Cameron’s Blog…
As part of our effort to promote Magic Immersive in Chicago, myself and fellow magician Caitlin McKeon performed “the fastest illusion in the world”
You can see us perform it LIVE at Magic Immersive in Downtown Chicago - Opening Dec 3rd 2021!
Tickets:
https://www.magicimmersive.com/
I’m thrilled to announce that i’ve been asked to stay on board as a creative lead on “Magic Immersive” on it’s first stop in the USA - Chicago!
We’ve re-jigged and re-vamped Illusionarium and placed it inside our new exhibit - Magic Immersive.
It’s going to be bigger, better, more amazing and more magical than ever before with the introduction of over 6 new illusions!
I’ll initially be going to help install the show, run rehearsals and help direct and create the show’s magic.
Make sure to follow my socials to keep up to date with everything i’m doing!
This first-of-its-kind installation will occupy the third and fourth floors of 360 N. State St., the venue that hosted The Art of Banksy in the fall and is also the home of Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications. The official name for the exhibition space is "The Illusionarium at Magic Immersive." Magic Immersive features dozens of acts from engaging close-up parlour magic to one of the largest touring illusions in the world: the Mega Drill, all spread across two whole floors worth of immersive performance space, engaging audiences in 360 degrees of experiential magic while revealing amazing feats from the history of stage magic along the way. The venue additionally houses a bar and the Palais Royal VIP theatre, which features an exclusive parlour for close-up magic performances.
As Illusionarium here in Toronto comes to a close after quite literally thousands of shows to hundreds of thousands of audience members, I was invited to talk about my career, my experiences and my view on magic on two podcasts!
The lovely thing is, although they share similarities in places, both of these podcasts approach the subject from completely different viewpoints and have a complete different feel to them.
I’d highly recommend the “magicians talking magic” one if you’re a magician or the “artists working, working artists” one if you’re a non-magician trying to gain an insight into the work of magic and being a magician!
Magicians Talking Magic Podcast is a weekly magician podcast hosted by the incredible Ryan Joyce (www.ryanjoyce.com) and Graeme Reed (www.graemereedmagic.com) featuring tips, tricks, business advice, interviews, performance tips & much more!
On my episode, I talked about:
moving abroad as an artist
my slow but steady rise in social media
my experience as the lead magician of Illusionarium - the world’s first immersive magic experience
You can listen to it on all major streaming & podcast services, or watch the interview on youtube above!
This podcast is hosted by filmmaker and photographer Pat Hodgson (www.patrickhodgson.com) who discusses the ups, downs, and sideways of living and thriving as an artist (of any discipline. He talks with actors, writers, showrunners, photographers, musicians, youtubers, and many many more.
This podcast is so much fun and we talked about:
my journey so far
what learning magic teaches you about the world
the ethics of magic & mind reading
using art to deliver a message & connect with people
making an impact on social media
You can listen to it on all major streaming and podcast services (i’ve included it below, too!)
I was interviewed about my role within Jamie Allan’s Illusionarium, my own personal background in magic and performing and the type and style of magic I love to perform most.
You can watch the full interview below!
A fashion, culture and lifestyle magazine all about my move to Canada and the opening of Jamie Allan’s Illusionarium here in Toronto! You can find the full interview HERE but here are some highlights below!
Tell us about yourself and your interest in performing magic. How did you become a magician?
My interest in magic came through a fairly unusual route in the world of magic. Most magicians will be able to tell you some version of the story that they got a magic set when they were 10 and that was it – they were hooked! And while I always remember loving to watch magic shows growing up, my start in performing magic came a little later in life. I started performing magic when I was around 17 years old when a classmate of mine started doing a few card tricks to impress people at school. I’ve always had an interest in how things work (I actually always wanted to be an “inventor” when I grew up!) and so that part of me just HAD to know how the tricks worked. So off I went to YouTube and tried to find out the secrets – and eventually, I did! I also was lucky to grow up in Edinburgh, Scotland which; aside from being a beautiful city in itself; is also the home of the world’s largest arts festival – the Edinburgh Fringe. The sheer scale of the Fringe meant that I managed to secure fun little guest spots in small variety shows when I was quite young (and not very good!) which is really where I cut my teeth and managed to grow into the performer that I am today.
Jamie Allan’s Illusionarium will be opening on July 29th. Can you tell us about your role in the show as a lead magician?
Of course! My role as a lead magician started back in November 2020 when I moved across the pond from Scotland to start construction of the venue and rehearsals with the amazing team of creatives and performers. Since then, my role involves almost every style of magic where I help oversee everything from classic magic performed by our very own “Victorian Magician”, large-scale “Las Vegas-style” illusions, high-tech lasers all the way to close-up & sleight of hand magic that the lucky VIPs will have the chance to experience. I absolutely love this challenge as it really allows me to apply my knowledge of different types of magic across the board in a way that we magicians rarely get to do when constructing our own shows.
I know magicians are never supposed to reveal their secrets, but what are some of your favourite types of magic tricks to perform?
I personally love to perform a type of magic that is usually known as mentalism, but is sometimes referred to as “psychological mind reading”. It uses magic techniques along with psychology and showmanship in order to give the illusion that I can read your mind or influence your decisions. The beauty of this style of magic is that it all happens within the mind of the audience. There are rarely any big props or flashy boxes; it’s just me, my audience, and their thoughts and experiences.
And for the past 6 months, i’ve been offering my online virtual magic & mind-reading show to private clients as well as selling out a number of public, ticketed events, too!
The show can be tailored anywhere from between 15 minutes to a full 50 minutes and is delivered via Zoom.
It is fun, interactive and high-quality and really creates a unique experience wherever your guests are. Meaning that you can bring people together from across a city, a country or event the world for one amazing social event!
Perfect for corporate entertainment, work social events, family celebrations and much, much more; I really make you and your guests the stars of the show getting every single person involved along the way!
Back in April 2020, I was supposed to move my life to Toronto... until the pandemic hit. Since then, i've basically been sitting waiting for things to happen...
This is just a quick note to mention to all my colleagues, clients and people in the UK that have shown recent interest in booking me that I have permenantly moved my base from the UK to Toronto, Canada.
This decision is an incredibly exciting one and one that I have been planning in the background for a while, despite the ongoing pandemic throwing a bit of a spanner in the works earlier this year.
I’m excited to be able to share more about the project i’m a part of over here in the coming weeks and months but in the mean time, you can keep up to date with what’s happening through my Instagram, YouTube and Facebook pages!
A huge thank you to every single person that has ever booked, supported or performed alongside me over the past 5 years… I’ll see you all soon!
Whats next? Well I’ve put together a list of my top 10 tips for anybody who has or is thinking about booking a professional wedding magician for their big day. This list is taken from my experience over the years of performing at hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of weddings!
Enjoy!
Weddings sit around the 80-150 guests mark and usually, one magician is the right call to entertain this many people for a few hours! However, if you have many more than this, one magician on his lonesome is unlikely to get around all your guests and deliver the jaw-dropping gasps your guests have been waiting for.
Feel free to ask me about the specifics of your wedding and your number of guests as all weddings are different. I’m always happy to offer my professional opinion and if needed, recommend and help you book a second (or even third!) magician for your day, if necessary.
I get it, a big bunch of flowers in the middle of each table does look pretty. However in my experience, this is far outweighed by the negatives of having big centrepieces at each table.
First and foremost, it means that the guests at each table can’t see or talk to each other unless they are directly sitting next to each other. I find that weddings with big centrepieces often have a bit less atmosphere at each table as you’ve effectively split everyone into small 2’s or 3’s instead of the big 10’s or 12’s you intended them to be in when you spent all that time making your table plan!
Secondly, it also means that when performing at each table, around half the table will get an obstructed view of your magician, meaning you’re not getting even nearly the fully fun and impact from the performance!
During the meal and the evening reception, wedding DJ’s sometimes can be found blaring the music loud!
This is a huge issue that I see at weddings almost weekly. It means that your guests can’t have a comfortable conversation and won’t be able to hear and take part in the magic! You want your reception to be relaxed and fun; there will be plenty of time later on to get that party started!
Do yourself a favour and have a chat with your DJ before your big day to make sure you’re all on the same page!
Encourage your wedding party to keep the speeches short and sweet. As a professional speaker myself, I know from experience that most people aren’t! There’s nothing worse than going to a wedding and sitting through an hour and a half of the same story repeated because the top table didn’t check their material against each other and everyone’s speaking for 15 minutes each.
Don’t worry if your wedding is running behind! You aren’t the first and trust me, you won’t be the last wedding to do so!
A wedding professional will always allow time for this and your venue will usually be able to make up any lost time in the changeover periods. Don’t let this little thing stress you out on the big day; after all, your magician is there to help keep people occupied if things are taking linger than expected!
Some wedding couples like to keep the fact they’ve booked a wedding magician a secret or surprise for their guests. In my experience, it’s always best to let people know. In fact, tell everyone! Shout it out! Put it on your programmes!
This way, when your magician approaches groups of people they all know what’s coming and can get hyped/ excited and prepare themselves for the magic. The alternative is this sort of awkward situation where people are unsure how to react when I say I’m a magician; I’ve even had people at first think I’m just another guest that “knows a few tricks”! Granny nearly fell over when I then showed her a miracle and she realised I wasn’t just an uncle that knows a card trick!
I often see people asking wedding magicians to perform at all parts of the wedding (drinks reception, during the meal and at the evening reception) and while this might suit some people’s weddings; it’s not what I’d usually recommend.
Everybody loves magic but, just like everything; we love it in moderation.
I usually recommend 2 hours is the perfect amount of time to bamboozle all your guests but still leave them wanting more.
Magic is obviously great for kids! However, they do often love it a little bit too much and end up following the magician from group to group. This becomes a) quite annoying for the magician and b) can even start to ruin the experience for your guests. Magic can often be a bit like a good thriller movie. Once you know the big twist, it becomes a lot less amazing and interesting. Children often like to show everyone how smart they are and soil the outcome of the trick for everyone else. No fun!
Most professional wedding magicians will always make time to come and visit the happy couple and show them a special something just for them. Usually, the best time for this in my experience is as the rest of your guests are making their way into the wedding breakfast. This is often one of the very few breaks the couple will get throughout the day and so is a perfect time to relax, regroup, and share in some magic to remind them why they’re there and to enjoy themselves along the ride!
Top Tip: make sure your photographers know that this is plan to get some ace photos of you two with your magician, losing your minds at the magic!
The mark of a professional can often be found in how they deal with the business side of things. Most professional wedding suppliers now take payment up front.
I do this so that nobody has to worry about money on the big day and everyone can sit back and relax without having to stress about the little things. However, if you are still paying some suppliers in cash on the day, make sure all the cash is prepared in clearly marked envelopes to make it as easy as possible for you and so you don’t end up giving the wrong money to the wrong people!
So with so much to choose from, how on earth are you going to decide what to go see?!
Fear not, that’s where this blog comes in! I’ve sifted through all 83 (yes, 83!) magic related shows at this year’s fringe that I could find and narrowed it down to my top 13 personal recommendations for this years fringe.
These can be found by getting in touch or by keeping up with my social media channels!
Aaron Crow is an award-winning international mystician and danger act. Following sensational appearances on both Britain's and America's Got Talent, Aaron brings you a unique show that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Cameron Says: I’ve seen Aaron perform live countless times and he never disappoints. Death-defying stunts mixed with his beautifully creepy character make him a thrilling watch from start to finish!
Assembly Rooms • 54 George Street, EH2 2LR (Ballroom) • 21:30
Enter the macabre minds of Beaux and Poe. Follow Ava into a web of gothic tales told through magic, dark humour and thrilling storytelling. 'Delightfully creepy' (WorldMagicReview.com).
Cameron Says: Ava is one of the (very) few female magicians at the fringe and is an absolute delight to watch. Her graceful and eloquent storytelling style leaves her audiences equally mystified and charmed
Revolution Bar • 30 Chambers St, EH1 1HU (Function Room) • 20:30
Award-winning magician Ben Hart triumphantly returns to Edinburgh with a show that shines a light on magic, life, the universe and the darkest corners of your imaginations. Total sell-out 2017/18.
Cameron Says: Get tickets early for this one! After his success on BGT this year, Ben is sure to sell out fast! As well as being one of the nicest people in magic, Ben’s unique take on storytelling makes for an enthralling experience!
Gilded Balloon Teviot • Teviot Row House, 13 Bristo Square, EH8 9AJ (Dining Room) • 17:30
Total sell-out 2017 and 2018. The only act ever to win the Edfest Bouquet three times. 14 Royal Performances. 'The most unbelievable ending of any trick ever!' (ITV). 'One of the top magicians' (BroadwayBaby.com).
Cameron Says: Chris is one of the most experienced magicians working in the world today. He’s a great friend and of all the times i’ve seen him perform live (which is many), I think I can only remember one that didn’t receive a full room standing ovation. Speaks for itself, really!
Assembly Rooms • 54 George Street, EH2 2LR (Drawing Room) • 19:40
Join Scottish Magician of the Year 2018 in this fast-moving show full of laughs and surprises that reveals the magic in the everyday.
Cameron Says: As many people know, i’m very close to Elliot however that means that i’m in a unique position to tell you that his fringe show this year is looking like it’s going to be the best yet! One of the best magicians working in the UK at the moment, this show is an absolute must-see!
The Voodoo Rooms • 19a West Register Street, EH2 2AA (The Ballroom) • 18:30
The pioneers of slapdash magic are back with another mishmash of magical mayhem, contagious energy and showstopping wizardry. 'Machine-gun patter' SSSS½ (TheReviewsHub.com). 'See the show!' SSSS (BroadwayBaby.com). 'Perfect' (FringeGuru.com).
Cameron Says: Again, these two are two of the most genuinely nice guys in the magic community. Having become a bit of a fringe institution, their two-man shows have some of the most genuinely side-splitting and creative moments of any magic show i’ve seen. If you’re around late at night, be sure to look up the “Lock-In Cabaret”, their cabaret show, for the show that you’ll be telling your pals about for weeks after!
Voodoo Rooms • West Register Street, EH2 2AA (Speakeasy) • 18:15
Luke Jermay is the most incredible man you've probably never heard of. He knows your past, present and future! This interactive show has Jermay providing personal, intuitive readings and future predictions with amazing razor-sharp accuracy!
Cameron Says: Those magicians that know me will know how much of an influence Luke has had on my style of performing (hint: it’s a lot!). His shows feel an awful lot more like an “experience” than a “show” and I guarantee you will leave with your head spinning in amazement! Highly recommended!
Assembly Rooms • 54 George Street, EH2 2LR (Drawing Room) • 21:10
Magic. Juggling. Comedy. One man's story of escaping corporate life to run away with the circus. 'Absolutely fantastic… 10/10!' (Jamie Raven, Britain's Got Talent). 'Hilariously bamboozled… a rare treat' (TheCircusDiaries.com).
Cameron Says: Mark is first and foremost a street performer and a bloody good one. His sharp, quick-witted humour combined with stunning magic and juggling makes this a variety show not to be missed!
Subway • 69 Cowgate, EH1 1JW (Main Room) • 17:00
Every question the identical twin brothers have been asked during their life have been developed into the narrative of this magic show. 'Both shine individually as magicians and comedians' (BroadwayBaby.com).
Cameron Says: Another pair of absolute gents who i’ve had the pleasure of getting to know over numerous fringe festivals. Both of their shows at the festival are fun, hilarious and give a unique twist on your classic magic show!
CC Blooms • 23-24 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA (CC Blooms) • 18:45
Back with more outrageous stunts, jaw-dropping magic and crazy comedy in a new show that'll have you on the edge of your seat. This is one for the thrill seekers and magic lovers!
Cameron Says: The return of Danger Dave! After taking a year off the fringe to travel the world, Dave is back with a vengeance! One of my favourite concepts for a character show, I absolutely know Dave has some treats in store for those brave enough to see this daredevil in action!
Bar Bados Complex • 65 Cowgate, EH1 1JW (Room 4) • Aug 3-13 17:00
Liquid Room Annexe/Warehouse • 9c Victoria St, EH1 2HE (Warehouse) • Aug 14-25 15:45
Not just a big beautiful brain, Tom Crosbie put the heart and soul into being an unabashed nerd, performing for your pleasure. Come for the Rubik's Cubes, stay for a big hug of be-cardiganned joy.
Cameron Says: The world’s first (and only) performing nerd, Tom is as nerdy as I aspire to be and he uses this to the absolute joy of his audiences. Maths, useless facts, rubik’s cubes, you name it! Something totally different to break up the rest of the magic!
Gilded Balloon Teviot • Teviot Row House, 13 Bristo Square, EH8 9AJ (Nightclub) •
Dan Bastianelli is fixated with magic and trickery. After a very successful debut Fringe in 2018 (at just 19 years old!) he returns with a brand-new magical hour, which strives to share with you his love for the art of deception, in a fresh and vibrant way.
Cameron Says: Dan is a brilliant young magician from Edinburgh that’s making waves locally at the moment!
CC Blooms (Venue 171) • 15:00
The Grumpy Magicians are back with another hilarious show where they will entertain the audience with some amazing magical effects. Come along and find out if you will be duped into being one of those born every minute.
Cameron Says: Another staple of the Edinburgh fringe, this pair are the happiest grumpy magicians I know. Fun Fact: Paul Novak actually gave me my first opportunities to perform on stage when I was 16 years old!
CC Blooms (Venue 171) • 17:30
There’s loads of exciting things to see and read about me right here on my brand new website.
On this blog page, i’ll be posting regular blogs on events I attend, tips for getting the right entertainment for you and much more fun content so be sure to check back regularly for even more exciting content!
The next few years are set to be my biggest yet, so if you’re not already, make sure you’re following me on instagram HERE and facebook HERE to keep up to date with all the latest news, gossip and to see fun videos & content posted every single week.
Thanks for visiting my new site and I hope to see you while I’m out and about performing all over the country very very soon!
C
