Marshall Sylver
{{Short description|American performance hypnotist}}
{{Cleanup|reason=Written more like a resume. Career needs to be chronological and in prose|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Marshall Sylver - Closeup.jpg
| birth_name = Marshall Walter Sylwestrzak
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1962|05|19}}
| name = Marshall Sylwestrzak
| spouse = Erica Sylver (2014– )
| children = 3
| known_for =
| occupation = Motivational Speaker, Author, Hypnotist, Entertainer
}}
Marshall Sylver (born Marshall Walter Sylwestrzak) is an American motivational speaker, author, and performance hypnotist who works primarily in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has billed himself as "The World's Fastest Hypnotist".
His Las Vegas shows have been at the Sahara Hotel, the Stratosphere, the Palms and Harrah’s. He has been on television shows including "Late Night with David Letterman" and "The Montel Williams Show". He hosts a radio show and starred in a 2010 movie, in addition to the book he wrote called Passion, Profit & Power.
Early life
Marshall Sylwestrzak is the seventh of 10 children born to Virginia "Babe" Sylwestrzak, and spent most of his childhood in Almont, Michigan. While Marshall was growing up, Sylver’s mom worked various jobs, including owning "a little truck stop/airport restaurant business." Later, she worked for a local Office of Economic Opportunity as supervisor of three counties.{{cite web|title=Virginia Sylwestrzak Obituary: U-T San Diego|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/utsandiego/obituary.aspx?pid=165185225|website=Legacy.com|accessdate=4 June 2015}}
Sylver became interested in magic at the age of seven.{{cite news |last1=Strauss |first1=Duncan |title='Fastest Hypnotist' Sylver Is on Stage Even When off |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-09-27-ca-2649-story.html |access-date=29 April 2025 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=27 September 1988}} "Even though I was only seven at the time, it was obvious to me what my brother was doing. But when I impressed my Dad when I did the tricks myself, it was such an incredible feeling....And I was hooked," he said.{{cite news|last1=Lane Taylor|first1=Peter|title=If You Want To Discover The Secrets Of Power, Success, And Make Millions, Do This One Thing Now|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/petertaylor/2016/11/29/if-you-want-to-discover-the-secrets-of-power-success-and-make-millions-do-this-one-thing-now/#79ef69077072|accessdate=18 December 2016|issue=November 29, 2016}}
In 1976, his family moved to San Diego, where he attended Kearny High School.{{cite web|title=E-Yearbook: Kearny High School, Page 20|url=http://www.e-yearbook.com/yearbooks/Kearny_High_School_Komet_Yearbook/1979/Page_20.html|website=E-Yearbook.com|accessdate=4 June 2015}} After moving to San Diego, Sylver worked in retail and later as a gas station attendant while in school. It’s in that job that Sylver met the program director for 104 KJOY-FM radio in San Diego, who offered him an internship. One evening at the station, Sylver was given the opportunity to DJ when one of the on-air personalities called in. He was later hired as a regular DJ.{{cite news|last1=Waldron|first1=Mary|title=The World's Greatest Hypnotist...or Salesman: Marshall Sylver|url=http://www.sellingcrossing.com/article/150214/The-World-s-Greatest-Hypnotist-or-Salesman-Marshall-Sylver/|accessdate=4 June 2015|publisher=Selling Crossing|date=May 28, 2007}}
Career
Sylver began his career a magician before becoming a hypnotist in 1985.{{cite news|title= SAN DIEGO HYPNOTIST IS STAR OF STAGE, TV-AND OFFICE|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-10-22-ca-6790-story.html|first= Thomas K.|last= Arnold|date= October 22, 1986|work= Los Angeles Times}} As a magician, he performed on radio stations, rock clubs, and cruise ships. He appeared as a hypnotist on Late Night with David Letterman in both 1985 and 1986. He also hosted the show Sylver Hypnotic Revue as early as 1987.
In 2003, Sylver was tried in the State of Nevada for fraud after not refunding customers of a mentorship program he was selling. The trial resulted in a mistrial.{{Cite news|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2003/dec/22/hypnotist-may-face-new-trial-for-fraud/|title=Hypnotist may face new trial for fraud|date=2003-12-22|work=LasVegasSun.com|access-date=2018-03-24|language=en}}
=Hypnosis Show=
Sylver had a hypnosis show at Harrah's in Las Vegas in 2007{{cite news
| last =Weatherford
| first =Mike
| title =Hypnotist Marshall Sylver
| publisher =Las Vegas Review-Journal
| date =September 14, 2007
| url =http://www.reviewjournal.com/mike-weatherford/hypnotist-marshall-sylver}}
and at the Palms in 2003.{{cite news
| title =Mistrial declared in hypnotist theft case
| publisher =Las Vegas Review-Journal
| date =2003-12-20
| url =http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Dec-20-Sat-2003/news/22843460.html
| accessdate = 2011-03-29 }}
He also had shows at the Sahara Hotel and the Stratosphere{{cite news
| title =Hypnotist Sylver blends show biz with sales pitch in act
| publisher =Las Vegas Review-Journal
| date =1997-06-27
| url =http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LVRB&p_theme=lvrb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FD38E721B93C74C&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
| accessdate = 2011-03-24 }} in the mid-1990s.
= Television =
Sylver has appeared on Late Night with David Letterman{{cite news
| title =TV Highlights
| publisher =The Victoria Advocate
| date =1987-09-09
| url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7-pHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NYAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1164,5148945&dq=marshall+sylver&hl=en
| accessdate = 2011-03-25 }}
and The Montel Williams Show.{{cite web
| title =The Montel Williams Show
| publisher =TV.com
| date =2007-10-16
| url =http://www.tv.com/how-to-become-a-millionaire-or-live-like-one/episode/1159378/summary.html?tag=search_results;title;4
| accessdate = 2011-03-29 }}
He had an infomercial, Passion Profit & Power, that ran in the mid-1990s.{{cite news
| title =Siskel and Ebert of infomercials pick, pan long ads
| publisher =Baltimore Sun
| date =1994-07-10
| url =https://www.baltimoresun.com/1994/07/10/siskel-and-ebert-of-infomercials-pick-pan-long-ads/
| access-date = 2011-03-25 }}
In the first episode of the third series of Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends, Sylver's seminars were featured, where the power of persuasion was purportedly used to motivate attendees to become self-made millionaires.{{cite news
| title =Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends Series 3 | publisher =BBC
| year =2010 | url =http://scandinavia.bbcknowledge.com/testing/episodes.html | accessdate = 2010-10-23 }}
= Seminars =
Sylver is a motivational speaker and business consultant. He was a speaker at the Learning Annex "Wealth Expo" along with Tony Robbins in 2006{{cite news
|title= Straight Shooter
|first= Shawn
|last= Macomber
|date= December 6, 2006
|work= American Spectator
|url= http://spectator.org/archives/2006/12/06/straight-shooter
|access-date= May 26, 2011
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120111134707/http://spectator.org/archives/2006/12/06/straight-shooter
|archive-date= January 11, 2012
|url-status= dead
}}
as well as the First Annual Entrepreneur Success Summit in 2010.{{cite news
|title= Forbes.com Features Chuck Mullaney
|first= Mike
|last= Irons
|date= May 13, 2010
|work= News Around the World Today
|url= http://www.newsaroundtheworldtoday.com/forbes-com-features-chuck-mullaney/123460/
|access-date= May 26, 2011
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101229163506/http://www.newsaroundtheworldtoday.com/forbes-com-features-chuck-mullaney/123460/
|archive-date= December 29, 2010
|url-status= dead
}}
He also hosts the "Turning Point Seminar."
{{cite news
|title= Hypnotist Mesmerizes Crowd of Hundreds
|first= Luymes
|last= Glenda
|date= March 7, 2010
|work= The Vancouver Province
}}
In April 2003, Sylver was indicted for theft after nine of his self-improvement program's 1,200 clients alleged that he had failed to honor a money-back guarantee. Five had already received their refunds in small claims court.{{cite news
| title =Hypnotist indicted on nine felony theft counts
| publisher =Las Vegas Review-Journal
| date =2003-04-15
| url =http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Apr-15-Tue-2003/news/21111594.html
| accessdate = 2007-10-23 }}{{cite news
| last =Kalil
| first =J.M.
| title =Hypnotist on trial, accused of bilking customers in self-help program
| publisher =Las Vegas Review-Journal
| date =2003-12-08
| url =http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Dec-08-Mon-2003/news/22704278.html
| accessdate = 2007-10-23 }} In December, after three weeks of proceedings, the case ended in a mistrial.{{cite news
| last =Kalil
| first =J. M.
| title =Mistrial declared in hypnotist theft case
| publisher =Las Vegas Review-Journal
| date =December 20, 2003
| url = http://www.reviewjournal.com}}
= Books and CDs =
Sylver wrote a book titled Passion, Profit & Power, which was published by Simon & Schuster in 1997, along with audio cassettes by the same name, as part of a subconscious training system.{{cite news
| title =Passion Profit & Power
| publisher =Simon & Schuster
| year =1997
| url =https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=passion+profit+power&x=0&y=0#/ref=sr_ex_p_n_condition-type_0?rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Apassion+profit+power%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A2656020011%7C2682078011&bbn=283155&keywords=passion+profit+power&ie=UTF8&qid=1306439700}} Passion, Profit & Power was a bestseller from Berita Book Centre and MPH Bookstores for the week of July 19, 1997.
{{cite news
|title= Bestsellers
|date= July 19, 1997
|work= New Straits Times
| url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gFdIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PxUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2004,2986681&dq=marshall+sylver&hl=en}}
= Radio and Movies =
Sylver hosts a radio show titled "Get Rich Radio."{{cite news
| title =Get Rich RAdio
| url =http://getrichradio.com}}
He starred in the 2010 movie Tranced, which was the first movie intended to hypnotize the audience.{{cite news
| title =Tranced
| year =2010
| url =https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499608/plotsummary}}
Book
- Passion Profit Power. Marshall Sylver. Simon & Schuster (January 21, 1997)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.sylver.com Marshall Sylver Home Page]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCwcPnseyuM Mr. Show with Bob and David sketch: "Power, Profit, and Passion"]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sylver, Marshall}}