What’s new, What’s magical, What’s funny? My Blog

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Boston Mentalist can’t wait

Boston Mentalist

The Quintessential Boston Mentalist ?

 
 
People sometimes ask if I’m a Boston Mentalist. Certainly,  but the joy of living in Boston is that I also perform in Portland, Worcester, Providence and Portsmouth. Even Worcester ( That’s a real Boston  joke).

I do keep a small office in Boston, but being a Boston Mentalist is more than just an address. It’s an attitude.

And how do people find me? You’d be surprised how many just go to Google and type “Best Mentalist” or “Corporate Mentalist”.

Am I really the Best Boston Mentalist or the Best Boston-area Corporate Comedian?

That’s really a matter of opinion. But check out my promotional page and visit my Youtube channel and decide for yourself.

Boston Mentalists are sometimes from the Suburbs

Ultimately you’re not hiring an address or an accent. Mind reader and comedian Peter Gross brings laughs and memorable magic to sales meetings, team building events, wellness programs and appreciation dinners. He can host your awards presentation or sales campaign rollout and he can even customize his show for your themes and messages. 

Why are Peter’s shows DIFFERENT than so many other entertainers? Peter has a background in comedy and improvisation. He’s a funny guy who also knows some really cool tricks, so at his shows, laughs are guaranteed. 

Peter’s magic and mentalism shows feature plenty of audience participation, spontaneity and memorable moments. Every show is unique. Whether Peter’s working at a comedy club, a board room or a hotel ballroom, his show is in ‘perfect pitch’ with his audience.

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Boston Magician can’t wait to meet you

Boston Magician

Are you a real Boston Magician ?

What makes an entertainer a Boston Magician?  Does he have to end each routine by saying ” You like apples? How about them apples?”

I work in Boston all the time.  But the joy of living in Boston is that I also work in Portland, Worcester, Providence and Portsmouth. Even Worcester ( That’s a real Boston Magician joke).

I do keep a small office in Boston, but being a Boston Magician is more than just an address. It’s an attitude.

And how do people find me? You’d be surprised how many just go to Google and type “Best Boston Entertainer” or “Boston Magic Corporate Events”.

Am I really the Best Boston Magician or the Best Boston-area Magician?

Thanks for asking. That’s really a matter of opinion. But check out my website and  Youtube channel and decide for yourself.

Not all Boston Magicians live in Boston

Ultimately you’re not hiring an address or an accent. Boston Area Magician, mind reader and comedian Peter Gross brings laughs and memorable magic to sales meetings, team building events, wellness programs and appreciation dinners. He can host your awards presentation or sales campaign rollout and he can even customize his show for your themes and messages. 

Why are Peter’s shows DIFFERENT than so many other entertainers? Peter has a background in comedy and improvisation. He’s a funny guy who also knows some really cool tricks, so at his shows, laughs are guaranteed. 

Peter’s magic and mentalism shows feature plenty of audience participation, spontaneity and memorable moments. Every show is unique. Whether Peter’s working at a comedy club, a board room or a hotel ballroom, his show is in ‘perfect pitch’ with his audience.

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Customized comedy presentations

What could be better for a corporate group than a comedy show that speaks the same corporate language as the audience?  Imagine the delight when your audience realizes the comedian understands the struggles of their jobs and what makes your group tick?

The Boston Hysterical Society strives to connect with each audience by customizing shows with the help of pre-show interviews and independent research. The goal is for each show to reflect, in small but important ways, the shared experience of the people its for.

The mind reading and magic in Peter’s shows may create gasps and applause but Peter knows the power of laughter that comes from an inside joke.  Peter doesn’t just customize his shows, he PERSONALIZES them.

“Peter’s charming and witty humor kept our diverse and very talented Biotech company entertained from his open jokes to well after the final applause had ended.”

X4 Pharmaceuticals

 

 

Boston Magician Peter Gross
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Boston magician and mind reader rocks another for corporate function

Boston magician Peter Gross turns festive events into indelible memories. Here’s a recommendation from a corporate event planner who needed to entertain and impress her companies sophisticated and discerning customers.

Peter performed an hour long stage show that included several customizations to speak directly to her clients work and experiences.

 

Boston Magician

“I couldn’t be happier with his performance and the how the night turned out! From start to finish he had the audience captivated and laughingSince the event I have not only received numbers compliments but also was asked for his contact information.”

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Boston Mentalist and Magician rocks New York City Tech Start-Ups

Holiday Parties can be a ‘bummer’ for performers: tough venues, loud bands, intrusive waiters dropping plates during your set. But if you’re engaged and flexible, it can also be some the most fun shows of your year.

Happy Cog asked Peter to customize his mind reading show to including a tiny bit of magic and plenty of comedy.

“Peter far exceeded our expectations and we couldn’t have asked for more. We had Peter perform his “99% Honest” Mind Reader show for approximately 70 people in our Manhattan office, and we were a bit concerned about the environment. But Peter quickly gained everyone’s undivided attention and performed a great show. Peter performed a great show for about an hour but our team just wanted more! Thanks Peter!”

Stuart Henry, Partner – Happy Cog

customized magic and comedy for corporate function leads to successful bookings
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Strolling Magic for Boston Seaport and Boston Convention Center events

Boston Close Up Magician

Looking for Strolling Magic and Mentalism for an upcoming conference at the Boston Convention Center or other Seaport District venue?  Peter Gross and the Boston Hysterical Society provide a wide range of strolling entertainment options including magicians, mentalist and psychics.  Peter and his crew turn any mixer into a party by bringing people together and creating laughs and interactions that make people smile.

The photos above from a private event at the  Boston Society of Arts and Crafts (www.societyofcrafts.org) show how Peter gathers a crowd, lures them in and wows them.  

How many card technicians get a spontaneous round of applause?

#StrollingMagic 
#WalkaroundMagic
#PocketFullofMiracles

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What’s the Deal with hiring a hypnotist? Here are the briefcases you should open first

In the wildly successful game show, Deal or No Deal, the goal is to select to open the brief cases that have the low money numbers first, leaving only big values left in the game.  Of course since the amounts are scattered randomly, this almost exclusively luck.  But in the ‘game’ of corporate events, there are definitely some easy pitfalls to avoid, better guaranteeing a successful night. Since I am a hypnotist, this list about hiring me, but I’m sure you can generatlize if you give it some thought.

Here are my list of FAVORITE ways to ruin a hypnosis show:

1. Keep the show a secret – One of the reasons you hired a hypnotist was because of the mystery, excitement and allure of hypnosis.  Hypnosis also has a bit of a ‘bad reputation’ with some people whether it’s because of a show they experienced in Las Vegas or the movie “Get Out”, some people have mixed feelings. The same goes for ‘being surprised’.  Some people love it, some find it unsettling.  I have always found that when a group has time to process the idea of watching and participating in a hypnosis show, they are more likely to enjoy the show.  So find some other way to surprise your participants, but let them know early that a hypnotist is on the schedule.

2.  Frame the show as ‘public humillation’ – One of the biggest worried people express to me is ” I hope you can get enough people to volunteer”.  After years of practice with all kinds of groups, I am kind of an expert in convincing people, and the right people to join me on stage.  But I’m always amazed when the very people who have this concern with introduce me by joking about how anyone who volunteers is a fool, or will be made to look like a fool.  Hypnosis shows, especially for corporate events, are successful because they are ‘all in good fun.’  This is twice as hard when the introducer intimidates the crowd with promises of bullying and teasing those who participate.

3. Punish the people in back – I almost always arrive at a gig wearing all black, with my show clothes in a garment bag, because I want the option to act as my own roadie, if the need arrises.  I will rearrange sound equipment or tables and chairs if I think it will help the show and the event.  The one thing I can’t do is pull a platform stage out of my back pocket.  Hypnosis shows need to be seen and heard. There’s nothing I hate more than staring out at a crowd and seeing the people in back straining to see what I’m doing on stage, or worse talking among themselves because seeing is simply out of the question.  Choose a room or facility that can offer a stage or space for the show where it can be seen by EVERYONE and you will get a great value for your entertainment dollar.

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Mentalist Shows for Holiday Parties & Motivational Mentalism

This week I will perform at my first two events of the holiday party season.  One will be a mentalist show for 75-100 travel experts at a cool downtown bar. The second will be performing comedy hypnosis for 150 security tech professionals in a hotel function room in Portsmouth New Hampshire.  It will be a busy weekend. Strangely, I am STILL getting inquiry calls about holiday shows for later in the month.  Lucky for those people, I am still looking to fill dates with Mentalist Shows, Hypnosis shows and Comedy Magic shows for the corporate holiday party season. So if you’re considering booking an act and wondering if it’s too late to call;  Yes, normally it is, but go ahead.  Operators are standing by!

December  will be the beginning of me producing short videos and this one is just description of what is inspiring me RIGHT NOW.

The inspirational directives mentioned are:

• Minimize desk time

• Leave ‘normal behind; have a charmed life.’

• The world is an endless source of opportunities

 

 

 

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Is Mentalism Real?

Mentalist for Hire

The ethics of magic and mentalism are…fuzzy.  Magicians have long been at odds with people who claim to be psychic.  Part of the reason is magicians look at psychics and see a performance.  Back from the days when magician actually kept their secrets from one another, they spend loads of time sneaking into each others shows and trying to figure out how things worked ( like the rest of us).  I can only imagine that when they saw psychics they did the same thing. “Oh, is that all you got? I can recreate THAT experience and I KNOW I’m not a psychic.” Magicians have been trained to be skeptical.

But there’s also a different tradition that best summed up by a quote from the 1930’s mentalist The Amazing Dunninger, “No one pays to see a fake mind reader.” What he was referring to are magicians who ruin an audience’s enjoyment of a show by constantly reminding them that ‘it’s all a trick.’  Mind reading and other mentalism works because it treads so close to the believable, especially when its paired with pseudo-explanations like the ones popularized by Derren Brown and those of us who came after him.

I find myself leaning towards the first tradition, especially these days where there is so many untrustworthy sources of information and bad science.  People don’t know who to trust and if I’m claiming to read minds without caveats or disclaimers, I’m only adding to the problem.

Some mentalists will counter my argument by saying everybody knows that it’s all theater and that my worries are unfounded. As evidence to the contrary here’s a recent encounter I had with an adult I met at a entertainment showcase.

Person ( who votes and has a drivers license) “What kind of work do you do?”

Me:  ” I do comedy magic, hypnosis and a mind reading show.”

Person:  ( Who files taxes and has access to the internet) ” Read mind reading or fake mind reading?”

Me: “Oh fake mind reading. I mean it’s all fake.”

Person ( who can legally buy firearms and might have children) ” Well I don’t know, there was an guy here last year who..”

Me: “Yes, that might be true but I promise you, it’s all fake.”

So I will continue to explain to my audiences that I create my shows tricks by combining sleight-of-hand, an understanding of human psychology and bald-faced lying.  At least I can be honest about THAT.

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What is a Mentalist? – Boston Mind Reader Peter Gross

WHAT IS A MENTALIST?

Mentalists explore the limitlessness of the human mind.  Mentalism suggests that our minds are much more powerful then science accepts and that using advanced techniques and natural talents, a mentalist create phenomenon beyond scientific explanation.

Peter Gross offers intellectually challenging and fun mentalist demonstrations for corporate and private events. 

  • Telepathy – Knowing or Reading another persons thoughts
  • Clairvoyance – Receiving knowledge of actions while isolated 
  • Precognition – Predicting future events, choices or the actions of others.
  • Subconscious Influence – Psychologically influencing actions, choices, or preferences of others without their knowledge. Peter’s interest in mentalism and experience in audience management led him to study Neuro-Linguistic Programming and hypnosis.
 

Mentalist Peter Gross claims no extra sensory powers; he lets his astonishing feats speak for themselves.  

For more information:

Mentalist Peter Gross – Videos, show description and reviews

Hypnotist Peter Gross – Videos, show description and reviews

Comedy Magician – Home

or call  508-872-7708