Black Bert

Black Bert
Born	Bertil Fredstrom April 24 1956 Stockholm
Nationality	Swedish

Black Bert is the stage name of Bertil Fredstrom (born April 24,1956). He was once, at the age of 26, the youngest president of the Swedish Magic Circle, and held this position for a total of four years. Black Bert was also the permanent secretary of the Magic Academy of Sweden for many years, a position he left in 2014. He is a member of the Magic Academy in Los Angeles and the Magic Castle in Hollywood since 1984.

Biography

Black Bert is the current IBM Territorial Vice President for Swedish IBM members, which is an important role since Sweden lack an IBM Ring although it still has approximately 17 IBM members previously in IBM Ring 53 but now scattered all over the country.

He has performed all over the world from South Africa to Peru, where he performed together with the magician Mago George in his own private theater in Lima. He has also performed for the King and Queen of Sweden several times.

In his earlier years as a magician Bertil competed in magic and became the Nordic Junior Champion in Close up Magic in 1974 and he also has won the title of “Swedish Champion of Magic for Children” five times. He competed at the World Championship of Close Up Magic at FISM in Vienna 1976 and came in fifth.

In addition, Bertil is a judge of magic competitions both in Europe and in the US and acted in this capacity at the World Championship of Magic at FISM in Stockholm in August, 2006.

Black Bert currently lives in Austin Texas were he is performing regularly for a great variety of audiences.

He is also the Executive Director and part owner of one of the oldest and largest magic day camps in the world, previously "Kent Cummins Magic Camp", now "Fantastic Magic Camp". The camp was founded 1993 and was acquired by Bertil Fredstrom and two partners in 2010.

Fantastic Magic Camp won the “Most Uniquely Austin” category of the 2012 Austin Chamber of Commerce’s Business Awards. According to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, winning this award means that Fantastic Magic Camp “… embraces the unique Austin culture and exemplifies what it means to live and do business in Austin.”

2019 Bertil Fredstrom was elected President of SAM Assembly 206 in Austin, Texas, and in 2020 he was elected President of The Texas Association of Magicians, (TAOM). SAM Assembly 206 will host the TAOM.org/2021 Magic Convention in Austin, Texas, September 3-6, 2021.