First of all, congratulations to the thread creator for making a necessary thread on a topic none of us have ever discussed before. Perhaps next you can make a thread discussing how you hate gimmicks, or what your Christmas list is - I know I'm all about that. Make sure you tell me what you're practicing in your signature, also, so that the different-colored font you use makes a nice contrast as I skim by it. Also, kudos to the people who hate Ellusionist and Brad simply because all the other cool kids do - your input is absolutely vital.
To the guy who is absolutely sure that Celebracadabra brought laymen into magic, and that the majority of them learned their tricks off of Youtube exposure videos, I'd love to see your evidence and sources, which I'm sure you have other than a basic hunch, so that I can agree with you one-thousand percent. I'm sure we all figured viewers of the show who weren't magicians probably looked up magic out of interest, and maybe a smaller percentage thought to check Youtube to see if some teenager would tell it to them - but the overwhelming majority? Thank you for bringing this baseless, exaggerated opinion to light!
So, onto the discussion at hand. My thoughts on Brad Christian, since you asked. Aside from the fact that the site looks every day more and more like a late-night infomercial, I liken the guy's business tactics to that of a gypsy street peddler, traveling first-carriage in a caravan of miracle workers and potion-merchants. I would not be surprised to open up a package from them to receive a container marked "SNAKE OIL", and would surely rejoice in the benefits provided.
The odd thing is, people, for some reason, seem to think Ellusionist is the only magic store guilty of overcharging or hyping a product weeks or even months in advance.
Addressing other facets of this wondrous man: all he's taught me is card tricks from both Crash Course videos that a friend let me watch. At the time, I was a virgin to magic and found his teaching practical and unique. Today? His material, I feel, is basic and probably mishandled (not that basic sleights and tricks are a bad thing - I bet you your audience has never seen them), and I feel like I could learn the stuff better from our teachers. However, I feel his method of teaching, his style, is clear and concise, and for those who find his material necessary are in for an educational treat. The guy can teach. What he teaches, however, is up to what sells.
Let's discuss his manly jawline: I would kill for similar features. Myself, I rely on a poorly shaved beard to enhance my jawline, but this guy knows what he's doing. I imagine traditional Greek sculpture is but prophetic stream-of-conscious stone working which heralds his face's arrival. My dream date would include rubbing various oils to it, then sticking rare lotus petals to the chiseled feature.
His voice is like a combination of Frank Sinatra and chocolate-covered happy. The mere hint of that California twang sends me into spiritual rapture, upon which I discover my spirit-wolf, then meet and subdue my astral-self.
He looks older than he probably is, and however old, I think it's too old for eyeliner.
Whew! I've been hiding all that information deep inside me, and it feels great to let it flow. Thank goodness this topic was here. My time could have been wasted discussing the artistic merit of certain types of presentation or patter, or something else like how the routining and succession of certain material leads to a deeper connection with the spectator. Weeee!
(Good lord. Does anyone else wish Bunnyboy hadn't gone under? Though who knows if the same would have happened there.)