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Posts Tagged ‘Magic’

Award-winning magician Jeff Grow will present his one man show, Jeff Grow: The Art of the Con, at the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center (AU PAC), 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. His new magic show features an evening of conniving tricks that bring the audience into the magical world he creates on stage. As the winner of two 2009 Innovative Theatre Awards (IT Awards), Mr. Grow’s engaging personality and con artistry will leave audience members in a state of wonder. Whether Jeff is entertaining guests with intimate sleight of hand miracles or presenting stage magic for hundreds, he does not just puzzle his guests, but rather leaves them delighted.

Jeff Grow’s career spans from live shows in venues throughout New York City and Europe, to films and national and international commercials. His most recent production, Creating Illusion, which was directed by Jessi D. Hill, received outstanding solo performer and outstanding performance art production honors from the IT Awards. In addition to performing, Mr. Grow consults on original creative content for films, commercials, and theatre. Also, Mr. Grow is regularly invited to incorporate his magic into a slew of corporate and private client’s events.

The simplicity and straightforward nature of Mr. Grow’s performances makes them accessible to a wide scope of audiences, from Fortune 500 companies to cutting edge arts festivals. NYTheatre.com said, “Grow is an appealing technician who brings a boyish charm to a group willing to be fooled. He is adept at slowing down his motions, conning us into thinking we will see how he does the trick as he explains it.” By mixing together sleight of hand and surreal mind reading, Mr. Grow explores the various facets of the art of illusion.  Read more...

Having recorded my new CD Sacred Love with Grammy-award winners Will Ackerman (producer) and Corin Nelsen (recording and mix engineer), here are 6 sure-fire ways to make musical magical happen on your next recording session and take your CD to the next level.

1.            Make a Budget and Stick to It

Records cost lots of money to make. If you’re recording in your home studio, you’ve probably spent thousands of dollars for a computer, software, audio interfaces, speakers, microphones and musical instruments. Whether you’re recording your CD at home or working with a producer at independent studios, you want to make a budget and stick to it.

My budget included fees for producer, studio, travel, musicians, mastering, PR and radio promotion, duplication, and distribution. Make sure you know what you expect to spend and over how long, so that you can raise the money.

Producers get paid hourly or by the song, or a custom deal plus points on a song. If you are co-producing, you can split the points.

Musicians get paid different fees from free to sky’s the limit. The more famous and accomplished musicians get larger fees than your friend might – unless your friend is Sting.

Figure all the possible costs of your recording and put them into your budget. Then try to spend money according to the budget.

And even if you do, it’s more likely than not that you’ll go over budget. So add a 10 per cent contingency right now. Then when it comes time for you to professionally master, and design, duplicate and promote your CD, you can have the cash you need once the recording is finished.

2.            Surround Yourself with the Best  Read more...

Being a professional magician or entertainer is very demanding in the modern world. With TV, Internet – especially You Tube and all the media available, modern people are so used to see quality entertainment, that if you cannot perform and do something very special and unique, your chances to become recognized in the media and among agents are becoming smaller all the time.

Establishing a new career doing magic, music or other performing arts anywhere in the world seems to have changed when Internet become a zillion dollar business some ten years ago. With immediate access to all the top artists by visiting their Myspace or You Tube media sites, who wants to go to a concert or to see a magician perform, when you have choice of the best performers and their greatest shows available by the click of a mouse?

Having said that, I feel the demand for live performances is growing again all the time. It is quite different to see something from TV or a computer screen, than to actually feel and be present at a live show. If we see a magic show on You Tube, we can easily think it’s a camera trick. Furthermore a TV cannot possibly convey the atmosphere of a great show, it can only give a partial experience, while at the actual venue, we can receive with our whole body.

I had the chance to become a professional magician over fifteen years ago, when we had only TV and videos, Internet was very little known at that time. I live in Europe Finland – a small country, with only 5.5 million people, but also not so much competition by other professional magicians.  Read more...

• ISBN13: 9780240811635
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
Create amazing animated effects such as fiery blazes, rippling water, and magical transformations. Animation guru Joseph Gilland breaks down the world of special effects animation with clear step-by-step diagrams and explanations on how to create the amazing and compelling images you see on the big screen. ‘Elemental Magic’ is jam-packed with rich, original illustrations from the author himself which help explain and illuminate the technique, philosophy, and approac… More >>

Elemental Magic: The Art of Special Effects Animation