Vanish Magic Magazine 72 | Page 8

NEWS CYBER MAGIC SUPERSTAR win $10,000 Cash A few short months ago, the entire world as we once knew it completely shut down. Today, many parts of the world are still in desperate need of PPE for healthcare workers battling the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic. I really wanted to do something about that, but didn’t quite know how at the time. Meanwhile, magicians have lost their biggest platform to showcase their wonders to a world that needs magic more than ever right now. I knew I wanted to do something but had no idea how, with all live entertainment being restricted by lockdowns and social distancing. The one thing I did know from two decades in the magic industry, is that problems are really only challenges and challenges simply require solutions. Since my first show at fourteen years of age where I donated funds to the Jesuit Missions, I have gone on to help raise in excess of two million dollars for over a hundred different charities. It’s a huge passion of mine. I also have a deep love for the art of magic and a true respect for the giants of the industry. All of a sudden it clicked and after a think tank with my manager, the concept for Cyber Magic Superstar was born. I figured, let’s showcase all the best magic from every corner of the globe by bringing it into one single entertainment hub that anyone can join and watch completely for free. Let’s then make it super attractive for magicians to upload their content into that hub by offering a huge ten thousand dollar cash prize with a very low point of entry of five dollars per submission. Let’s then pull together three of the greatest magicians on the planet to judge the entries and award the cash prize to the best video… and by “best”, I mean the most awesome video that’s fun to watch. This is not the world championships of magic. This is a competition open to absolutely anyone of any age and skill level who can post a real life video online and make the audience go “wow!”. The final piece of the puzzle is to utilise funds from the competition to provide protective wear to GetUSPPE.org , a grassroots movement founded by physicians and medical researchers on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their team has grown to include engineers, scientists, and people like us helping get them and their colleagues the equipment they need. I’m so excited about the idea of opening up an entirely new pool of talent who would never contemplate going on a big scary TV talent show. This is not live TV… its not daunting… and you don’t even need to show your face or even talk. Most importantly, this is judged by real magicians and its not a popularity contest. Cyber Magic Superstar is all about having fun, bringing magic back to the world and doing something for a great cause. For more information about the competition head over to www.cybermagicsuperstar.com Sam Powers Creator of Cyber Magic Superstar www.sampowers.com.au 8 JULY | 2020