TVP Introduction from South Korea
Category: Blog Posted by: GREGORY BRACCO
Greetings from South Korea.
My name is Gregory Bracco and I am the TVP for South Korea.
I am originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States but came to live and work in South Korea in 2002. In 2003 I decided that I wanted to find some way to activity contribute to the growth of the art of magic. At that time I had been working in a private school teaching English as a second language to Korean students from grades K-9. It was during this time that I was given the opportunity to develop and start an independent Saturday program to teach magic through the medium of English. It was a great break for me and something that I have never stopped doing but I wanted to do more to help the art, more than just at a local level.
In 2004 I wrote a letter to the President of the I.B.M. who kindly discussed my letter with Joan Caesar, then the Chairperson of the TVPs and in 2004 I was given the opportunity to become the TVP for South Korea. Since becoming the TVP for this area it has opened many doors for me to play a more active part in helping with the growth of the art. Over the years I have been able to let more magicians here know about the I.B.M., give them a better understanding of what the magic communities are like in North America, encourage and help them through the application process for joining contests at I.B.M. and S.A.M. conventions, acted as a liaison between the competition organizers and the Korean magicians and really got a first-hand understanding of the amazing growth of the magic community here in Korea. Through being a TVP and helping here I have been able to form some wonderful friendships with a number of the Korean magicians and combined with the understanding of the Korean magic community I was fortunate enough to be able to write articles for The Linking Ring, The Canadian Association of Magicians website, Genii, and Magic in the past and hope to continue to do so in the future.
Looking back on this I cannot stress enough how having the desire to volunteer our time and effort can really make a difference not only in our lives but hopefully in the lives of some of the people we help. Being a member of the I.B.M., or a number of any other magic organizations, shows that we do have a deep interest or love of the art. But by volunteering, be it at your local Ring or international level, with the mindset of sharing and helping others to enjoy their experiences, learn more about and develop the art helps to not only to foster the growth of the art of magic but can enrich our own lives.
I hope that by sharing some of what I do as a TVP helps to encourage you to contact your local Ring or the home office and offer your time, experience and help in order to ensure the continued growth of this art that we all love.
Sincerely,
Gregory Bracco
TVP for South Korea