The Magic Company's roots go back to the early 1960's. That is when Michael Baker first became interested in magic. From that time until now, continued study of magic has allowed Michael to develop a career in this field, as a performer, a creator of original effects, and a builder of quality magical apparatus.
Michael's skill's as a magician have been honed over a long period of time, performing in restaurants and nightclubs (in the trenches, as we call it!), since he went full-time over 25 years ago. He has worked for just about any type of audience you could imagine, in a variety of locations, some of which are best not to even try to imagine. Through it all, Michael was developing a real ability to manage an audience, create magic to fit the situation at hand and above all, entertain people. The Magic Company, as a provider of magical entertainment, is well-founded in experience and serious dedication.
From a very early age, Michael learned to make some of his props from items that he found around the house, old cigar boxes, handkerchiefs, paper, and the like. As he got older, he began to learn how to use tools to fashion some rather crude items from wood. Fortunately, he got better at this as time went along, and today, the apparatus he makes is some of the finest found anywhere.
Michael first began making items to sell while working at Tricks 'n Treats, a magic shop in Birmingham, Alabama. As is often the case, this particular magic shop obtained their inventory from a number of sources; the range of quality being quite varied. Unsatisfied with the low manufacturing standards of many commercially available magic props, Michael began to recognize the need for products that lived up to the standard that he believed in. Although there have always been superb craftsman in the magic industry, there have also been, and in far greater numbers, magic dealers and manufacturers who peddle junk.
It was at this time that Michael began to develop a philosophy of producing magic apparatus in much smaller quantities, but with much higher quality. Logically, if much time and effort is put into each item, fewer of them will be produced. It's just a matter of available time. It also stands to reason that these items would naturally command a higher price. Fortunately, there are magicians who appreciate the luxury of performing with quality props, and Michael's items are designed and built with those magicians in mind. Originally, these items were manufactured and sold under the name, "The Little Shop of Magic". The name was changed to "The Magic Company" in 2003
The Magic Company combines the manufacturing end of the business with the performance of shows. Today, Michael, the featured performer of The Magic Company performs a number of different types of shows for a wide range of audiences. Because of his experience in working with many, many other acts and performers over the years, Michael also heads his own event planning service, specializing in organizing entertainment rosters for his clients.
The Magic Company is truly a multi-faceted business that caters not only to the public with wonderful magical entertainment, but also to those within the magic industry with extraordinary magic apparatus. Although The Magic Company is, and probably always will be a small company, customers and clients can be assured that they will be getting some of the best and most unique magic available anywhere.