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Blog with Paul Gertner

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Penn & Teller: Fool Us… Take Two

Building the Kicker to Cups & Steel Balls After performing my trick Unshuffled on Season 3 of Penn & Teller: Fool Us, I never expected to be back on the show in Season 4—there are so many good magicians who still haven’t had the chance.  However, when I flew to Las Vegas last October to […]

Posted in Magical Thinking, Magicians Only by Paul Gertner.

Through Lines and Blind Spots

Do you know what your audience sees? What does your audience see when you step on stage?  What do you want them to know about you?  How do you want to be perceived in their mind? All of these things are under our control… to a degree. Understanding what your audience sees when you walk […]

Posted in Magical Thinking, Magicians Only by Paul Gertner.

The Magic of Totality

There is a unique phenomenon that happens every so often that only a magician can experience.  It usually happens after a show, when a spectator comes up to the magician and excitedly describes in detail a magic trick they saw many years ago.  And when it happens, the performer is often looking into the eyes […]

Posted in Magical Thinking, Magicians Only by Paul Gertner.

Magic Conventions

“Who needs a room? It’s only a four-day convention.” I was 18 years old when attended my very first magic convention back in 1972. It was the International Brotherhood of Magicians conference held in Buffalo, New York at the Statler Hilton Hotel. I can remember that clearly because it was the first hotel room I […]

Posted in Magical Thinking, Magicians Only, Memorable Meetings by Paul Gertner.

The Show in Your Mind

How “Your” Show Differs From The “Actual” Show A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to work with Bob Fitch, the well know actor, magician and director during a short theater run in upstate New York.  We worked on my 90-minute one-man show, Ten Fingers, for a full week.  We had the full […]

Posted in Trade Show Booth Ideas by Paul Gertner.

The Entrepreneur’s Dilemma

Where should I be spending my time? Ok, you are an entrepreneur in business for yourself… perhaps a one person operation or maybe you have some part time support staff but each day you have to face a big question:  Where do I spend my time?  What activity will deliver the best return on my […]

Posted in Magical Thinking, Magicians Only, Trade Show Booth Ideas by Paul Gertner.

A Father’s Day Gift

I want to talk about an amazing gift I got from my dad since this past Sunday was Father’s Day…this is a gift he never knew he gave me. My dad was a steelworker from Pittsburgh, he worked in those hot smoky steel mills you see pictures of with lots of smoke and molten steel in […]

Posted in Magical Thinking by Paul Gertner.

The Magic Underground

When I got into magic many years ago, I was always intrigued by what was called, the magic underground.  The magic underground was made up of individuals who were not necessarily professional magicians, but they were recognized for their highly developed skill set.  They knew the latest moves, they were well connected, they were highly […]

Posted in Magical Thinking, Magicians Only, Trade Show Booth Ideas by Paul Gertner.

This Is “The End”

This is the end, beautiful friend This is the end, my only friend The end Jim Morrison “The End” In magic, it’s all about “The End”. That is what the people remember—the End of the Trick, the Climax, the Big Finish, the Killer Ending, the Finale, the Magical Ending. Having grown up watching and learning […]

Posted in Magical Thinking, Magicians Only, Memorable Meetings by Paul Gertner.

The Future of Magic

The 2017 FFFF Convention I just returned from the FFFF Convention. Now magicians around the world know exactly what that stands for… but for any muggles who might be reading this blog, let me explain. FFFF stands for Fechter’s Finger Flicking Frolic. It is recognized as the Original Close-Up Magic Convention, an exclusive gathering of magicians […]

Posted in Magicians Only, Memorable Meetings by Paul Gertner.