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Over the past decade Lebanon Circle has grown into one of the most respected producers of bespoke props and illusions in the industry. Renown for unparalleled ingenuity and quality as well as unsurpassed customer service, Lebanon Circle continues to grow and set new standards in the world of magic.
Lebanon Circle began a simple hobby to divert Dan's attention from the daily horrors he encountered in the world of forensics while working in London. It was around this time that David Blaine was the biggest name in magic and Dan's curiosity got the better of him. Having no previous interest in magic he suddenly found himself embroiled in countless magic books searching for methods in an attempt to unravel the things he had seen on TV. The investigative mind of a forensics expert finally grasped the magic bull by the horns and before long he had researched, fathomed and started to improve existing methods. This diversionary hobby had finally become an obsession that would ultimately become his career.
The first Lebanon Circle release was the iconic 'Ghost in the Machine', a seance effect based on the legend of Thomas Edison's Machine to Communicate with the Dead. Originally a pdf manual that sold on eBay for £5, it did not take long for custom build requests to start rolling in from people without the skill to build their own. Previously an art student, Dan's one bedroom box room in Bermondsey, London became a small workshop and Lebanon Circle was born. Nearly every bizarre magic producer has created their own version of Dan's original design in one way or another however, original copies have been known to exchange hands for in excess of £1000 such is the collectability of Dan's work.
The next significant release from the Lebanon Circle vaults was the global best seller 'From Hell', a disturbing twist based on the 'Out of This World' routine. Currently in its 4th edition 'From Hell' has sold thousands of copies and continued to be one of the most popular products to this day. It was also around this time that Dan decided to leave forensics behind and pursue Lebanon Circle as a full time career and he has not looked back since.
Lebanon Circle now shares its success and provides a sales and marketing platform for other independent magic producers. Aimed and the bizarre and mentalist community Dan actively looks for innovative magic creators and prop designers to join the ranks. Clients include BBC, Channel 5, Channel 4, ITV, FX and the SyFy Channel. Dan's work can also be found in Guillermo Del Toro's Bleak House Collection and in his book 'The Cabinet of Curiosities'.
What does the name Lebanon Circle represent?
Not to be confused with The Lebanon Magic Circle (if one even exists!) the name is taken from a location much closer to home.
For those with knowledge of Victorian London cemeteries the name Lebanon Circle may sound familiar. Within Highgate Cemetery lies a magnificent structure of twenty sunken tombs built around the roots of an ageing cedar of Lebanon, from which the Circle gets its name. The tree is believed to predate the cemetery by 150 years, and is the only remaining feature of the terraced gardens of Ashurst Manor on which the cemetery was built. The Circle of Lebanon also contains the tomb where the Highgate Vampire was supposedly discovered in the early 1970s. As one of Dan’s favourite places in London he decided to use it as his company name.
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