Eric Giliam: corporate entertainer.

• Author: Stomierowski, Peg
• Position: View from the Top - Occupation overview

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Eric Giliam, an Anchorage West High grad, discovered the road less traveled and hasn't looked back. Giliam announced he wanted to be a magician after watching a stage show by David Copperfield. He was 15. Five years later, magic and entertainment have vastly expanded his world. He won the title of World Teen Magic Champion in Las Vegas and has since performed at conventions in Las Vegas, Nashville, Dallas, Atlanta and San Diego.

OVER THE TOP: Companies and individuals, despite hard times, remain willing to budget for entertainment. Whether I'm at a company event in a hotel ballroom or a corporate retreat out of town, I aim to give my audience a sensational evening--one they'll never forget.

MAGIC FORMULA: Live shows before sit-down audiences light my fire--such venues as big halls, ballrooms, banquet rooms, even school auditoriums, where I can be at one end of the room, elevated slightly on a riser or stage with the audience in front of me. Dinner theater is another new interest. At least once a year I sponsor my own show.

While I used to do more "close-up" or "in-your-face" magic, which can be quite effective as an ice breaker, the stage show, with professional sound, lighting and backdrops, is where my creativity is focused now. I bring the theater to...