Convention Dates:
September 8 – 10, 2016
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
- Dealers – Arlen Solomon
- Contest – Mike Sloves and John Bobik
- Webmaster – Marc Lederman
Award Winners:
- Senior Close-Up – Frank Deville
- Comedy – Frank Deville
- Best of Competition – Frank Deville
- General Magic – Ben Zabin
- President’s Award – Ben Zabin
The Acts:
| Bob Fitch has worn many hats in his lengthy professional career (actor, director, magician, singer, dancer). He counts twenty-seven Broadway Shows, including, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Whoopi Goldberg, and The Will Rogers Follies as Clem, Will’s father. He received Broadway’s Burns-Mantle Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his villainous portrayal of Rooster Hannigan in the original Annie, receiving a Carbonell Nomination for both direction and portrayal. He also staged the 1992 National Tour of Annie. Other principal roles include: Mack & Mabel; Coco, with Katherine Hepburn; Mame, with Angela Lansbury; Promises, Promises, with Jerry Orbach; and Accidental Death Of An Anarchist. He played Second Banana to Mickey Rooney in Sugar Babies in Atlantic City, Lake Tahoe and the Desert Inn in Las Vegas. He toured with Liza Minnelli in her original act, plus Flora,The Red Menace on Broadway. And he has Two Hirschfelds! In 1999 Bob and his wife Pauline Bernier, along with acting and speech coach Edwin Bordo, began the Bob Fitch Performance Workshop in Quebec. Today Bob travels the world holding performance workshops for professional magicians. He has coached performers such as David Copperfield and Jeff McBride. |
| There’s simply no other magician like Rob Zabrecky. Through a wide range of artistic work that spans acting, magic, and music, Rob Zabrecky has established himself globally as an original entertainer. In live performances, he invents a magical world through a series of strange and beautiful effects which he combines with remarkable timing and sensational theatrical edifice. Like film director David Lynch, Zabrecky sets the stage for everyday life, then sets it on fire. Recognized for his efforts, he has received four awards by the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle Zabrecky’s career began as a musician while being the singer-songwriter and bassist for the Los Angeles group Possum Dixon, who released three albums on Interscope Records during the 1990s. |
| Bill Cook is a three-time award winner at the prestigious World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas, and he has been hailed by his peers as the Young Master of Magic. Bill has been featured nationally and internationally on every major television network, including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Showtime, SyFy, The Movie Channel, Telemundo, and Italy’s Cannale 5. Recently, Bill starred in an episode of the hit SyFy TV Show Wizard Wars. Bill is also one of the featured stars of Make Believe–the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival Winner for Best Documentary. Bill has performed and headlined on some of the worlds’ largest stages across North America, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and Central America. He has been a featured performer at some of the most exclusive clubs in the United States, including the Friars’ Club in New York City, the House of Blues in Chicago and the World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. |
| Leland Faulkner is an actor, mime, and magician that also makes films, writes, and directs. Recipient of Kennedy Center accolades for directing Shadowplay, and multiple awards for original films, Leland has also consulted on the popular film The Polar Express. Leland received a Bachelor of Arts degree in film making from the Brooks Institute, in Santa Barbara, California, and continues to create many award winning film and media projects. On the performance level, Leland has been a touring artist for thirty years. He has performed throughout the United States, and has taught and performed at schools, colleges, and universities, theatre festivals, international circuses, in cultural exchange programs, for corporate sponsors, in commercial work, television, and in major theaters.. Leland believes in the necessity of make-believe and the ability of theatre to be a universal art. He continually searches for entertaining and meaningful theatre to accomplish his goal. His theatre productions have gained acclaim both at home and internationally. From his classic presentation, A Flight of Butterflies, where paper becomes filled with movement and mystery, to Shadowgraphs, where shadows seem imbued with a life of their own, audiences say his work is magical. His World of Wonder transports audiences with a fresh look at forgotten arts. |
| Eric Jones is a Co-Founder of Lost Art Magic and all around bad ass. For nearly two decades, Eric has been an authority on close up magic. His expertise is evident in his win on Penn and Teller: Fool us where he fooled two of the greatest minds in magic with just a few coins. Eric has a rhythmic and elegant handling with coins and cards that makes his style unique. |
| Vincent Mendoza has been a powerhouse in magic’s underground for the past 20 years. His visual and elegant magic has made its way into the repertoires of countless professional magicians. Lost Art Magic is proud to include some of his thinking with magicians around the world. Spend 10 minutes with him and you’ll love him as much as we do. |
| Xavior Spade is the best magician you’ve never heard of. Until now. As Co-Founder of Lost Art Magic, Xavior has a bold, approach to magic that is quickly earning him a reputation in the magic underground. His magic is clean, well thought out and motivated. Magic is important to him, and he’d be happy to share why it should be important to you. |
| David Merry has been regarded as Canada’s premier corporate comic magician for the last thirty years. He has a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Comedy Magic Seminar, is a past recipient of Canada’s “Club Comic of The Year” award and has been nominated at the Canadian Comedy Awards for “Best One Man Show” and “Best Variety Act.” In NYC he won “Best Variety Performer” at the NE Entertainment Corporate Awards. He has performed on all five continents at over 3200 corporate events, 1400 golf outings and has been to 54 countries with seven of the world’s best cruise lines over his 35 year career. He is a United States patent holder and lectures, performs, invents and sells magical apparatus to magicians all over the world. He played on a professional blackjack team in Las Vegas in 1980-81, has written has a book on roulette called RE-INVENTING THE WHEEL and currently plays poker semi-professionally, having played in the World Series of Poker three times. After attending Q school he became a golf professional and played in events on the Canadian, Great Lakes and North Atlantic Tours in 1997. |
| Nathan Phan is a member of the Academy of Magical Arts, Inc, the Screen Actors’ Guild, National Eagle Scout Association, and is the master of all trades, jack of none: close up/strolling/stage magic, balloon twisting, stand-up comedy, MCing, or singing! Nathan is a true entertainer whose award-winning talents have been featured in movies like Superbad, on national television including NBC, Syfy, PopTV, the CW Network, & Comedy Central, and at venues like Disneyland and even at the exclusive, world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. |
| Chris Pilsworth ‘s enthusiasm for magic was sparked at the age of twelve, when he attended a magic show at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre. This interest continued unabated throughout his high school and university years. After graduating from Carleton University in 1986, Chris decided to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time professional magician. The degree he earned in Industrial Design (with distinction) has greatly enhanced Chris’ ability to create unique props and illusions. After entertaining thousands of satisfied customers at corporate and private events, Chris was drawn towards the theatre. In 1997, following many years of planning, he independently produced and starred in his own theatrical magic show. Entitled: Disappearing Nightly, the ‘dramagic’ production brought together many never-before-seen illusions with music, dance and drama. Chris has participated in many magic competitions and won awards at both the national and international level. He is a winner of the Tom Auburn Award in Montreal. |
| Elliot Zimet ‘s fresh approach to his material is unparalleled in the world of magic and illusion. Audiences have been captivated watching his appearances as a semi-finalist on America’s Got Talent where judges exclaimed, “You surprised me. Your style was cool, and the audience loved you!” Recently he has been featured on Ryan Seacrest’s AXS TV- “AXS Live”, CBS – “The Early Show” and VH1 – “Big Morning Buzz Live”. Born and raised in the Bronx, Elliot found great inspiration in New York City’s rich culture of music and fashion. When Elliot saw his first magic show at the age of nine, he knew that magic was to be his life. He has gone on to amaze audiences throughout the country from Madison Square Garden, to the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. In the Fall 2012 Elliot starred in his own off Broadway show, which had an extended run in Times Square NYC. |