Press Resource Contents: page Why McBride? 1 The Shows 2 Bio. 3 Clients/ Awars 4 Magic Magazine Article 5-12 Reviews 12-21 JeffJeff McBrideMcBride Why McBride Magic is the perfect show for your showroom or event 1. If you want appreciative, excited audiences, McBride’s shows have a proven record for thrill- ing audiences and reviewers worldwide. 2. Do you have a mixed audience of different ages, or different cultures? McBride’s magic appeals to audiences of all types and nationalities. The show is a visual and aural spectacle which can be fully understood no matter what the viewer’s native language. 3. Looking for a way to generate publicity for your event or product? We have long experience working with our clients’ creative and marketing staffs to assure the show will meet your criteria for success on every level. 4. We have a time-tested set of technical requirements which we can tailor to your venue and situa- tion. Because we have performed in every kind of venue imaginable, we know how to get the most from whatever technical support you can provide, and to work well with your technical staff. 5. When budgets are tight, but you need to make a big splash, our small company (McBride, 1-5 Assistants, one Production Manager) puts on a very big show -- the most exciting magic show in all the world! We have shows of different sizes to fit any budget and space. 6. We enjoy doing community outreach types of promotion - appearances at local schools, fund-rais- ers, etc., that help you both to sell tickets and maintain good relations for your organization within the community. 7. The McBride name is synonymous with quality and creativity. Jeff’s notoriety from his many ap- pearances on television and as a headliner at showrooms and festivals around the world lends a caché to your event equalled by very few other performers. The Shows McBride - Magic UnMasked In his solo “Magic UnMasked,” McBride’s magic moves far beyond mere tricks and illusions, engaging all the senses and the imagination to transport audiences into an enchanted realm. McBride is the world’s premiere stage sleight of hand artist, delivering an eye-popping extravaganza of masks, cards, coins, pantomime and excitement. McBride - Magic at the Edge Magic at the Edge is tJeff’s latest creation - a high impact show designed to be easy to present, with flexible stagings, minimum props to be shipped, and a very large impact. The show stars McBride, his wife Abbi and one additional onstage assistant. The evening often begins with the entire company greeting and entertaining in the hall as the guests enter. Sometimes they magically produce buttons or other event themed items to give to audience members. Once the stage show starts, audiences experience McBride’s signature mask, pan- tomime, Kabuki theatre, martial arts and amazing sleight of hand magic mixed with several larger production pieces, and even some mental magic. Reviewer Sandy Posnak of the Atlantic City Weekly recently wrote, “One can’t experience a better way to say adieu to the summer days, than by experiencing this delightful, mesmerizing magical journey.” Her fellow reviewer Chuck Darrow wrote, “As “Magic at the Edge” illustrates, McBride’s brilliance remains intact. Among his talents is his ability to be cerebral and arty, yet accessible to audience members of all ages. Grand Illusion Spectacular - Abracadazzle! McBride’s Abracadazzle! combines performance disciplines from around the world, including pantomime, sleight of hand, dance, drumming, grand illusion and Kabuki theatre, to create a grand spectacle unlike anything else available. The show includes live drumming, thunder fan dancing, and 3-5 large illusions, staged as a multi-cultural magic journey around the world and back through time. Lecture, Corporate Speaking & Seminars Jeff McBride’s acclaimed lecture-seminar combines magical performance, interactive seminar and fascinating insights and stories to teach your audience how to think and perform like a magician. Biography: JEFF McBRIDE an Extraordinary Personality Jeff McBride, a three time award winner at the International Grand Prix of Magic in Monte Carlo, is widely recognized as a foremost in- novator and most exciting performer in contemporary magic. Naming him “Vegas’ Best” Magician several years ago, the Las Vegas Review Journal wrote: “Light years ahead of the pack.. McBride is easily the most exciting and mesmerizing magician I’ve seen in years.” Jeff began performing magic at the age of eight, and by the time he was sixteen was opening for the Fania Allstars on tour in Japan. He found himself fascinated by popular Japanese Kabuki theatre, which he immediately incorporated into his act, already filled with masks and martial arts overtones. On completing high school, the young magician moved into New York City and studied at the American Mime School while working full time in the Flosso Hornman magic shop. He was soon performing at New York clubs, including the popular Club Versailles, where he was discovered by super agent Billy Barnes, then manager to Tennessee Williams and Raquel Welch. Barnes immediately signed the talented young artist, and moved him up to work as opening act for such superstars as Tina Turner, Tom Jones and Diana Ross for their sold-out concerts and Las Vegas appearances. McBride eventually became a headliner at the Las Vegas Hilton’s “Moulin Rouge” revue at the age of 25. McBride’s signature fusion of mask, myth, drama and illusion reflects his lifelong study of magic’s multi-cultural roots. His first full-evening exploration of these themes, Mask, Myth & Magic, won acclaim Off-Broadway and on national tour, as well as at arts festivals in Barcelona (for the 1992 Olympics), London, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. He has been profiled in Elle Magazine, Town & Country, The New York Times, Harpers and dozens of other publications worldwide. For several years, McBride headlined at Caesars Magical Empire in Las Vegas, where he was voted critics’ choice as Best Magician in Las Vegas. His magic has been featured on every major television network, with the most recent appearances judgin VH-1’s Celebracadabra! and on A&E’s Mindfreak with Criss Angel. Previously his Mask & Card Act was featured on “World’s Greatest Magicians” on NBC, he was Burned Alive on ABC’s “Champions of Magic,” and he was heavily featured as both performer and expert on PBS’s “The Art of Magic” and TLC’s “Mysteries of Magic.” McBride has even “Gone where no magician had gone before” as a special guest star on “Star Trek - Deep Space Nine.” In addition to his work as a performer, McBride is a much sought-after lecturer and workshop leader for such diverse groups as The Smithsonian, The Disney Institute, MacDonald’s ‘Hamburger U,’ the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Omega Institute and many others. He combines dynamic performance magic with deep insights into what makes magic work, it’s enduring fascination and many uses - not only on stage but in business and personal life as well. Extraordinary Extraordinary Corporate Awards Events “McBride’s performance is a tour de force, al- McBride’s performances have been electrifying most a culmination of things he’s been doiong on stages of the world while winning just corporate audiences for over twenty years. In about every award the profession bestows...” events ranging from the most intimate small sales meeting to the grandest of outdoor and -- Newark Sunday Star Ledger arena spectaculars, McBride’s “Total Magic Theatre” con- sistently delights and amazes audiences of all ages and cultural backgrounds. Magician of the Year Past clients include: & The Blackstone Theatre Award Ericson The Magic Castle I.B.M. Sprint PCS Best Magician of Las Vegas Taco Bell Las Vegas Review-Journal Commerce Bank Mitel Grand Prix Magiques Wilson Sporting Goods de Monte Carlo Johnson & Johnson presented by Prince Rainier Coldwell Banker Schlumberger Mandrake d’Or Dupont Society of French Magicians Mont Blanc Caesars Stage Magician First Merit Bank Digital Equipment Corporation of the Year Mobil Oil International Festival of Magic Craig Realty Group J&B Magician of the Year The Trump Organization Society of American Magicians Athlete’s Foot Culligan Star of Magic Oscar Mayer International Brotherhood Price-Chopper of Magicians Widely known as a foremost creator of new magic, Best Variety Entertainer McBride has also designed magic to order for Jekyll Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Hyde, Diana Ross, Caesars Palace, Jack Morton Productions, and many others. Best Variety Act Atlantic City Magazine mcbride layout 10/4/01 3:36 PM Page 2 38 MAGIC • NOVEMBER 2001 mcbride layout 10/4/01 3:36 PM Page 3 s millions of readers follow the magical education of Harry Potter through J.K. Rowling’s works, the A magic community watches the intriguing path of Jeff McBride and Eugene Burger. Like an apprentice and sorcerer, they explore new avenues for performing and teaching the art of magic. Their latest ventures are the intensive Master Class seminars, and a new show at the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City, McBride Magic: The Secret Art, which runs through December 9. The show melds Jeff and Eugene’s talents with the artistry of Jeff’s new bride, Abbi Spinner. The spectacle is unlike any ever seen on a casino stage. It’s Le Roy, Talma & Bosco for the new millennium: a cross-generation, multi-gendered, insightful magic show. “We try to break convention as much as we can in our teaching and our shows,” says McBride. “We create new contexts in which to experience magic. Eugene and I are always thinking up new ways to create magic, not just for the public but also for the magic community.