Consider this a late Christmas present. Remember the letter and video Brad Christian sent out on Christmas? We’re happy to show you round two.

And this one is dedicated to the movemonkeys. Yeah, you. We see your well done invisible pass in your videos, but we don’t see your face. We don’t hear your voice. In this vid, Brad explains why mechanics will always be trumped by presentation, and talks a little bit about how to make a presentation engaging, realistic and relevant. Enjoy.

Yeah, yeah, it’s a week after Halloween. With all the Arcane craziness last week, the below video features the results of a top secret project that Brad Christian, Jason Brumbalow (I think), David Mitchell, Aaron Fisher and Lee Asher have been working on. It’s going to be a MONSTER. Check it out:

Seriously, whoever took the time to do this is all kinds of awesome. Was it you, Lee?

Dear magic-loving Britons and U.K. Ellusionist customers:

We do not envy you right now, what with the Royal Mail on strike. First of all, it’s an incredibly detailed yet confusing schedule of strikes you have to deal with. No drivers one day, no carriers the next… yet none of those options help you pay your cell phone bill on time. It’s also a complicated, polarizing issue — mainly because the headlines and photos don’t seem to match.

We can only imagine how your lives are being affected. Seriously: We can joke about how it’s terrible that you might not get Arcanes at the same time as everyone else, but that’s shallow. You have bills to pay and checks to receive. This strike could cost you extra money and may even threaten your ability to care for you and yours.

With all the postal drama, we have some good news at Ellusionist: We offer shipping through UPS. We just checked a fake order of a brick of Shadow Masters to Buckingham Palace and found that our 1- to 3-day and 2- to 5-day options cost a little bit less than USPS Priority Mail. But the best part is that UPS delivers all the way to your doorstep: It does not rely on Royal Mail for any mail delivery. So, you can get your Arcanes on time, after all.

We have no opinions on what needs to be done regarding the strike. We only wish for a speedy, amicable resolution so that you don’t have to put up with this hassle anymore.

Sincerely,
Ellusionist

A couple of interesting vintage videos unsurfaced themselves last week. Check out this video of Billy Joel’s “Big Shot,” especially at :53 in:

Forum user DaveyG made a special, edited version of Christian’s appearance in the video.

Also, forum user Brandon Sheffield sent us a link to a video that we had no idea existed. Mindfreak fans, get ready to see Criss Angel rock it out
’80s-style, complete with magic tricks:

Welcome to The Next Level. This is a new podcast series from your friends at Ellusionist.

The Next Level is a regular mini-lecture with some of your favorite names in magic. We’re going to talk about a bunch of different subjects, including palming, starting a business, writing patter and storylines and much more. Some of the subjects will be on the beginner side of the scale, some might require some basic knowledge of the Erdnase one-handed shift. Most will be in the intermediate range. You’ll get to know more Ellusionist artists, and even a few of the forum’s Moderators and Elites. And you’re going to hear much more from Brad Christian.

Best of all: You’ll get to have a say in future content. In the podcast forums, you can respond to the current episode, request future topics or ask questions for the next episode.

Actually, this is the best of all: It’s completely free. All it costs you is the time to click on a play button. Or download it to your MP3 player. Do whatever you want. We’re not the boss of you.

This week, in the first edition of The Next Level, Brad Christian talks to us about some of the finer points dealing with performing for complete strangers. You’ll hear where some of the best places to perform are, how to spot the best spectators and what to do when you blow a trick. Plus, you’ll hear about the first time Brad performed for strangers. It’s an epic story.

Future episodes will come out once every two or three weeks. Next time, Aaron Fisher will join us to talk about palming cards.

Bottom line: We’ve always been about helping you improve and grow as a magician. We want you to get the kinds of reactions you see in the trailers for our products. Whether you’re a hobbyist content to perform for friends and family, or someone with aspirations of breaking through to the big-time, these podcasts will help you reach the next level of your performance goals. Enjoy, and be sure to leave your feedback in the Podcast forums.

Download it here.

iTunes subscription link coming soon.