INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF MAGICIANS HONORS HOUSE OF CARDS PROPRIETOR BILL MILLER WITH PRESIDENTIAL CITATION

In a ceremony held in the Carter the Great Theatre Room of House of Cards in Nashville on Tuesday, August 19, the International Brotherhood of Magicians honored House of Cards Proprietor & Icon Entertainment Founder/CEO Bill Miller with the Presidential Citation award.

Stephen Bargatze, President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, presented the award to Miller, saying, “When I found out I had the power given to me through the constitution to give out citations for people that have gone beyond to help raise the level and the art of magic, you were the first person that came to my mind.” He continued, saying, “Since 2018, Bill Miller and House of Cards have shared a historical preservation of magic and created a unique magical experience of both stage and close-up magic, melding magic with fine dining and exquisite libations for the perfect experience of the magical arts. Bill Miller has engaged both excellent local and international magicians to entertain the audiences at House of Cards. Magicians, both male and female, from all over the world have raised the art of magic to a higher standard.”

“It’s all very surreal and credit goes all the way back to 1968 when I made a five hour trip with the local pharmacists in my town to this magical place called the Magic Castle,” says Bill Miller. “Being a little kid from a town literally in the middle of nowhere, to see this amazing mansion and then to step in and see the phenomenal magicians and the memorabilia was something that from that moment on I never forgot.  I have been elected the mayor of a town three times and my wife Shannon will tell you that I was never as excited as the day when my associate membership approval came through from Magic Castle twelve years ago.  It really marked a special time in my life.  I have to give all the credit to the Magic Castle and that inspiration and the standard of excellence that they set and continue to set. I refer to them as the mothership.  I remember when we came up with this concept, in the most unlikely of places, here in a basement right off Broadway. From the start, we had magicians like IBM President Steve Bargatze, Kevin King, and Jason Michaels. We had Mark Gray, who inspired much of the memorabilia, and now here we are in the midst of a pandemic, but knowing that this is all temporary and we’re going to go back to – there’s no such thing as a new normal – I reject that, we’re going to go back to the old normal.  We are going to continue to celebrate magic here in the highest caliber possible and respect magic and what it represents.  As long as I’m around, as long as Blake Miller (House of Cards Operating Partner), Joey Martinez (General Manager) and Keith Droz (Executive Chef) are around, magic will live in this place in Nashville for as long as magicians will come and entertain my wonderful guests. So thank you for the gift of magic, thank you for your support, and thank you for believing in us!”

House of Cards Proprietors Shannon Miller and Bill Miller & International Brotherhood of Magicians President Stephen Bargatze (Photo Credit: House of Cards)

House of Cards Operating Partner Blake Miller, Proprietors Shannon Miller & Bill Miller, International Brotherhood of Magicians President Stephen Bargatze, HOC General Manager Joey Martinez & HOC Executive Chef Keith Droz (Photo Credit: House of Cards)

Revered by publications including Delish, Draper James, Eater, Entertainment Weekly, Expedia, Forbes, Hollywood Reporter, Lonely Planet, MSN, Nashville Business Journal, Nashville Lifestyles, Nashville Parent, nFocus, Only In Your State, SYFY, Tennessean, Thrillist, Time Out, Where Traveler, and more, patrons can book their reservation for this magical experience at  www.hocnashville.com/reservations.

About House of Cards

House of Cards is Nashville’s most unique dining and entertainment experience. Located underground in a one-of-a-kind 10,000 square foot space, the venue offers an evening for guests unlike any other in the history of the South. Once guests arrive, they begin a journey via a secret tunnel which leads to a magical world that has been characterized as indescribable by anyone who’s visited. From the beautiful handcrafted bar, to the multi-million dollar collection of art, European antiques and magic-related artifacts, the interior is the culmination of four years of design, planning and artisan-ship resulting in a one-of-a-kind ambiance not found anywhere else in the world.

House of Cards celebrates the art of magic, classic American cuisine and fine hand-crafted cocktails under one roof. Guests are encouraged to explore the dining room to enjoy the rare collections and be entertained by some of America’s top magicians who are stationed throughout the venue to provide mind boggling illusions and tricks all evening long. To further enhance the experience, House of Cards has a dress code and a no-photography policy to ensure the privacy of guests.

Reservations are encouraged, walk-ins are welcome subject to availability and dress code. Complimentary tickets to magic performances in the showroom are included with purchase of a dinner entrée. House of Cards has been consistently awarded OpenTable Diners’ Choice Awards in the categories of “Best Ambiance,” “Romantic,” “Special Occasion” and “Most Booked.”  House of Cards has also been featured in or on the following publications: AskMen, Bustle, Delish, Eater, Entertainment Weekly, Hollywood Reporter, MSN, Only in Your State, Sophisticated Living, SYFY, The Bobby Bones Show, Thrillist, Where Traveler, and more.

About The International Brotherhood of Magicians

The International Brotherhood of Magicians is the world’s largest organization of magicians, with members in 88 countries. Founded in 1922 by Len Vintus and Gene Gordon, the I.B.M.’s membership today includes the top professional magicians and thousands of enthusiastic hobbyists from all walks of life.

Now ninety-one years after its birth, the I.B.M. continues to forge ahead in bringing magicians together from around the world in the interest of advancing the ethics of magic, and to oppose exposures, to encourage literature, to promote professionalism in magic, and to promote humane treatment of live animals and birds used in our art. Today, there are over 300 I.B.M Rings worldwide, boasting nearly 11,000 members. For more information, visit, www.magician.org.