Steve would rather watch Dr. Who than either Star Wars or Star Trek.

DID YOU KNOW?
- Steve's life motto: "Always do everything you want and love to do, to live a fulfilling life. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
- Steve was named the Magic Castle's Close-up Magician of the Year two years in a row.
- You may have seen Steve in on TV on shows such as Crossing Jordan, House, NCIS, and The Big Bang Theory.

Here's what Steve had to say about Sorcerers Safari: "It's fun! It's a bunch of magic nerds getting together." He also expressed a little bit of jealousy. Like many of the adults who have been to magic camp, Steve wishes something like this was available to him in his youth.

Steve's first memory of magic has him at six years of age in a playground in England and involves a vanishing knot. It was around that time that he also learned an important show business reality – if there's no publicity, no one will show up.

It's Steve's observation that the kids today are learning at an exponential rate given the easy availability of magic videos to consume. He hopes these kids will also make a point of exposing themselves to more of the history of the craft and rounding themselves out as individuals. Steve thinks that we're at a great place in magic, in that there's a new generation of audiences available who are not jaded by the "old shtick." He's especially happy that audiences are really accepting and enjoying close-up magic. Steve's advice for aspiring magicians: "Learn and read as much as you can – old books especially (fewer people know about this stuff)."

When Steve's not being magical, he loves being an awesome dad to his beautiful daughter, Evie. (Evie is a celebrity in her own right at magic camp. As near as anyone can tell, she never had to stand on her own because all of the campers were lined up to carry her!)

Visit Steve's website at: SteveValentine.com


From the Fireside Productions Facebook page:

Steve Valentine kills ...
Posted by Fireside Productions on Friday, 5 September 2014

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

Dan Wiebe | Eric Leclerc | Lisa Close | Alex Seaman | Ben Train
 Lorena and Trevor Watters | Mark Correia | Carey Lauder
Michael Close | Chris Pilsworth | Chris Mayhew | Simon Waring

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

Interview: Zack Mirza about his show "Illusions of Grandeur"

Zack Mirza's show "Illusions of Grandeur" airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on OLN.

I'm excited to have to guest post at TV, eh? where I interview Zack about his show.
.
Thank you for the opportunity Diane!

An excerpt from TV, eh?:

I was very impressed to see that you include historical footage like clips from Dai Vernon’s “The Spirit of Magic.” I understand you’re going to be delving into some magic history throughout the other episodes. How important do you think it is for magicians to study the history of their craft?

Prior to the show I knew a little bit about the history of magic but going through the whole experience I got exposed to so much more. I can’t express how important it is for up and coming magicians, and magicians out there in general, for them to learn about the history of magic. We’re basically standing on the shoulders of giants. Everything that they’ve done is pretty much the ground work for what magicians are today. There’s so much respect. There’s so much wisdom that you can pull from anyone in the past. As soon as you get to learn a little bit about the history it just makes it that much more special.

Read more.

Dean Gunnarson's "Escape or Die!"

Dean Gunnarson's show "Escape or Die!" starts Tuesday April the 14th at 9pm on OLN.

Reveen's Red Falcon Tuxedo

From Ty Reveen's Facebook page:

My father's famous Red Falcon Tuxedo was donated to The Arts and Culture Centre in St. John's Newfoundland today. I know...
Posted by Reveen The Next Generation on Thursday, 26 March 2015

Live-blogging #BrowsersBash2015

If all goes according to plan, all live-blogging posts from #BrowsersBash2015 will appear under this post.  The most recent update will be immediately after this post.  Check back often for updates!

Updated April 27th to add:

• This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."

Individual jam-sessions happening directly after the show!

Good night!

Updated April 27th to add:

• This post is part of a series of live-blogged entries.  For your convenience, the entries have been consolidated into a single post at "Browser's Magic Bash 2015 recap."

The Browser's Magic Bash tradition has officially begun and is off to a great start!

What's in store for next year?