Meet The Team | Jim Krenz

Who are you and what do you do at Vanishing Inc. Magic?

I’m Jim Krenz—I’m a Mac geek, app nerd, writer of wonderful words and an adventurer of authentic awesomeness. I love sleight-of-hand magic, chess, GTD, movies, tech & gaming.

My primary task is to annoy Andi as much as is inhumanly possible. My secondary goal is to make Vanishing Inc. Magic the best magic shop in the known universe. Tertiary: customer support and whatever else I can do to make Josh and George happy.

What got you into magic?

I misspent the first four years of my life. An Adams' Ball & Vase, purchased by my father at a truck stop. He wasn’t going to buy it, but I kept tugging on his pants until he relented.

What sort of magic do you do now?

Primarily close-up magic with cards, coins, rope and cups & balls. I have done street magic and stage magic, including a dove act and a substitution trunk. Thankfully, all of my audiences have recovered.

Who are you magical heroes?

Jay and Francis Marshall, Ed Marlo, Jim Ryan, Tony Andruzzi, Gazzo, Vanni Bossi, Don Alan, Ricky Jay, Slydini, Tommy Wonder and Juan Tamariz.

What’s your favourite magic book?

It is a tie between the Mark Wilson course, the Tamariz Points/Way/Rainbow trilogy and the Books of Wonder.

What’s your favourite magic trick?

Ambitious card with my call bell.

What’s one bit of advice you can share you’ve learned over the years?

Love yourself—love your magic—love your audiences!

What Vanishing Inc. tricks do you perform most regularly?

Coincidencia. It is a delightful showpiece that I love and I will perform it for the rest of my life.

Harry Robson's Roughing Stick is a great secret weapon that I am thrilled that Vanishing Inc. produces.

Although I prefer my call bell, Daniel Garcia’s Mint Box is great when I don’t want to carry the bell.

I’ll close with something that is not a trick, but it affects every trick that I perform. I grew up loving magic, and throughout my studies, it shocked me that so few magicians thought deeply about our art. Sure, I had Sharpe and Fitzkee. There were chapters in books here and there. Then my faith in magical theory was taken to new plateaus by Tamariz and Wonder. When you find kindred spirits, it means so much!

So, when I saw that Vanishing Inc. had gathered a treasure trove of food for thought in "Magic in Mind” — I was ecstatic! If you haven’t downloaded "Magic in Mind" yet, stop reading this and go get it! Read those theories, embrace the ideas, think for yourself—your art, and your audiences, will be forever grateful!