Thursday, March 27, 2008

Making Magic Number One?

First of all, I would like to introduce myself...

My name is Bryan Gilles. I'm a 27 yr. old second-generation magician/illusionist from Northern California. My father first began performing at the early age of eight. He's the main reason I've had a passion for the art as it has been encrypted in my upbringing and something I feel fortunate to be a part of.

I've recently returned back to Northern California after working for world-renown illusionist; Dirk Arthur, in Las Vegas Nevada at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino. During my short stint with Dirk, I was fortunate to work with him, his tigers, and in the show at the Tiffany Theater (Home of the Follies Bergere). It was a unique opportunity and memorable experience for me to see first-hand what goes into a massive production in the "Magic Capital of the World". Being part of the crew allowed me to work alongside such great people as Tim Clothier, Don Wayne, and show producer- Ari Levin. It made me realize that my dream of performing "the big stuff" would be a lot more work than I had imagined. This is not to say that I don't ever want to perform a large-scale illusion show. I am much happier with a smaller show that I can take into any size venue and perform for any size crowd.

With that said, I've been greatly inspired Kevin Viner; another blogger on blogspot (http://magicforaliving.blogspot.com/), to write about my experience working towards a set goal. Kevin's blog is about making $80,000 a year performing magic. My goal is to make magic my full-time job... Not only do I want to make it my full-time job, I would like to work my way to the top of this industry.

Honestly, I laughed at that last sentence too!

Author- Les Brown once wrote, "Shoot for the moon and you'll land among the stars..." he is also noted for saying, "Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears,” and “Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.” These are all very strong quotes that really light the fire under me to press forward towards my ultimate dream! Obviously, I may never be the top person in this industry; however, if that is what I work towards, there is no telling how far I will get... and that is my goal!

I've decided to title my blog "Making Magic Number One" because that is what I'm working towards... Making magic my number one job.

I hope many will get a lot out of this and maybe even share some of your success and failures as to help me (and others) on this journey!

Magically,
Bryan Gilles

1 comment:

Kevin Viner said...

Bryan,

Best of luck! It'll be great to see how things go for each other the rest of this year!