INTRODUCING SUPERSTAR MENTALIST
Gerard Senehi By Lillian Langtry
Mentalist superstar, motivational speaker, corporate entertainer and entrepreneur Gerard Senehi is an amazing person to be around any way you slice it. Recognized internationally as “The Experimentalist,” he is also difficult to define and defies all categories, evoking mystery and inspiring audiences to be open about questioning their ideas and beliefs. At the same time, he creates a captivating environment where audience members can reimagine their ideas of what’s achievable, all the while challenging them to explore possibilities beyond the imagined boundaries. Senehi first became fascinated by the supernatural at the age of 10 when his friends were drawing cards from a deck and he was able to correctly predict four in a row. Born in Paris and raised in Switzerland, he became even more enamored with the mysteries of the unknown not long after when his mother had a dream one night about a friend of hers accidentally catching herself on fire that actually occurred. Already fluent in two languages and proficient in two more by the time he came to the United States at the age of 12, Senehi spent hours in his bedroom exploring magic, experimenting with tricks and “becoming fascinated with the things I couldn’t understand.” As a student at Amherst College in Massachusetts, he continued entertaining his fellow classmates with magic and mystery, but didn’t consider performing professionally until the early 2000 following a career as a science and art teacher and social worker. After friends persuaded him to give show business a try, he began by calling a local New York talent agency who immediately took him on as a client after seeing his act. Since then, he has been featured on numerous television shows nationally and internationally, including The Today Show and Ellen. New York Magazine once referred to Senehi’s performances as “some sort of religious experience from the sixteenth century” and he has performed privately for everyone from former President Bill Clinton and legendary TV producer Norman Lear. Many clients in the corporate world also quickly took notice. They often comment on the near impossible challenge of surpassing one of Senehi’s performances for future events. Deutsche Bank once said: “You were the most talked about presenter of our entire conference – and we had some of the most renowned thinkers in the world.” During these unprecedented times, it’s challenging to create live entertainment online without it feeling like watching a video. Gerard has cracked the code. His
new virtual show weaves in some of the best virtual mentalism in the world into a journey of wonder, fun, and limitless possibilities. Audiences are left feeling that they have not only witnessed extraordinary and impossible feats, but have gone through a once in a lifetime joyful and uplifting experience. Gerard’s virtual performance inspires possibilities, thoroughly entertains, and brings a sense of joy and fun that is so needed right now. Audience members are not passive spectators, but are fully engaged in an “experience” which takes them out of their ordinary reality into a new dimension, and they come out inspired, energized, and uplifted. Gerard’s virtual show can be performed through various platforms including Zoom, Streamyard, Facebook, and YouTube. He is also the Founder of Open Future Institute and the QUESTion Project, a non-profit organization he
founded in 2014 dedicated to helping high school students define who they are and approach their life and future with inspiration and purpose. In addition to his work with Open Future Institute, he directs his creative and philanthropic energy as a board member and facilitator for organizations and projects that encourage an active questioning and development of our shared values, beliefs, and worldviews. He is a graduate of Amherst College and received a Masters of Education from the University of Massachusetts. He lives in New York City with his wife, Francesca, and regularly convenes a cross-section of the city’s brightest minds in “Evolutionary Salons” to explore questions of human purpose and potential. For more information, visit www.openfutureinstitute. org; http://experimentalist.com. April 2021 | 103
