I’m Jason Partin, a magician based in Flagstaff, Arizona, who frequently performs in member rooms of The Magic Castle in Los Angeles, and at bars and restaurants in San Diego and New Orleans.
Contact me to discuss your situation, or scroll down to learn more about magic or to find a magician who best suits your needs.
A bit about
Guests must have a member’s invitation, and the formal dress code and lack of phones and photos inside ensures an immersive, remarkable experience. You enter through a secret door behind a bookshelf, and inside there’s a top-rated restaurant overlooking downtown Hollywood, several small theaters, intimate bars, and a lifetime of memorabilia to explore. Like Doctor
Who’s famed Tartus, the inside of The Magic Castle is bigger on the inside than the out, thanks to additions over the decades that built tunnels transporting patrons to eloquent theaters in what was once adjacent buildings and businesses. Harry Potter would be impressed.
Fine Dining overlooking downtown Hollywood – Photo from https://la.eater.com
One of the many small bars with performing bartenders and wandering magicians – Photo from https://la.eater.com
The trick is
Ask around: guest passes are surprisingly available, but it doesn’t pop up in typical conversation. Anyone with passes is usually happy to share.
Evenings are 21+ only, and the dress code is suit and tie for gentlemen and evening attire for ladies; all are welcome, and details about the code are in the Castle’s page aptly titled Visiting the Magic Castle. Weekends have a kid-friendly brunch and a more relaxed dress code. Phones are discouraged inside, and photos are only allowed in the reception room, in front of the secret bookshelf that will open for guests who learn the secret word (hint: it’s from Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”). Once inside, the outside world seems to disappear…
Or, find a magician who can invite you as part of a show. I’ve been a member of The Magic Castle for a long time (I’ve been performing magic since I was eight years old, which was a long, long time ago), and though I’m not an official representative, I, like most members, love performing for guests in the member rooms or while strolling around and enjoying the ambiance; there’s a lifetime of memorabilia to explore. For special shows, I host eight people in private rooms, and guests receive full access and the experience of a lifetime.
Photo from https://la.eater.com
Use any internet search engine to find magicians near you. Hidden gems are often your neighbors; even David Copperfield’s neighbors probably overlooked “The Great Davino” when he was the same person but much, much cheaper to hire. (Use “near me” to focus results for anything local – search engines don’t let people cheat with that phrase.)
A few examples of
Johnny Ace Palmer – Johny is one of the nicest people you’ll meet, and also one of the world’s finest magicians. I saw him lecture when I was a kid; despite being a famous magician and winner of the world’s most elite competition, he was humble and closed his lecture by wishing us success in magic and happiness in life. He hasn’t changed in the more than thirty years since I met him, and today his magic is even better than I remember.
Me (Jason Ian Partin) – I’m one of the better, cheaper acts… That’s not true; it’s a line from Harry Anderson, one of the most talented performers I’ve ever met, star of television’s Night Court, eight-time host of Saturday Night Live, and owner of one of my favorite bars in New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina and Harry’s untimely passing a few years later. I’m ridiculously expensive, so unless you’re budget is as big as the New Orleans Superdome, I suggest finding someone less pricey, like David Copperfield or Penn and Tellar. But, if I’m within your budget, don’t hesitate to contact me; I love performing, and would strive to make it worth your while.
Javi Benitez – Penn said, and Teller nodded in agreement, that Javi did “the best sleight of hand we’ve ever seen.” I agree. His show at the castle was pure art. Javi was an internet design guru who transitioned into a full-time magician, and is the last student of the late, great Acancio. He’s based in Spain, but travels the world to share his love of magic. I’ve seen him a couple of times, and though I’ve been fortunate enough to see a few more skilled, I can not imagine a living sleight-of-hand artist with more skills and charisma than Javi.
A few examples of
Kevin Viner – Based in San Diego and with a vibe softened by 78 miles of beaches and and endless summer, Kevin told me that he’s never worked a day in his life because he’s been a magician since he was a kid. He loves what he does, and his personality radiates as someone who’s successful at what the do and who is happy with life. Kevin began, like most of us, with a mentor and close-up tricks; he transitioned to more lucrative stage magic for corporate events, and is currently scaling back to mentalism for discerning audiences.
Me (Jason Partin) – I dabble in groups of up to 150 people, but I’d probably disappoint you and taint the image of better performers (that’s not exactly true, but I recommend hiring people who perform for their livelihood). My show is similar to Harry Anderson’s, but focused on team interaction: it’s more like a team-building exercise. In the non-magic world, helping teams is my specialty (I’ve been an squad leader, CEO, and college faculty who facilitated large groups of people into collaborating and understanding complex situations, like physics, combat missions, and FDA medical device regulations). If you hired me, I’d probably have a friend join to ensure everyone was happy we came, unless you wanted a workshop on R&D or Quality Assurance, then I’d knock your socks off.
Danny Ray – One of the few who does all types of shows equally as well, and his powerful but subtle messages inspires me; and, in full disclosure, he fooled me and practically every magician who saw him at The Magic Castle. If I were to hire a magician for an event I hosted, I’d hire Danny Ray.
Both Kevin and Danny have been on Penn and Teller’s “Fool Us,” and Danny earned the coveted F.U. award. You can’t go wrong with an FU told in a funny way, or with either Danny or Kevin at your next event.
Youtube has a plethora of people teaching magic. I linked the results of “learn” “magic” “magician” to get you started; add keywords specific to what’s in front of you now, like cards, coins, napkins, straws, coffee creamers, your phone, etc.
Learn
I’ll soon filter and add more online tutorials, but here are a few to get you started.
Beginner
Intermediate
Flourishes strengthen your hand-eye coordination, and sometimes “wow!” people, too 🙂
To me, flourishes are more than just hand-eye coordination and something fun to show people, it’s training to be a magician the same way repetitive movements train a karate student, like the famous film The Karate Kid focused on polishing cars with “wax-on, wax-off.” That kid woke up and could defend himself because of muscle memory. Flourishes are the “wax-on, wax-off” way to learn how to be a mater sleight-of-hand magician. And like a black-belt in karate having higher levels, there’s continuous learning and improvement in magic; I’m currently working on these flourishes and fun things.
Now you know enough to learn almost any already-known magic effect, and you have the method to become a master sleight-of-hand artist.
You can also buy magic and books online. I encourage you to search “magic shop near me” first, and here are a few reputable online shops to try if nothing is near you.
If you’re in Los Angeles, near The Magic Castle, consider stopping by The Magic Apple, an ancient store (by L.A. standards), with local and visiting magicians swinging through now and then. They also have an online catalog, but The Magic Apple epitomizes an old-school store that’s fun to peruse and chat with people. They also give magic lessons and host lectures for the local magic club.
Penguin Magic – Internet and marketing guru Seth Godin mentioned Penguin Magic in a couple of his 18 best selling marketing books, and he designed and released a simple gimmicked card trick with Penguin to emphasize his concepts of doing something “good enough” and shipping it, not being hindered by making something perfect or even better: just ship it and improve the next iteration.
Vanishing Inc. Magic – A clever name co-founded by what was a kid star in the magic world when I was a young man; good for him!
Iowa Magic Shop – They have a small online footprint, but their Facebook page gives you a brick-and-mortar address with a real person who answers the phone; it’s an example of a local shop that I wish were in every town.
Finally, another level of magic is to create it. Imagine what seems impossible, then get forget that it’s impossible and get to work with the best, simplest way you could accomplish it.
Like any design process, start with an idea of what you want to accomplish, brainstorm, prototype, test, iterate, and continuously improve. If you’d like more ideas on that, check out Seth Godin’s work on “shipping” the best you have today, which is usually good enough, and get into the mindset of constant, gradual improvement.
Magic is a metaphor for life; don’t fear failure, have fun, and improve a little bit every day. Sure, a magic shop and being around like-minded people helps, but don’t let that stop you from doing what you can, when you can. And don’t forget, it only takes one magic effect ready to be performed 24 hours a day anywhere in the world, and you’re already a magician with more to offer than literally 99.99% of the people on Earth.
Understand
My high school wrestling coach, Coach Dale Ketelsen, only gave one piece of advice for when you step on the mat: just wrestle. For the next two minutes, and for every other round in a six minute match, do nothing else but wrestle.
When you’re in front of someone, do nothing but be there. Think of nothing else; you trained all you could, so just be present for your audience and you’ll be fine. Like with wrestling, the more practice you do the better the outcome. The sharper an axe, the deeper the cut; the more firewood collected, the hotter the fire; the more you practice, the more your mind can be present while your body does what it needs to do. These links can help you practice being present.
Stage Presence
These are books. A few education-focused research studies show that learning from books can develop mental calmness and depth of learning more than videos, probably because it stimulates building neural networks and is more based on something deep inside of you than more easily parroted video media. And blocking off time to learn in quiet is probably an asset; a calm mind is often a source of creativity, and it can unlock your untapped presence that will serve you more in life than most things you see online (including this!). You can share the gift of your self with your audience, and they’ll probably appreciate that more than any trick you learn off Youtube: a good person with empathy and something to share is remarkable.
Also, search your community for workshops in acting, improve, speech, and public speaking (like Toastmasters). Comedy comes in threes, and “yes, and…” requires practice; join a tribe of people learning with you, and go from there.
Empathy, Active Listening, & The Art of Conversation
These are videos, and the topics serve magicians well. Not just on stage or with a deck of cards in your hand, but with useful and timeless people skills; if the audience likes you and feels respected, you’re already doing better than many people no matter how talented they are.