The producer and creative force behind this popular convention discussed the goals, the challenges, and the philosophy that keeps bringing audiences back to Las Vegas.
For you, what were the highlights this year?
Each year, an amazing team that makes this event what it is. Even better, they set out to improve how we do things. If we succeed, those are highlights to me, even though they’re mostly in the background.
Henning exhibition; Sanjeev Vinodh in Experimental Theater Concepts
We also try to take one or two “big swings” that are very much in the foreground. This year, there were three: our close-up show, the Doug Henning exhibit, and the search for new performing concepts. What makes these highlights for me are not simply how they turned out, but also the people we worked with, and the process of getting each off the dry-erase board and onto a stage.
What do you think has changed over the years with MAGIC Live?
We’ve gone from 600 to 1,600 registrants and, at the same time, tried to keep our venues as intimate as possible. So, just the logistics of moving people through the performances and presentations have had to evolve over the years. For our first four conventions, everybody sat in one room for all lectures. To grow, we had to develop a two-seating system for general and focus sessions. And it took a few years to get it right.
Recently, we’ve been building our affiliation program, where we work closely with institutions like the Academy of Magical Arts, Bicycle Cards, Discover Magic, Mystique Dining, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, and others. It’s through these relationships that I see us continuing to grow.
Do you have things that you have yet to achieve; maybe a booking or an event that is your ideal?
I’d say overall, we think about the same two challenges every year. One, our team wants to do everything better than it’s ever been done before, and it doesn’t matter if we’re the ones who did it the best before. Two, we want to surprise our guests. As magicians, we bring so much surprise to our audiences, but where do we go to be surprised? That’s one of the reasons we do not announce who’s booked at MAGIC Live. You can’t sit in the theater before a show, read the program, and preview what’s coming. You have to experience it all in real time.
Of course, this approach has a certain degree of risk to it. But if you’re looking to surprise people, you have to take some gambles. I have a note on the wall in my office that reads: Safe is simply too risky!
What do you think are the elements that make a great convention?
I think it’s four C’s: City, Cost, Content, and Community. It’s nice when the city itself attracts attendees, and that the event doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. However, I’ve always felt it really comes down to what you present and who comes to see it—Content and Community. As producers, we have little control over the community that attends, but we do have a big say in what that community experiences when it arrives.
A few decades back, content was primarily who you booked. Today, with that little thing called the internet in our lives, I think who is only the beginning. What you have them do and how good you can make them look doing it—that’s the key.
Jon Stetson and Bill Goodwin participating in Focus Sessions
What experience do you draw on, as a performer, an
emcee, and as a publisher, to assemble the convention?
I’m sure I draw on all of these and more, but I suppose that editing and publishing a magazine have given me the most experience. Starting with blank pages and filling them with advertisements (the dealer room), columnists (lecturers), and feature stories (performers). Then, deciding the pagination (scheduling events) and creating layouts (print and set designs). Oh, and making sure all the pieces are together on deadline.
As you think about the next convention—do you find any new challenges?
Yes, there are always new challenges, especially when you’re trying to surprise people. And changes in the world cause performing magicians to adapt, and then the magic community follows suit. Just one example is the use of video screens onstage today. While we use IMAG in all of our tutorial presentations, I’ve resisted using screens as much as possible in our shows. After all, “live” is in our name!
At times, these challenges are a bit overwhelming, but they are also what makes it exciting!
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Photos by Josh Chaikin / Magic Live