Meet The Team | Michal Kociolek

Who are you and what do you do at Vanishing Inc. Magic?
Hi, my name is Michal Kociolek and I'm the graphic designer intern.

What got you into magic?
There's one, quite defining moment I vividly remember, and that is seeing David Copperfield's “Mystery on the Orient Express” special on Polish television in the early 90s. For a little kid in post-communism times in Poland that was a truly life-changing experience.

Funnily enough, among a bunch of amazing illusions (including a levitation of a wet lady), the two card tricks - a card through window and a card through balloon - were my favorite effects!

Also, it has the best opening line “Are you ready for some magic?"

A line I used way too often (ask my ex-girlfriends).

What sort of magic do you do?
I guess I've always been a fan of card magic (see above). I do mostly close up card stuff.

Who are you magical heroes?
So many to name! I'll try to give a shout-out to just a few (in no particular order): Tomas Blomberg, David Copperfield, Alex Elmsley, Bob Farmer, Lennart Green, Bob Hummer, Darwin Ortiz and Michael Weber.

What’s your favourite magic book?
Without a doubt The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley (two volumes). Also, anything from Darwin Ortiz is a pleasure to read (and hear - the “Designing Miracles” audiobook is amazing).

What’s your favorite magic trick?
Apart from the classic “the one I'm working on at the moment”, it's hard to beat Triumph and the spectator cuts to the Aces (I usually perform John Bannon's “Final Verdict”). Oh, and speaking of shameless plugs, there's a great handling of SCTTA in one of my ebooks, The Expert.

What’s one bit of advice you can share you’ve learned over the years?
Read and watch everything you can get your hands on. There's inspiration waiting for you everywhere.

What Vanishing Inc. tricks do you perform most regularly?
I love the books Vanishing Inc. is releasing (they have the best cover artwork) and I perform quite a few tricks from Blomberg Laboratories, For Your Entertainment Pleasure, Close Culls just to name a few.