Blog

My magic career began when I was two years old. My grandfather tapped me on the shoulder one day and said, “Hey Andy, I want to show you something. I idolized my grandfather. He was a World war II hero. He took out his two front teeth completely out of his mouth and showed them to me at arm’s length. He then threw them back into his mouth. I was awestruck. I said, “How did you do that, pop?” He said, “That’s magic, Andy!” From there on out, whenever my grandfather came to visit, and I had friends over, I’d say, ” Hey Pop, do that magic trick with your teeth!”

Long before I was named “Best Magician NYC,” growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia in New Jersey in the 1980s, no kid magicians existed. We didn’t have Magic. I saw Magic on TV with David Copperfield and Mark Wilson.

Had I had the opportunity to learn Magic as a child, I would have completely done it, but I didn’t know how to find it. I didn’t know anyone who did Magic. So, I got really into playing sports, especially baseball and football. I kicked a 62-year-old field goal as a sophomore in high school. I went on to play football and college, and then I had a brief stent in minor league baseball and semi-professional football.

I got into doing improvisational comedy and comedy skits when I was in high school. I had a fantastic acting teacher named Mr. Evans, who greatly inspired me. He called me “The King of Comedy.”  In college, I continued with my acting and my Improv, and when I graduated in 2005 from Bates college, I moved to New York to become a comedian and work for MTV networks and Nickelodeon. I feel that my experience as a stand-up comic and improvisational comedian enabled me to be named “Best Magician NYC.”

After being a stand-up comic and improv comedian for ten years, I had a life-altering experience in 2014. In 2005 I signed up to be on the bone marrow registry through BeTheMatch.org. Ever since the day I was swabbed to become on the bone marrow registry, I always thought that someday I would get a call to be a bone marrow donor, even though the odds of becoming a bone marrow donor are like one in a hundred thousand.

I will never forget when I got the call to become a bone marrow donor; as soon as the phone rang, I felt this would be the big call. When I got the call from the donor registry, they asked me why I thought they were calling. I said, “You are calling to ask me to become a bone marrow donor.” They were dumbfounded about how I knew that, and they went on to explain how I was a possible match for a two-year-old boy with leukemia. I accepted on the spot.

The next day they sent me blood tests via FedEx, and I got tested for every disease known to man. I was very nervous because I’ve been to some sketchy places in the world with many diseases, like Madagascar, but everything came out okay. Two days later, I got another call from Delete Blood Cancer, DKMS, and they said they had some good news for me. They said that I was a “Perfect Match” for the boy.

No one had called me “Perfect” in a very long time, and it felt amazing. Three months later, after the boy had completed his chemotherapy, I made my donation.

It was a very magical experience. I decided I wanted to be an excellent example for the boy during my donation. If I ever got to meet him, I would go for my dreams if I met him. At that very moment, I decided to become a professional magician.

I began practicing, and within two years, I was accepted as a magician member of the world-famous Magic Castle. I don’t know where I’d be without Magic. In layman’s terms, it’s like a very passionate hobby that you can’t give up.

I attended a Toastmasters conference in 2014, and the keynote speaker said, “What would you do if you had all the money in the world and could do one thing?” For me, that would be Magic. Even though I would have millions and millions of dollars, I would still do Magic. It is so much fun for me. It’s better than a vacation.

I love seeing people’s expressions on their faces and hearing their laughs and their voices; when I do my Comedy Magic. Every year my Magic gets ten times stronger. In the past couple of years, I feel like it’s getting a hundred times stronger every year because I’m getting stronger and stronger.

Learning Magic is sort of like going to the gym. In the beginning, you’re out of shape and have trouble with your cardio and lifting heavy weights, but the more you practice and compete, the more powerful you become. Doing Magic is better than going to a resort in Hawaii. It is so relaxing and brings me so much joy and happiness. I think that’s one of the big reasons why my clients hire me. Not just because my comedy and my Magic are powerful, but they can tell that I’m doing what I love, which comes across in my work.

I do not know where and how I will end up in my magic career. As a two-year-old boy, I never dreamed of being named the Best Magician NYC or “America’s Top Comedy Magician” by Facebook. I work hard every day to be the best Magician I can be. Yes, I would love to be on Jimmy Kimmel Live, America’s Got Talent and Saturday Night Live, but as my mom always told me, do your best.

One thing I do know is that I set a good example for the young boy with leukemia and encouraged him to pursue his dreams. I ended up saving the life of the two-year-old boy with my bone marrow donation. The boy is now ten years old, and his name is Lucas. He lives with his parents and younger brother in Sao Paolo, Brazil. We haven’t met in person yet, but we do face time together from time to time.

I asked Lucas what he wanted to be when he grew up. He said, “I want to find the cure for cancer.” I replied to him jokingly, “Are you sure you don’t want to be a Magician?”. Lucas has a beautiful childhood, and he loves Magic, skateboarding, and playing the trumpet. Our dream is to perform together on America’s Got Talent one day and inspire more people to become bone marrow donors.

When a magician finds out that Jeff McBride is my mentor, the first question they as me is, “what’s it like working with Jeff McBride?”.  Jeff is the biggest reason why I became the Best Magician NYC.

Working with Jeff McBride is a dream come true.  He has mentored many famous and renowned magicians, such as Mat Franco, who won America’s got Talent.  Most recently, three of Jeff’s students came in first place in their respective categories at FISM for the World Championships of Magic.  When the three Champions were interviewed directly after their victories, the first person they thanked was Jeff McBride.  They said they could not have become a champion without his tutelage.

Jeff is not just an ordinary person.  Everything he does is magical.  If you were a guest at his house, Jeff would make you pancakes for breakfast and put on a whole show before you even had your first slice of bacon.  He would make your pancakes disappear, reappear on the ceiling, and make your spoon bend in half with his mind.

Jeff is so proud of his students.  he looks at all of them like an extension of their family.  He is equally as proud as if you were to learn a new cups and balls routine for the first time or if you were to win America’s Got Talent. Jeff is very proud of all his students regardless of their ability, where they live, or how much money they have.  I have never had a mentor or coach like this before.

Jeff’s knowledge of Magic is so vast and extensive that he is well beyond being a genius or a savant.  He reads ancient Magic books for half the day in his reading room.  When David Copperfield buys an age-old magic trick that is hundreds of years old and doesn’t know how to operate it he contacts Jeff McBride, and Jeff tells him how to perform the Magic.

Jeff is an amazing networker, and if you ever need to learn a new trick, he doesn’t refer you to a book or a Magic shop; he CCs you on an email to the person who invented the trick and has them teach you.  The inventor is always incredibly happy to hear from you.

There are many different types of magicians in the world.  There are card manipulators there are illusionists there are mentalists there are comedy magicians, and there are close-up magicians. Jeff can literally do it all.  He is a jack of all trades, which is extremely hard to find in the Magic community.

As your mentor, Jeff will focus on the skills you do best.  In the beginning, when I started working with Jeff, he recognized that I had a unique skill set different than most other magicians.  He said Andy, your skill is your personality.  You have a love for people and the world.  You practice random acts of kindness, and Magic is how you make the world a better place.  It doesn’t matter what trick you do when you perform.  All that matters is that you’re on stage entertaining.

A year ago, I was about to buy an illusion for my Vegas magic show for over $10,000.  It was over 10 ft long and weighed hundreds of pounds.  It would make me reappear and disappear in the blink of an eye.  I was so excited to have the opportunity to buy it.  But Jeff told me not to buy it and how it was a waste of money for me.  I told him how I didn’t understand. Jeff said, ” Don’t forget your gift is your personality; if you want to spend thousands of dollars, get nice speakers and audio systems and microphones, so people can hear you better.” Jeff saves me thousands of dollars by advising me not to buy junk I do not need.

It’s a great pleasure working with Jeff McBride.  I am constantly in contact with him through email and Facebook Messenger.  He helped me become the Best Magician NYC.  I cherish my meetings with him every month over Zoom.  Behind every great Magician, there’s a unique and powerful woman.   Abigail McBride is also an incredible magician, singer, dancer, and mentor. I’m fortunate to have Jeff McBride and his wife, Abigail, in my life

I could not have had the success I’ve had in the past three years and become the best Magician NYC had it not been for Jeff McBride. I would never have been named “America’s top Comedy Magician” by Facebook, never have broken a world record, and never have had the energy and belief to audition for the Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC.

I searched for years to find someone to help me become the best Magician NYC and take my Magic to the next level. Jeff has been that person.  If you want to become a magician or a much-improved magician, I highly recommend working with Jeff McBride and the Magic and Mystery School in Las Vegas, Nevada.  They are sensational, extraordinarily accessible, and kind people.  They will change your life and make it more magical.

Success is defined in many different ways within the magic community.

Some amateur magicians are hobbyists and do magic for fun to get the occasional paid gig, there are semi-pros who have a day job and occasionally work on the weekends, there are magicians who have another job in addition to being a full-time magician, and then there are professional fulltime magicians. I have been all of these different types of magicians in my career before I was named, Best Magician NYC.

My dream is to be a Hollywood magician. A magician who is well versed and comedy Magic and acting. One of my big inspirations in Magic is Steve Martin, a Magician, comedian, and actor. Steve Martin started his career as a magician and used it to get into becoming a writer and on late-night television. He was so funny and engaging that he could use his magical skills to get into acting and other comedy areas. Steve Martin is an extraordinary incredible singer and has his band. I want to be a lot like Steve Martin.

There is an astonishing amount of competitiveness to become a Hollywood magician, comedian, and actor. I go on Network auditions that thousands of people have submitted for, and it’s tough to differentiate yourself from all the other Talent. Steve Martin said, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” That is the quote I live by.

Climbing the mountain top to Hollywood is extremely difficult. You start in a lush, pristine valley, that is easy to come content with, and never leave. But then there’s the mountaintop that’s exceptionally high and has a Hollywood sign on top with a giant party with all of the celebrities’ Fame and money.

Eighteen years ago, I decided to leave my valley and hike to the top of the mountain of Success. In the beginning, the walk was straightforward. It was at a slight incline, and many animals and nature passed by, and I felt part of a community. The steeper I began to climb, the more I noticed that there were fewer people on my path to support me and push me along. The vegetation got less and less, and there were more and more rocks in my way. Eventually, I reached the tree line where there was no more vegetation and just rocks and dirt to see if there were inclines. I could see the mountaintop. I felt that I was getting close.

I hiked higher and higher and higher, but my legs started to hurt. I felt like giving up. The higher I climbed, the easier it became for me to give up. There were times when I took the wrong path and made terrible decisions for my future, and then I ran into a wise man who was very good at hiking and had been on my way before. His name was Jeff McBride.

Jeff took me by the hand when I was about to fall and picked me up to help guide me along the path, and helped me be named The Best Magician NYC. Jeff couldn’t do the work for me, but he could point me in the right direction and save me time and energy. I began to hike faster and faster, and I reached the part of the mountain where there were clouds, and I couldn’t see the top anymore. The climbing got scarier and scarier. The weather was cold and windy; sometimes, I would lose traction on My feet. I had to crawl on my hands and knees upward and upward. I climbed so high that there was no way to go back. The only way I could see was to continue forward or risk death.

I wish I could say I’m at the top of the mountain now that I was named, Best Magician NYC, but I know I am not. A couple of weeks ago, I briefly saw the top of the mountain through the mist and the clouds, and I knew I was getting close. I hadn’t seen the top of the mountain for over three years, but now I feel I’m getting closer and closer to reaching my goal of the top of the mountain and the Hollywood sign.

The Hollywood sign in Hollywood is quite an illusion. They put it too low it’s too easy to climb to almost anyone can do it, but in reality, not many can.

Step one of hiring a magician is using Google to search for qualified magicians in your area.

Certain factors go into seeing if a magician is qualified: their reviews and then their website. It’s essential to look on the magician’s website for their accomplishments, including the following:

1) Do they have a world record?

2) Have they performed at the world-famous Magic Castle?

3) Do they have a World-famous Mentor that teaches them Magic?

4) Have they performed for Fortune 500 companies?

5) Have they won any awards?

6) Are they a member of a secret Magic Society? Like The Academy of Magic Arts, IBM, SAM, or The Magic Circle

7) Do they have something unique about them that no other magician has?

8) Are they an influencer on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook, where they have videos with thousands of views?

9) Is there a website with more than one page? Because if they do not have more than one page, their skill set is very narrow.

10) Have they traveled around the World doing Magic

If the magician you are hiring does not meet at minimum seven of these ten qualifications, it’s not worth wasting your time hiring them. They are amateur and hack magicians who will make you look bad. It’s sort of like hiring a lousy mechanic to make your car worse rather than fix it.

Magic is not like comedy. Anyone can be funny for a few minutes on stage doing stand-up. It takes great skill to do a refined magic routine or illusion. Becoming a successful magician takes thousands of hours of experience performing and practicing in front of a mirror.

When hiring a magician and you ask them for a quote, you must speak to them over the phone and not over email or text message. When you do this, you will not get a good feeling about the magician and how they can service your needs.

You can expect to pay at least $500 up to $10,000 for a 45-minute to hour-long show for a qualified magician. If you spend less than this, you risk hiring an amateur who might use blue humor or curse in front of your kids. It’s also important to know that if you pay less than $500 for a magician, the odds are very high that they will cancel on you last minute for another gig that pays twice as much.

I get multiple calls every month from clients who have magicians that have canceled on them last minute. You must hire a trustworthy magician that will show up.

I take great pride in delivering the best Magic show around. I meet all of these ten qualifications mentioned above that you should look for in a magician. Contact me today to book a fantastic Magic show so I can leave memories for your friends and family that will last a lifetime.