Magician from Miragaia wins Best Webby Magician in the United States

When in doubt, just look closer or accept that it is simply magic! This could very well be the way Helder Guimarães, the magician from Miragaia, in Porto, conquered the title Best Webby Magician in the United States of America.

Helder Guimarães added innovation to a type of performance that is as old as time, and with the magic show themed “The Present” he won first podium place in the Webby, which are the Internet Oscars for artistic excellence online.

“It is an immense joy that I see all the recognition of the excellent work that myself and my team have developed this last year, especially when it was not possible to perform before live audiences, fans and general audiences”, affirmed Helder Guimaraes.

The magician from Miragaia was confined in his home, in Los Angeles, where he developed his magic show via videoconference, through the Zoom platform, featuring mysterious stories and even inviting the audience to make some decisions.

American newspapers such as renowned The Washington Post, The New York Times or the Los Angeles Times, but also celebrities such as film director JJ Abrams or actors Laura Dern, Mark Hamill and Billy Crystal highly praised the magician from Porto.

In about six months and 250 sessions, Hélder Guimarães had been viewed by circa 14 thousand people and had won around one million dollars. The magician from Miragaia, Porto, was granted the prize “Best narrative experience in the virtual and remote event area”.

His successful show led him to the online platform in the United States of America, due to the lockdown measures that kept all concert halls with closed doors. This endeavour was directed by Frank Marshall, producer of such hits as Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park. In a single streaming session, Helder Guimarães was viewed by 6.200 households.

The Webby, aka “Internet Oscars”, are annually awarded by the International Academy of Arts and Digital Sciences, which include over two thousand experts of the sector and technological innovators. The awards also include projects in the websites, publicity and online communications sectors, as well as films, online videos and social media projects.