I believe we all have an interest in, or maybe even a little bit of wonder for Magic. Something about it for me, brings me right back to being young and remembering the first time I saw a trick performed. Most likely watching Paul Daniels on TV. When I saw Gerard Kearney perform earlier this year, I knew I had to try to get him to come on to the podcast to hear about his journey so far. I was delighted when he agreed. Gerard is a a past champion of The International Brotherhood of Magicians (the worlds largest magic organisation), and is a native of Cork. He specialises in close-up magic and mind reading! As you'll hear in the introduction, Gerard started out as a Actor (he played the role of Big Con in 'War of the Buttons' and later had a role in 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley') but once he saw his first trick, he was hooked and has never looked back. Gerard shows that practice, dedication, focus, and self-belief are key ingredients to becoming successful in this world, as well as having a talent for the craft. One that was obvious from his early days and noticed by Paul Daniels in a meeting with the legend in the 90's. During the show, we touch on many break-through moments that happened during Gerard's journey so far. He talks about how he's developed his style over the years now with a main focus on Close-up magic. At the end of the show, Gerard performs a trick on me that I am still blown away by. And it does translate to a non-visual medium. Some of the topics discussed are: • Influences that Gerard had during his career including Paul Daniels, Bebel, & David Stone • Always having a creative and artistic streak • A typical work schedule • Dealing with Nerves when performing in early days • Bringing vulnerability to his performing which makes his magic stronger • Being ‘in the moment’ when performing • Winning awards but preferring not to compete • Stand out moments from conventions he attended • Designing new types and processes of magic and creating a new product for the Magic Market space. • Approaches to productivity, deadlines and working in bursts • Being his own hardest critic • Performing under pressure and making the performance harder on purpose • Putting more emphasis on the performance with Communication at the core • Telling a story which brings people back to their own stories. • Values including intuition, creativity and staying loose • Bouncing ideas off close friends to help with decision making • Success = Work-life Balance
Book Recommended -
The Amateurs magicians handbook – Henry Hay
Connect with Gerard via his website -
www.corkmagician.ie
Email: [email protected]
Facebook:
Gerard Kearney The Magician
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/corkmagician/ Thanks for listening, Rob
