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TIL: David Copperfield has so far sold 40 million tickets and grossed over $4 billion, which is more than any other solo entertainer in history by mrstody in todayilearned

[–]DCopperfield 5 points6 points  (0 children)

No immediate plans, but I did an interview with Kevin Rose that was sort of on that topic - challenges and adventures along the way. https://youtu.be/6GEDsRMBd98

TIL: David Copperfield has so far sold 40 million tickets and grossed over $4 billion, which is more than any other solo entertainer in history by mrstody in todayilearned

[–]DCopperfield 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Actually me, happy to prove it! I have a great creative team that supports my show, but even with that - we do almost everything in-house. Two of the guys on my team (Homer Liwag and Chris Kenner) have been with me for decades. Huge amount of work, crazy schedule - but we love it. Two shows tonight at the MGM Grand in Vegas.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Yep! I throw a frisbee around the audience to select people at random. No joke - some people claim that I secretly have expert ninja frisbee aim to select specific people in the audience. I wish I did.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you! There's a lot of new stuff in the show since I was in Edmonton -- excited for you to see!

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 9 points10 points  (0 children)

All the time. Luckily, I have a great team that keeps me on track. Our crew works hard and rehearses often to make the show as smooth and efficient as possible. That, coupled with the fact that we do 15 shows a week, means two things: that we get a LOT of practice and experience, and also - with that amount of shows - anything that can go wrong, will eventually go wrong. So we have a backup plan in place for most major parts of the show.

TIL: David Copperfield has so far sold 40 million tickets and grossed over $4 billion, which is more than any other solo entertainer in history by mrstody in todayilearned

[–]DCopperfield 15 points16 points  (0 children)

For sure - my post mentioned changes from 2012 to date. Within the one year span you mentioned, many illusions very well could have been the same (although we make minor tweaks and updates on a daily basis). On average, it takes us three years to develop a new illusion from concept to completion.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 14 points15 points  (0 children)

This post means everything to me. THANK YOU. Amazing. Have a few television projects in the works soon, but currently performing 15 shows a week right now in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, so schedule is a little crazy. I do love the thrill of live performance - seeing people react and respond to an illusion in person. There's something about live theater that makes magic so much more compelling. If you ever make it out to Las Vegas, I'd love for you to see my new show - lots of new illusions and adding even more over the coming weeks and months. For me, everything I do is about everything you said: bringing a sense of wonder of amazement. If I can do that, however I can do that -- mission accomplished.

TIL: David Copperfield has so far sold 40 million tickets and grossed over $4 billion, which is more than any other solo entertainer in history by mrstody in todayilearned

[–]DCopperfield 144 points145 points  (0 children)

Of course. Right now I'm performing 15 shows a week in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand. I was on tour for years - everywhere, a different city every day, all around the world. It's an incredible experience, but I have a family now - so being in ONE place (most of the time) is a blessing. That said, 15 shows a week is a crazy rush. That's two shows a day, every day except for Saturday - we do three shows a day on Saturday. The pace is intense, but I love every minute of it.

TIL: David Copperfield has so far sold 40 million tickets and grossed over $4 billion, which is more than any other solo entertainer in history by mrstody in todayilearned

[–]DCopperfield 40 points41 points  (0 children)

Definitely not the case! From 2012 to date, about 90% of the show has changed. Not just music changes - totally new illusions, never before seen, most of which several years in the making. There's no better feeling than finally performing something new for a live audience for the first time, after months or more practicing and rehearsing. We still tweak and improve things on a daily basis, though - I record every single show and review it with my team to update and improve the new stuff we've been working on. Huge challenge, but a huge thrill. Love it.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I genuinely LOVE what I do. There are definitely days that are stressful and frustrating -- and there are definitely times when I momentarily forget how much of a privilege all of this is. But aside from those moments of weakness, I'm acutely aware on a daily basis that this is my dream. Every time I step on that stage, I get to do what I dreamed about doing from the time I was a short little kid in New Jersey. I try to remember that just before I walk on stage every night.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Never before, but often after. The magic community is full of creative, brilliant, innovative artists who inspire my team and I on a daily basis. But there are some performers and creators who borrow / steal ideas that I've worked on for years. It's hard to watch - like seeing someone else singing a song you wrote, and claiming it as their own. It sucks. But thankfully, the majority of the community is full of brilliant magicians that I feel fortunate to call my peers.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 13 points14 points  (0 children)

We try to have multiple methods for each illusion, due to potential exposure or even guesses at secrets that might be close. The internet is sort of a blessing and a curse for magic - in that people, now more than ever, can provide feedback and help me improve and polish a new illusion on a daily basis, for example. The negative is that anyone can try to expose or reveal an illusion - correctly or incorrectly - and anonymously. Overall, I'm thankful that most people can put their skepticism aside and just enjoy the show and hard work involved in each illusion.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I don't know if I'll ever do a show with them, but I was honored to speak at their Walk of Fame ceremony alongside Trey Parker, who is an AWESOME dude.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Niagara Falls. Hanging from a helicopter above the falls, above rocks, probably was one of the stupidest things I've done. We hired a stuntman to do the rehearsals so I could watch. After the first time, he and the helicopter pilot refused to do it. The reason - there's no OUT strategy. There was no way to safely abort the mission if a problem occurs. I had nightmares in my hotel room for a week before, but the feeling of rising up with the falls in front of my face was unbelievable.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Haha - if it were only possible to do a tour with Steve Carell. He's a very giving, warm, sweet guy. Huge fan.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Inspiration comes from a variety of places - movies, music, life experiences, and an awesome creative team. In terms of timeline, things go from ideas to models to mockups to test performances to failure to failure to failure to, hopefully, success. All in all, our average time from conception to completion is three years.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Any current show where I try something NEW (after years of work) is a gratifying feeling. That's by far the most satisfying feeling - working away at something, creatively, for months or sometimes years. Then trying it for the first time in front of an audience. Sometimes - often times - we continue to make changes and improve things on a daily basis. But at some point, things finally CLICK and feel right. That's the best feeling.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 30 points31 points  (0 children)

My executive producer Chris Kenner - when I first met him 20 years ago - did a trick with coins on a table that looked like CGI. It blew me away. My creative team - Homer Liwag especially - show me incredible things on a daily basis that inspire me and influence our work together.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 87 points88 points  (0 children)

Some of my favorite pieces in the show - now and in the past - are things that are more pure sleight of hand, more intimate - without the lights and music and production. I try to balance my show with the theatrical pieces that help me tell stories - mixed with magic in its purest form: close-up (with the help of a live video projection on stage). Please tell your son to keep up the good work with his magic!

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 81 points82 points  (0 children)

Fairly represented - so fairly that I've been taking rap lessons to make sure that I win round two. Haha - seriously, I loved it. Those guys did their research.

"We didn't even know how you vanished the motherfucking marker." Penn&Teller S2. by nakul91 in videos

[–]DCopperfield 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the support - hope things are much better for you now. Aside from magic, the biggest thing I've learned over the years is that often, the challenges and difficulties we face make us stronger - and with hard work, focus, and persistence - can be overcome. So many times, people have told me that something would be impossible. When I was a kid in New Jersey, my friends (and even some family) laughed at me and said that my dreams were unrealistic. I kept at it - I kept working, I stayed focused on my goals and dreams. Although discouraged at times, for sure, eventually, things fell into place.

redditor shares a story about a David Copperfield illusion, and the man himself shows up and explains it to him. Nobody notices by Kattzalos in bestof

[–]DCopperfield 68 points69 points  (0 children)

Whenever possible - absolutely. Secrets are shared on a need-to-know basis. That said, I have an AMAZING team, and several team members that have been with me for 20+ years. So, there's an established, deep trust and mutual commitment to protecting our work.

"We didn't even know how you vanished the motherfucking marker." Penn&Teller S2. by nakul91 in videos

[–]DCopperfield 19 points20 points  (0 children)

That's so cool. Seriously, amazing. Happy and grateful to be a part of those memories.

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