Thursday, May 28, 2009

Magical Moments: The Wizardry of Oz







Oz Pearlman has been a professional magician for over-10 years. His warm personality and natural charisma make him an audience favorite. Combining breathtaking magic, incredible mind reading, and audience-driven comedy, he delivers an unforgettable performance.

Oz found his magical calling after he witnessed the performance of a cruise-ship magician, when he was young. He then immersed himself fully in the art of magic and entertainment – a quality that has him also excelling in triathlons and marathons. Oz has honed his talents over the course of thousands of performances at venues ranging from the cozy living room to the packed auditorium. These include performances at restaurants, birthday parties, Bar Mitzvahs, weddings, colleges, holiday parties, corporate events, and TV commercials/appearances.

Most notably, Oz starred in his own Off-Broadway show in New York City, WatchMagic. His show enjoyed critical acclaim and enjoyed three sold-out runs.

Oz was in Singapore last year to deliver a lecture for magicians of the local ring of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM). The local fraternity of magicians eagerly snapped up his lecture notes, and original magical tricks as a testimonial of his lecture.

On the sports front, Oz excels in endurance sports such as ultra-marathons and Ironman triathlons. He qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii and completed it with a remarkable timing. He is very generous with his responses and he will reveal how he has achieved so much in a short period of time in both sports and his profession.

Full name: Oz Pearlman

Age: 26

Status: Single

Profession: Professional Magician & Mindreader

Years in profession: 4

City of Residence: NYC

Years in triathlon: 2 years

Pet peeves: People cracking their gum, or chewing loudly

Hobbies: Running marathons and ultra-marathons, reading science fiction and magazines
 
Enrico: Walk us through your active lifestyle. You work internationally, and are an avid sportsman. How do you do it?

Oz: I normally train 6 days a week, mixture of cycling on an indoor-trainer, running, and calisthenics. When training for Ironmans in the past, it would be anywhere from 2-6 hours per day. When training for marathons and ultras, it's more like 2-3 hours per day. I work primarily at nights and weekends, which allows me the flexibility to train during the day.

E: When taking on these challenges, how do you maintain your work/life/family balance?

O: I am single at the moment and have no kids, so the family balance isn't really part of the equation, yet. As for work, it's the show business lifestyle.  

E: How does an active physical lifestyle tie in to your work as a professional entertainer, as well as a leader?

O: I think that, it factors in positively, in terms of me being on my feet for many hours while working while also maintaining a good energy level and looking good. 

E: What made you do Ironman? How many years did you train before you qualified for Kona? Was that in Ironman Wisconsin?

O: It was another challenge and sounded quite crazy at the time. I trained for about 6 months before doing Ironman Wisconsin. It was a wet and somewhat miserable day, but I managed to get 3rd place in my age group and qualify for Kona. I was never really into triathlons, nor am I now. A little gear-intensive for me, but I enjoy the actual races. The swim starts are very exciting, and I love the energy of the other athletes. 

E: What did you do to prepare for Kona? Which sacrifices did you make?

O: I didn't do anywhere near the preparations I should have. 6 days prior to the race I ran the Westchester Marathon and managed to win it for the 2nd year in a row, but my time was nothing special. About 19 miles into the race I had a sudden excruciating cramp in my quad and it led to me slowing down considerably. I had been on pace to break a 2:30 and instead ran a 2:41. When I arrived in Hawaii, I did my first, outdoor bike ride in over 6 months. This was 4 days before Ironman Hawaii! [Sticks out his tongue]. Throughout the week, I did a bunch of swims in the morning with all the other athletes: great energy and a lot of fun.

E: Why the Ironman triathlon? What started you on that?

O: It just seemed like such an insane goal and so I decided to give it a shot. Then, once you actually train for it and do it, you realize it's not nearly as hard as you would think. The real suffering for me was during long ultra-marathons that I find much more challenging. That's not to say that the Ironman doesn't have its own moments of pain, but I quite enjoy the swim and find the bike laborious and long. However when you're really hurting you can just coast. When you're hurting during a 100-mile run, there is virtually no way to make it go away.

E: What is your strategy for racing? Is it ‘all or nothing’, or ‘one step at a time’, or ‘be the best’?

O: I like to go in with several goals. Sometimes it's to get a Personal Record (PR), sometimes to win the race, and sometimes simply to have a good race and enjoy the experience. That's what Kona was for me in 2007. Staying healthy is always high on atop that list. At the moment I am injured for the first time in nearly 3 years, so it's quite humbling. It makes me value all the great training and races I've had recently.

E: What mental skills/anchors do you use once you really start hurting  (in a race) and the grizzly bear climbs on your back telling you to just walk or quit?

O: I look back at all the other difficult races and really grueling training sessions I’ve done. As I think about that, I tell myself that this pain doesn't compare to how tough that was and that the "down" feeling will pass and things will get better. I try to micro-manage the race and only think to the next step and not look at the race in its entirety. That is, breaking it up into more manageable pieces and focusing only on the next objective at hand

E: How do you stay motivated to repeat similar challenges once you have ticked the box, i.e. Ironman triathlon World Championships in Kona?

O: That's a tough one as I am always looking for the next challenge. There are a few races on my to-do-list: Badwater, Western States, Spartathlon and Comrades; to name the major ones. Repeating races I've already done isn't as big of a priority. 












E: How did you decide to become a professional magician, and creator of magical illusions?

O: I graduated from the University of Michigan in 2003 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. I moved to NYC and began a job with Merrill Lynch working in their IT department. Simultaneously, I started to perform at events throughout the area and start to build up a clientele. Part of that effort was spent in meeting influential people, as well as event planners and catering companies that could book me out consistently. After two years at my day job, I made the decision to pursue magic full-time. It was both a life decision and financial one. Since then I've grown my business yearly and love my lifestyle. It has afforded me the opportunity to travel the world, meeting so many interesting people; and also train for the races I've competed in.  

E: And that was how we met in Singapore – at a gathering of magicians! Now, performing magic professionally is an unusual experience, isn’t it? What lessons as a self-directed leader do you bring into your profession?

O: It is important to be willing to hustle and work hard. Nobody will make things happen for you, so you need to go out there and do it for yourself. Market yourself well and don't be afraid of an offbeat approach. Either be the best at what you do, or do something different than those around you. 

E: What was your proudest moment in magic? What have been your major achievements?

O: I don't know about a proudest moment to tell the truth. There have been many performances and lectures where I've felt absolutely amazing and the audiences have shown me a lot of love. As an entertainer you feed off that energy in a way that, otherwise, you would rarely get to experience. 

E: How has Ironman training and racing benefitted you?

O: Ironman training allowed me to build up a very solid base and training foundation. By being regimented about my training, I learned how to push myself to the limit. Also, I used to use a heart rate monitor (something I may start doing again) and this was integrally linked to Ironman training. As an objective indicator of fitness, there is no better method in my eyes for keeping track of your workouts and how effective they are. 

E: What’s next on the list of ‘to do’ or ‘to conquer’ list?

O: I was supposed to be running Comrades Marathon in South Africa next week, but alas luck was against me. After the Boston Marathon, I had a pain in my left shin that I, initially, thought was a stress fracture. After getting an MRI it was determined to be a stress injury with the bone swollen, but not fractured. If I can recover soon, I intend to run the Vermont 100-Miler in July. After that, I will prepare for the fall season and trying to PR both at the marathon and 50-mile distances. I'd like to get as close as possible to cracking the top-10 fastest American times at the 50-miler ever. 

E: What is your philosophy towards life? The host of ‘The Amazing race’, Phil Koeghan wrote a book ‘NOW – No Opportunity Wasted’. What is your take on that?

O: My philosophy for now is one of a healthy work/life/race balance. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. When one thing becomes too much of an obsession it is never healthy. I try to remain positive no matter what is thrown at me, and always to learn from my mistakes. As for wasting opportunities, there are always two sides to each coin. Missing one opportunity can open the door to another, simply have to keep your eyes open and remain focused on your goals.

E: How do you maintain a healthy business when trying to give 110% towards training, and other matters?

O: There are obviously some sacrifices. For example, on weekends where I travel to races, I tend to miss out on work. I've been known to do some crazy juggling of schedules. The past two years after running the Chicago 50 Miler on a Saturday morning, I immediately rushed to the airport and flew back to NYC in time to perform at events each of those nights. Little did the people I was performing for know that those mornings I had run 50 miles in 5:31 and 5:41, respectively [grins widely]. 

E: What methods do you use to monitor the onset of fatigue/flat spells/de-motivation during training for such events that come down to you performing at your best on a single day?

O: I try my best to keep things consistent, such as my diet, hydration, bathroom usage and sleep. When over-trained and feeling burned out I will listen to my body. If I need a day off, I rest or do cross-training instead. I am not a mileage junkie where if I miss a day, I beat myself up over it. It can be very depressing to put months into training for an event and then just be "off" on game day, but it happens to everyone. Learning from those instances is the important part, and allows you to appreciate even more those days when you are "on" and kicking butt.







LEADERSHIP LESSONS:

1) Immerse yourself fully in new ventures, and work at mastery (Personal Mastery is one of the disciplines for a Learning Organisation - attributed to Peter Senge).

2) By being regimented about your training, you can learn how to push yourself to your limits.

3) Either be the best at what you do, or do something different than those around you. 

4) Missing one opportunity can open the door to another.

5) When one thing becomes an obsession, it is never healthy.

6) Break things up into more manageable pieces, and focus only on the next objective at hand. 

Oz Pearlman has been busy recently, gearing up for two national TV appearances and a lot of promotion for his upcoming show on 25 June. His website is at www.ozpearlman.com

Photos and logo credits: Oz Pearlman.


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