FISM REPORT 2009 - Day one - Goody Bag
Sunday, July 26, 2009
We received our FISM Goody Bags today. They are absolutely top quality computer bags that will be used proudly by all the registrants for a long time to come. For the curious, here’s what they contained:
- Name Badge and Lanyard.
- Envelope of tickets with seating to all
events.
- FISM 2009 pen.
- FISM 2009 fan.
- FISM 2009 lapel pin.
- Bicycle rider back deck of cards.
- Ace brand deck of cards.
- Deck of cards with Beijing scenes.
- FISM 2009 ruled notebook.
- Northstar Property Investment spiral bound
address book.
- Northstar Property Investment advertising
folio.
- Large FISM 2009 envelope containing a
folder of FISM 2009 commemorative stamps.
- Regular DL FISM 2009 envelope with FISM
2009 stamp on it.
- Coupon from Hanky Panky Magic to redeem
for a FISM 2009 baseball cap.
- FISM 2009 T-Shirt (pink).
- Elegantly produced FISM 90 page Programme.
One small,
but important, personal note, about the Programme.
When I was
asked to be a Jury Member for FISM 2009, they requested I supply a photo and a
brief bio so I sent in a pic and the essentially the same bio that appeared in
the FISM 2006 Programme.
Born in Melbourne,
Australia, he performed his first magic show 33 years ago at the age of 10.
After graduating High School, he trained as a TV Editor and Producer.
In the ‘80s and ‘90s he
created and produced ‘Magic Week’, Australia’s National Festival of the Magical
Arts, and helped promote it by performing death-defying stunts on national TV.
He helped produce the NHKTV Special ‘Magical Mystery Tour Downunder’ and has
made over 100 television appearances since ’78.
For 5 years he owned
and operated ‘Bernards’, Australia’s oldest magic shop, and during this time he
produced a series of teaching videos, including his own innovative ‘Cunning
Stunts’ and, more recently, the ‘Ellis in Wonderland’ series. To encourage new
talent Tim instituted a Junior Magicians Club as well as a ‘Magic School’,
teaching presentation to experienced magicians, and a college magic course for
adults. He also created ‘MagicSports’ to develop creativity and staged monthly
Showcase Nights where magicians tried out their new effects and ideas on the
public.
In the ‘80s he had a
regular column in Genii, and from 1989 to 2000 he published Australia’s only
national magic magazine.
Tim and his stunningly
talented wife Sue-Anne team up to perform together and present lectures at
magic conventions all over the world and, in 2001, they were voted ‘Most
Valuable Participants’ at the 4F Close-up Convention. Tim has also won awards
for Close-up and Stage Magic in Australia, and FISM, and in 2004 his team was
admitted into the Guinness Book of World Records for staging the world’s
longest magic show at 75 hours non-stop.
He works mainly in the
corporate arena, but has performed in schools, comedy clubs, discos,
nightclubs, street magic, festivals, casinos, churches, etc.
Tim says he is first
and foremost a Christian. He enjoys movies and all kinds of gimmicks, gadgets
and toys and his latest hobby is running The Melbourne Magic Festival.
This year, all the FISM Jury bios were much shorter, which is fine, but during the editing process two crucial details were changed and this is what they ended up printing...
Tim Ellis created and produced many TV productions among which there is
“Magic Week”, Australia’s National Festival of the Magical Arts. Tim and his
talented wife Sue-Anne team up together to perform and present lectures at
magic conventions throughout the world. In 2001 they were voted “Most Valuable
Participants” at the 4F Close-Up Convention. For Tim Ellis himself, he won the
awards of both the close-up and the stage magic in Australia, as well as the
Grand Prix of FISM. In 2004 he was admitted into the Guinness Book of World
Records for staging the world’s longest magic show at 75 hours non-stop.
Just for the record:
- I did not do the world’s longest magic show by myself, but with a team.
- I did not win the FISM Grand Prix.
They got the photo right though.