Magician, Author: David Ben

11/24/15 • 41 min

David Ben is a Canadian stage magician, sleight of hand artist, author, magic historian, creative consultant and former tax lawyer. David was educated at the University of Toronto (BA), the University of Western Ontario (LLB), and the London School of Economics (LLM). We talk about his decision to leave his law practice to practice magic. David is the rare magician who, like Ricky Jay or Teller, of the duo "Penn and Teller," has an innovative, approach to magic that at once respects the historic traditions of magic but pushes the art form forward. David's stage show "The Conjuror," had its world premiere at the Shaw Festival in 1996. The show had outstanding box office and critical reviews and has been mounted several time since then. His path to success was never easy, and he talks candidly about the time he seriously considered quitting the Arts because of the financial strain it put on his young family. If you saw "Possible Worlds" during the 2015 Stratford Festival season, you saw David’s magic integrated into the show thanks to director Mitchell Cushman.

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Comedian: Ron James

Ron James is one of the most successful comedians in Canada.

With a comedian’s eye for satire and a poet’s ear for language, Ron cuts a wide swath through contemporary culture making him a stand out amongst stand-ups.

His path to success includes improvising with Second City, a stint on a TV show in the U.S., and his own shows "Blackfly" and "The Ron James Show" in Canada. His annual New Year's Eve special on CBC is a comedy tradition with over a million viewers from coast to coast.

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Lawyer, musician, songwriter: Dan Mailer

In his youth Dan Mailer was in band that performed widely and recorded an album in Nashville. He was on his way to a career in music, but decided instead to pursue a career in law. These days Dan is a trial lawyer in London, Ontario. I met him at his home to talk about how he uses his love of music and lyrics to help charitable organizations here in town. Dan has inspired lawyers and judges to record music and perform live concerts that have helped raise over $300,000 for charitable organizations here in London. He's a progressive thinker who uses his creative skills to give back to the community. We talk about his law practice, his love of creativity and how he gives back to the community.