Rich Ferguson

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For the Canadian athlete, see Rich Ferguson (athlete).
Rich Ferguson

Ferguson in July 2006 at the World Series of Poker
Born Richard Jeffrey Ferguson
(1970-12-01) December 1, 1970
Salinas, California, U.S.
Occupation Magician, creative consultant, inventor, spokesperson
Years active 1997–present
Website
Rich Ferguson

Rich Ferguson (born Richard Jeffrey Evans; December 1, 1970), aka "The Ice Breaker", is an American magician, entertainer, inventor and creative consultant. He is the producer and host of the Official Poker Chip Tricks and Card Handling DVD Series. Ferguson is the creator of dozens of effects including instructional DVDs such as "Tagged", "Serial Biller" and "This is Mentalism." Ferguson went to college for engineering and worked for United Parcel Service prior to becoming a full-time entertainer and creative consultant in 1997. Ferguson married Traci Adams August 8, 2008.

Early life

Ferguson was born Richard Evans in Salinas, California. His biological mother, Deborah Eden-Evans was murdered in 1974. His biological father, Ronnie Evans, has spent multiple life sentences in various penitentiaries since 1971 for drug trafficking and various crimes on society. Ferguson was removed from Salinas and adopted at the late age of 12 on December 12, 1982 by Roy and Margaret Ferguson in San Luis Obispo, California. After being tested for placement and learning to read at the age of 12, Ferguson showed intelligence of an equivalent 16th grade level.

Community commitment

Rich is a spokesperson and mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters. In 2005, a Telly award winning documentary was made revealing Rich's unusual childhood.[1] In August 2009, Rich created, hosted and organized Central Coast Talent, a regional version of America's Got Talent for Big Brothers Big Sisters.[2] Rich has been recognized from city, state and congress for his community and business excellence receiving Congressional Certificates,[3] The Everest Award and has been showcased during special events for groups like Social Services. Rich is seen on the cover of the San Luis Obispo city map, visitor's guide and business membership directory 2009-2010.[4]

Career

Rich Ferguson and Gay Blackstone at the world famous Magic Castle. Ferguson was awarded a gold medal for interactive styled magic by the Academy of Magical Arts June 14, 2004.

Some career highlights include 2007 NBC Phenomenon finalist, 2008 Best Entertainer (Central California Readers Poll - New Times),[5] 2004 Magic Castle Gold Medal, 2005 Grand Champion Magician Nominee, 40 under 40 Business Award, 20 under 40 Business Award and 2008 Trick of the Year. Some prominent events and performances include touring with Full Tilt Poker in Europe doing workshops and performing magic for 10,000 fans on jumbo screens as well as numerous high profile events for a wide range of celebrities such as Jay Leno, Chuck Liddell, Jack Hanna and Weird Al. In 2009, The United States Playing Card Company made Ferguson’s decks of cards.

Rich Ferguson has been featured on the front page of The New Times, Pacific Coast Business Times,[6] The Tribune[7] and featured as a center spread in BLUFF,[8] a popular gaming magazine which Rich wrote a monthly column for over two years. Numerous appearances on news, radio and television around the US and Europe made Ferguson a popular internet and YouTube magician. Ferguson showcased his Chip Tricks and Card Handling skills at the World Series of Poker in 2006.[9]

In 2004, Ferguson produced and hosted a series of poker chip and card handling DVDs sold by WEA and seen in mainstream stores like Costco.[10] Starting in 2008, Ellusionist exclusively distributed his magic and mentalism DVDs of which one was awarded "Trick of the Year" by the magic community.

In addition to performing for clients and creating books and DVDs, Ferguson is a creative consultant to other entertainers like The Pendragons and companies like Apple. Blank Gag Books and Tricks to Pick Up Chicks are the newest books he has authored. Using his unique childhood story combined with magic, Ferguson is also known for motivational speaking for at risk youth where he presents his keynote program called Magic Maker[11] in which he focuses on overcoming obstacles and common sense. Using his observational awareness and his unique skills as a mentalist, he also trains salespeople and businesses in the arts of psychology, NLP and influence.

In February 2011, Ferguson appeared on FOX and CBS news twenty-one consecutive episodes performing a new trick a day. In March 2011 Rich was a special guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[12] In October 2012, a Halloween prank video[13] went viral and was showcased on nearly every major network around the world including CNN, Yahoo,[14] The Tonight Show,[15] The Today Show[16] and Right This Minute.[17]

Ferguson made Google's top searched list in 2012 and was seen in Google's esteemed Year in Review Video Zeitgeist.[18] His online popularity in 2012 was boosted by viral prank videos.[19]

The Today Show planned on making a special scare segment with Rich for Halloween in 2012, but Hurricane Sandy caused all flights to be cancelled the day prior to Halloween. On April 1, 2013, Rich returned to The Today Show as their prank expert.[20]

Ferguson performed sleight of hand for thousands of poker fans in Hamburg, Germany and Salzburg, Austria September 2–14, 2009. It is rare that sleight of hand is presented to crowds in the thousands as it is usually witnessed close-up in more intimate settings like private parties.

World records

Pictured Della Howes, Rich Ferguson, Paul Kieve and "The Pendragons", receiving some well-deserved recognition from the Guinness Book of World Records for the 50th anniversary edition book showcasing top magicians from around the world.

Ferguson holds the world record for coin rolling which was set on July 20, 2004. The previous recognized world record was by magician Jeff McBride with 31 rolls of a silver dollar in each hand. Ferguson beat the Guinness World Record by such a margin with 54 rolls simultaneously per hand that Paul Kieve and Guinness World Record offices in the UK held off accepting it until there was a more standardized and established record. In November 2011, he officially was awarded numerous speed records for playing cards, finger rings and poker chips. In 2011 and 2012, h set 14 world records in various card and coin agility and speed tests. Ferguson was also part of a publicity show for Record Setters and the release of their first World Record Setters book.

Published books and DVDs

  • Official Poker Chip Tricks DVD (2004)
  • Official Poker Card Stunts DVD (2005)
  • Official Poker Shuffles & Cuts DVD (2005)
  • Official Poker Flourishes DVD (2005)
  • Tagged - Magic Training DVD (2008)
  • Serial Biller - Magic Training DVD (2009)
  • This is Mentalism - Magic Training DVD (2010)
  • Tricks to Pick Up Chicks - Magic Tricks, Lines, Bets, Scams & Psychology - Book (2010)
  • What Men Know About Women - Gag Book (2011)
  • Why I Love My Job - Gag Book (2011)
  • Life After Retirement - Gag Book (2011)
  • What I Know About Being a Mom - Gag Book (2011)
  • What I Know About Being a Dad - Gag Book (2011)
  • The Truth About Government - Gag Book (2011)
  • Sex After 50 - Gag Book (2011)
  • Sex After 60 - Gag Book (2011)
  • Sex After Marriage - Gag Book (2011)
  • What Women Know About Men - Gag Book (2011)
  • What I Learned in College - Gag Book (2011)
  • What I Learned in High School - Gag Book (2011)
  • This is Mentalism 2 - Magic Training DVD (2011)
  • WTF - Pet Peeves and Other Annoyances - Book (2012)
  • the UNORTHODOX collection - Magic Training DVD (2013)

References

  1. ↑ Telly Award Winning Documentary, "Rags to Riches"
  2. ↑ Speech by Rich's little at 2012 Big Brothers Big Sisters Fundraiser
  3. ↑ Congressional Recognition, 2003-10-24
  4. ↑ San Luis Obispo Chamber and City Website, San Luis Chamber of Commerce, 2009-11-26
  5. ↑ Cover, Best Entertainer, New Times SLO, 2008-05-04
  6. ↑ Cover Story, The Business of Magic, Pacific Coast Business Times, 2004-05-04
  7. ↑ Cover Story, In Magic, He's Ace, The Tribune, 2004-07-03
  8. ↑ Feature Page 28-29, Bluff Magazine, 2005-05
  9. ↑ Interview at World Series of Poker, Rio Hotel, Las Vegas, Poker Listings, 2006
  10. ↑ About.com Interview
  11. ↑ MotivationalMagicMaker.com
  12. ↑ Ellen DeGeneres
  13. ↑ Viral Video
  14. ↑ Yahoo Article, Viral Video
  15. ↑ The Tonight Show Appearance, Viral Video
  16. ↑ The Today Show, Viral Video
  17. ↑ Right This Minute, Viral Video
  18. ↑ 2012 Google Zeitgeist
  19. ↑ Prank Viral Video
  20. ↑ Rich Pranks NBC Today Show, April 1, 2013

External links


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