The new blog!

After only a short stay here on Blogger I have decided to move across to a new weblog hosted on my own server - using wordpress. It just offers so much more functionality that I am sure it will be worth the effort

The new blog is available to you at Ed' s Blog or if you can not see the hyperlink just type www.blog.edstivala.co.uk into your browser.

In addition to the latest info about the stunt - I have created a number of new sections to post thoughts on marketing and business generally. There is also a new section for general magic info.

See you on the new site - and do make sure that you signup when you get there! Its one of the new features!!

Drawings come to life

Despite having shows pretty much every day this month ( I know I am such an in-demand entertainer lol), I managed to meet with the team that will be building the balloon. This was the first time that they had seen the detail of what needs to be constructed and it got a great reaction!! Not that they can't build it... but their first question was "and you are seriously planning to fly this?" After we chatted more, drank more coffee and scribbled a LOT more they eventually agreed that it would be a feasible idea.

So we have scheduled a planning meeting in the new year soon after the next major sponsor meeting. If all goes well then the balloon should go into production in February and be test flown in April.

Today's cabaret show was great!! A lovely audience, I had the pleasure of entertaining the MK Women in Enterprise group. They seemed to enjoy my act and I enjoyed entertaining them. Such a stark but welcome contrast to the "Christmas Cabaret from Hell" that I am involved with most other days this month. Will have to update the Corporate Magic site to let the world know about my new after dinner / lunch shows - just in case anyone else might like to book it!

"The Vanishing Hot Air Balloon" - An incredible magic trick!

Corporate Magician Ed Stivala plans to take the world by storm when he vanishes a hot air balloon in mid flight, along with himself and a member of the public. Currently still searching for the person to take along. Normally Ed works for corporates at trade shows and exhibitions so this is something quite different! A world first and in the UK!!!

Not sure if you have discovered DIGG yet? Apparently someone has DUG my story about the balloon vanish... Or is that someone DIGGED it? Its a whole new vocabulary :-)

read more | digg story

Balloon Stunt in second place

Well we are into December with anger now!! Never mind trying to get the Christmas presents wrapped (or even buying them!). Life is more about trying to remember which gig I am supposed to be at next.

My first "Christmas Cabaret" this year was at the end of November. There is something decidedly odd about wishing people a happy Christmas when you are not even into December yet...

So the next week will see shows in Birmingham on Tuesday and then Milton Keynes (centre of the Universe) on Wednesday for Women in Enterprise before returning back down to Kent for the Christmas cabarets Thursday through to Sunday.

So if you have ever wondered about the glamorous life of a Corporate Magician - it basically involves hours of driving your car from one part of the country to another. Oh, and many stops at MacD's on the way :-)

So best put plans for the balloon stunt on hold this week and get a comfortable seat in my car....

Pilot onboard - now that is handy....

Good news on the balloon vanish stunt! Pilot & friend David Fish has agreed to fly the balloon for me. I first met David many years ago at a flying club when I was flying aeroplanes and he was obsessed with flying balloons. He needed some "self loading ballast" for a morning flight and decided that my "mass" would be about right... With that, the very next morning I took my first balloon flight with David and a few other folk. We left Bedfordshire and flew into Cambridgeshire, before eventually crashing in a field. I later came to learn that what I had experienced was not actually a crash but a "standard" balloon landing for a hot air balloon in moderate wind conditions.

But I was hooked!

I took my self off to Italy (better weather conditions for learning) and with David's help and tutorage set about learning to fly balloons myself. So in a way David is probably responsible for me wanting to do this stunt and so it seems quite fitting that he has agreed to fly the balloon!

To find about the stunt or apply to come along for the ride just visit the Balloon Stunt Site