We're delighted that Mark made time to answer our questions ahead of his
appearance tomorrow on the premiere of the 2024 season of Canada's Got Talent!
Who inspires you that is not a magician?
Andy Kaufman. Most car salesmen. It's gotta be hard to sell
cars.
What is your first memory of magic?
I had the Wacky Wizard at my third birthday party. I don't remember it but I'm
sure he was great. 4th birthday I had Mr. Oh (Owen Anderson) and I remember
that a bit more. I've been doing magic since three, so longer than I can
recall to memory. But many trips to Browser's Den Magic shop are cemented in
my mind! Thanks Jeffs!
Who from the magic community inspires you?
At large? Penn & Teller, Mac King, Tom Mullica, The Amazing Jonathan. In
my immediate community? Scott Hammell, Nick Wallace, Paige Thompson, my
dad.
Was there anyone or anything instrumental to you becoming a magician?
Oh plenty! The book "Magic and Showmanship" changed some things for me.
Derren Brown's "Notes from a Fellow Traveler" did a lot for my onstage
persona. The aforementioned Browser's Den. Sorcerers Safari Magic camp.
Couldn't of done anything without my mentor Scott Hammell. My father built
my props. My mother supported me. She still does! She's actually typing this
out for me. No don't write that. Stop it.
📸 : CGT
Did you ever get discouraged and think about quitting
magic?
One time in 2020 the
world ended for two long years. Before that I was a kid who was cranky and
tired of it. Why didn't I quit? I can't. I've tried! This is an affliction
and part of my chemical makeup. It's impossible to stop. Magic is all I
know.
Do you have any tour or pre-show rituals you’d be willing to share
with our readers?
I eat an entire bag of Funions.
Why is now the right time for you to be a part of
Canada's Got Talent?
Because I wasn't on last season.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If you give up, or stop following your dreams, I will find you and I will
make you suffer.
Thank you Mark for making the time to answer our questions! Break
a leg on CGT!
There were 42(!) posts at Canada's Magic this month. The popular posts statistics have been hugely skewed by the 12 part series "The Legacy of Sorcerers Safari" which eclipsed all of our regular offerings, so we're considering the series as a single post. Here are the most viewed posts in the past 30
days:
Thank you Mike and Jen for all of the hard work and dedication you put into making Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp the fantastic event that it was. The magic community as a whole, was made better because of your efforts!
The previous 11 parts provide a pretty accurate snapshot of the Sorcerers
Safari experience, and the breadth of expertise of the people involved.
We especially enjoyed finding out what everyone's accomplished since their
magic camp days!
If you would like to participate but haven’t filled out the survey, we'd love
to hear from you. The survey can be found here:
https://forms.gle/umg77yj9QxUzfpm76
Otherwise, consider this the final installment of our Sorcerers Safari Virtual
Reunion!
Part 12 features Jen Segal and the two Mikes who hatched the plan to create
Canada's only sleep away magic camp, Mike Toal, and Mike Segal
Thank you Jen, Mike, and Mike for sharing your memories. But more
importantly, thank you for all of the hard work and dedication you put
into making Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp the fantastic event that it
was. The magic community as a whole, was made better because of
your efforts!
In lieu of a physical reunion bringing together past campers and staff,
Canada’s Magic is hosting a virtual reunion of sorts. We’ve reached
out to the Sorcerers Safari community with a dozen or so questions to help
bring us up to date on what everyone has been up to since our magic camp
days.
If you completed our survey, keep your eyes peeled for your segment!
If you would like to participate but haven’t filled out
the survey, there’s still time. The survey can be found here:
https://forms.gle/umg77yj9QxUzfpm76
Thank you to all that contributed!
Mike, Jen, Sorcerers Safari staff, and alumni, this series is for you.
In lieu of a physical reunion bringing together past campers and staff,
Canada’s Magic is hosting a virtual reunion of sorts. We’ve reached
out to the Sorcerers Safari community with a dozen or so questions to help
bring us up to date on what everyone has been up to since our magic camp
days.
If you completed our survey, keep your eyes peeled for your segment!
If you would like to participate but haven’t filled out
the survey, there’s still time. The survey can be found here:
https://forms.gle/umg77yj9QxUzfpm76
Thank you to all that contributed!
Mike, Jen, Sorcerers Safari staff, and alumni, this series is for you.
In lieu of a physical reunion bringing together past campers and staff,
Canada’s Magic is hosting a virtual reunion of sorts. We’ve reached
out to the Sorcerers Safari community with a dozen or so questions to help
bring us up to date on what everyone has been up to since our magic camp
days.
If you completed our survey, keep your eyes peeled for your segment!
If you would like to participate but haven’t filled out
the survey, there’s still time. The survey can be found here:
https://forms.gle/umg77yj9QxUzfpm76
Thank you to all that contributed!
Mike, Jen, Sorcerers Safari staff, and alumni, this series is for you.