User:Kktm/Sandbox

Early On

It all started when Kyle was 6 and started out like a lot of kids do….with a magic kit. Kyle’s dad got him this gift to experiment and make sure Kyle didn’t like to play with Barbies instead. Kyle really enjoyed showing his friends and family the cheesy tricks in the set. It was that winter that Kyle’s dad, Lonnie, seen an advertisement for a father son magic class in those “Don’t Hibernate” catalogs. They signed up immediately.

The teacher of the class was Brent Smith, who now owns the only magic shop in Alberta called The Vanishing Rabbit in Calgary. The class consisted of various views on the art of magic and this geared Kyle up even more. Because Kyle was so interested Kyle and Lonnie got to stay after the class and talk with Brent…Smitty. Brent showed Kyle his dove, Shimada. There was also a news reporter from the Red Deer Advocate who took Kyle’s picture and was in the paper the next day. As the newly found magician, Kyle Key was very excited. Kyle’s first newspaper appearance filled him with piss and vinegar for the art of magic.

Smitty gave Kyle a catalog for an Ontario magic company called, Morrissey Magic. Lonnie then placed orders with his Visa and orders started coming in of higher grade apparatus than what was in the contents of his Halloween Themed magic kit. Kyle then began to perform and practice everyday in the middle of the living room. Kyle then got a surprise in which he was unaware of the significance. His uncle Alan Mackenzie brought with him from Florida a signed deck of playing cards and some posters from a magician named Jeff McBride. Kyle then went on to meet Jeff just recently in March 2007. You can see pictures of Kyle and Jeff on Kyle’s website.

It was then New Years Eve in Red Deer of 1998-1999 where there was a list of events everyone could attend and a magic show was one of them. Lonnie and Kyle then attended the magic show and Lonnie knowing Kyle was hyped up about magic asked to see the magician after the show. And now Kyle is sitting here typing this in third person and cannot remember the name of that magician…..shoot! Anyway, that magician then informed the two that there was a newly opened magic shop in Red Deer, Great Scott Illusions: Little Shop of Magic (GSI). The owner/operator was Wyatt Scott. Wyatt was a magician with a dream of bringing magic to the Central Alberta community. Kyle Key was his first student. Kyle took lessons and developed a routine in which he went on to win his first competition…The 2002 Lacombe Junior High School Talent Show. Kyle, in Grade 7 was very excited as you can see from the video of him getting the award ($15 A&B Sound Gift Card) ask him if you want to see the video.

It was then 2003 when the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians annual magic convention and competition came to Port Coquitlam, BC. Both Kyle and Lonnie registered and attended the convention. The president of PCAM at the time was world renowned, Shawn Farqhuar. Kyle was still very excited but not nervous when he competed for the Juvenile title in Close-Up magic. When the announcement was made the next day, Kyle took the award a little bit more humbly this time but was exploding with excitement inside.

First Gigs

At this time Kyle started performing magic shows for children’s birthday parties. Wyatt was Kyle’s manager. Kyle worked with Wyatt at birthday shows. Kyle was more or less Wyatt’s assistant for a few shows. Wyatt then called Kyle one day informing him that he had a show at DeGraff’s Camp Resort at Gull Lake. This was no birthday party! It was Kyle’s first corporate show. Kyle performed his stage act to music and then he performed his children’s act. Kyle was very excited to get his first paycheck from Margrit DeGraff….with a $50 tip!

It was at the age of 12 when Kyle realized he had no control over the shows he did. In which case he got a cell phone and began managing his own shows. Wyatt still gave him shows here and there and was not fired by any means. Kyle went on to win first place in Junior Children’s Entertainment at PCAM 2004 in Seattle. The n ext PCAM convention Kyle would attend would be in August of 2007 in Calgary.

Overcoming Adversity

Then it was overcoming adversity which became Kyle’s new goal. Kyle had surgery on his left ankle because the two main bones in his ankle where fusing together. A seven inch stainless steel screw was needed to fuse them completely. Kyle’s surgery was on December 14th, planned so Kyle wouldn’t miss much school. However Kyle missed a lot of Christmas magic shows. A month later, there was a magic competition at Red Deer College that was put on by the Society of Central Alberta Magicians, SCAM. It was days before the competition when Kyle got his cast removed and began physical therapy to regain over a month of muscle loss. It was the day of the competition that Kyle decided at school that he would compete in this contest. Kyle was the rustiest un-healthy magician crazy enough to enter. Kyle had no routine he could use for most of them involved audience participation and constant energetic moving. Kyle left school early and sat down trying to think what he could do for this. It was at one single moment that Kyle remembers like it was only a moment ago, where he came up with the idea of a “Gigant-a-lope”, a magical device that could transform someone’s card into a gigantic size. Kyle won first place for Youth Parlor Magic with his Gigant-a-lope act.

Kyle now plans to never stop growing in the art of magic and do it until he dies. “I would rather do a show for screaming 8 year olds than work at McDonald's”

Favorite Card

Many people have a favorite card. Of course the most common cards would be The Ace of Spades or Queen of Hearts. However, Kyle's favorite card in a deck of 52 is the 8 of hearts. The reason behind it is somewhat sentimental. When Kyle first started taking magic lessons from Wyatt Scott in the early 2000's, there was a trick Wyatt kept showing Kyle and he could never figure it out. The trick was called a one way forcing deck and it baffled young Kyle even after he knew what would happen and what it was called. Finally Kyle bought the trick for the trick for nothing more than the satisfaction of what it was that was tricking him all this time. When he brought the trick home and opened it up, it was a deck of 52 8 of Hearts. No wonder Wyatt always knew which card he selected, and no wonder it always came back up to the top! Kyle still has that same deck of cards to this day, and has integrated the subtle hints of it's presence in his act.

Awards

P.C.A.M.

1st Place, Juvenile Close Up 2003

1st Place, Junior Children's Entertainment 2004

S.C.A.M.

1st Place, Youth Parlor 2006

2nd Place, Adult Children's Entertainment 2006

Media Appearances

News Papers

Lacombe Globe

Tuesday, August 26, 2003

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Radio

CKGY 95.5 FM