It was indeed magic that brought Franc Karpo and me together last Wednesday for a lunch at Sweetgreen in Chestnut Hill.
Franc is a runner and the business partner of my friend Reno Stirrat. Franc and I met on line through Reno after I did a blog featuring their Long Distance Training Tips.com.
Franc lives in Scotland but travels to Boston twice a year to entertain and inspire using magic. He posted on Facebook that he was visiting Boston for the month of March. We agreed that we should meet and abracadabra there we were.
We talked about running and recovering from injuries and running and Reno and mutual friends and running and then I got curious about Franc the magician and entertainer. He shared his back story with me -- from his website:
My first memory of an interest in magic was reading the biography of Harry Houdini at the Boys Club in my home town in Worcester, Massachusetts. I was only 7 or 8 years old at the time.
A couple of years later, with my paper route money, I started buying all the jokes and gags from the local joke store....
It wasn't until my teen years that I actually got hooked on magic. I devoured every book on magic tricks I could get my hands on at the Worcester, MA Public Library. I still have fond memories of running home from school, locking myself into my room and practicing my magic in front of the mirror. (This was in the 70's before magic video's and DVDs.)
Because I was such an extremely shy kid, I didn't show anyone the magic I could do for a couple of years. Magic was actually a great way for me to 'come out my shell.' This is one of the reason's why we, (along with Bonaparte - my fellow magician and business partner) have developed a Magic Workshop for kids that teaches them simple magic tricks that will boost their self confidence and self esteem.
In my late teens is when I actually had the nerve to get in front of an audience. (If you knew me as a kid, You would NEVER guess that I would turn out to be an entertainer. Now you can't shut me up. .:)I can still remember my first paid gig. I got a whopping $50 for a kids magic show for a first grade class! The coolest part about it was the teacher mailed me a folder of drawings from my show from all her kids. It was amazing!
At this time I started to get a bit more serious about my passion. I graduated from a local magic school: Steve Dacri's School of Magic. Steve is one of the most in demand corporate magicians in the world today, who performs regularly in Las Vegas.
While I was working on my act, I still had no clue how to market myself or run a business. I was performing magic professionally part time and working as a bartender to make ends meet. I was entertaining mostly at kids birthday parties and restaurants.
I did this from 1985 to 1994. In 1994 I decided to take a shot at being a full time magician. And I haven't looked back since. I switched my focus from learning new magic to marketing my business. (I spend 90% of my time in sales/marketing/admin... doing the magic show is a reward!)
I put together several different themed shows for preschools and day care centers and was building a nice business just from that.
Working in the schools lead to booking more birthday parties.
I also started to work corporate events. Some of my clients include: Pfizer, Fidelity Investments, Unisys, Franklin Covey and many others.
My philosophy is simple:
Follow your heart and do what you have passion for.
Franc, wearing a short sleeved shirt said to me, "Here let me show you a couple of tricks."
Right there on the spot I was entertained with dollar bills and European coins. I was thoroughly enthralled because let's face it we all need magic in our lives.
You can experience Franc's magic at an upcoming show at the Amazing Things Art Center in Framingham on March 21. Tickets are $8 for members and $10.00 for non-members. Call the Box Office for Family Rates. For groups or birthday parties, we will provide a space for ice cream, cake and presents before or after the show! You can also book Franc or his fellow magician, Bonaparte (yes that it is his real name) through their website Reserve a Date link.
Visit Franc's websites at:
Corporate Magician Franc Karpo - Amazing Boston Entertainment
Kids Magic
Office Party Magic
Journey well with joy and magic!
"Journey Well" and all of my inspirational books are available on Amazon.
"Journey Well" is a book about resilience, strength, courage and how we are able to journey well no matter what conditions life hands to us. I profile the people who are Boston Stronger and share how 4/15/13 was a wake up call to me to return to my healing path from contracting paralytic polio at age 5 and 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent.
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