Wayne Hoffman
Encyclopedia
Wayne Hoffman is an American mentalist, illusionist, and motivational speaker. He appeared on NBC's television show Phenomenon
on October 31, 2007. He also appeared on The Howard Stern Show on April 30, 2008. He was a host of The A List on Discovery's Animal Planet
. He was also a guest on CNN's television talk show Glenn Beck
on March 25, 2008. He appeared as a guest on The Ellen Degeneres Show
on April 13, 2009.
, Pennsylvania
.
He attended Cabrini Academy from grades two through eight. He later attended Holy Name High School
where he graduated with honors.
His father is Fred Hoffman (born 1936), and his mother is Rose Schober (born 1948). Friends called him "Magic Man". He performed his first show at the age of 15 in Reading
, Pennsylvania
. Hoffman moved around a lot as a child, as he was raised by his single mother. In 1989, he and his mother moved to Shillington, Pennsylvania. It is there that he found the Mingus Magic Shop, where he discovered his passion for "the mystery arts". After graduating from high school he attended Alvernia College
(now Alvernia University). As a child, Hoffman's interest in magic and mind-reading led him to study psychology. He became a professional magician
and began calling himself "Waydini" because he was heavily influenced by the magic shop owner Wayne Shifflet who also called himself "Waydini". In later life, Hoffman chose to use his birth name as a "down-to-earth" approach to his life as an entertainer.
. In 2001, while attending Alverina College He met John Gallagher, who ran the student activities board for the school. Gallagher connected Hoffman to a talent booker. This was a catalyst for Hoffman's career.
Hoffman quickly began performing throughout Pennsylvania, and eventually the east coast. In 2003 he began performing nationally after a start in the collegiate market. In 2006 he furthered his career by performing for Princess Cruise lines.
Hoffman's "big break" came in 2007 when he was contacted by NBC
. Impressed by his mentalism act, NBC asked him to participate in their television show Phenomenon
. Within months, he was performing at the top theaters in the US. After his exposure on Phenomenon, he began to get phone calls for appearances on other television shows such as, The Howard Stern Show, The Glenn Beck Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show, and more. Shortly after, Hoffman performed his first international show in England
.
Hoffman was a sensation in Europe, where he became widely known as "The Master of Mayhem". He toured England
, Scotland
, the Netherlands, Germany
, France
, and Russia
. In each city, he would challenge local newspaper reporters to allow him to read their minds. In many of these challenges, he would be able to identify their thoughts over the phone and read their minds in their native languages. In Moscow
, he claimed to read the mind of a local politician and was nearly arrested. With his new-found wealth and success, he purchased a Ferrari which he later sold because it was "too pretentious". In August 2009 he purchased a home for his mother. Hoffman said it was the happiest day of his life.
From 2007 onward, he performed with great success in the United States. He would appear to read minds, influence audience members' thoughts, and perform feats of psychokinesis
. Because of controversy started from his appearance on The Howard Stern Show he began performing demonstrations that have no apparent explanation. He focused much of his attention on death-defying stunts which added the possibility of failure and death. Hoffman also expanded his act into the mainstream media—in 2009 he challenged Donald Trump
to allow him to wager $1 million on one hand of blackjack in one of Trump's casinos.
Hoffman explained one of his tricks in a DVD named "Getting Numbers" in which he describes a method for reading someone's mind to obtain their phone number. For the majority of his career, he performed his act as a headliner. For many years, he was the highest-paid mentalist working in the cruise ship industry. One of his most notable mentalism feats was performed on Phenomenon (TV series)
, where he influenced former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey
to draw a yin-yang symbol which he had tattooed on his arm one month prior. In 2006 he established Hoffman Entertainment which provides talent management. The business is still in operation as of January 2010. He also served as Sergeant at Arms of the Society of American Magicians (aka S.A.M.) ring number 57 from 2001 until 2008. As of August 2010 Wayne tours with his two shows "Mind Candy" and "Phenomenon".
, Puerto Rico the plane's cockpit caught on fire. Wayne recounted his ordeal in his blog, stating that it was the scariest moment of his life. It was later discovered that a fuse in the window's heater blew causing an electrical fire. The plane made an emergency landing at Palm Beach International Airport 90 minutes after the plane's cabin filled with smoke. 7 people were sent to the hospital including the captain and the co-pilot. The co-pilot was treated for cuts he sustained to his face when the plane's windshield shattered.
Phenomenon
A phenomenon , plural phenomena, is any observable occurrence. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as 'appearances' or 'experiences'...
on October 31, 2007. He also appeared on The Howard Stern Show on April 30, 2008. He was a host of The A List on Discovery's Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
. He was also a guest on CNN's television talk show Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
on March 25, 2008. He appeared as a guest on The Ellen Degeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
on April 13, 2009.
Early life
Wayne Nicholas Hoffman was born in ReadingReading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
He attended Cabrini Academy from grades two through eight. He later attended Holy Name High School
Holy Name High School (Reading, PA)
Holy Name High School was a four-year comprehensive coeducational Roman Catholic preparatory/secondary school located in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was approved and accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Diocese of...
where he graduated with honors.
His father is Fred Hoffman (born 1936), and his mother is Rose Schober (born 1948). Friends called him "Magic Man". He performed his first show at the age of 15 in Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Hoffman moved around a lot as a child, as he was raised by his single mother. In 1989, he and his mother moved to Shillington, Pennsylvania. It is there that he found the Mingus Magic Shop, where he discovered his passion for "the mystery arts". After graduating from high school he attended Alvernia College
Alvernia College
Alvernia University is a private university located in Reading, Pennsylvania. Once known as a college, Alvernia gained University status in 2008.-Academics:...
(now Alvernia University). As a child, Hoffman's interest in magic and mind-reading led him to study psychology. He became a professional 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...
and began calling himself "Waydini" because he was heavily influenced by the magic shop owner Wayne Shifflet who also called himself "Waydini". In later life, Hoffman chose to use his birth name as a "down-to-earth" approach to his life as an entertainer.
Career
Initially, Hoffman's career resulted in average success. Initially focused on traditional card tricks, he performed for churches and museums, and even private birthday parties. At one point, he performed table-to-table at restaurants in his home town. But he soon began experimenting with mentalismMentalism
Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats and rapid...
. In 2001, while attending Alverina College He met John Gallagher, who ran the student activities board for the school. Gallagher connected Hoffman to a talent booker. This was a catalyst for Hoffman's career.
Hoffman quickly began performing throughout Pennsylvania, and eventually the east coast. In 2003 he began performing nationally after a start in the collegiate market. In 2006 he furthered his career by performing for Princess Cruise lines.
Hoffman's "big break" came in 2007 when he was contacted by 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...
. Impressed by his mentalism act, NBC asked him to participate in their television show Phenomenon
Phenomenon
A phenomenon , plural phenomena, is any observable occurrence. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as 'appearances' or 'experiences'...
. Within months, he was performing at the top theaters in the US. After his exposure on Phenomenon, he began to get phone calls for appearances on other television shows such as, The Howard Stern Show, The Glenn Beck Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show, and more. Shortly after, Hoffman performed his first international show in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Hoffman was a sensation in Europe, where he became widely known as "The Master of Mayhem". He toured England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the Netherlands, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In each city, he would challenge local newspaper reporters to allow him to read their minds. In many of these challenges, he would be able to identify their thoughts over the phone and read their minds in their native languages. In Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, he claimed to read the mind of a local politician and was nearly arrested. With his new-found wealth and success, he purchased a Ferrari which he later sold because it was "too pretentious". In August 2009 he purchased a home for his mother. Hoffman said it was the happiest day of his life.
From 2007 onward, he performed with great success in the United States. He would appear to read minds, influence audience members' thoughts, and perform feats of psychokinesis
Psychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
. Because of controversy started from his appearance on The Howard Stern Show he began performing demonstrations that have no apparent explanation. He focused much of his attention on death-defying stunts which added the possibility of failure and death. Hoffman also expanded his act into the mainstream media—in 2009 he challenged Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
to allow him to wager $1 million on one hand of blackjack in one of Trump's casinos.
Hoffman explained one of his tricks in a DVD named "Getting Numbers" in which he describes a method for reading someone's mind to obtain their phone number. For the majority of his career, he performed his act as a headliner. For many years, he was the highest-paid mentalist working in the cruise ship industry. One of his most notable mentalism feats was performed on Phenomenon (TV series)
Phenomenon (TV series)
Phenomenon is a competition show judged by mystifier Uri Geller and illusionist Criss Angel and hosted by Tim Vincent which debuted live on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 on NBC. The show featured ten contestants competing to become the next great mentalist, to be determined by viewers voting by phone...
, where he influenced former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey
Shandi Finnessey
Shandi Ren Finnessey is an American beauty queen, model, television hostess, and actress. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award...
to draw a yin-yang symbol which he had tattooed on his arm one month prior. In 2006 he established Hoffman Entertainment which provides talent management. The business is still in operation as of January 2010. He also served as Sergeant at Arms of the Society of American Magicians (aka S.A.M.) ring number 57 from 2001 until 2008. As of August 2010 Wayne tours with his two shows "Mind Candy" and "Phenomenon".
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | APCA Awards | Novelty Artist of the Year | n/a | |
| 2008 | Campus Activities Magazine Awards | Best Live Novelty Artist | n/a | |
| 2009 | Campus Activities Magazine Awards | Entertainer of the Year | n/a | |
| 2009 | Campus Activities Magazine Awards | Best Male Performer | n/a | |
| 2009 | Campus Activities Magazine Awards | Best Live Novelty Artist | Second Nomination | |
| 2010 | Campus Activities Magazine Awards | Entertainer of the Year | Second Nomination |
In The News
On November 23rd, 2011 Wayne Hoffman was featured in a story for CNN Money where he was featured in their story "Cool Companies". The story highlighted 12 "cool and profitable companies." The story was written by Kitt Walsh. Here is a link to the story: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/smallbusiness/1111/gallery.cool_companies/5.htmlNear death experience
On January 30, 2008 Hoffman and his father were on a flight returning from Wayne's tour of the Caribbean. On the flight from San JuanSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Puerto Rico the plane's cockpit caught on fire. Wayne recounted his ordeal in his blog, stating that it was the scariest moment of his life. It was later discovered that a fuse in the window's heater blew causing an electrical fire. The plane made an emergency landing at Palm Beach International Airport 90 minutes after the plane's cabin filled with smoke. 7 people were sent to the hospital including the captain and the co-pilot. The co-pilot was treated for cuts he sustained to his face when the plane's windshield shattered.