Mind Reader for Corporate Events
If you are booking a mind reader for a corporate event, here is the plain version of what you are buying. Gentry is a corporate magician whose specialty is mentalism: live demonstrations of apparent mind reading, performed openly as entertainment. He makes no psychic claims, and he tells the room so. For an audience of lawyers, engineers, executives and clients, that honesty is the draw. Smart people enjoy a mystery far more when nobody is asking them to believe in it. See corporate psychic entertainment for how a mentalist compares with a psychic.
He performs as Gentry, The Intellectual's Illusionist. Before the stage he taught writing, rhetoric and critical thinking at Carnegie Mellon, Temple, Duquesne and the University of Pittsburgh. He holds an MA in Rhetoric from Carnegie Mellon and a BA in Philosophy, and he gave the TEDx talk "Faking It IS Making It." The performance is built for rooms that think for a living.
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What a corporate mind reader actually does in the room
A planner rarely needs "a show." A planner needs a specific part of the evening to work. Gentry's mind reading fits into four distinct jobs.
Strolling at a reception. During cocktails or a dinner reception he moves from group to group, performing close-up for small groups. A guest might think of a name, a date or a place from childhood, and hear him name it. The group that saw it starts telling the group beside them. Law firms and an investment firm have booked this format for holiday receptions, because it gives guests something to talk about without interrupting the conversations they came for.
A stand-up mind-reading show. A seated program, typically after dinner or as a feature in a conference agenda. Volunteers join him at the front, and the whole room watches thoughts being named, choices predicted and coincidences that should not be possible. The show is scripted around ideas as well as effects: how attention works, why intelligent people are easier to fool than they think, and what it means to be certain of anything.
Trade-show floor work. On an exhibit floor, mind reading becomes a reason for a stranger to stop walking. Gentry performs in the aisles, holds a passing attendee's interest for a few minutes, and brings genuinely curious people to the exhibitor's team. The trade show page covers that format in detail.
Optional one-on-one cognitive analysis. Separate from the performance, Gentry offers brief one-on-one conversations he calls cognitive analysis: a short, structured exchange about how a guest approaches a decision. It works well late in an evening, after the louder entertainment, for guests who want something quieter and more personal. It is a conversation, framed as such.
Formats, and where each one fits
Strolling mind reading — best for: Cocktail hours, holiday receptions, client appreciation evenings; how it runs: Small groups, close-up, moving through the room
Stand-up show — best for: Awards dinners, conference general sessions, company parties; how it runs: Seated audience, volunteers on stage
Trade-show floor — best for: Exhibitors at conferences and expos; how it runs: Works the aisles, brings visitors to your team
Combination — best for: Multi-part events; how it runs: Reception strolling, then a short show; or booth by day, hospitality by night
Cognitive analysis — best for: Executive guests, VIP lounges, late-evening programs; how it runs: Brief one-on-one conversations
Combinations are common. At Black Hat USA 2026, for LayerX, he opened with a private stand-up show for the company's guests, followed it with ambient entertainment and one-on-one cognitive analysis that evening, then worked the company's booth in the Mandalay Bay Business Hall for the next two days.
Room size is rarely the deciding factor. He plays to rooms as small as five and as large as several thousand.
What makes mind reading land with professional audiences
Your reputation is in the room with him. Every guest who watches the entertainment is also, quietly, forming an opinion about whoever booked it. That is why the material is designed around three commitments.
Everyone who takes part comes out looking good. Participation is an invitation, never a requirement. The people who join him are treated as collaborators. The joke is never on them, and the interesting moment is always theirs.
It respects the audience's intelligence. The pleasure of the performance is in examining, together, the gap between what our minds seem to do and what they actually do. Guests leave feeling sharper for having thought about it.
It fits a business setting. The language is clean, the pacing is deliberate, and the content is built for mixed company: partners and associates, clients and staff, executives and their spouses. The aim is good conversation the next morning.
One client put the planner's concern in a single line: "I didn't want to worry about the entertainer embarrassing me." — Lisa Johnson
Who has booked him
A sample of documented corporate and professional engagements:
The Perecman Firm, a New York personal-injury law firm, for a holiday-season lunch at Redeye Grill in Midtown Manhattan.
Bayard Law, the Wilmington, Delaware firm, for a cocktail hour at the Hotel DuPont.
Association of Corporate Counsel, Greater Philadelphia chapter, an evening of in-house lawyers at One North Broad, Philadelphia.
Recognize Partners, a New York investment firm, for its holiday reception at The Standard High Line.
MassMutual Eastern PA, for its Champions Night at the Union League of Philadelphia.
Gallagher, the insurance firm, at the Sheraton Valley Forge.
F.A. Davis Company, the medical publisher, which has booked him for its employee appreciation event in the ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia in December 2026.
On convention floors he has worked for Sygnia Cybersecurity at the Gaylord National in National Harbor, Maryland; Lightyear at ONUG in Manhattan; Port.io at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas; and LayerX at Black Hat. Peake Technology has booked him for ModMed Momentum at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee in October 2026.
In their words
"Gentry was fantastic at our trade show booth. He didn't feel salesy or gimmicky, just personable, intelligent, and genuinely engaging. He drew people in naturally and created conversations that felt relaxed and authentic rather than forced. Attendees stayed longer, asked better questions, and were clearly interested in both the experience and our product. Multiple vendors and visitors told us he was a great find and asked how we discovered him. Several even mentioned they came back the second day specifically looking for him."— Athena Ascione, Senior Events and Marketing Leader, Lightyear Telecom
"Gentry brought so many hot leads to our trade show booth that we actually had a backlog of people waiting to speak with our team. His ability to stop traffic, spark curiosity, and turn brief interactions into meaningful conversations was immediately obvious. Attendees weren't just entertained, they were genuinely engaged and interested in what we were offering. Our sales team appreciated that conversations were already warm and relevant by the time they stepped in. The booth felt alive all day, and from a business standpoint, the quality of leads exceeded expectations."— Jackie Reardon, Head of Marketing, Sygnia Cybersecurity
"I was especially happy to see him actively generating hot leads for my clients at a Gartner conference as well as at re:Invent. He is easy to work with, comes prepared, and knows exactly how to attract people and keep them engaged."— Michael Yoder, Funny Business Entertainment Agency
More reviews from named clients are on the testimonials page.
How booking a mind reader works
Send the date. Use the contact page with your date, city, venue if you have one, an estimated headcount and a line about the event. That is enough to start.
One all-inclusive fee. You receive a single figure for the engagement. He does not ordinarily bill separately for travel, so a booking in Las Vegas or Orlando is quoted the same way as one in Philadelphia.
No published prices. Every event is different in length, format and audience, so the fee is set for your event rather than read off a chart.
No minimum lead time. Send the date as soon as you have it. He can often step in at short notice when another plan falls through.
A short planning call. Before the event you agree on format, timing and anything specific to your group: an award to work in, a client to honor, a product message for a trade-show booth.
He is based in Philadelphia and travels for engagements; his work and service have taken him to dozens of countries, including the Peace Corps in Ghana and the JET Programme in Japan. See where Gentry performs, or the page for a Philadelphia magician and mentalist if your event is local.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a mind reader cost for a corporate event?
The fee depends on format, length, location and audience, so it is quoted per event. It is all-inclusive: one figure, with travel ordinarily included rather than billed on top. Send your date and a few details through the contact page and you will have a clear number to take to your budget holder.
Is a mind reader the same as a mentalist or a magician?
Mentalism is the branch of magic devoted to apparent mind reading: naming thoughts, predicting choices, revealing information a performer should have no way of knowing. "Mind reader" is the everyday term for it. Gentry is a corporate magician whose specialty is mentalism, and his strolling sets also include close-up magic.
Can a mind reader really read minds?
What you see is a performance: skill, misdirection and years of craft, presented as entertainment. Gentry says so openly, and audiences of professionals tend to enjoy it more for that. The mystery is in how it is done.
Will anyone be put on the spot?
Participation is by invitation, and people who would rather watch simply watch. Volunteers are chosen with care, treated as partners in the moment, and return to their seats looking good in front of their colleagues. Planners book him precisely because the room stays comfortable.
What kinds of corporate events suit a mind reader?
Holiday parties, client receptions, employee appreciation nights, awards dinners, association meetings, conference sessions and trade-show booths. For a fuller overview of private and corporate bookings, see hiring a corporate mentalist and magician.
How far in advance should we book?
There is no minimum. Send the date as soon as you have it, and if it is close, ask anyway; he can often step in at short notice.
Check availability
Tell him your date, your city and who will be in the room. You will get a straight answer on availability and an all-inclusive fee.