What I Do
Strolling close-up magic
As a strolling magician I work a few inches from the people watching. Card work, coins and borrowed objects. I move through the room during cocktails or dinner, table to table, so nobody has to stop what they are doing or turn their chair around. No stage, no sound system, nothing for your venue to set up. The room warms up on its own, because people who have never met end up leaning over the same card. Best for cocktail hours, receptions, trade show booths and holiday parties.
The Seated Show
Thirty to fifty minutes on a stage or in a cleared space, for a room that is seated and ready to watch something together. Magic and mind reading, built for adults, not a kids' magic show. It is the kind of thing that makes a VP say "there's no way... that's impossible" out loud in front of two hundred people. I bring a microphone and AV where the room needs it, I work to whatever slot you give me, and I finish when I said I would. Best for awards dinners, galas, sales kickoffs and after dinner entertainment.
Magic with your message in it
The thing your audience remembers from a conference is rarely the slide. Give me your product name, this year's theme, or a number nobody in the room should know, and I will build it into the magic so the reveal lands on the thing you actually want remembered. I work with your content team beforehand to get it right. Nobody checks their phone while it happens, and people repeat it afterwards. Best for conferences, product launches, incentive trips, team building and client appreciation evenings.
See Mike in action
About
Why event planners book me twice
Corporate entertainment has a low bar and everyone in the room knows it. The band nobody listens to. The comedian who misjudges the audience. The hypnotist who turns a VP into a chicken in front of the people who report to him. Booking entertainment for a company event is mostly an exercise in avoiding those. A corporate magician is a different job from a party magician, and most of the difference has nothing to do with the magic.
I am the easiest part of your event, and I mean that literally. I bring everything. I need nothing from the venue beyond the room itself. I arrive forty five minutes early and I am set up before your first guest walks in.
I spent more than twenty years inside corporate America, which matters more than it sounds. I read a run of show without needing it explained. I do not perform over the speeches. I know the schedule slipping is normal and not a crisis. Nothing in the act will embarrass your company, the material is clean and appropriate for a mixed audience, and nobody gets made into the punchline. Standard dress is a dark suit.
The paperwork is handled too. Performer liability insurance, certificates naming your venue on request, a real contract, and an invoice your accounting team will accept without a conversation.
Companies I have worked for include Mitchell & Ness, Vanguard, Insight Partners, Alimera Sciences, Fox Chase Cancer Center, New American Funding, Marriott, Wyndham, Mohonk Mountain House, Borgata, Ocean Casino Resort, Live! Casino and SugarHouse.
I am based in Philadelphia and work across the city, the Main Line and the suburbs, plus New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, New York and Connecticut.
Proof
Real rooms, real reactions
"We brought Mike in as a nice complement to a cocktail reception, but instead, he became the main event. The whole room followed him around, chasing the next trick, because once people saw one they wanted more. Mike is genuinely talented, has great energy, and is a crowd-pleaser in a room that's not easy to win over; we'll definitely be bringing him back."
Christine R. Felice, SVP, Mitchell & Ness Commerce
"Mike is magic! We hired Mike for my 40th at a winery and all I can remember is random screams of amazement among the crowd. He is flawless in his execution and left us all in awe. My family and friends talked about his performance for weeks!"
Ankur Patel, 40th birthday celebration
"Michael was absolutely incredible! We had him at our end-of-summer carnival party, and he completely captivated the entire crowd. With a big party, it's not easy to hold everyone's attention, but he had people gathered around, laughing, amazed, and genuinely trying to figure out how he was doing what he was doing! Our guests were talking about him all night and even afterwards."
Kejal Bhatt, end of summer party
Below, photographs from real events, taken on the night, with real guests reacting in real time. Ballrooms, cocktail receptions, hotel function rooms and convention stages across the East Coast.
Volunteers from the room
Two guests who walked in as strangers, now standing next to me in front of a full house. Nobody is planted and nobody is the punchline.
A full room
Cocktail hour at a black tie gala, guests closing in on both sides. No stage and no microphone, just a room full of people who came over to see what everyone was looking at.
Black tie season
Arriving for an annual charity gala. One case, no setup, ready before the doors open.
Partial client list
Vanguard · Insight Partners · Alimera Sciences
New American Funding · Fox Chase Cancer Center
Mitchell & Ness · Marriott · Wyndham · AtlantiCare
Mohonk Mountain House · Borgata · Harrah's
Ocean Casino Resort · Live! Casino · SugarHouse Casino
Disney Cruise Line
Questions I get asked
How long do you perform?
Once I know a bit more about your event, I will come back with a recommendation on the length and the format that fits it best.
What do you need from the venue?
Strolling needs no stage, no sound and no setup. I simply start. For a seated show I need somewhere the whole room can see me, and a small riser helps past about 80 guests. I bring my own microphone and speaker if the venue has none.
Where do you travel?
Philadelphia and the surrounding region are standard: NJ, DE, MD, DC, NY and CT. Further afield is possible, just ask.
Is it right for a mixed audience?
Yes. Nothing in the show is off color, nothing embarrasses a volunteer, and nothing needs explaining to the client's boss afterwards.
Insurance and dress?
I carry performer liability insurance and can send your venue a certificate on request. Standard dress is a dark suit. Black tie or a costume brief is no problem if your evening calls for it.
Contact
Tell me about your event
Send the date, the venue and roughly how many guests. You'll hear back the same day with what I'd do and what it costs.