How Do You Become a Magician?
Professional Magician Richard Young
“My lifelong passion for magic began when my godmother gave me a magic set for Christmas. I was just 9 but learning the tricks and performing them for my parents – who played along by being ‘amazed’ – quickly became a hobby that I loved. As a shy kid from a council estate, I suddenly got a taste of what it felt like to be important and admired.”
“This fascination with magic quickly got me into trouble at school. I far preferred performing tricks to attending to my lessons and the teachers got increasingly frustrated. The headmaster found a solution; he suggested that I perform at school assembly every day for a year. It was my first gig, and my most important. I fell in love with performing magic, and I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life.”
Learning from Professional Magicians
“When I was 11, I was taken to a performance by David Copperfield, then the world’s greatest magician and an international superstar. Suddenly I saw the potential for where magic could take me. By 14, I was being mentored for free by a professional magician who lived locally. It was this generosity – and the support my parents afforded me, that set me on the path of the career I so badly wanted to pursue.”
A Dream Come True
“Ever since I completed my education, I have been lucky enough to be able to earn my living solely from performing magic around the world. There have been many memorable moments, but it was whilst I was performing at the Edinburgh Fringe that a life changing event occurred. A young producer asked me to be part of his ‘Champions of Magic’ theatre tour. This took me around the world, allowing me to perform to massive audiences.”
“The biggest live audience I’ve ever had was in Montreal where I performed for 8,000 people. I’ve also appeared on live TV performing magic for the BBC, NBC, ITV and Fox amongst others. There have been many highlights but performing at Lewis Hamilton’s celebration party just after he won The Formula One Championship was very special. As was the private magic performance I gave for TV legend Jeremy Clarkson’s family.”
Magician For Hire
“The big, glitzy stuff is all very nice, but I couldn’t do it all the time. Most days I’m performing close-up magic, or table magic, for private parties, corporate events, or weddings around London. This is where I meet amazing people who are warm, generous and real – they are what makes being a professional magician worthwhile.”