Ben Young

Magician & Entrepreneur

[benyoungblog-blog]

What a fun moment at Chili’s earlier this year!  And we were able to get it on camera!

[benyoungblog-blog]

The photo is from 4 years ago.  And now with the story...

I had a wonderful gig this weekend.  I was honored to perform close up magic at a couple’s wedding here in Knoxville.  I love strolling magic because of the way I can connect with other people, but that isn’t what made this gig special.

When the groom emailed me to book me, he mentioned that he had seen me perform at a Blount County event a while back.  It turns out, he and his now-wife saw me at the event in the picture, 4 years ago!  But more than that, they told me right then and there, that they would hire me to perform magic at their wedding!

I can hardly even express how much this means to me.  4 years ago, I was still rocking a jew-fro, was wearing my card case on my hip, had a BAD business card, and wasn’t even old enough to attend the wine-tasting I was performing at.  But 2 things stand out more than those:

1.  I was still in school.  I was a sophomore in college.  At that point, I really had no idea I would end up performing full time after graduation.  I hadn’t yet trained my mind to think like a marketer, a businessman.  4 years ago, this gig was just a gig; a way for me to make a little extra money, perform at a cool event, and get in the newspaper.

2.  I wasn’t nearly as experienced.  Now, I don’t want to sound conceited and I’m not hyping myself up.  But I do know that my skills have grown exponentially in the past 4 years.

It really strikes a chord with me that 4 years ago, amid all those factors, I was able to connect with this couple and make enough of an impression that they knew they wanted to hire me...and actually followed through years later.

So thank you, Carl and Jessica, and a huge congratulations on your beautiful marriage!  I wish you nothing but the best!

[benyoungblog-blog]

The first thing I ever learned from Murray Sawchuck...

Say yes to everything, and then freak out.

Murray is billed as the “Celebrity Magician”, currently headlines at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and has become a very dear friend of mine.  But chances are, you know him from one of his countless TV appearances...such as Pawn Stars, America’s Got Talent, Wizard Wars, Last Comic Standing, Reno 911, Celebrity Blind Date, Celebracadabra, and Wipeout.

His omnipresence on TV, internet, and live events is due largely to one thing:  Murray says yes to nearly every opportunity thrown his way.  Only then does he figure out how to pull them off.

And I’ve got to tell you, the strategy works.  About a month after meeting Murray, he invited me out of the blue to fly from Knoxville, TN to Las Vegas to guest star in his show at Planet Hollywood, along with attend a star-studded party.  How out of the blue was the invite?  The party was in two days.

I hopped on the opportunity immediately.  I bought a surprisingly expensive last minute plane ticket, and two days later I made my Vegas debut.  But not before several freak-out sessions.

Long story short, I had an incredible weekend (yes, I was only there for a weekend), but more importantly, my career changed dramatically.  I returned home with newfound confidence and direction.  My entire life has changed course.

So, what’s the point?  The point is this...we all have opportunities thrown at us constantly.  But most of us are scared to take the risk.  We don’t know if we’ll be able to rise to the challenge, or we fear failure, or fret about how to pay for the opportunity.

But far too often, avoiding these risks keeps us from growing as people, furthering our career, or enriching our relationships.  We must think about the benefits of taking the risk...what’s the best that can happen?  What will I get out of it?  Will this help me reach my goals?

So here’s my advice....say yes.  If it is inline with your goals, and you think the benefits could very well outweigh the costs, just say yes.  Even if you don’t know how you will do it (whatever it is).  Just say yes.  Then freak out.

Thank you, internet, for reading my thoughts.  And thank you, Murray Sawchuck, for your friendship.

[benyoungblog-blog]

Last year’s Corporate Magic demo reel.  Finally starting to edit the footage from my recent 5 day run at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and will soon add that footage in!

[benyoungblog-blog]

The Gig Where I Was A Top-Secret Magician

One of the things I love doing for my clients is creating totally custom packages for their event.  This has a huge range; I might design a trick to convey a company message, emcee an event, present a keynote that incorporates magic, and more.  I’m even running a custom-made team-building workshop for a company meeting in a couple weeks.

That’s all well and good, but there was one event, last October, that was so unique and absolutely amazing.  I wrote it up on Facebook the next day, so please enjoy reading about the time I performed in disguise!

From Facebook  October 5th, 2014:

“Gotta tell you about the gig I had last night.  I was hired as a surprise. So I arrived and pretended to be one of the caterers!  It was hysterical.  People ask me about the food, our restaurant locations, how they saw us on Undercover Boss, etc.  I was even cleaning up after the wind blew stuff off the table.  In my downtime, I warmed up by the fire and chit-chatted with the other guests, lying about what I do and who I am.

Then, I pick up a napkin from the ground, ball it up, and make it disappear for a woman.  She flips out.  I do a couple other things with the napkin.  The group starts to notice, jokes about how they're getting dinner and a show, and asks me if I know about that magician guy who was on America's Got Talent.  I tell them how I dabble in magic, usually practicing during slow hours at the restaurant, and how I learned most of my stuff from YouTube.

About 20 minutes later, after a couple other conversations about how I was surprisingly good at those simple magic tricks, I performed one STUNNING little trick (ask me to show it to you next time you see me out and about) and then announced to the group that I had been lying to them the entire night.  That I'm not a caterer, but that I am a professional magician.  It felt like I was on a reality TV show!  We then had a very fun, intimate show by the fire, where people had their minds read, witnessed a peaceful zombie weapon, and shared a lot of laughs.  So memorable.  As my friend Brad always says.... Do what you love, and love what you do.  Happy Sunday everyone!”

What an incredible experience!  Have I had more fun gigs? Yes. (it was cold outside)  But I’ve never had a gig quite like that.  I left that party filled with adrenaline, ecstatic from getting to do what I love in such a memorable way.

Thanks for reading!

[benyoungblog-blog]

Hi. I’m Ben.

I’m a magician and entrepreneur.

Most people substitute those two labels with two less-exciting labels:  Broke and unemployed.

Surprisingly enough, I’m doing just fine.  Furthermore, I freaking love my life.

I’m literally living the dream.  I graduated college in 2014 with a degree in psychology, where I proceeded to not use my degree at all.  I perform magic full time at a whole slew of different events.

I’m also working on a startup company (more on that later).  All I’ll say now is that YES, it is magic related, and YES, it’s gonna be awesome.

I’m gonna be honest.  This first post is really awkward for me. So let’s get through this together.  I’ll simply list a few things to expect from me, in the hopes that you’ll be inclined to follow me.

Follow me if you want to read/see/listen to posts about passion, entrepreneurship and business, following your dreams, my views on magic, horror stories and glory stories from magic gigs, my thoughts on magic on TV, the journey of my new startup, being in my twenties, and more.