2015 Convention

September 10, 2015 
Convention Dates:

September 10 – 12, 2015

Convention Location:

Crowne Plaza Cherry Hill
2349 West Marlton Pike
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

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

Attendance:

 

  • 130 Attendees

 

  • 8 Dealers

The Acts:

 Eric DeCamps has developed a style of intimate conjuring that permits his audience to become part of the performance. He has been a serious student of the art of magic for over 30 years, performing throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and South America at exclusive society events. Fortune 500 companies like Time Warner, Merrill Lynch, General Motors, Bear Sterns, American Express and many others have engaged him to entertain their most valued clients. Eric is only the second magician in the 105 year history of the The Society of American Magicians to receive the prestigious Gold Medal of Excellence for Close Up Magic award.  
 Dameon began his professional “magical journey” performing a manipulative act in Spain, Brazil, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, North Korea and Hong Kong. In the USA he appeared on Broadway, Chicago, Miami Beach, with stints in numerous revues in Atlantic City. Dameon “produced” Will Smith in front of Tower Records for the “Willenium Album” and has worked both Houston’s Magic Island and Hollywood’s Magical Castle. In the 90’s Dameon partnered with Peter Samelson, forming the Magic Source, a company devoted to the creation of entertaining corporate events, trade shows, awards banquets, product launches, etc. They designed magical moments for commercials, print ads and special effects for films, Whispers in the Dark and What About Bob with Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Between and during gigs Dameon lectured on the art of manipulation for magic organizations utilizing his “original” CLEAR set of tails… and he’s the co-creator of the “SKYLINER” a novelty device which puts custom virtual messages in mid air. Magicians know it as Boris Wild’s “Mind Scanner”.  
 Keith Fields is so much more than your average magician. His British sense of humour, sharp observations, and disarming charm, are just the beginning. He is also a world champion street entertainer, and an award winning magician, but don’t expect any silk hankies and doves, he is not that type of magician! His act is an eccentric mix of props, gags and stunts which are guaranteed to hit your funny bone. His highly acclaimed show, ‘A Brit Of Magic’, plays for 4 months of the year in Gatlinburg, TN. It has a five star rating from Trip Advisor and in 2014 was rated as the best show in the area. Since moving to the USA he has appeared on New York’s Broadway, The Las Vegas Strip, and in front of four presidents – well that was at Mount Rushmore, but it still counts!  
 Award Winning magician Steve Owens started in the art of magic at age 12 after seeing a famous magician perform live in Los Angeles. That day planted a potent seed made from creativity, obsession, and the sheer desire for extraordinary magic abilities. After finishing school, he moved to Las Vegas for 2 years, and then to Southeast Asia for the next 4 years, where he did TV appearances & hotel shows. But, after missing the holidays, and driving a car along the beach or through the mountains in America, Steve decided to visit home again, where he entered many magic competitions around the US, winning 14 awards for his 8 minute silent stage act. Soon after, he was invited to China to do a national TV appearance on one of the highest rated TV shows in the country. In China, Steve was able to do close up magic for a new TV audience, and even for children on the Great Wall of China. Also, in local theaters he performed his award winning stage act, which he has been developing since 2006’. This act encompasses sheer sleight of hand with normal everyday objects, tied together in a stunningly poetic display. “Simple in effect, sophisticated in approach” is his philosophy. He also stared in and produced his own full theater show called, Magic Beyond Belief” & “Celebrities of Magic”, and has performed in Las Vegas, Hollywood, and six different Asian countries around the world. Today, Steve Owens can be found at places like the Comedy & Magic Club, & The Magic Castle in Los Angeles, or boarding a plane to a foreign country to entertain new audiences.  
 In the 20 years Mike Bent has been entertaining audiences, he has gained a reputation as one of the best comedy-magicians in the country. The Boston Globe calls him “wonderfully wacky,” and a “brilliantly original talent.” Considered one of the top children’s magicians in the United States, his books, products and lectures have become the standard for the industry.  
 Martin Cox has been a well established Entertainer, Magician and Comedian for over twenty five years, and has performed extensively both in the UK and US. He has performed his Comedy act at Blackpool Magic convention, The Magic Castle (USA) and is a regular performer at the Fechter’s Convention in USA. His new lecture called Four has been well received at a number of magic clubs and conventions all over the world. It is not just about the tricks. It’s about the person and the performance. He also has some TV performances under his belt which shows he is an all round entertainer.  
 Max Major is a Mentalist living in Washington, DC. Over the last two years his national tour THINK garnered critical acclaim while selling over 20,000 tickets at venues across the country. Called the “Real Life Sherlock Holmes,” his performances combine Magic, Mentalism, and Hypnosis to demonstrate the untapped powers of the mind. In addition to his studies as a magician, Major relies heavily on his skills at reading body language, which he has honed over the course of 2000 live shows. His clients in past years have included Deloitte, Facebook, CSX, Booz Allen, and a command performance at the residence of Redskins owner Dan Snyder. In June of this year, Major signed a development deal with NBCUniversal to create an original television series.  
 At 19, the unique style of dry humor and quick wit of Nick Diffatte has brought him all over the country for over 10 years, performing in variety shows, casinos, and private events. Nick has performed multiple times in Las Vegas including appearances at the Suncoast, Sam’s Town, Tropicana, and Royal House resorts. He has also accumulated multiple awards for his comedy and magic including the distinguished award for “Minnesota’s Tannest Magician 2014”. Nick is also the proud manufacturer and distributer of the famous “Dr.X” line of high tech marked cards, loaded dice, and other high quality crooked gambling devices after being closely trained in the art by the original “Dr. X” himself.”  
 Harrison Greenbaum has quickly become one of the most in-demand comedians in New York, performing in more than 600 shows a year, leading both Time Out New York and the NY Daily News to call him “the hardest-working man in comedy.” One of Comedy Central’s “Comics to Watch,” Harrison has also received many awards and honors for his comedy, including the Andy Kaufman Award (2010) for creativity and originality in comedy, the Shorty Award in collaboration with Comedy Central and the New York Comedy Festival for “Best Emerging Comic” (2011), and the Magners Comic Stand-Off (2011). Harrison also headlines comedy clubs around the country, including sold-out shows at TBS Just for Laughs Chicago and the legendary Carolines on Broadway (leading Punchline Magazine to name Harrison one of the “Breakout Artists” of the year). Harrison has also been featured in a wide variety of national and international publications, including being highlighted for the “Joke of the Week” in TimeOut NY and being featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, and CNBC.com. Harrison’s one-man show, Harrison Greenbaum: What Just Happened?, debuted at the legendary New York comedy hotspot, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, before commencing an Off-Broadway run and international tour.  
 Ryan Schlutz has a reputation for designing highly entertaining magic that fools magicians and laypeople alike. Instead of hard-to-master or knacky moves, Ryan skilfully combines under-used principles to create massive results. His earlier releases include his “Pivotal Peek,” a powerful utility move which many have claimed is the only peek you will need, and his best selling book, Making the Cut. His most recent releases, Miracles Without Moves and Effortless Effects, have been heralded as instant classics for any serious card magician.  
 Mike Patrick has been doing magic for about 12 years, and he’s been a professional for the last eight. He specializes in doing full magic shows. He also does walk around magic for weddings, but most of what he does is shows for groups of as small as five, but up to, 30, 40, 50 people in their homes or apartments, mostly in New York City. He really likes magic because he feels as though if you create the best sequence of magic, people will see something they’ve never seen before. When they’re on the edge of their seat, and they think that everything is over, and he does three or four things in a row that completely fry them, he knows that he will get them to the level where they just can’t handle it. They just completely fall apart, and, then, they experience magic. Because, that’s what it is. Magic is when nothing makes sense anymore, and everything seems perfect. It’s special effects in real life.  
 Ta Dah! is comprised of members of the Barbershop Harmony Society from the Hamilton Square, NJ Chapter (Brothers in Harmony), Freehold, NJ Chapter (The Monmouth Battleground Chorus), and the Cherry Hill, NJ Chapter (The Pine Barons). Ta-Dah! is not your “normal” quartet. Far from it! In fact they sing barbershop music, perform magic between and during songs, and also combine comedy into their sets as makes them a unique and entertaining group perfect for your next corporate event, birthday party, Anniversary, Valentines’ Day gift of song to that certain someone, Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day, Groundhog Day, Flag Day.. you get the point. Their quartet is made up of Ed Wlazlowski on Baritone; “Magic” Steven Leventhal on Bass; Jim Rohn on Lead; and “Fast” Eddie Roundsville on Tenor.

The Dealers:

 

  • Magically Yours
  • John Bundy’s Magic
  • Bob Little
  • Ziggy’s Magic
  • Diamond’s Magic
  • Denny and Lee Magic
  • A to Z Magic

 

  • Mike’s Magic