Gary Ouellet (January 9, 1945 – June 8, 2002) was a

French-Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon acce ...

and magician who lived and worked in the United States. He may be best known as the driving force behind a number of network television specials that helped some of the top performers in modern magic to gain a national and international profile. He was also a lawyer and

lobbyist Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by various entities, in ...

Life and career

Born in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, Ouellet became interested in magic as a boy after receiving a toy magic set as a present. As a teenager, he performed a magic act that was the opening for headliners at a prominent cabaret venue in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

. Later in life, Ouellet pursued magic part-time while making a career as a lawyer and as a government lobbyist. He was a member of the successful and sometimes controversial

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

lobbying firm Government Consultants International, started in 1984 with Frank Moores,

Francis Fox Francis Fox (December 2, 1939 – September 24, 2024) was a Canadian politician who was a member of the Senate, Cabinet minister, and Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, and thus was a senior aide to Prime Minister Paul Mar ...

, and Gerald Doucet. After moving to the United States to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, Ouellet became a producer and was involved in founding several successful businesses, including the live show production company Area 52 Entertainment and his own firm Ouellet Entertainment Inc. He was also a partner in the television production firm OCT, which took its name from the last initials of partners Ouellet, Alan Carter and David Tumaroff. In the 1990s Ouellet produced more than 50 hours of network television, including the five '' World's Greatest Magic'' shows and the two '' World's Most Dangerous Magic'' specials. Ouellet settled in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

but also spent a considerable amount of time in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

because of its importance as a venue for magic shows. He wrote and directed a number of big Las Vegas stage shows, including ''Melinda "First Lady of Magic"'' starring Melinda Saxe, and a show with magician Steve Wyrick. He was also responsible for Saxe's 1997 television special. As well as contributing to magic through his production work he also wrote a number of books and made instructional videos and DVDs, in which he taught magic skills. Gary was also a prominent lawyer before turning his talents to being an entertainment producer. Among other activities he was co-counsel on the Dubin Inquiry into Aviation Safety in Canada (1981/82). During the Mulroney era as Prime Minister, Ouellet and his business partner Frank Moores formed an Ottawa lobbying firm called Government Consultants International, which ultimately became embroiled in the Air Canada Airbus scandal and bribes paid by Karl-Heinz Schreiber.

Death

Ouellet died of a heart attack in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

where he was working on a television production.''ibid.'' Writing after Ouellet's death, magician Jonathan Pendragon stated:

References

External links

Online memorial
*
Gary Ouellet bio at the British Film Institute database

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ouellet, Gary Canadian lobbyists Canadian magicians Canadian television producers People from Quebec City 1945 births 2002 deaths