We recently connected with Bizzaro Galore and have shared our conversation below.

Bizzaro, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

For 20+ years I had made my living in the entertainment business, mostly live performing as a professional magician. Over the years I picked up various skills and know a little bit about a lot of things. This meant I could diversify, so that when one thing was slow, something else might be picking up. Anything from prop making, to performing, to lecturing, to freelance graphics and video, etc.

Back in 2014 I played my first escape room and convinced two other performers we should get in on this cool concept and we started a consulting company on how to make better experiences. Over time this evolved to us also writing, building and installing the experiences. (another thing to add to the above list obviously)

The problem with diversifying TOO much is you can’t focus on one thing and a lot falls by the wayside. Thus, a few years ago I decided to take the risk of switching my main focus from performing to immersive attractions. This obviously means leaving a lot behind which can be daunting because the sunk cost fallacy is real (in your head).

Thankfully, because we had already been working this as a side hustle, I had clients lined up and a little bit of a portfolio to show for it. Switching horses mid-stream can be daunting, but to anyone wondering if they should do it, I’d say yes, especially if you aren’t happy in your current situation. I get to use my theatrical background to make magic shows I don’t have to be in the room for and, to quote Chris Boden, “that’s pretty cool”.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started performing magic “professionally” when I was 13 (as professional as a 13 year old can be). I then moved to doing magic between bands in bars and nightclubs when I was 16 and kept doing that until about 17 years ago when I decided to move from Texas to Las Vegas.

Over all those years I learned how to make props for myself and then started a business making magic for other performers (such as Gallagher and David Copperfield). I’ve consulted for TV and live shows and toured the world because of magic, if you can believe THAT.

In 2014 I discovered escape rooms and it was all of the nerdy stuff I love. Video games, puzzles, theater, props, etc. I decided to move into a new career making immersive experiences for people and now build, create, and maintain attractions all over Las Vegas and elsewhere.

In case you were wondering, yes I still perform. I am in a show on the Las Vegas Strip called “Late Night Magic” that has been going on for a few years and won some awards so that’s been nice and also scratches my performing itch without having to chase down gigs constantly.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The main goal in my life is to make cool s#!&. To create something that, not only I like but others do as well, is a great feeling. If people don’t like your art, you can just stay home and do it for yourself (and many do). I want to make magic, whatever form that takes. Something that makes people smile, laugh, scream, or otherwise pulls them out of their mundane phone screen worlds.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

New things spring up all the time. In my creative lecture one of the tenets I talk about is learning about the world around you. The more you know about what is out there, the easier it is to find creative solutions to problems. In the attractions world, there are new tools and tech coming out all the time. Keeping your eyes and ears open can lead to great discoveries.

One of the newest ones for me was the discovery of DMX lightbulbs. I was sick of dealing with smart bulbs. They have latency and suck to automate on a trigger without getting a lot of coding or a laptop involved. One day I thought “Someone has to make DMX lightbulbs right?” and it turns out… YES! I use these ALL the time to create all sorts of effects in my attractions building. (I even made a youtube video showcasing them and how they work – https://youtu.be/ecubITH3R_Y?si=L_4y7KpionOfr3CW)

I am constantly finding new old tools to help streamline our builds and installs.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.testsubjects.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/testsubjectslv/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/escapetestsubjects
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TestSubjects