SCVNews.com | Brian Hoffman Wins Gold Medal at Magicians Convention

Santa Clarita Valley artist Brian Hoffman won a gold medal at the 89th Pacific Coast Association of Magicians Convention in Mission, BC.

A total of 12 competitions, including mentalism, close-up magic, platform magic, children’s entertainment, stage magic and best assistant, were held during the convention. Hoffman entered the Children’s Entertainment Contest because it’s his specialty. All prizes were announced on November 13.

“I am very honored and thrilled to achieve this level of recognition from PCAM,” Hoffman said.

For the Children’s Entertainment contest, Hoffman had a 10-minute time limit. Six judges, comprised of former CPTED presidents, followed strict judging criteria: appearance and acting, smoothness, technical skill, originality, entertainment value, and mystery value.

Despite playing for more than a dozen years, Hoffman admitted he was nervous. He knew it was essential to score high in all areas in order to win a prize. In addition, the public was particularly important to him.

“I was so grateful that we had kids for our audience. My show relies heavily on my interaction with the kids. I have so much fun energizing them,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman returned to Santa Clarita on Monday night and will perform at Holiday Hocus Pocus to benefit SCV’s Boys & Girls Club. Years ago, he helped establish the Holiday Hocus Pocus stage show to benefit the nonprofit organization. The 2022 event will focus on five main artists, including Hoffman, and will take place as part of the Festival of Trees at the Canyon Country Community Center. Tickets are $10. Doors will open in close-up magic at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 19. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://scvbgc.org/holiday-hocus-pocus/.

PCAM is an organization for professional, semi-professional and amateur magicians with chapters throughout the Pacific including Japan, Hawaii, California and Western Canada. The PCAM family calls the annual convention “the biggest little magic convention in the world.”

Hoffman is the owner of Brian Hoffman Magic, Kids Foam Party and Interactive Kids Disco, and has performed for over a dozen years at private, school and community events. He lives in Saugus with his wife of 21 years and two teenagers.

Brian L. Hartfield