Hello all!
As most of you know, this past Saturday we held an excellent Saturday Night Contest - a roundtable discussion with Luis de Matos speaking about EMC 2011. Best part of all? The winner got a free pass to the conference compliments of Luis himself. You can listen to the full podcast with Luis HERE.
Unfortunately there simply wasn't enough time in the day (or in Luis' case, night) to answer each and every question, and some of yours may have been left out. But that's where Luis comes to save the day once again! He took the time to hand pick 11 questions not answered in the podcast that he felt were most relevant.
We hope you enjoy it!
1
Q: How do you select the speakers for EMC or what is the general process of that? I was impressed with last year's line up as well as this year's. I just wanted to see how you went about this.
A: We have a secret formula, just like Coca Cola. Well, sort of. Regardless of who we (myself, Marco and David) would like to see at EMC we try to create a balance between Speakers who appeared at the first EMC and therefore know how the conference works and Speakers who are coming to EMC the first time. We try to bring in the stars of magic and also the new guys on the block. Achieving a wide variety of programming is also important, we have everything from the latest sleight of hand artists to presentations on history. This year we are also tackling new topics such as manipulation and children’s entertainment. And, finally, as we are a global conference we draw Speakers from as many parts of the world as we can.
2
Q: Though 32 speakers is a lot and certainly gives people their money's worth, why did you choose to get together so many magicians to talk about a wide range of topics as opposed to having, say, half that amount and focusing on a few, manageable things? In essence, do you think that having so many speakers will hinder the absorption of all of the material provided?
A: We have 33 Speakers. And you have not only the 3 days of the conference to absorb the material in their presentations but also a year’s worth of video on-demand access to the presentations. And after that we mail you a complete set of DVDs containing every single presentation. It’s yours to keep forever. EMC is the magic conference you can revisit again and again. You have a lifetime to absorb the material.
3
Q: Can we go to the EMC facilities to meet the speakers personally?
A: Why do that when we come to your home via the internet. You have probably got more chance of talking to your magical heroes at EMC than you have at a regular magic convention. We have a chat facility and every member can use it and every Speaker is reading it. It’s a great way of communicating and talking about your favourite subject, magic.
4
Q: And did you pay them? If yes, from were did you get all this money, because 90$ per ticket is not much.
A: None of the Speakers are paid. They just happen to be the most generous people I know and they travel all the way to Studio 33 in Portugal to offer their support. You are right $90 dollars a ticket is not much but we want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to join us online for the conference. We hope that at some point we will break even. But that’s just a hope. In the meantime the fun we have stops us thinking about the finances.
5
Q: Why do you think societies needs magicians?
A: Magicians are the jokers in the pack. People love to be surprised and no one does it better than magicians. They remind people that the world is not always quite what it seems to be. Whether they are producing cars onstage in Las Vegas, dealing Aces from the deck or putting on pseudo psychic demonstrations. A world full of surprises is a better world to live in. But the most surprising thing about the great magicians is that they can take audiences on an unexpected emotional journey. People don’t expect that. They expect to be fooled. But they don’t expect to laugh and cry, feel joy or nostalgic during a magic show. And yet we are able to employ all the dramatic tricks of the theatre in creating our illusions. With a simple trick you can conjure up an unforgettable moment. That’s the biggest surprise of all.
6
Q: If you could bring 1 magician back from the dead to speak at EMC who would you pick?
A: Hofzinser just to make sure that Dani DaOrtiz comes back. It’s his favourite card magician from the past.
7
Q: Why do you believe that is the most important? And how can we accomplish this as a community?
A: It is often said that those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it. Knowledge stops us making mistakes. There are already many members of the magic community preserving that history. They collect everything from posters and programmes to books and apparatus. And they generously make those collections available to those who want to study the art. That’s why I’m a big supporter of people like Bill Kalush and Ask Alexander and David Copperfield and his museum of magic. Without those collectors, historians, writers and publishers it would all disappear.
8
Q: Who inspires you outside of magic?
A: Lots of people and lots of things. But I will name just one, not a person but an event. It’s the TED conference and website. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. They arrange conferences all over the world that gather together interesting individuals to share their knowledge. It was part of the inspiration behind EMC. Visit the TED website and watch some of their presentations. I defy you not to be inspired.
9
Q: With all the other magic conferences out there, what really made you want to make another?
A: It wasn’t another. It’s the first. The first digital conference for magicians. The time seemed just right. The technology was no longer a dream. And magicians have already made the internet a part of their favourite topic, with online forums, websites, digital magazines, books and downloads. A digital conference for magicians was going to be held sooner or later. We just made it sooner.
10
Q: What do you think is the most important part of magic that we, as artists, need to preserve?
A: Our history. Everything we do is built on what has gone before. Our history is a solid foundation for everything you want to do in magic whether it is create an effect, write a book, start a magazine, a society or convention or become a professional performer.
11
Q: What has been your favorite part about the whole experience?
A: Spending time with old friends and making new ones. Magic is never-ending friendship. I don’t think there is a hobby or profession like it in the whole world.
For more information about EMC, how to register and more, be sure to check out http://www.essentialmagicconference.com/
Thanks,
~Zach
As most of you know, this past Saturday we held an excellent Saturday Night Contest - a roundtable discussion with Luis de Matos speaking about EMC 2011. Best part of all? The winner got a free pass to the conference compliments of Luis himself. You can listen to the full podcast with Luis HERE.
Unfortunately there simply wasn't enough time in the day (or in Luis' case, night) to answer each and every question, and some of yours may have been left out. But that's where Luis comes to save the day once again! He took the time to hand pick 11 questions not answered in the podcast that he felt were most relevant.
We hope you enjoy it!
1
Q: How do you select the speakers for EMC or what is the general process of that? I was impressed with last year's line up as well as this year's. I just wanted to see how you went about this.
A: We have a secret formula, just like Coca Cola. Well, sort of. Regardless of who we (myself, Marco and David) would like to see at EMC we try to create a balance between Speakers who appeared at the first EMC and therefore know how the conference works and Speakers who are coming to EMC the first time. We try to bring in the stars of magic and also the new guys on the block. Achieving a wide variety of programming is also important, we have everything from the latest sleight of hand artists to presentations on history. This year we are also tackling new topics such as manipulation and children’s entertainment. And, finally, as we are a global conference we draw Speakers from as many parts of the world as we can.
2
Q: Though 32 speakers is a lot and certainly gives people their money's worth, why did you choose to get together so many magicians to talk about a wide range of topics as opposed to having, say, half that amount and focusing on a few, manageable things? In essence, do you think that having so many speakers will hinder the absorption of all of the material provided?
A: We have 33 Speakers. And you have not only the 3 days of the conference to absorb the material in their presentations but also a year’s worth of video on-demand access to the presentations. And after that we mail you a complete set of DVDs containing every single presentation. It’s yours to keep forever. EMC is the magic conference you can revisit again and again. You have a lifetime to absorb the material.
3
Q: Can we go to the EMC facilities to meet the speakers personally?
A: Why do that when we come to your home via the internet. You have probably got more chance of talking to your magical heroes at EMC than you have at a regular magic convention. We have a chat facility and every member can use it and every Speaker is reading it. It’s a great way of communicating and talking about your favourite subject, magic.
4
Q: And did you pay them? If yes, from were did you get all this money, because 90$ per ticket is not much.
A: None of the Speakers are paid. They just happen to be the most generous people I know and they travel all the way to Studio 33 in Portugal to offer their support. You are right $90 dollars a ticket is not much but we want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to join us online for the conference. We hope that at some point we will break even. But that’s just a hope. In the meantime the fun we have stops us thinking about the finances.
5
Q: Why do you think societies needs magicians?
A: Magicians are the jokers in the pack. People love to be surprised and no one does it better than magicians. They remind people that the world is not always quite what it seems to be. Whether they are producing cars onstage in Las Vegas, dealing Aces from the deck or putting on pseudo psychic demonstrations. A world full of surprises is a better world to live in. But the most surprising thing about the great magicians is that they can take audiences on an unexpected emotional journey. People don’t expect that. They expect to be fooled. But they don’t expect to laugh and cry, feel joy or nostalgic during a magic show. And yet we are able to employ all the dramatic tricks of the theatre in creating our illusions. With a simple trick you can conjure up an unforgettable moment. That’s the biggest surprise of all.
6
Q: If you could bring 1 magician back from the dead to speak at EMC who would you pick?
A: Hofzinser just to make sure that Dani DaOrtiz comes back. It’s his favourite card magician from the past.
7
Q: Why do you believe that is the most important? And how can we accomplish this as a community?
A: It is often said that those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it. Knowledge stops us making mistakes. There are already many members of the magic community preserving that history. They collect everything from posters and programmes to books and apparatus. And they generously make those collections available to those who want to study the art. That’s why I’m a big supporter of people like Bill Kalush and Ask Alexander and David Copperfield and his museum of magic. Without those collectors, historians, writers and publishers it would all disappear.
8
Q: Who inspires you outside of magic?
A: Lots of people and lots of things. But I will name just one, not a person but an event. It’s the TED conference and website. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. They arrange conferences all over the world that gather together interesting individuals to share their knowledge. It was part of the inspiration behind EMC. Visit the TED website and watch some of their presentations. I defy you not to be inspired.
9
Q: With all the other magic conferences out there, what really made you want to make another?
A: It wasn’t another. It’s the first. The first digital conference for magicians. The time seemed just right. The technology was no longer a dream. And magicians have already made the internet a part of their favourite topic, with online forums, websites, digital magazines, books and downloads. A digital conference for magicians was going to be held sooner or later. We just made it sooner.
10
Q: What do you think is the most important part of magic that we, as artists, need to preserve?
A: Our history. Everything we do is built on what has gone before. Our history is a solid foundation for everything you want to do in magic whether it is create an effect, write a book, start a magazine, a society or convention or become a professional performer.
11
Q: What has been your favorite part about the whole experience?
A: Spending time with old friends and making new ones. Magic is never-ending friendship. I don’t think there is a hobby or profession like it in the whole world.
For more information about EMC, how to register and more, be sure to check out http://www.essentialmagicconference.com/
Thanks,
~Zach
