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Who is Bill Campbell, III?
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 Who is Bill Campbell, III?
Bill Campbell is a rarity: a native Southern Californian. He's been interested in magic since he was eight years old, when a magician performed at his elementary school carnival. ("When he asked for volunteers and picked me, I was so excited I vaulted onto the stage! He asked the next assistant to use the stairs on the side.") He has been a magician member at the Magic Castle in Hollywood since 1998, and a member of the Orange County Magic Club (OCMC) since 1995.? In 1998 he competed in the OCMC's annual close-up magic magic contest--his first magic competition--and his performance netted him second-place, within an eyelash of the winner.? Bill bettered that in May, 2000 when his 10-minute close-up act beat out those of ten other performers to win the Les Rash Close-Up Trophy.
Since 1993 Bill has performed all over Orange County at elementary, middle and high schools, at restaurants, at corporate banquets, at charity fund raisers and at private parties including weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthday parties and anniversary parties. Although his first love is close-up magic, Bill also performs on stage.
There are three areas where Bill's approach to magic distinguishes him from other magicians: attitude, background, and enthusiasm.
His attitude toward entertainment is evident from the moment you hear about Bill. He calls his company "The Polite Side of Magic" because he's seen too many magicians who are rude, mean, and vulgar; he has demonstrated time and again that a magician can be entertaining, exciting, and courteous at the same time. His goal is simple: to entertain his audience with the impossible, and to be a gentleman while doing so.
Bill's background includes bachelor's degrees in both business and mathematics, and a master's degree in mathematics. He taught college mathematics for 7 years. He has had careers in computer software design, engineering, and finance. And he also has taught and cared for children ranging from infants to high-schoolers. All of this experience puts Bill in the unique position to be able to entertain people with a wide variety of backgrounds; he can discuss mortgage securities with investors, satellite design with engineers, or crayons with first-graders.
Bill's enthusiasm is contagious. He began performing after attending a magic show in which the magician was clearly not enjoying the idea of being before an audience. Bill performs for one reason: he has fun! And when he enjoys the show, his audience does as well.
When he's not performing, Bill spends his time with his wife of over 20 years, and their children at their home in Yorba Linda, CA. In addition to his love of magic, his interests include horseback riding, camping and backpacking, and Formula 1 racing--he is a great fan of Scuderia Ferrari. |
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