Lee Asher
Encyclopedia
Lee Asher is a close-up magician noted for originating new card tricks and hypnotic sleight of hand
moves.
and Lou Tannen in New York City in the 1960s.
He attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland until 1994, and then the University of Nevada/Las Vegas, which he graduated with honors. During this time, he would often sneak into casinos like the Golden Nugget
. Here, he would watch master magician Michael Skinner who would later influence his magic. After jobs as magic demo man at the Magic Mansion, he was hired to work at Caesars Magical Empire in Caesars Palace
performing card magic, from 1996 to 1997. He worked with world famous magicians like Earl Nelson, Jeff McBride
, Chappy Brazil, Joey Burton, Daryl, Michael Ammar, Jonathan Pendragon, and many more. His official character title was 'Cardius Sharkus'. Once work was over, he finished school - officially graduating from university in 1999.
From an early age, Asher knew that he wanted to be a magician
. His first magic gigs were wherever he could get a job, performing evenings, and weekends - though his real passion came from inventing magic. At the young age of 15, he invented a technique titled 'The Asher Twist'. The Eugene Weekly reported, "After inventing "The Asher Twist," a sleight-of-hand card trick that made an international name for him, Lee Asher spent the better part of 10 years traveling the world and performing his own brand of cutting-edge magic.
He is the first place International Brotherhood of Magicians
Junior Close-up Champion (1991 and 1992), and was a featured lecturer at the inaugural Session Convention, a British convention for close-up magicians, in 2006.
Since then, Lee has been given several opportunities to appear on prime time television on channels such as the Discovery Channel
, The Learning Channel, and 'The World's Greatest Magic
on NBC
. He has also traveled the world, lecturing to magicians.
He has published in industry magazines such as Trapdoor, Channel One, The Penumbra, The Magic Circle
, Apocalypse, Labyrinth, and Genii Magazine.
Lee Asher was the 2001 special guest at Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp
.
Lee Asher was a guest on the iTricks.com podcast for the week of 12/10/07.
It all began in 2003 when Asher was approached by Magic Makers asking to purchase the rights to his Four-Ace routine that originally appeared in print ten years earlier. Asher declined, but in December of that year Ghost Kings, a suspiciously Asher Twist-ish looking routine with four Kings, appeared on the market in Europe, and then eventually went worldwide.
Lee hopes that his trade-in program will pave the way for other performers and marketers who find themselves in the same position of having their inventions ripped-off. Asher says that he has spoken to the CEO of Magic Makers about this, and that they both decided it's water under the bridge. But, Lee continues, initiating action to educate the masses, and at the same time recall the entire unauthorized product from the market, is something all creators can do. It's just a question of how far you're willing to go.
Sleight of hand
Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....
moves.
Biography
Lee Asher was born in Ft Lauderdale, near Miami in southern Florida, to Louise and her husband, Mark Horowitz. He is the eldest of two children and has a sister, Alexis. His father managed an optometric practice, and as a boy he would learn magic from Al FlossoAl Flosso
Albert Levinson was a Jewish American magician and entertainer, better known by his stage name Al Flosso....
and Lou Tannen in New York City in the 1960s.
He attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland until 1994, and then the University of Nevada/Las Vegas, which he graduated with honors. During this time, he would often sneak into casinos like the Golden Nugget
Golden Nugget Las Vegas
The Golden Nugget Las Vegas is a luxury casino-hotel located in Las Vegas, Nevada on the Fremont Street Experience. The property is owned and operated by Landry's Restaurants....
. Here, he would watch master magician Michael Skinner who would later influence his magic. After jobs as magic demo man at the Magic Mansion, he was hired to work at Caesars Magical Empire in Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated township in Clark County, Nevada, United States in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp....
performing card magic, from 1996 to 1997. He worked with world famous magicians like Earl Nelson, Jeff McBride
Jeff McBride
Jeff McBride is an American magician from Monticello New York. He is known for his sleight of hand skills and specializes in the manipulation of playing cards, coins, and other small objects. His stage performances blend elements of kabuki, a Japanese theater form, with traditional conjuring...
, Chappy Brazil, Joey Burton, Daryl, Michael Ammar, Jonathan Pendragon, and many more. His official character title was 'Cardius Sharkus'. Once work was over, he finished school - officially graduating from university in 1999.
From an early age, Asher knew that he wanted to be a magician
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
. His first magic gigs were wherever he could get a job, performing evenings, and weekends - though his real passion came from inventing magic. At the young age of 15, he invented a technique titled 'The Asher Twist'. The Eugene Weekly reported, "After inventing "The Asher Twist," a sleight-of-hand card trick that made an international name for him, Lee Asher spent the better part of 10 years traveling the world and performing his own brand of cutting-edge magic.
He is the first place International Brotherhood of Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians is the world's largest organization for professional and amateur magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St...
Junior Close-up Champion (1991 and 1992), and was a featured lecturer at the inaugural Session Convention, a British convention for close-up magicians, in 2006.
Since then, Lee has been given several opportunities to appear on prime time television on channels such as the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, The Learning Channel, and 'The World's Greatest Magic
The World's Greatest Magic
The World's Greatest Magic was a series of American television specials showcasing magic acts.The first of five shows was broadcast by NBC in 1994, and continued with annual editions through 1998. These shows were most often first telecast during the Thanksgiving holidays when special programming...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. He has also traveled the world, lecturing to magicians.
He has published in industry magazines such as Trapdoor, Channel One, The Penumbra, The Magic Circle
The Magic Circle
The Magic Circle is a British organisation, founded in London in 1905, dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic.- History :The Magic Circle was founded in 1905 after a meeting of 23 amateur and professional magicians at London's Pinoli's Restaurant...
, Apocalypse, Labyrinth, and Genii Magazine.
Lee Asher was the 2001 special guest at Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp
Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp
Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp is a performance arts camp solely dedicated to teaching the art of magic to young people.-History:Sorcerer's Safari is the creation of Torontonian Mike Segal, who's been working as a magician since high school....
.
Lee Asher was a guest on the iTricks.com podcast for the week of 12/10/07.
Unprecedented move in the Magic Industry
In 2006, in an unprecedented move, close-up performer Lee Asher announced that he will be sending his Asher Twist DVDs out free of charge. Free? Well, yes, but in exchange for Magic Makers' Ghost Kings DVDs; a product that Asher says was an inferior result of the theft of his original idea.It all began in 2003 when Asher was approached by Magic Makers asking to purchase the rights to his Four-Ace routine that originally appeared in print ten years earlier. Asher declined, but in December of that year Ghost Kings, a suspiciously Asher Twist-ish looking routine with four Kings, appeared on the market in Europe, and then eventually went worldwide.
Lee hopes that his trade-in program will pave the way for other performers and marketers who find themselves in the same position of having their inventions ripped-off. Asher says that he has spoken to the CEO of Magic Makers about this, and that they both decided it's water under the bridge. But, Lee continues, initiating action to educate the masses, and at the same time recall the entire unauthorized product from the market, is something all creators can do. It's just a question of how far you're willing to go.
Awards and honors
- International Brotherhood of MagiciansInternational Brotherhood of MagiciansInternational Brotherhood of Magicians is the world's largest organization for professional and amateur magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St...
1991, Junior Close-up magic (Baltimore, MD) - International Brotherhood of MagiciansInternational Brotherhood of MagiciansInternational Brotherhood of Magicians is the world's largest organization for professional and amateur magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St...
1992, Junior Close-up magic (Salt Lake City, UT) - 2006, Las Vegas Magic Film Festival || Inspiration Award (Las Vegas, NV)
Published Works
Lee Asher's mainstream releases:- (1995) Cooking with Lee Asher VHS
- (1999) Well Done VHS
- (1998) Sex Sells Booklet
- (1998) Thinking Out Loud Booklet
- (1999) Five Card Stud VHS
- (1999) Le Asher Booklet
- (2000) Pulp Friction Booklet
- (2001) Close Cover Before Striking Booklet
- (2001) Hand Jobs Booklet
- (2002) Five Card Stud DVD
- (2003) Hit the Road DVD
- (2004) Losing Control Cd-Rom
- (2004) Catch 33: Three Card Monte PDF
- (2005) Diving Board Double PDF
- (2005) Three Stylin Booklet
- (2005) On Tour with Michael Ammar
- (2006) Asher Twist DVD
- (2007) Thunderbird: The Modern Ace Production PDF
- (2007) WITNESS: A Lesson in Simplicity DVD
- (2008) Nu Sense co-produced with Alain Nu
- (2009) Lee Asher Signature Series 605s High Quality Playing Cards printed by Naipes Heraclio FournierNaipes Heraclio FournierNaipes Heraclio Fournier S.A. is a playing card manufacturer that was founded in 1868 and is based in Vitoria, Spain. Though it has been owned by The United States Playing Card Company since 1986, not only does it continue to maintain separate manufacturing operations, but it also manufactures...
- (2010) Losing Control PDF
- (2010) Jerry's Nugget playing cardsJerry's Nugget playing cardsFounded in 1964 by Jerry Lodge and Jerry Stamis, Jerry's Nugget Casino stands today as a significant piece of Las Vegas history. In 1970, the casino printed a special deck of cards, and sold them in their gift shop for fifty cents...
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