Convention Dates:
September 4-6, 2014
Convention Location:
Crowne Plaza Cherry Hill
Cherry Hill, NJ
Convention Committee:
- General Chairman – Mike Miller
- Registrar – John Beinhaur
- Publicity – Beth Sheligo
- Site Selection – Beth Sheligo and John Beinhaur
- Talent – Marc DeSouza and Mike Miller
- Contest – Arlen Solomon
- Dealers – Scott Correll
- Webmaster – Marc Lederman
Award Winners:
- Senior Close-Up – Steven Brundage
- Junior Close-Up – Joe Galante
- Originality – Vincent Mendoza
- Comedy – Almar
- General Magic – Evan Byrne
- Clint Reidel Award – Mike Patrick
- President’s Award – Steven Brundage
- Brian Hurlburt Rising Star in Magic Award – Joe Galante
- William Endlich Award – Al Lloyd
The Acts:
| Max Howard has enjoyed a rich and illustrious career as a celebrated actor. He began his 40-year career as a professional actor and teacher in leading repertory theatres across America, including Actors Theatre of Louisville, Washington’s Arena Stage, the John Fernald Company of the Meadowbrook Theatre in Detroit, the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and the famed Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. Twice nominated by the Chicago Press Club for the prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award for performances in plays by Harold Pinter and Robert Shaw, he is also the winner of the American Variety Club’s “Distinguished Actor Award” for his portrayal of King Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons. Max also created and starred in the international award winning, nationally syndicated television series for young audiences, “Max B. Nimble,” which won a total of six Emmy® Awards. THE WAR WIZARD is a unique theatrical entertainment and a master work of historical re-enactment. Based on the real-life adventures of Professor Gus Rich, the Wizard of the Blue Ridge, it is an accurate recreation of a nineteenth-century American magician and his travelling magic show. The War Wizard is authentic in speech, dress and style and features actual stage magic of the period as it was actually performed. In the three decades following the Civil War, in a horse-drawn wagon rigged especially to hold his apparatus and his tents, he travelled through North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, as far north as Cincinnati and as far west as Indianapolis. Calling himself Professor Gus Rich, he presented The Great Southern Sleight of Hand Show which he proudly proclaimed to be “good, clean family fun… GUARANTEED to amuse the ear, deceive the eye and astonish the mind!” |
| Chris Hannibal has been in and around theater since he was six, when he appeared on stage in ‘The Music Man’. Throughout high school and college he worked onstage while pursuing a more ‘stable’ career involving accounting, sales and marketing. In 1992, he worked with the Children’s Video Network, writing scripts, music and motivational programs for youth groups. This job evaporated at the close of ’92, and left Hannibal looking at his prospects. In working with CVM, Hannibal had created a street magician character. The ‘Magic Man’ became a popular fixture in the uptown area, and Hannibal evolved the character, working nightclubs and comedy clubs throughout the Southeast. In 2001 Hannibal walked away from the comedy clubs. Taking aim at the business world, he created original, customized programs that would entertain and educate at the same time. Carving new paths in the world of corporate entertainment, Hannibal has traveled the world with his Unique Inspirational Theatre. |
| Paul Vigil through the eyes of his fellow magicians: “Paul Vigil is soft-spoken and humble, but behind that compelling demeanor is a diabolical mind. He is one of the best magicians working today!” – Lance Burton, World Champion Magician. “Paul Vigil is one of the most engaging, original and provocative close-up performers of the 21st century.” – Johnny Thompson, aka The Great Tomsoni, Master Magician. “Paul Vigil is entertaining, charming, way funny and delightful – But we didn’t care about any of that, we just stared, and he still fooled the BS out of us!” – Penn & Teller – Las Vegas Headliners. “Paul Vigil offers us a mind expanding magic experience. He weaves a tapestry of artful deception from his deep understanding of human psychology, philosophy and esoteric magic technique. His magic will alter your reality and fill your mind with wonder!” – Jeff McBride – Las Vegas Headliner. “The most charming Magician I know.” – Channing Pollock, Legend of Magic. “Paul Vigil is the new top gun in town. He’s the magician that all the other magicians want to hang out with. He is, without a doubt, the single best sleight of hand artist currently in Las Vegas. If I had a gun to my head and had to do something completely 100% astonishing to save my life, I’d hire Paul to do it for me. He has the chops and charisma to be the next big thing.” – Paul Harris, author of The Art of Astonishment, mentor of David Blaine. “Paul Vigil’s magic is truly amazing. As a magician, Paul is right up there with the very best in the world.” – Eugene Burger, the Dean of Magic. |
| Levent started out performing throughout his native New York City at a young age. At 17 he was awarded 1st prize for Stage Magic at the International Brotherhood of Magicians’ National Convention. This led to a 2-year engagement at Resorts International Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, where he was twice nominated “Best Act in a Production Show”. Levent has since been performing to packed audiences at various venues throughout the world. His incredibly unique and brilliant combination of masterful comedy and world class sleight of hand, a culmination of over 30 years of experience, has made Levent a much sought-after entertainer, and has earned him great respect from his compeers. In 2009 he was a regular performer on the American television series “Masters of Illusion” on Fox’s MyNETWORK. He is a noted creator of magic tricks and a magic lecturer as well as a vaudeville historian. He was a regular contributor to the “Vaudeville Times” Magazine, and has penned articles for various other publications, including “MAGIC” magazine. Levent is the co-author of “Roy Benson by Starlight” published by The Miracle Factory. Levent’s biography appears in the recently published book “Vaudeville Old & New – An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America”. |
| Kayla Drescher is excited to bring her unique and enthusiastic style of magic to New Jersey! You may recognize her as last year’s MAES senior close up competition winner. She has also appeared on television numerous times, including on Indianapolis Fox 59 News, Connecticut’s Talking with Tom, and NBC’s The Today Show, where she won David Copperfield’s “Search for the Next Great Magician.” Now a Las Vegas resident, Kayla can be seen performing bar magic up and down the West Coast. |
| Trent James saw his first magic show at age five. This fascinated him so much he began practicing the art himself, conjuring up his own tricks and performance style. Trent, now just 17, has already won over a dozen awards across the country, including First Place-Battle of Magicians and Society of American Magicians-Peoples’ Choice Award. Trent James is now looked at as one of the top teen magicians in the country. Performing from, his home town of Chicago to Las Vegas to Houston to Norfolk and many points in between, Trent is no stranger to the stage. Trent brings a fresh new feel to the classic magic show. His charismatic personality and hip style, come together with trickery to form an unforgettable thrill ride! |
| Nathan Kranzo IS BACK with an ALL NEW STUFF LECTURE! Kranzo is now one of the top magical entertainers in the country. His original magic creations have been published in national and worldwide publications like Magic Magazine, Genii Magazine, MUM, The Linking Ring, The Penumbra, Antinomy, Channel One and the list goes on. Nathan has performed and lectured all over the United States as well as Canada, Mexico, France, England, Holland, and Japan. Nathan was a consultant for Penn and Teller’s NBC special “Off The Deep End”. He has been a columnist for MUM magazine and currently performs in comedy clubs and corporate events around the Midwest. |
| Harrison Lampert is an actor, comedian, and magician in the LA area. Originally from Philadelphia, he grew up eating Chinese food, hence the shout out in the short description. A fan of fake mustaches and puns, he performs improv, sketch, stand-up, and magic around town. |
| David London discovered he was a magician at the age of 7, and has since spent over 25 years trying to figure out just what that means. He has created five original theatrical productions, including Cerebral Sorcery, …Art of Dreams, and The Adventure to the Imagi Nation, as well as authored seven manuscripts related to magic and illusion, including Daydreams, Borderland State and Imagining the Imagination. David has shared his magic across the United States, and has served as the editor of Beyond The Smoke and Mirrors – a magazine devoted to magic and creativity. David’s current body of work focuses on fully interactive performance pieces, wherein the audience becomes the creator and performer in a live experience. |
| Danny Orleans and Jan Rose studied with Eddie Fields who taught them his two-person mindreading act. Considered the finest system ever created, Danny and Jan created a corporate mindreading act using the Fields system which they perform at corporate banquets and meetings. In 2011, Danny began to share his performance knowledge with the magic community, creating a talk on Corporate Magic where he teaches the Do’s and Don’ts of performing at corporate meetings and trade shows. He’s lectured to groups of magicians in Orlando, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Chicago, Minneapolis and San Diego. Considered to be Corporate America’s Corporate Magicians, Danny Orleans and Jan Rose have entertained in over 30 states, Canada, The Netherlands, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands for Fortune 500 companies including Good Humor, Honeywell, ExxonMobil, HP, Tennant, Alcon and Johnson & Johnson. |
| Chris Randall was born and raised in Las Vegas, and has swept the world of entertainment. His style is a mix of sleight of hand, comedy, and sizzling hot illusions. He has appeared on The Masters of Illusion TV show as well as a regular at the famed Magic Castle in Hollywood. He is a multiple award winner including the coveted Silver Medal of Excellence from the International Brotherhood of Magicians. He has performed in Greece, Japan, China , Spain, Egypt, and Lebanon. He has also appeared on Princess, NCL, and Paul Gauguin cruise lines. Chris also travels the country performing at comedy clubs such as The Sapphire Comedy Hour in Las Vegas and The Laugh Factory. He has also opened for Louie Anderson in Las Vegas and is currently one of the most sought out acts in the world today being hailed by the press as “The Must See Act”. |