Magic Live 2019

Wow! Such an incredible week at Magic Live 2019 in Las Vegas!

So, for the non-magicians, Magic Live is the biggest magic convention in the US. And yes, there is such a thing as magic conventions, and yes, they’re more nerdy than sci-fi conventions. It’s actually similar to a college education. You spend a lot of money to be there, you listen to a bunch of lectures, spend way too much money on stuff you don’t need, and in the end, you don’t get any more work because of it.

Anyway, this was my first time attending, but it definitely won’t be my last. It was a little overwhelming to see so many people that inspired me all in one place. I mean, I went to a party on the first night and David Copperfield walked in. Are you getting this? David Copperfield. Usually when I attend a party, the most popular person there is the Chick-Fil-A cow.

The Lectures

The lectures were beyond top notch. I’m applying some of the things I learned in my magic shows for companies. I probably got the most out of 3 different lectures.

Harris III talked on storytelling and really made me rethink my approach to certain moments in my show. Had a great talk with him after and it really confirmed where some of my efforts need to go.

Then I saw an incredible lecture by Harrison Greenbaum, as seen on AGT. His lecture was titled “You Are All Terrible”. I wanted to be defensive before I walked in, but it was literally some of the best information I’ve ever heard. It was such a tribute to originality and I honestly believe that every regular performing magician needs to see this presentation.

Finally, I would say Mario the Maker rounded everything out for me as far as what I needed to hear. First off, if you ever get a chance to see his kids show, yes I said kids show, GO SEE IT! There’s a reason he has opened for David Blaine. It’s more than just a kids magic show…it’s watching an inventor at work. I’ve never been so inspired to take my show to another level than after seeing him. From his 3D printer creations to electronics, remote controls, robots interacting with him, it’s just a new level of thinking. Ultimately, all 3 of these lectures were a punch to the gut…but in a good way.

The Shows

Outside of that, just some incredible shows. Pipo Villanueva and Dani DaOrtiz are just artists. The absolute best! Pipo did his one cup version of the cups and balls and it’s hands down my favorite version of that trick. So pure, so simple and so amazing. Then there was Dani’s show. He asked myself, along with my friends John and Erik to sit next to him at the table, and he proceeded to destroy the room with card tricks. You just haven’t experienced a card trick until you see him live. There’s just nobody better.

Great Time with Friends

To cap it all off, I got to spend the whole convention hanging out with good friends and one of my best friends in the performing world and in real life, John Hinton. Just made the trip that much better. And with an In N Out Burger just a mile from the hotel, you better believe we hit that place up. Of course we Ubered (is that an actual word?), since it was almost 110 degrees.

All in all, Magic Live 2019 may have been my first Magic Live, but it definitely wasn’t my last! Below are just a few photos from the trip!