If you haven’t seen Liquid Metal or Liquid Metal 2, then you haven’t seen one of the great thinkers of our time. Morgan Strebler is more than just someone who released a trick. He helped spawn a whole generation of magicians who shop for forks as magic props now!

Perhaps you didn’t know that aside from doing amazing close-up magic, Mr. Strebler was lined up with a $10 million contract to perform in South Carolina with a theater built just for him!

What happend to it? Where did the lights and glamour go?

The story is deeper than you can imagine.

When Morgan first told everyone about his contract deal at the Pat Boone Family Theater, I was surprised to say the least. I had never known that Morgan did stage shows. Turns out Morgan is more accomplished then most people think. How else would he be offered such an amazing deal, right?!

Soon after he got this deal I spoke to him about it and I don’t believe I ever heard someone so excited and proud as he was and should be, but things took a turn for the worst.

Morgan disappeared and I lost contact with him for a few months, when I got to speak to him again he had resigned from the show with vague details. A few days ago he told me everything and asked that I share it with all of you.

Liquid Metal Productions was how it all started, run and owned by Mr. Strebler. But as times changed so does the need to change business types, so with this wonderful opportunity he and his father started Liquid Metal Holdings in order to allow for outside investors. Morgan maintained 55% ownership and his father was next in line. Morgan was to head up the entertainment and his father alongside Morgan would handle the business end.

Sounds like a match made in heaven, having someone you trust by your side supporting your dream. If only it stayed that way. Soon after everything started they called in Franz Harary to help design the thearter and to get the show up to par. Franz has a special place in Morgan’s heart as he is Morgan’s mentor.

Things seemed to be going great until Morgan’s father lied to the press and the leasing company saying that they had over $1 million dollars capitol when, in fact, they had just under $500k. Morgan didn’t agree with this action but it was already too late, the deed had been done.

Shortly after Morgans father began squandering money, buying a $50k  vehicle out of company funds which was used solely for personal use, taking the entire staff out to dinner and drinks every night on the company card and leasing a mansion in Grand Dunes, SC which if you didn’t know is one of the most expensive developments in that area. All of this paid out of the company dollars.

As business progressed, the staff cared less about the show and more about who worked Morgans father in his old company. So much so that anything Morgan suggested was almost always voted down by the board. This included using Morgans stage manager that has been with Morgan for years and hiring one of the local stage managers, who according to Morgan, just didn’t have a clue and even doing the same with Franz Harary.

This goes deeper than just professional relationships as Morgan suggested hiring a close cousin to help with the finances being that he was an IRS employee. Going as far as to offer him a job and having him move to South Carolina. He was so good that 10 mins. into the first meeting he spotted a $13k accounting error, and shortly after that he was as well let go. Even family wasn’t safe. When the issue of misuse of company funds and issue of his cousin being let go was addressed by Morgan he was told by his father that he could easily find 10 other magicians to do the show, he wasn’t needed and if he’d like to quit to submit it in writing. Which was done:

Dear Glenn,

Per your request on August 22 2011 . I’m submitting to you my written resignation from Liquid Metal Holdings LLC, and relinquishing my 55% ownership within the company. You said that I could easily be replaced by ten different magicians, and that you didn’t need me. That being said, I wish you and the rest of the team at LMH a long, happy and prosperous journey!

Best wishes,

Morgan Strebler

That sent a chill down my spine. I began thinking about Morgan’s attitude during this whole ordeal and realizing that he continued to be a very plesant and helpful person and never having anything negative to say. This shows a great deal about his character. It made me grow a great deal of respect for him. Would anyone else have handled this so graciously?

So what is going on now?

When Morgan left and gave up his share at LMH the company had less than 100k in funds

The show still hasn’t opened

There is no word of when it will open.

What is Morgan doing?

Morgan Strebler has been in talks with other thearters in Myrtle Beach to perform.

He has also been pushing for a reality television show that will be aired here in the United States. He’s at the top of the list and we here at Ellusionist would like to help him out. All you have to do is vote for him at the link provided below. You can vote once a day so please show your support and vote for him daily. He’s given so much to the magic community. Let’s help give him a push.

To vote for Morgan Strebler click the link below and vote for him daily!!

VOTE FOR MORGAN STREBLER

Strebler2012

I hope this article gives you some insight as to how things may go wrong, and how best to deal with them. Be confident, work hard and things will go well for you. Never let anyone hold you back!

I’d like to thank Morgan Strebler for talking with me about this situation, and for allowing us to post it here for all of you. I am lucky to consider Morgan one of my friends. Thanks again.

-Xavior Spade

Early this morning we hit our 100,000 th like on our Facebook page.

Once we hit it, we released a few things for all of you. The first was a video that is only on the facebook page,  you can see it here and comment if you like. Go HERE for the Facebook page and video.

Also on the Facebook page was a link for your opportunity to download a free gift form Vince Mendoza, an effect called Blossom, for helping us get this far! Here’s what it looks like.

If you like the video and would like to learn it, all you have to do is go HERE and it will tell you how to get the download, on the house, just for you!

We’ve got a lot in the works for the upcoming year. All of it with you in mind.  None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for all of you. We love what we do for you. So from the Ellusionist Team, to all of you. Thank You for all of your support.

Facebook page and video: HERE

Blossom from Vince: HERE

A quick sharing of something I believe in

Over the last week or so I’ve had the chance to meet with and session with some of my friends who are magicians. Some you may have heard of and others you have not.

Their names are not important to this topic, but it’s important to know that there are so many magicians out there with amazing skill that you have never heard of and the knowledge that I’ve been around in the past week at times seemed, well, intimidating to be frank.

Thankfully I know these people on a personal level and we all share the same feelings, though to save our egos we keep it to ourselves. I did notice another thing we all shared. It is an intense passion for magic that goes beyond reasoning.

For a long time I felt that the people who release material for sell just did it for the money and recognition. I felt they did it for selfish purposes.

And I’m sure that there are those out there. But I feel that for the most part there is a sincere need they they need to fill. It’s the need that I have. It is the need to teach and to help. On many different levels.

Personally I love to teach. For years I had and still have the pleasure of teaching many magicians. I alway and still strive to do my best to give them the absolute best guidance and information.

And now Ellusionist has allowed me to live my dream. I get to wake up everyday and do what I love. I get to do magic, talk about magic and, more importantly to me, I get to share my ideas and hopefully teach some of you something. I never thought that a company like this would be so passionate about magic like I am. I never thought that they would put magic above just making sales.

Although I’m new to the Ellusionist Team I feel that I’m part of something bigger. I experience everyday the process to bring to the magic community more then just tricks. More then just cards. I’m a part of my dream! And hopefully my advice will help you achieve your goals and dreams.

Why am I talking about all this?

Well it’s because I know what I wanted to accomplish and I decided to do that. Everyday I feel closer to my goals. But I feel that for some of you, well, you just do it because you think it’s cool which is ok. Maybe you feel that it helps you fit in or give you and edge for something. All of those reasons are ok. But be honest with those reasons. Don’t do a few tricks then decide to call yourself a professional magician. Decide what it is you want to accomplish, in magic as well as in your life and think of nothing else. Un-train yourself to know what failure is. If you don’t know how to fail then how can you?

What are you really doing? Take some time and think about it. It’s about more than just magic.

Please leave you comments and tell me what you think

-Xavior Spade

This post if from one of our team members Adam Wilber. You may know him from his previous release Earbuds. I’ve had the pleasure of talking to Adam, and let me say, this guy is passionate about what he does and how he does it. He recently told me about a contest he won and how it allowed him to live out a dream. He wanted to tell all of you about it as well.

                  My name is Adam Wilber. I live and work in Burlington, VT at a company called Seventh Generation. On nights and weekends I perform close-up magic for adults as well as the occasional kid show. I have been working as a part time professional for the last 10 years.

                  My full time work with Seventh Generation is as rewarding of a job as one could imagine. The company produces house hold cleaning products that focus on sustainability as well as healthy living. The reason I bring this up is to put into context how working for this company landed me and my fiancé in the most inspiring magical theater on the planet, The Magic Castle.

Seventh Generation hosted an in-house contest that asked people to show how you speak for the trees. We had just partnered with Universal studios for the making of the movie The Lorax .

For those of you who don’t know what the Lorax is let me briefly explain. The Lorax is a Dr. Seuss book about a little orange critter who speaks for the tree’s as they have no voice of their own. It’s a beautiful story that will play a huge part in educating the children of today about the importance of living a sustainable lifestyle before it’s too late.

The rules of the contest were very simple. Be as creative as you can to show how you speak for the trees in your everyday life. The prize was two tickets to the world premier of the Lorax movie in Hollywood.  Airfare, food, hotel and entertainment were all paid for by Seventh Generation to the one lucky winner. I decided to enter this contest with the goal of winning a chance to not only see this movie but also to secure the opportunity to visit a place I have dreamed about for many years …The Magic Castle.

My contest entry was a simple card trick with a voice-over added that showed how I speak for the trees.

Here’s the video if you choose to watch it:

Soon after entering I was approached by one of the judges who told me I had won and that at the end of the video 3 out of the 4 judges were literally in tears. This was a powerful moment.

It paints a perfect picture of how scripting a trick to your style and remaining honest and true throughout a performance can cause serious emotional connections with your audience.

This trick was in no way innovative, mind boggling or perfectly executed but the emotional connection it made with the judges struck a chord and in turn got me a trip to Hollywood!

The day had finally come when I would get to visit the place I have dreamed about for almost my entire life. We had late dinner reservations at the Castle so we ended up getting there 3 hours early so I could soak up as much of the experience as possible.

In a word I would describe the Magic castle as…Inspiring. This place was wall to wall, floor to ceiling, Magic! We got to see the close up performance before dinner and then had the privilege of seeing John Carney perform his after dinner show.

This was one of the best magic performances I have ever seen. It was elegant, funny, beautifully scripted and to top it off it fooled the hell out of me.

There are certain things in life that make lasting impressions and change the way you think about the direction your life is in. I can honestly say that this trip was one of those moments.

As I sat in the hotel room waiting to leave Hollywood to go back to Vermont, I couldn’t help but think of the opportunities and experiences that would come my way if I were to leave the state I know and love to move out west and join the community of this breathtaking place called The Magic Castle.

I would like to leave you with the idea that it doesn’t take much to connect with an audience, the best thing I have found to ring true over and over is:

Being yourself while performing your magic is what will allow your audience to be emotionally engaged and delighted by your magic.Nobody can be you just as none of us can be Slydini or Marlo or Malone but each and everyone one of us can be the absolute best representation of ourselves and that is magic in itself.

I would personally like to thank Adam Wilber for sharing this story with me and everyone in the magic community. I’m proud to call this man my friend and I look forward to continue working with him. Please leave your comments below on how magic has helped you accomplish one of your dreams, or how your using magic to get there.

-Xavior Spade