Very Caliente

Calm Ambition - Magic, Acting & Following the Signs with Steve Valentine

Episode Summary

Pablo and Jennie sit down with actor and magician Steve Valentine, currently starring as the Mad Hatter in Cirque Alice at Eldorado Reno. Steve walks through his journey from a small English town to Hollywood, the calm ambition that carried him through ten years before Crossing Jordan, his one man show Life and Other Deceptions, his Magic on the Go online school, and his core message: be unrealistic, jump out of the plane and learn to make the parachute on the way down. Honest, generous, and very caliente.

Episode Notes

Very Caliente

Hosts: Pablo Alsina & Jennie López

EP 022 - Calm Ambition - Magic, Acting & Following the Signs with Steve Valentine

Summary

Main Topics

From England to Hollywood on a cruise ship with a couple of thousand bucks
Refusing to be boxed in: actor, magician, writer, producer
Playing the Mad Hatter in Cirque Alice at Eldorado Reno
“Bad writing” from the universe and learning to read the signs
Ten years away from magic, and the torrent of creativity that came back
Crossing Jordan and the lesson in being your own type
Voicing Harry Flynn in Uncharted 2, and the Nolan North / Christopher Walken dubbing story
Jump out of the plane, learn how to make the parachute on the way down

Intriguing Quotes

“Calm ambition. You’re not quite sure when or how, but I always kept at it.” — Steve Valentine
“Maybe I’ll be my own type.” — Steve Valentine
“Jump out of the plane, learn how to make the parachute on the way down.” — Steve Valentine
“Be unrealistic. The people who made it were unrealistic.” — Steve Valentine

Key Moments

[00:01:25] - Cirque Alice at Eldorado Reno, playing the Mad Hatter
[00:02:32] - DJing in the former Yugoslavia before the war forced him out
[00:03:44] - “Calm ambition”: not knowing when or how, but always kept at it
[00:04:59] - “Bad writing” from the universe
[00:05:51] - Ten years away from magic and the creativity that came back
[00:06:50] - Life and Other Deceptions: writing the one man show
[00:10:32] - Garth Brooks’ ‘Unanswered Prayers’ and Michael Caine’s journey
[00:13:22] - “Maybe I’ll be my own type”: how Crossing Jordan happened
[00:16:16] - Houdini series and the hundredth anniversary pitch
[00:16:44] - Buying the rights to Gerry Cottle’s Confessions of a Showman
[00:18:56] - Voicing Harry Flynn in Uncharted 2 and Dragon Age
[00:21:22] - Magic on the Go: teaching the craft, not just the secret
[00:23:19] - Buy the ticket: creating your own opportunities
[00:24:30] - “Be unrealistic”: the people who made it were unrealistic
[00:26:30] - Where to find Steve online
[00:29:23] - A magic trick to close the show

Notable Guests and Resources

Steve Valentine - Actor, magician, writer, producer
Instagram: @SteveValentine
Website: SteveValentine.com
Magic school: magiconthego.com
Podcast: Magicians Only
Current show: Cirque Alice at Eldorado Reno
Screen credits: Crossing Jordan, Monster High, The Gourmet Detective
Voice credits: Uncharted 2 (Harry Flynn), Dragon Age

Special Announcements

Catch Steve as the Mad Hatter in Cirque Alice at Eldorado Reno.
Sign up at magiconthego.com to learn the craft properly.
Listen to season one of the Magicians Only podcast.

🎧 Connect with the Hosts

Follow Jennie (@IntentionalUnicorn) and Pablo (@PabloAlsina) on Instagram for behind-the-scenes moments, bonus wisdom, and pure good vibes.

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