Brian Reaves - Magician

First of all, I am a professional magician, not someone who learned a few card tricks from YouTube and decided to try something. I have worked with every kind of crowd imaginable and I know how to make an event fun without resorting to insulting my audience. Your people WILL have fun, and they will be amazed in the process with magic they haven't seen before. PLEASE NOTE: Thumbtack does not allow me to change estimates based on distance. You will need to add $50 for every fifty miles to the price of the automatic estimate from Thumbtack if your event is over 100 miles from Birmingham. The pricing depends on the event and what is required. A standard evening of close-up or walk-around magic has an hourly rate, depending upon the length of the event. If a formal parlor show (30-50 people) or stage show (50+ guests) is requested, the rate is for the show itself and the length of the show can be decided by the person hiring the evening. Standard parlor and stage shows are usually 60 minutes, but can easily be adjusted to fit the customer's needs. I always work with schools and libraries to give as much of a discount as possible for their events. I know how hard it is to work within a hard-set budget and I want to help if at all possible. If the customer is looking for a motivational speaker, I have several programs available that incorporate magic into the topic at hand, and I am always willing to create something specific for the customer's needs. I actually offer seven different shows, so one is almost guaranteed to fit your needs. You can see them all in detail on my website.

I find out exactly what the customer needs and try to create an act to fulfill that. Each situation and party is different. Do they want me to walk around and entertain, or am I working at a table in an area off to the side where the guests come to me? Do they want a formal show or just relaxed close-up magic? If I am working at a wedding during a reception, I will move between the tables as the wedding party is having photographs taken in another room, mingling with the guests and trying to get as many people involved as possible. If this is a corporate event, I will find out the names of as many people as possible and make this a fun evening involving the boss or company "superstars". If they are needing a motivational speaker, I work with the company to present exactly the presentation they want. I will create any custom presentation for a motivational speech, or I have several that I present regularly if they would like to go that route.

As I stated, I am a professional magician. This is how I pay my bills, so I have to be the best I can be. I have won numerous awards and accolades for my work because I put in the time necessary to polish it and make it the best it can be for your audience. I have been voted Birmingham's "Magician of the Year" five times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019) by the International Brotherhood of Magicians Ring 35. I was the 2016 Close-Up Champion at the Winter Carnival of Magic in Pigeon Forge, TN, a magic convention in the Southeastern United States where hundreds of magicians gather to learn and compete. I also won the People's Choice Award 2020 ar the WCM by being voted an audience favorite by those in attendance.. I am the past president of the Magic City Magic Club in Birmingham, Alabama. I have performed at the Stardome Comedy Club in Birmingham on numerous occasions and know how to make the magical evening fun. I was the opening speaker for TedX Birmingham's "Possibilities". I have had over 20 years experience in public speaking in front of large church congregations, schools, business meetings, and corporate gatherings.

I saw my first real close-up magic trick about 20 years ago and was hooked immediately. I am constantly learning new effects and perfecting older ones to tighten the act to be the best it can be.

I have done everything from upper-class parties where the guests were in formal evening wear to casual church events and full-scale stage shows. I have worked with corporate groups to make business meetings memorable and have done training for a company using magic to make the subject matter more memorable. I have done work with businesses like the Southern Company and others.

In 2017 I was the opening speaker for Tedx Birmingham. I spoke on solving problems using a magician's mindset. It was an incredible experience and I was able to use the training involved to help craft the best possible speech available. I also became Close-Up Champion at the Winter Carnival of Magic in March, 2016. It only took a few minutes to perform, but took weeks of practice. You can always keep up with my latest projects on my Facebook page: facebook.com/brianreavesmagic .

You get what you pay for. Make sure the magician has performed the type of magic you are wanting and can easily fit their act into what you are looking for. Some magicians work best with a table, some can do their act standing up with nothing but their hands to work with. The magician needs to tailor their act to your event as well. If they aren't asking you what you need, they won't know how to prepare for your unique experience. If you are needing a speaker for your engagement, find someone comfortable with the subject and the audience. It's been my experience that people retain knowledge better when something visual is associated with it, which is why I incorporate magic into my speaking. The magic serves as an illustration of the point, but the speech is not a magic show per se. I will incorporate as much or as little illusions into the topic as the client wishes. I recently spoke for a group at Alabama A&M University, and the client who hired me was very specific about exactly how much magic they wanted included in the speech, and I tailored the presentation accordingly.

What are you envisioning? What size is the venue? How big is the crowd going to be? How long do you want the performer to be there? Do you have some small area the performer can use to store supplies they might need to use? Will a sound system be provided for a bigger show or will the performer need to bring one?