Spotlight on Associates
JOSH KNOTTS OF EXTREME ILLUSIONS AND
ESCAPES was recently recognized with The Merlin Award for Fair & Festival Entertainer of the Year. In receiving a Merlin Award for his work, Knotts joins the ranks of other magic greats, including David Cop- perfield, Criss Angel, Siegfried & Roy, and Penn & Teller. Knotts is the co-creator of Extreme Illusions & Escapes, with his wife,
Lea. They set out to perform a refreshing, new, modern style of illusions and escapes to truly excite an audience and leave them astounded. To- gether, they have performed 300-400 shows annually for
the past 8
years. Josh & Lea Knotts pride themselves on having created the largest touring illusion and escape show in the fair market. The show they pro- duce always includes huge, Las Vegas style illusions--yet, they still maintain the flexibility to tailor their show to each individual fair’s per- formance space. The criteria that the voting members of the International Magician’s
Society consider when awarding this honor are talent, showmanship, originality, skills and above all, the rare ability to entertain under any conditions. The Merlin Award is the highest award one can receive in the world of magic and it is the equivalent of the Oscar, Grammy, Emmy or Tony Award. Josh was recently presented the prestigious Merlin Award. The
International Magician Society present the award to Josh during his show at the Montgomery County Fair in Maryland. The Merlin Award to magic is what the Oscar is to the movies, what the Emmy is for television, and what the Tony is for theater. Some of the win-
ners of the Merlin Award are: Siegfried & Roy, Penn & Teller, David Copperfield, Criss Angel & Harry Blackstone.
Knotts received his award from Tony Hassini, Founder and President
of the International Magicians Society, which has over 41,000 members worldwide, and Knotts was selected to receive the award based on his contribution to the art of magic & illusion in the Fair & Festival market. "A good magician can work under any circumstance, but Josh truly em- bodies that by consistently working outside and in less than ideal per- forming conditions and still manages to excel at his art,” said Hassini. “He brings a show to fairs and festivals that rivals the best shows in thea- tres in Las Vegas and around the world." Hassini flew from Hong Kong to present Knotts with his award at the
Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in Gaithersburg, MD. An award ceremony took place on August 13, 2016, where Hassini and Executive Director of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, Martin Svreck, joined Knotts onstage for a special presentation, which was followed by an Extreme Illusions & Escapes performance. After seeing the live performance and enjoying the fair, Hassini decid-
ed to feature both Knotts and the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in his international television show 100 Countries, 1000 Mysteries: The Search for the World’s Greatest Magician. Hassini spent several days gathering footage of the fair and of Extreme Illusions & Escapes to be used for an upcoming episode. “I have been working toward this moment since I was 6 years old,”
said Knotts. “We set out to amaze everyone who comes to see us and being recognized for that effort with a Merlin Award has been my crown- ing achievement.” Extreme Illusions & Escapes is represented by Artists & Attractions.
Scott's new "World of Magic Show" in Hookstown Fair, PA.
Pictured: Scott, Ana & the Rob Boso Family of
Capitol International Productions. Summer Tour Highlights included 7 Fairs in the
North East, including 2 State Fairs & 10 days for the Shrine Circus & Fair in GA. Their New Production also features new illusions including Floating a Child & Robot in Mid-air! The Tour continues to TX & they look forward to
working back Home in Florida, this Fall & Winter, with 2 months in Miami!
50 FAIRCRACKER-FALL 2016
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