The Steve Faulkner Podcast

Pete Heat performs for some of the most famous people on the planet. We get into how those gigs actually come about, the Jude Law moment that reminded him to stop throwing his own tricks away, and why one rough show on a half-empty cruise ship says nothing about you.

Plus an exclusive: Pete’s finishing a book on filming magic, drawn from years as a TV consultant and cameraman, and he shares some of what’s in it.

Pete: peteheat.co.uk and @peteheat on Instagram. He’s also performing regularly at Magician’s Table in London.

This episode is sponsored by AbraCircle, custom-coded websites for magicians and performers. Special discount for podcast listeners: https://stevefaulkner.com/abrapod

Newsletter: https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter
Online Magic membership: https://www.onlinemagic.co
Steve on Instagram: @stevefaulkner
Real Magic Review on Instagram: @realmagicreview

Thanks to Stuart Davies for editing.

Chapters

00:00 Intro
05:36 Coming back after a break
07:51 Cruise ships and the second 45
10:53 Wanting to do magic you’d actually watch
14:16 Close-up as a job, not your art
16:56 AbraCircle
17:40 Rough gigs and not beating yourself up
21:16 Hitting the wall at a close-up gig
24:14 The Fringe and the stage show
26:01 Celebrity gigs, Margot Robbie and Mumford and Sons
29:11 How do you get those gigs?
32:52 Remembering what you do isn’t rubbish
33:18 Jude Law and the Omni Deck
36:37 Magic is a tiny part of most people’s lives
41:56 New toys in the bag
49:53 Why don’t magicians make more content?
59:59 Positioning yourself as a high-end magician
1:08:57 AI, tools and terrible posters
1:13:48 Pete’s book on filming magic
1:21:42 Taking charge when you’re being filmed
1:26:14 Saying no without being a diva
1:30:49 Where to find Pete

Andy Gladwin on Stealing Magic, the documentary about his years tracking down the people behind magic's biggest piracy sites, fresh from its premiere at Tribeca.

This one was recorded a little while back, but everything in it is just as relevant now.

We talk about the pirates who asked for $20,000 a month in Bitcoin to leave Vanishing Inc alone, being scared on camera with a film crew who aren't allowed to help you, why he never wanted to be the magic police, and what the documentary audiences keep saying about magicians. Plus the thing about pirate sites and your passwords that every magician needs to hear.

This episode is sponsored by AbraCircle, custom-coded websites for magicians and performers. Special discount for podcast listeners: stevefaulkner.com/abrapod

Newsletter: https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter
Online Magic membership: https://www.onlinemagic.co/
Steve on Instagram: @stevefaulkner
Real Magic Review on Instagram: @realmagicreview

This one goes deep, and I'll be honest, it was partly selfish. I've been struggling with how you put actual meaning into magic without it becoming meaning for the sake of it. So I got Perseus Arkomanis on to help me work it out, and hopefully help some of you along the way.

Thank you to my sponsor Abracircle. They create amazing websites for magicians. I'm very grateful for their support, so please click on the link and have a look.

https://www.abracircle.website/steve-faulkner-podcast-promo

We get properly into the weeds. Perseus talks about the moment he realised that between tables everyone was commenting on how funny he was and nobody was commenting on the magic, and the conscious decision to ban himself from jokes in the first five minutes. Terrifying, in his words. He talks about being asked "why are we demonstrating this?" about one of his own routines and having no real answer, and how that one conversation changed his whole approach.

There's a lot in here about themes, about scripting, about jazzing, about leaving your ego at the door when people give you feedback, and about the difference between what he calls rollercoaster or firecracker magic and something that actually lands.

If you've ever looked at Perseus's material and thought this isn't really for me, that was me too. It really is. Have a listen and see what you think.

Perseus's stuff: orionmagicproductions.com
His latest release, The Resonance, is a video of his lecture recorded in Vienna with extra material added. Genuinely a bargain for what you learn.

Get it here

Newsletter: https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter
Online Magic membership: https://www.onlinemagic.co/
Steve on Instagram: @stevefaulkner
Real Magic Review on Instagram: @realmagicreview

Thanks to Stuart Davis for editing. Apologies for a bit of background noise on this one, houses have things happening in them. Stuart worked wonders.

I've been trying to get Peter Nardi on for ages, and when we finally sat down we just started talking and hit record to see where it went. No plan, no structure, and it turned into one of the most open conversations I've had on here.

Peter built Alakazam from a bloke ordering tricks nobody else could get, off the back of daily lunch breaks at Davenports in Charing Cross, into one of the biggest magic companies in the world. We go right back to that, the £100 a week dream, building the first website out of a Programming for Dummies book, and the morning he rang up a brand new job and said he wasn't coming in.

But the bit that really stayed with me is him admitting that for six or seven years before lockdown, the passion had gone. Coming in, watching the clock, going home. And how his son Harry stepping up brought that energy back into the building and into him.

We also get into what a magic shop actually is to people, why customers ring up to tell Harry their parents have died, magicians who feel the need to prove how clever they are by calling out a double lift in the comments, why old tricks are not worse tricks, and Peter's genuinely brilliant method for getting through an eight hour download without losing your mind.

Plus a confession from me about a box of Alakazam review copies I've been sitting on for four years.

Alakazam Magic: alakazammagic.com

Thank you to my sponsor Abracircle. They create amazing websites for magicians. I'm very grateful for their support, so please click on the link and have a look.

https://www.abracircle.website/steve-faulkner-podcast-promo

Newsletter: https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter
Online Magic membership: https://onlinemagic.co/
Steve on Instagram: @stevefaulkner
Real Magic Review on Instagram: @realmagicreview

Arthur Benjamin is a mathematician. When I tell people that, I watch their eyes glaze over a little, and I get it, because that was me too, until I saw him perform at a convention years ago and it became one of the most entertaining things I've ever watched live.

Thank you to my sponsor Abracircle. They create amazing websites for magicians. I'm very grateful for their support, so please click on the link and have a look.

https://www.abracircle.website/steve-faulkner-podcast-promo

We talk about how a kid who did children's magic shows in Cleveland, Ohio ended up as a professor doing mental math as performance, why his father telling him "that might be more entertaining than the fake mind reading stuff" changed the direction of his whole career, and his friendship with James Randi, who genuinely helped launch his career after being won over by logic puzzles at a magicians' convention in the early 80s.

He teaches me the doomsday algorithm live on the podcast, a genuinely simple method for working out the day of the week for any date this year, and by the end of it I actually knew my birthday would fall on a Monday. If you've ever thought you're "not a numbers person," this conversation will quietly take that belief apart.

We also talk about growth mindset, why one bad maths teacher can shape your whole relationship with a subject for life, and his brand new off-Broadway show, That Math Show, running in New York until 16th August 2026.

Genuinely one of my favourite conversations. Have a listen.

That Math Show tickets: https://thatmathshow.com (running until 16th August 2026)
Secrets of Mental Math (book, audiobook, video course): search Arthur Benjamin on Audible or thegreatcourses.com
New book, How to Win: out October 2026

Newsletter: https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter
Online Magic membership: https://onlinemagic.co/
Steve on Instagram: @stevefaulkner
Real Magic Review on Instagram: @realmagicreview

Episode two of the WafflePod, and a heads up before you start, this one cuts off abruptly. We forgot to hit record again after a break and lost the last five minutes. You've got the meat of it though.

Me and Toby get properly into it this time. We start on ADHD, why it seems to follow performers and magicians around, whether that's genuine or just the algorithm showing us more of our own kind, and Toby's own experience of trying to get a diagnosis while living the classic pattern of hyperfocus, distraction and deadline panic.

Then we get into the actual craft. Why the first time you perform something new is always going to be rough, and why that's fine. Why perfectionism has to come after performing, not before. And a proper deep dive into Bankable by Eric Stevens, the trick, the gag at the end, and why comedy timing in magic is so often the difference between a trick landing and dying, even when the trick itself is strong. There's a great bit in here about framing a moment, letting a beat breathe before you move on, and why doing too much too fast means an audience never gets to actually enjoy what just happened.

If you do any kind of performing, there's a lot in this one.

Bankable by Eric Stevens: [Trick Trick Boom link]

Newsletter: https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter
Online Magic membership: https://onlinemagic.co/
Steve on Instagram: @stevefaulkner

Toby on Instagram: @toby__davies

Real Magic Review on Instagram: @realmagicreview

Every time Jack Rhodes sits down with me, something seismic has happened. First podcast he was on a career break wondering if he should quit his engineering job. Second time he'd just done BGT and was about to become a dad. This time he's a dad, he's finished a full UK tour, he's headlined the Opera House at Blackpool in front of 3,000 people twice in one night, and he's independently written, performed, directed and edited his own special, which comes out on YouTube on the 17th of July.

Thank you to my sponsor Abracircle. They create amazing websites for magicians. I'm very grateful for their support, so please click on the link and have a look.

https://www.abracircle.website/steve-faulkner-podcast-promo

We talk about all of it. What it actually felt like to do the Opera House after the Circle Hall went so well the year before, and why it landed differently. The nightmare 30 minutes before the Leeds show when the sound didn't work and he was screaming internally. Cutting 20 minutes out of a show he'd spent two years writing. The rule he's set for the next show: nothing where he dies a little inside while doing it. And why the cups and balls routine that magicians loved didn't work for normal people at all.

We also get into using editing as a tool to develop live material, the sound wave trick for finding dead spots in a show, work-life balance when your studio is at home and you've got a one-year-old, and what the come-down after BGT actually felt like.

And yes, David Blaine was at Blackpool specifically to see his show. That's not a small thing.

Jack's special: Out 17th July on YouTube. Search Jack Rhodes or find him at jackrodes.net
The book (few copies left): jackrodes.net/book

Newsletter: https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter
Online Magic membership: https://onlinemagic.co/
Steve on Instagram: @stevefaulkner
Real Magic Review on Instagram: @realmagicreview

Thanks to Stuart Davis for editing.

Jason Bird has been doing close-up magic professionally for a long time. He's worked cruise ships, corporates, walk-around events, and now he's building a parlour show on the east coast. And somewhere in between all of that, he sat down and wrote a book.

Thank you to my sponsor Abracircle. They create amazing websites for magicians. I'm very grateful for their support, so please click on the link and have a look.

https://www.abracircle.website/steve-faulkner-podcast-promo

Strolling for Dollars kept popping up on my Facebook feed and I'll be honest, I nearly dismissed it as just another ad. Then a couple of people I respect told me to actually read it. So I did. And it's a proper book. Well written, genuinely useful, and honest in a way that a lot of magic business advice simply isn't.

We talk about all of it. The first table nerves that never quite go away no matter how long you've been doing this. Why the last five minutes of a gig matter as much as the first. How to reset your energy mid-event and why most magicians don't. The business side, contracts, email scripts, what to say when you walk in, what to do when it goes wrong. And his favourite line from the whole book, good magic leads to more magic, which is worth the price of admission on its own.

We also get into the drone trick, which completely fooled me, cruise ships versus corporate work, and why he eventually decided to write everything he knew down rather than keep it to himself.

If you do close-up work at any level, this is worth your time.

Get the book: https://jasonbird.store/
Pro Gig Toolkit: https://jasonbird.store/
Jason's main site: https://jasonbirdproductions.com/
Walk Around Warriors Facebook group: search Walk Around Warriors on Facebook

Newsletter: https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter
Online Magic membership: https://onlinemagic.co/
Steve on Instagram: @stevefaulkner
Real Magic Review on Instagram: @realmagicreview

This one was a real treat. I sat down with Dave Loosley, the mind behind The Creative Compendium, and we got stuck into one of my favourite subjects: creativity, and how you actually turn a vague idea in your head into something that works in the real world and is a joy to perform.

Thank you to my sponsor Abracircle. They create amazing websites for magicians. I'm very grateful for their support, so please click on the link and have a look.

https://www.abracircle.website/steve-faulkner-podcast-promo

Dave's one of those people who'll tell you he isn't the most creative person in the room, then quietly explain a way of thinking that completely reframes how you make magic your own. We get into the difference between creativity and originality, why a deadline unlocks more than it kills, sitting on an idea for months until it suddenly clicks, and that maddening thing where the answer only arrives the second you give up. From there it wanders off into paper balls over the head, Slydini, Armando Lucero, the eight ball routine he won the Magic Circle with, his Blackpool book launch, and the daft little rituals we both use to get our heads on before a gig. The Gladys moment alone is worth the listen.

If you're a magician, get the book. It's slim, and there's more in it than books five times the size. And if you ever get the chance to see Dave lecture, take it.

Links

The Creative Compendium: https://www.daveloosleymagic.co.uk/shop

Dave's new trick, Mystique: https://alakazam.co.uk/products/mystique-pro-by-dave-loosley

Dave online: https://www.daveloosleymagic.co.uk/

Newsletter (where I let you know when things drop):

https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter

Online Magic membership: https://onlinemagic.co

Steve on Instagram:

@stevefaulkner

Real Magic Review on Instagram: @realmagicreview

YouTube https://youtube.com/realmagicreview

Steve Faulkner Podcast

https://stevefaulkner.podbean.com

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-steve-faulkner-podcast/id1484648736

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cyct7IuLFX9JWysXzlMj3?si=dbIwKjY1Ta-d2gPBjMjk_Q

This week it's me and Toby Davis getting stuck into the most talked-about release in magic right now: Shay Kahn's Rolex System.

A thousand dollars for a PDF, no trailer, no performance to watch, and a wave of online backlash that got pretty heated. So we sat down and actually talked about it properly, instead of joining the pile-on. Is it a scam, or a serious professional tool that just got marketed badly? We take the price out of it and look at what you're really paying for when you buy a method, why a PDF feels cheap when a book doesn't, and whether any of us should be weighing in on things we haven't even seen.

From there it wanders, as these things do, into getting outraged online, undervaluing your own work, and a few stories from Toby's years editing behind the scenes for some big names.

Honest, unscripted, no hype. Two people who love this stuff talking it out.

Have a listen and let us know what you reckon. We'll be answering comments and emails on the next one.

Links

Newsletter (everything goes live here first): https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter

Online Magic membership: https://onlinemagic.co/

Watch on YouTube: https://YouTube.com.realmagicreview

Steve on Instagram: @stevefaulkner

Real Magic Review on Instagram: @realmagicreview

Toby on Instagram: @toby__davis

Henry Harrius joins me for one of my favourite conversations in a long time.

We talk about creativity, burnout, exposure culture, social media magic, performing casually vs professionally, Rubik’s Cubes, Shin Lim, Juan Tamariz, David Copperfield, and what “real magic” actually feels like.

Thank you to my sponsor Abracircle. They create amazing websites for magicians. I'm very grateful for their support, so please click on the link and have a look.

https://www.abracircle.website/steve-faulkner-podcast-promo

Henry opens up about the pressure of running HH Presents, having dozens of projects in development at once, and why he believes magicians often forget the feeling that made them fall in love with magic in the first place.

This one goes far beyond tricks and releases. It’s really a conversation about artistry, identity, performance and reconnecting with wonder.

I loved this chat, and I think you will too.

Check out Henry’s work:
https://www.hhpresents.com/

Join my newsletter:
https://www.stevefaulkner.com/newsletter

My membership:
https://www.onlinemagic.co/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/stevefaulkner

Real Magic Review:
https://www.youtube.com/@RealMagicReview

Thanks to Stuart Davies for editing.
If you enjoy the podcast, please consider sharing it or leaving a 5-star review. It genuinely helps.

Thank you to my sponsor Abracircle. They create amazing websites for magicians. I'm very grateful for their support, so please click on the link and have a look.

https://www.abracircle.website/steve-faulkner-podcast-promo

There’s been a huge amount of discussion surrounding the release of The Rolex System by Shay Kahn.

A $1000 PDF.
Paid demonstrations at Blackpool.
Claims of it being revolutionary.
Claims of it being a scam.

Rather than speculate, I wanted to sit down with Shay and let him explain things in his own words.

We talk about:

• the thinking behind Rolex
• why it was priced the way it was
• the backlash from the magic community
• Vanishing Inc taking the product down
• paid demos at Blackpool
• propless mentalism
• performance philosophy
• psychic entertainment
• and how the whole experience affected him personally

This is not a review of Rolex.
It’s simply an open conversation.

As always, make your own mind up.

Thank you to my sponsor Abracircle. They create amazing websites for magicians. I'm very grateful for their support, so please click on the link and have a look.

https://www.abracircle.website/steve-faulkner-podcast-promo

I had a really nice catch up with Ben Seidman, as usual, it goes in a few different directions.

We talk about his work on Now You See Me and what that was actually like day to day, which isn’t quite as glamorous as it looks.

But more than that, we get into creating his show Con Man, the fear around putting something important out there, and what it takes to actually follow through on an idea you’ve had for years.

We also touch on Ring, Watch Wonder and the thinking behind it. Don't worry, not in a salesy way, just the reality of putting something you care about out into the world.

There’s a lot in here about working things out as you go, getting help from the right people, and figuring out what actually matters.

I really enjoyed this one.

Links & Stuff

👉 Ringwatch Wonder:
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/

👉 Newsletter (best way to hear about new podcasts and videos):
https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter

👉 Membership:
https://www.onlinemagic.co/

👉 Instagram:
@stevefaulkner

If you enjoyed it, a like, share, or review really helps

Thank you to my sponsor Abracircle. They create amazing websites for magicians. I'm very grateful for their support, so please click on the link and have a look.

https://www.abracircle.website/steve-faulkner-podcast-promo

I had a great chat with Danila, better known as Ring Jedi. THE 8-ring manipulator who’s built a huge following online through some seriously visual, hypnotic work.

If you’ve seen his stuff on Instagram, you’ll know exactly what I mean. It’s one of those things that feels somewhere between juggling, magic, and movement… and it’s properly captivating to watch. His teaching has changed my life, giving me this skill and passion.

Learn here 8-Rings here

https://www.skool.com/ring-jedi-academy/

Neon Circus

https://www.neoncircusnyc.com/

What I really enjoyed about this conversation is that we go way beyond just “how do you do that?” — we get into:

• how he built this niche from scratch
• the thinking behind the visuals
• training, discipline, and actually getting good at something unusual
• building an audience around a very specific skill
• and what it means to turn something like this into a career

Danila also runs the Ring Jedi Academy, where he teaches this system step-by-step, and performs as part of Neon Circus NYC alongside his wife, a full-on visual performance company with LED acts, aerial work, and immersive event performances.

It’s a really interesting one, especially if you’re into skill-based performance, creating something different, or just want to hear how someone’s carved out their own lane.

If you enjoy this kind of thing, it really helps if you like, share, or leave a review. It makes a big difference.

If you want to keep up with new episodes and videos, the best place is the mailing list:
https://www.onlinemagic.co/

Thank you to my sponsor Abracircle. They create amazing websites for magicians. I'm very grateful for their support, so please click on the link and have a look.

https://www.abracircle.website/steve-faulkner-podcast-promo

I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with one of my favourite magicians, Eric Mead. This one felt like a bit of a rare treat.

Eric is one of the most thoughtful people in magic. Not just a great performer, but someone who really thinks deeply about what we do and why it works.

He’s the author of Tangled Web and the incredible Conover, a genuinely important piece of magic literature, years in the making.

He’s also widely known to have played a significant creative role behind the scenes in Art of Astonishment, which tells you a lot about the level he operates on.

Earlier in his career, Eric spent years performing at the legendary Tower Comedy Magic Bar in Aspen, alongside Doc Eason.

This conversation goes deep. It’s candid, thoughtful, and properly inspiring.

Links & Stuff

👉 Check out Conover here:
https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/magic-books/conover/

👉 Join my email list (best way to hear about new podcasts, videos, and everything else first):
https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter

👉 My membership (if you want to go deeper with your magic):
https://www.onlinemagic.co/

👉 Follow me on Instagram:
@stevefaulkner

If you enjoyed this episode, it really helps if you like, share, and leave a review. It makes a massive difference and helps more people find the podcast.

Thank you to my sponsor Abracircle. They create amazing websites for magicians. I'm very grateful for their support, so please click on the link and have a look.

https://www.abracircle.website/steve-faulkner-podcast-promo

Captain Frodo (Frodo Santini) went from street performing to performing with Cirque du Soleil. In this conversation we explore what it really means to be a showman.

In this episode of The Steve Faulkner Podcast, I sit down with the brilliant Captain Frodo (Frode Santini) — a performer whose journey from Covent Garden street performer to Cirque du Soleil stage is one of the most fascinating in modern performance.

Frodo has spent decades exploring what it really means to be a showman, developing an approach to performance that blends comedy, honesty and a philosophical look at the craft of entertaining an audience.

We talk about everything from street performing in Covent Garden, to the psychology of performance, the importance of constructive feedback, and how Frodo eventually found himself performing with Cirque du Soleil.

Frodo also hosts the excellent podcast The Way of the Showman, where he explores many of these ideas in depth with performers and creatives.

If you're interested in performance, creativity, or simply what it means to connect with an audience, I think you'll really enjoy this conversation.

What we talk about

• Purpose and meaning in performance
• Entertainment first… then meaning
• The transition from street performing to theatre stages
• Frodo’s experiences performing in Covent Garden
• What makes a successful street performer
• The importance of validation and constructive feedback
• How Frodo came to work with Cirque du Soleil
• What Frodo’s life looks like today

Captain Frodo

Website
https://www.thewayoftheshowman.com/

Podcast – The Way of the Showman
Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Frodo on social media
(links available via his website)

My Stuff

Join my newsletter
https://stevefaulkner.com/newsletter

Instagram
https://www.onlinemagic.co/

If you enjoyed this episode

Please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing the episode with someone who might enjoy it. It genuinely helps the podcast reach more people.

Aaron Fisher is one of the world’s premier sleight-of-hand artists, creators and magic educators. He’s the author of one of the modern classics of card magic: The Paper Engine (recently re-issued in a 20th Anniversary Edition).

His effects, from the legendary vanishing-deck routine Panic to a roster of original sleights and routines - have influenced thousands of card magicians. Including me!

Aaron is also co-founder (with Adam Grace) of Conjuror Community - a worldwide online club and training network for magicians. Through Conjuror Community and his proprietary system Miracle Man Method (3M), he offers structured guidance to help magicians build professional-level card magic and routines.

Click there links above as a thank you to Aaron

Follow me on instagram @stevefaulkner @realmagicreview

Steve's Online Magic Training https://www.onlinemagic.co

Myq Kaplan is a brilliant, word-play-driven comedian seen on Conan, The Tonight Show, and James Corden.
His specials include Small, Dork & Handsome and Live From The Universe.
He hosts here
All of this can be found at https://myqkaplan.com/.

Follow Steve

Insta: @stevefaulkner

Site: https://stevefaulkner.com

Magic Training Site: https://www.onlinemagic.co

Alexander Marsh joins me for a properly geeky, funny and insightful chat about mentalism, creativity, and the modern world of magic. We get into billet work, stagecraft, and the constant tug-of-war between keeping secrets and sharing ideas online.

Please visit his performance page at https://www.alexmcaleer.com/

His courses are highly recommended, and can be found here https://the1914.com/collections/main/artist__alexander-marsh

Keep up to date with episodes, videos and other Steve things

Check out Steve's Online Magic Training Site

In this episode, I’m joined once again by the brilliant Chris Kenner - executive producer for David Copperfield and one of the most influential creators in modern magic.

This time, we go even deeper.

We talk details, creative process and even a bit of politics. And, as always with Chris, the conversation is as inspiring as it is revealing. Whether you’re a working pro, a passionate student, or just fascinated by how real magic gets made behind the scenes, this is one to dive into.

🔗 Links & Resources:

🪄 More Interviews, Reviews
https://www.youtube.com/realmagicreview

📧 Join Steve's Magic Training.
https://www.instagram.com/stevefaulkner

https://www.stevefaulkner.com