Man vs Machine: When Mentalism Met MRI Technology
For years, documentaries and newspaper headlines have claimed that advances in brain imaging technology could one day allow scientists to read human thoughts.
In 2014, I was invited to take part in a live public experiment exploring exactly that idea.
The project, titled Man vs Machine, brought together mentalism, neuroscience and MRI technology as part of Sheffield’s Festival of the Mind - a major cultural event organised by the University of Sheffield celebrating the relationship between science, creativity and human thought.
Designing a Bespoke Mentalism Performance for the Belvoir National Conference
Some corporate events require more than simply stepping onto a stage and performing a polished set. The most rewarding events are the ones built around a company’s identity, audience and message - where every moment feels tailored specifically to the people in the room.
That was exactly the case when I was invited to perform at the Belvoir National Conference.
What I Learned Performing at IFSEC - One of Europe’s Largest Trade Shows
Trade shows are exhausting.
That probably sounds like a strange opening line coming from somebody hired to work at them, but it’s true.
They are loud, relentless, crowded and mentally draining environments where hundreds of companies are all competing for exactly the same thing:
attention.
And after performing at IFSEC at London’s ExCeL Centre, I quickly realised that successful trade show entertainment has very little to do with simply “doing tricks.”
It’s about stopping people walking past.
Performing at Sheffield University’s Celebration of Enterprise Awards
There’s something very different about returning to your hometown to perform.
No matter how many events you work at around the UK, walking back into a city you feel deeply connected to always carries an extra sense of pride and pressure in equal measure.
The Day Theo Paphitis Chose My Business
Building a career in entertainment can feel strange in the early years.
You spend countless hours refining performances, travelling to events, answering enquiries and trying to build something sustainable from a profession many people don’t fully understand in the first place.
So when moments of unexpected recognition arrive, they tend to stay with you.
Performing at La Manga: My First International Corporate Event
There are certain moments in your career that quietly change the way you see everything.
For me, one of those moments happened in 2013 when I was invited to perform at a corporate event in Spain for Intrinsic Financial Planning at the renowned La Manga Club resort Up until that point, I had travelled overseas to lecture and perform within the mentalism world, but this was different.
This was my first international corporate booking.
Performing at Gary Cahill’s Wedding Reception
Over the years, I’ve learned that high-profile private events are often far quieter and more personal than people imagine.
From the outside, there’s an assumption that celebrity weddings must feel extravagant, chaotic or wildly over-the-top. In reality, many are simply carefully protected private occasions where the couple want their friends and family to relax, enjoy themselves and temporarily forget about the outside world.
After Dinner Entertainment at Oakley Hall Hotel
One of the most rewarding aspects of working as a professional mentalist is discovering where the next booking might come from.
In many cases, the strongest form of marketing isn’t advertising at all - it’s a live audience experiencing a performance first-hand and later deciding they want that same experience for their own event.
That was exactly how this particular booking came about.
What Is a Mentalist?
Most people have heard the term ‘mentalist’ before.
Often through television shows, live theatre productions or performers such as Derren Brown.
But despite mentalism becoming increasingly popular over the last two decades, many people still aren’t entirely sure what a mentalist actually does.
Is it magic?
Psychology?
Mind reading?
The Award That Quietly Changed My Confidence
The Wedding Industry Awards, often shortened to TWIA, was one of the UK wedding industry’s most respected award organisations at the time.
What made the awards particularly meaningful was the judging process itself.
Suppliers were not simply judged by panels or industry insiders.
The votes and feedback came directly from couples who had actually booked you for one of the most important days of their lives.
That mattered to me enormously.