Mark Setteducati

Setteducati was born in New York City, NY and grew up in Emerson, New Jersey. He received his BFA in Art and Design from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, New York.{{cite web|title=SVA Alumnus Mark Setteducati Profiled by 'NY Daily News'|url=http://www.sva.edu/feed-item/sva-alumnus-mark-setteducati-profiled-by-ny-daily-news|publisher=School of Visual Arts|accessdate=16 December 2013}} He later became a member of the faculty, where he created and taught the first ever toy and game design class, which allowed students to be able to receive a BFA with a major in Toy Design.{{cite news|last=Zimmerman|first=Ann|title=The Trickster Behind the Magic Tricks|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303936704576399621528829448|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|accessdate=16 December 2013}}

From 1975 to 1980, Setteducati was the assistant to artist, Louise Bourgeois, and in 1992 he performed Magic in “She Lost it”, a performance piece by Bourgeois at The Fabric Workshop in Philadelphia.

After working as an in-house designer for Astra Trading{{cite journal|last=Rubin|first=Adam|title=This Is Not A Oen|journal=Magic Magazine|date=January 2011|issue=January|url=http://marksetteducati.com/?p=68|accessdate=16 December 2013}} and teaching design at his alma mater, he decided to become a full-time independent inventor. His first invention that he licensed was in 1981, Rubik Game, a game where you play tic-tac-toe on a Rubik’s Cube. Later he developed and designed Rubik's Illusion, which later would lead to a project with the Harry Potter franchise.

Throughout his career, Setteducati developed and licensed puzzles and games to toy companies around the world. In 1986, he designed a game travel version of the Wheel of Fortune game show, which went on to sell millions of copies, and as well as the travel versions of Jeopardy! and the Dating Game. A year later in 1987, he designed his first magic set with Harry Blackstone, Jr. that was produced by Pressman Toy Company.

In 1994, Setteducati created the "Magic Works" brand for Milton Bradley, an all-time best-selling line of magic tricks that are geared towards children.{{cite web|last=Reyland|first=Mark|title=Inventing isn't Magic|url=http://www.inventoropinion.com/inventing-isnt-magic/|publisher=The United Inventors Association of America|accessdate=16 December 2013}}

Setteducati co-founded Gathering 4 Gardner, along with Tom M. Rodgers and Elwyn Berlekamp, and for many years served as its president.[http://gathering4gardner.org/ABOUT.html About Gathering 4 Gardner Foundation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507111434/http://gathering4gardner.org/ABOUT.html |date=2016-05-07 }}

Released by Jumbo in 1994, Setteducati's "Magic Showcase" offered performers instant acts.

Setteducati co-created and invented Ji Ga Zo with Ken Knowlton, a universal jigsaw puzzle system, debuted in Japan and in 2011, it started being distributed by Hasbro in the United States.{{cite magazine|last=Morgan|first=Matt|title=Recreate Any Image in Jigsaw Puzzle Form With Ji Ga Zo|url=https://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/02/recreate-any-image-in-jigsaw-puzzle-form-with-ji-ga-zo/|magazine=Wired|accessdate=16 December 2013}}

In 2013, Setteducati was featured on PBS Digital Studio series, "Inventors", which is produced by David Friedman.{{cite web|last=Kolawole|first=Emi|title=Math + magic = 'mathe-magician'?|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/math--magic--mathe-magician/2013/03/22/96214b60-9307-11e2-a31e-14700e2724e4_blog.html|newspaper=Washington Post|accessdate=16 December 2013}}

The Academy of Magical Arts awarded Setteducati the Creative Fellowship Award for 2014, and an honorary lifetime membership to The Magic Castle, Hollywood, California.{{cite web|last1=Haydn|first1=Pop|title=2015 Academy of Magical Arts Awards Show Winners!|url=https://pophaydn.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/2015-academy-of-magical-arts-awards-show-winners/|website=Pop's Soapbox|date=18 May 2015 |accessdate=23 October 2015}}

He is a member of the educational non-profit corporation, Gathering 4 Gardner.

Setteducati has over ten thousand pens, he is the largest novelty pen collector in the world.{{cite news|last=Rubin|first=Adam|title=Mark Setteducati|url=http://marksetteducati.com/?attachment_id=76|accessdate=16 December 2013|newspaper=Magic Magazine|date=January 2011}}

{{reflist|34em}}

• {{official website}}
• [http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/3488/mark-setteducati%20 Mark Setteducati] at BoardGameGeek
• [https://www.facebook.com/MagicCastle/posts/10153312916044399 Creative Fellowship Award] at Magic Castle

{{Academy of Magical Arts Creative Fellowship}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1955 births

Category:American magicians

Category:Academy of Magical Arts Creative Fellowship winners