Chris Knoll, President of Ovation Productions, Inc., has had a long and successful career in Project Management, which he has used to produce many events, from corporate rollouts to large scale magic shows to private group events at the Hollywood Magic Castle.  This strong ability in Project Management, coupled with his strong creative streak, have merged into Ovation Productions, Chris' event production company.  Ovation Productions, Inc., is a registered corporation in the State of Washington.

Chris Knoll is a long-time Magician Member of The Academy of Magical Arts, the home of which is the famous Hollywood Magic Castle.   He has performed in the Albert Peller Theater at the Magic Castle, and has also taken magic lessons from one of the most famous and influential magicians of the current generation, Mark Wilson and his wife Nani Darnell Wilson.

Corporate New Product rollouts:  AT&T Wireless Services, Cerritos, CA, April 2001. A large outbound call center deployment of a new application that merged the call center autodialer system with the call center agents' computer workstations.  This substantial change in business was met with a high level of employee resistance.  Chris was the project manager in charge of making the deployment a success, and the employee resistance jeopardized that success.  Chris, along with the Call Center Manager, created a fun event with a Magic theme for the date of deployment.  The event was billed as a "black tie" event and all employees were encouraged to come to work that day in tuxedos and evening dresses, and most did!  Chris and two assistants performed a magic show that revolved around the name of the new application, called "Guide".    Explanations of the new tool's benefits were sprinkled in-between magic tricks, and the whole event was given a high energy party atmosphere.  The result was a success beyond everyone's expectations.  The employees became highly enthusiastic about incorporating the new application into their daily routine, and the event was enjoyed by all.  In addition, the application itself was successful because of the extremely high level of employee acceptance, which was the opposite of what the employees' reactions were prior to the event.  The event itself was hailed as the reason for the employees' change of heart.

Another corporate rollout was for PAR3 Communications, Seattle, WA, June 2006.  A database tool was created for use within the company that would automate a manual documentation process as well as create the ability to capture information from project to project.  The tool was given a high-priority launch because of the significant potential impact that the tool possessed.  Many employees in the company had been looking for such a tool and so the "noise" accompanying the launch was deliberate in order to let people know that their wish had become reality.  Chris added magic to the event.  With the assistance of the Media Services director (who provided everything from lighting and music to a fog machine), and a co-worker who doubled as a lovely magician's assistant, a short magic show was used as the announcement vehicle on the day of the launch.  Most employees attended, and the launch and the tool were both deemed great successes.

Although the corporate rollouts had a magic theme to them, there was an underlying business message being passed along in those events.  Chris can merge any business message with an entertaining and relevant magic show!  The use of magic to communicate a business message is a very impactful way to get the points across, in both a fun and memorable manner. 

Magic Shows:    Chris Knoll has also done several magic shows over the years, the largest of which was in August 2003, where well over 100 people watched and participated in a complex two-hour event.   Chris had a large team assisting him, including two magician's assistants, a stage manager and assistant, a stage lighting and sound person, camera man, two actors, two ushers, and two caterers.  The magic show had a Harry Potter theme to it and was broken up into three acts, each of which was a course at Hogwarts School.   The grand finale of the event was when Chris and his assistants performed the famed Houdini Metamorphosis illusion. 

Private Group Events:   Chris Knoll has organized numerous private group events including the recent highly successful events at the Magic Castle.  See the Past Events section of this website for information on the most recent Castle event.  The most recent event is even mentioned on BarBara Luna's website!