Essential Magic Conference Videos

Jeff McBride is an award winning manipulator and the founder of The Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas. He has devoted his life to magic and the teaching of illusion. Here he talks about his philosophy of performance and a school of magic where the students transcend the masters.

People have been asking us for months, who will be appearing at the Essential Magic Conference this year. We had such an incredible line up last year. How could we put together an equally amazing line up this year? We want to make every conference special and we think we have succeeded. Now all we need is you! Here is the list of Speakers for the Essential Magic Conference 2011. Together they bring an astonishing range of knowledge, skill and experience to the conference. The schedule for the conference will be posted on our website when ready. But today we can announce the names of the Speakers.

Apollo Robbins combines sleight of hand, pick-pocketing and con artistry to produce a uniquely deceptive entertainment. In addition to his work as a performer he has consulted for police departments, television producers and writers on the psychology and practice of con games.

Cyril Takayama is one of the most famous magicians in the world. His spectacular television specials have made him a household name in Japan. Viral videos of his highly original take on street magic have made him one of the most popular magicians on the internet. In this interview he talks about the challenges and opportunities in performing magic for stage, television and the web.

The son of a magician, Helder Guimarães gave his first magic show at the age of three (making chocolates appear at kindergarten) and went on to become World Champion of Card Magic at the FISM convention in 2006. Here he talks about practice, his favourite routine and the constant companion that is magic.

For our first Essential Magic Conference Members Competition we asked you to come up with three killer questions for one of our EMC Speakers. Ali Said Jameleddine of the United Arab Emirates won with his questions for the incredible Cyril Takayama. Ali your prize of the autographed Luis de Matos Extreme DVD is on its way to you. And now in an exclusive video here are the answers to your questions, provided by Cyril Takayama himself. Cyril is one of the world’s top magicians, famous in Japan for his amazing television specials and the best known magician on You Tube thanks to his astoundingly original illusions that have proved to be a viral video hit all over the world. Thank you Cyril.