At one of the IBM Conventions I was hiring talent I went to the theater to watch the teen stage competition. I like to always watch the competitions you always learn something.
There were all the usual Lance Burton clones and kids with square circles and dancing canes... and Nathan with a couple of original illusions.
What the IBM would do is put the winning acts (I think the best 3) onto one of the evening shows so the full attendees could see them.
When the competition ended, I went to the judges meeting room and asked them to let me know if Nathan was a finalist to be on the evening show.
I waited, then finally go the word "NO."
I couldn't believe the judges.
Nathan was starting to pack up and I told him, "Don't pack, I'm putting you on one of the night shows."
He appeared on the show and KILLED... he was the best received act on the show.
And the rest is history.

Wow! What a memory! Almost 20 years ago I was competing at the IBM convention in St. Louis. And, no, I did not place in the competition or win a spot to perform in the night show. But, Mr. Biro asked me to open the convention and I was ecstatic. One minute I was performing at 9:30 in the morning for a 120 people, and the next moment, I was performing and opening up for the entire convention.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity. It was definitely one of my favorite memories of magic conventions throughout the years. The other was seeing Dr. Magic perform in Boston. I was one of the very few that got to see Dr. Magic perform.

Ah, you dog... you saw Dr. Magic.... I didn't. Even though I booked him, I chose to see Le Grand David first (we had a split audience, half to see Dr. Magic on night and the next Le Grand David and didn't see Dr. Magic because he was TERRIBLE.. and no way he could do a second show.)

He got booked because he had a great promo video. That was a lesson, you can't book an act on a video alone.

Luckily I got a good replacement show from friends that were in attendance and a young kid that came to me and asked if he could help. I asked him what he did. He said he was a street busker in Boston and juggled. I love jugglers, but not knowing if he was any good and decided to gamble and asked him if he could do just five minutes. He said OK, and did. And he KILLED... HE STOPPED THE SHOW.

As soon as he came offstage I grabbed him and said, "You are hired for next year's convention in San Diego."

Who was it? Mickey O'Connor.

Dr. Magic was amazing. There was wind machines, fireflies, and a whole lot of nothing. All I remember is that Dr. Magic had a giant U-haul truck and he was on top of it sunbathing, after the debacle. I felt like I won the lottery because only half of us got to see it because everyone else was the Le Grand David show, which I got to see the next night. Lightening did get to struck twice because I did get to see Mundaka in Quebec.

Coming back full circle, I have actually used Mickey O'Connor as a juggler in my show in Vegas, among many other acts. Talk about full circle!

Mundaka. Another example If he had done the act I saw and booked he would have killed. But at the last minute he decided to put in new untested stuff and went right into the toilet.

Lesson (my dad taught me this from his vaudeville days) Agents specified performers "DO THE ACT AS SEEN."

Actually in 11 years of booking I only had about three bad situations.

One of the perks of performing in Vegas is that corporate buyers can come see my show and see the exact material I would perform for their event. I use this as a selling point because so many people have been burned by acts that can't deliver what their promo tape sells.

I'm dying to know what your 3rd 'bad situation' was!

Hey Nathan,
First time I saw you was in the lobby of the Aladdin Hotel, I was with Criss Angel taping his show. I decided to catch your show before and after the taping. Your show was a blitz of magic illusions, one right on top of the other, some of the fastest illusions I've ever seen. Nice work.
Bill

Bill, Thanks for writing. That's great you saw the old Aladdin show. Please come back again and see the show at the Flamingo!

The third one? It was a well-known guy that told me his luggage was lost by the airline. So I moved him to the final night show. He did fair, but had he been on the earlier show he would have been the best act. His ego wanted him on with the big boys, but it was the wrong spot for him I later found out his luggage was not lost, he lied to get onto a later show.

Acts have to realize the producers work hard to put acts in certain shows and positions on the bill to make them and the shows look good.