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Olympic Adam Inner circle 1259 Posts |
Finally got it all downloaded, think it was just luck that it worked.
Protection for mind readers and mentalists: http://tricksofthemind.com
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Olympic Adam Inner circle 1259 Posts |
Getting it downloaded was tough.
I paid £30.91 for this and have never interacted with Nick (or heard of him) before today I'll break down each section of what is in this and give my thoughts there. 1. Showmanship - Contains a detailed book by Nick, haven't read it yet but it looks decent along with an audio (not by Nick) -seems fine but not why I bought this, the showmanship book will be good to see how his thinking translates to performance 2. Marketing - not such a hot topic, one of the folders directed me to one of the links above to download a book using a password (not sure if this had changed since the words here but I saw clearly that he did not write this) 3. Routines - This is why I bought it mainly. I have looked at them all and read more of Puzzle Completion and Direct Mind Reading - they are great! Nothing massively new method-wise but I really think I will be using one of them at least. I had a couple of effects based on something similar and this is great to see a different way of thinking. Really happy with this section, you get 2 performances of all the routines (not inception) which is excellent. The audience in the shows seems to be from his college (or where he went) but their reactions are great, a couple of little convincers thrown in around the effects makes them work really well. 4. Bonuses - Seems to be some of Nick's study papers which make for nice reading if you are interested in this aspect and the links to 2 full shows - I think it is really good to see a full show of someone to see how they perform and this is another reason I got this, to match it up with methods etc 5. Additional Bonuses - everything comes with an extra PDF stating where it was originally obtained and who the original author was - might be of use and provide something of interest later. The way this was presented was a mistake, accepted - for the money, I am happy with what I have received (so far...) So many times people don't provide full routines showing how things work when you buy something, even on explanations they are quite light, this is REALLY detailed and I like being able to see it performed by the person who wrote the document. Massive misjudgement is overshadowing some decent effects! I hope this can be overcome, I like the idea of a course and the reading on psychology (original material I mean) won't be for everyone so I think it makes sense to offer it as something slightly different Go back in time a couple of days - put these effects out on a different looking website for $25 each (thereabouts, some definitely worth this) with the video and the lengthy pdfs and people would think differently - Nick seems to care about his work and wanted to deliver something good, maybe cautious to beef it out he made a mistake
Protection for mind readers and mentalists: http://tricksofthemind.com
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Olympic Adam Inner circle 1259 Posts |
OVERALL:
Great effects in more detail than most other people. Good solid performances that I can learn a lot from, some interesting reading (and some filler) The effects and performances appear to be well worth the money at first glance. Great stuff! I will be reading and watching this for a long time to come I think, really enjoyed the effects I have worked through. (couldn't edit as 30 mins have passed)
Protection for mind readers and mentalists: http://tricksofthemind.com
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Nick Kolenda New user 44 Posts |
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Adam. Those routines mean a lot to me, so I am very glad you were able to remain neutral and that you could recognize the quality of the routines.
I will look into making some revisions to the website (and possibly hiring a web freelancer) to give the site a facelift. |
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Mindpro Eternal Order 10586 Posts |
Olympic Adam: could I ask you your level of proficiency in Mentalism? I only ask as it has an impact on your review. Would you consider yourself a beginner (first-three years performing experience or less) or more advanced? Do you perform? I only ask to try to get a gauge for your review. I suspect this course might be impressive for beginners, but I'm wondering what your thoughts would be for more experienced performers?
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parmenion Inner circle Switzerland/Zürich 3988 Posts |
Nick, you should send you mentalism course to some experienced performer and have some honest and real reviews.
“I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about.”
<BR>Oscar Wilde experimentaliste <br> <BR>Artist pickpocket Professional <BR> <BR>Looking for the best book test in French? send me a PM! |
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CarlZen Special user 751 Posts |
I agree with Parmenion you should seek advice from the top performers of the industry and have them look at your work.Also as mind pro stated what level is your course you should disclose that up front.I wished you luck in the earlier part of this thread not knowing what was discovered by Davit.After Davit commented I have to agree with him.You should be a stand up person especially being your first book.I am very dissapointed the route you took but perhaps this was a good lesson learned by you.I still wish you the best but try a more honest approach next time like your own material on marketing.
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Mindpro Eternal Order 10586 Posts |
As do I agree, especially if it includes hypnosis. As a full-time performing hypnotist and a mentalist, I am seeing more and more junk that is not hypnosis or nothing more than mental magic - magic with a mental theme, or hypnosis theme being passed off as the real thing. I would like to see a real review from a regular on here I would trust. Or I would be willing to review it myself.
Is this poor rehashed material, or is he just a victim of poor image marketing that looks so much like several other rip-off books, courses or resources? Also part of any good review should be in breaking down the content, originality or the creator's efforts on existing works, crediting, value of content for the price of the product, quality of the materials, format and layout, commentary and depth of explanations and understanding, is the video footage helpful or beneficial and directly related to the featured material (so many include performance footage that is only mildly related or unhelpful in demonstrating the effects or content being discussed or featured), and level of skill offered and required - too often something will have good or pretty decent promotional and marketing hype, only to find it is very elementary, entry-level stuff for the novice or beginner "looking to add mentalism" to their magic show. Who is the course designed and targeted to? And lastly, what is the creators level of experience, credibility? Also since he is unknown to most of us, we should learn an bit about him from the readers perspective (not from him or someone directly related to the project) to establish credibility, truest and overall value of where and whom this is coming from. I've been reviewing more and more things recently over the past year and try to use this as a guideline for consideration when doing so. And I hope that whoever does review this would provide this type of info for everyone. I truly believe new releases should have these types of reviews done BEFORE their release, as part of the pre-release efforts in preparation for marketing and promotion. Like most movies, t.v. shows, books and other media and resources, this is a way to get feedback and perspective before releasing it and have a better idea what to expect from your target audience. |
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CarlZen Special user 751 Posts |
Well put Mindpro I am in agreement with you.
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Olympic Adam Inner circle 1259 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-05-28 21:37, Mindpro wrote: I am not a pro but have a lot of experience performing, not as much as I would like but still not a beginner. I would say I am advanced but by no means a pro. (Hate writing things like that, always sound like a prat) I treat things in what I think is a mature way. Maybe to put it in context of what I currently am working on performing, Devin Knight - Glass Box prediction and some Voodini books from his sale last week. I will call out a poor routine if I think it is. I can be very critical. The reason I bought this is that I think it fits me quite nicely, more meat here than something for beginners while not being the most taxing to perform. For me, the routines are very simple to perform, but simple can be good! I liked the way they were presented and will be using at least one of them (again, not making my living from it... yet lol) you can focus on just performance once you get to a point in each effect. If you have a full working professional show currently, you might not find anything to add. The descriptions are true and if you think it will fit you, you will be able to perform it. Hope this is of some help, I'm still working through it, I can give more info if anyone needs it, I'm still happy with the routines. They are as good as a lot of single trick effects I have purchased, simple methods but can hit pretty hard, I'm not saying they are the 5 best effects ever but they are good. (Too many words lol)
Protection for mind readers and mentalists: http://tricksofthemind.com
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Olympic Adam Inner circle 1259 Posts |
I can't comment on Hypnosis, I am not experienced there
Also want to add that I don't think the routines are rehashed material but 2 of the methods are quite similar to each other in one aspect (which is fine) Full time pro might not find much, someone like me should at least consider part of it, it won't be for everyone
Protection for mind readers and mentalists: http://tricksofthemind.com
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Slim King Eternal Order Orlando 18012 Posts |
I am quick to be skeptical ...Is this the Most Comprehensive course on mentalism ... I really doubt it. But at least I get to see the guy perform this stuff before I buy it. Many here on the Café with secret names and hidden agendas NEVER are seen in videos or recordings yet they are the first to attack. Most mentalist here see absolutely nothing new ( as far as I see). But I'm glad he is trying and I think including as many sources as possible was just his way of being "Comprehensive" .... I like how Davi pointed out how we can get the stuff so cheap!
That said ... If he is using the methods fine tuned by others ..That's a totally different subject....
THE MAN THE SKEPTICS REFUSE TO TEST FOR ONE MILLION DOLLARS.. The Worlds Foremost Authority on Houdini's Life after Death.....
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Nick Kolenda New user 44 Posts |
Hey everyone,
Just an update... I have spoken to numerous freelance web designers about redesigning the website. A refurbished website should hopefully be up within the next month or two. In the meantime, I will try to get more reviews of the content from trusted professionals. I will also encourage those people who have already purchased the course (there have been quite a few) to share their thoughts on this thread. Check back here for those reviews and any future updates. |
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Nick Kolenda New user 44 Posts |
Davit,
As I stated in my earlier post, I had purchased those eBooks for $5, not realizing they were available elsewhere cheaper (and in some cases, free). I apologize for that. I even explicitly stated that I was foolish for not doing more research. And on a side note, I was selling the eBooks for the same price that I purchased them (for $5). I stated the “value” was around $25 for two reasons. First, value is pretty subjective. For example, if someone implemented a piece of advice from the eBook and booked a $500 show from that advice, the value of that eBook would have been at least $500. The second reason why I used a $25 value is because I just used the same value that the original website used. But yes, it was a mistake on my part, and I admitted that I was foolish for doing so. Also, in regards to your qualms about me offering incentives for positive feedback… I sent a PM to Mindpro offering to give him the course for free in exchange for a review. I asked him because he seemed to remain somewhat neutral in this matter. I said the following in the PM: “And although I am offering to give you the course for free, that doesn’t mean I am asking you to sugarcoat a review. I am asking for a truly HONEST review of the material.” Davit, I kindly ask that you please stop making assumptions about me and my character. And on a personal note, I found your comment about the information you took from my LinkedIn account somewhat belittling. I’m starting to feel as though you are personally attacking me at this point. |
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Mindpro Eternal Order 10586 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-05-31 17:48, Davit Sicseek wrote: I do believe he has already done this. He also seems to have tried to address this here. I don't think the web site was the problem as much as the format and content of the website and the "slick guru-type" of text and approach. This combined with some tactics which may have been coincidental or intentional (newer member with a low post count, member that nobody here has heard of, who's first few posts are pushing a new product, a unknown creator with an unproven track record, etc.), combined with the general overall topic and title of the course, all lends itself to suspicion and raised eyebrows. I will be taking the next few days to look over this material and will offer my perspectives, since only one other review has been offered. Stay tuned... |
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Davit Sicseek Inner circle 1818 Posts |
I'm guessing you miss-read - I know he did that and I told him he was wise for doing so. But no apology and no explanation as to why/how he did it in the first place.
I don't see any need to redesign the site. I mean its not great, but its not THAT bad.
Send me the truth: davitsicseek@gmail.com
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Mindpro Eternal Order 10586 Posts |
Sorry David you are correct. I misread it to say "time you quite wisely removed those books from the offer and reduced the cost of the course." I agree there's no need to redesign the web site, it was fine it was the content and approach I would revise.
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
Nick-
Don't take the following as a criticism. It is the same advice I would give you if I was talking to you in person and you had asked me how to best promote your work. The biggest problem I see with this offering is its title - "The Mentalism Course." It's been implied that this is intended for beginners and so the title would certainly lead one to believe that this is a comprehensive series of lessons in the foundational aspects and fundamental skills of mentalism. Many would think that an undertaking of that nature would require a rather extensive curriculum of outside reading in addition to an author with extensive professional experience in the field. Also, it seems a bit contradictory to include marketing materials in a course intended for beginners. Kind of reminds me of the kid who buys a magic kit and the next day gets business cards printed up and starts advertising. That said, Nick, I think you could avoid a lot of these perceptions simply be re-titling your material. "A Collection for Mentalists," "Resources and Effects for Mentalists," "Nick Kolenda's Mentalism," etc. But when you advertise something as "THE Mentalism Course" (not just "a" course, mind you), you are inviting the very criticisms that have appeared in this thread. One would expect that such a course would be something we could expect from an accepted expert in the field, not someone who honestly has stated that he has no professional performing experience. Mentalism is, by its very nature, a performing art who fullest possibilities are manifested in professional performance. Indeed, there are many who have argued that there is no such thing as "amateur mentalism." (I don't want to get into that debate here, however. Suffice it to say that the suspension of disbelief required in mentalism is far easier to achieve when you are performing for paying audiences of strangers and not just for your friends and co-workers.) But I'm really only offering you a simple suggestion - just change the title of your offering and don't try to represent it as something that it apparently isn't. Good thoughts, Bob |
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insight Inner circle 3095 Posts |
I have the same advice as Bob. The word "the" in "The mentalism course" does imply that this course is coming from an authority in the field, which does not appear to be the case. Don't take this the wrong way, Nick. You seem like a person with good intentions, and I think you'll be just fine in the end. Good luck!
Regards, Mike |
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Zombie Magic Inner circle I went out for a beer and now have 8733 Posts |
I found this thread fascinating. A 'course' was announced by an unknown. Davit Sicseek did research ( thank you Davit ) and unloaded a bombshell.
Nick Kolenda responded, but not in the way we usually see. He didn't get defensive, accuse others of being jealous of his success, etc. He offered to to send Mindpro ( a respected Café member ) a copy for an honest opinion for everyone to read ( it's useless to send 'review' copies to people that aren't qualified to review ). This thread actually made me feel happy about being on an online forum. |
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