Cont. Cool Jobs - Magician

Your equal partnership performance with Singapore’s only professional magician, ‘Magic Babe’ Ning, is very groundbreaking and refreshing, as compared to the early days of performances, when the Illusionist or Magician would usually have a lady only as their assistant.

How has this paradigm shift worked for your shows, in terms of entertaining audiences and shaping their expectations of how a performance is like?

Amazingly well! ‘Magic Babe’ brings an appeal and glamour to the show that I could never do… and no male magician could do. Ning is Singapore’s magic media darling and a fantastic role model for magicians and women alike. Some have commented that she is a fashion model turned magician but nothing could be further from the truth… she is a magician turned fashion model. Just kidding! Ning is a full-fledge magician whose presentation of magic is distinct and technical skills are well honed. Ning’s stage character is strong, sexy and confident; which is very atypical of a female magician.

 Most female magicians play submissive, soft or ‘cutesy’ roles and perform magic with props and themes that reflect that. ‘Magic Babe’ on the other hand can do whatever the boys do but puts her own sexy spin on it. And you know what? She handles herself just as well as the men, but looks better doing it! Her choice of props tend to be Japanese ninja sais, samurai swords, steel spikes and flaming pois. In fact, in our show, she passes a bed of spikes through my body. This is a complete reversal of traditional magic roles where the female is usually the ‘victim’.

My experience in show production and original illusion designs combined with her performance skills and artistic direction has forged a combination in magic that is hardly seen. In fact, we are the first illusion show in Asia to feature both a male and female magician as equals. We feel our performing as a duo coupled with our distinct “Urban Illusions in the City” style has broken the traditional mould of what the Singapore public has come to expect of local magicians and magic shows.

It is also our value and brand as a team that has led organizations to use us for major projects such as The Arena for “Ultimate Magic” and The Central, together with, the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore River teleportation during the F1 Singapore GP Season.

‘Magic Babe’ Ning is a great example of a talented young local magician who is well on her way to fulfilling her potential. What advice do you have for the youth of Singapore who are passionate about Magic and would like to develop themselves further in this field?

If you are looking to do magic as a hobby, have fun with it. Spend as much time as you like, learn as much as you can and perform for your friends, family and whoever will watch you. However, if you are looking to do magic commercially, then you must be prepared to work very hard in this industry (like any other) and you have to realize that magic is Show Business; that’s two words “Show” and “Business”. “Business” is spelt twice as long so you need to put in twice the effort in the business aspect of being a magician IF you want to make it a career.

For the youths looking to make magic a career, make sure you finish school. Not only do you have something to fall back on but your education gives you a broad lateral outlook that is important to you working as a commercial magician. Every member of my team working on the “Ultimate Magic” show is a university graduate.

We come from extremely diverse educational backgrounds with degrees in English Language, Sociology, Mass Communication, Electrical Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering and Biology. But it is this diverse background that makes our team so strong, beyond just the magic. We all made consciously decisions to make magic a career and not because we have to or have nothing else that we can do.

J C and ‘Magic Babe’ Ning recently gave an enthralling magic show at the JobsDB.com 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner

The Magic industry is constantly moving ahead at a fast pace, and can be quite competitive like any other industry. What do you think is required for an Illusionist/Magician to stay sharp and stay ahead of the competition?

First of all, the magic industry is very small, even at the global level. Just think about it, how many magicians can you name off-hand? Compare this to the number of singers you are familiar with. One reason is magic’s position within mainstream entertainment and pop culture. The other reason is the lack of world class magic talent. However, the flipside is that because there is a smaller pool of talent, it is easier for someone with substance to stand out. In fact, there are now more magicians with a unique image stepping up and creating a name for themselves with the advent of alternate and/ or viral media such as cable TV and the Internet.

In Singapore, until now, no magician has ever broken into the local mainstream business and entertainment landscape. Ning & I have at least made a crack into the mainstream market which has separated us from the rest of the competition. In terms of media coverage, brand awareness and the projects we are involved in, no other magician or magic team has the same level of exposure.

We are also distinct because we’ve successfully applied the magic craft to a diverse range of commercial applications but at the same time kept the artistic integrity of the art. Our mindset and roles go beyond just being a 'magician' to that of an entrepreneur, marketer, business person, producer and manager. This broad-based strategy enables us to see the bigger picture and “play on a different playing field” than the rest. To stay sharp and stay ahead of the competition, magicians need to see beyond their ‘tricks’ and examine where they stand in the marketplace and figure a way to differentiate their product (shows & image).

With the upcoming Integrated Resorts, Formula 1 Night Race and tourism boom in Singapore and Asia, do you see positive prospects for the Magic industry?

Most definitely! Any major project that brings people together will require entertainment and thus offer opportunities to magicians. But, if a magician wants to be an essential component of these projects, he/ she must be able to make themselves relevant or of value to these projects.

However, first and foremost, they must ensure they have a world-class product and good brand value in order to even be considered as key entertainers or featured acts for such projects. If not, secondary spill-off work will still be plentiful as the projects mentioned will bring in loads of events and visitors that require entertainment both on a small and medium scale.

My team is already involved with the F1 through The Central and STB who roped Ning & I in for the mega illusion over the Singapore River. We are building an even bigger and better show over the next two years and hopefully will be in a position to offer a new permanent show to another venue.

What are your dreams and vision for the future?

Magically, I look forward to grow the business even more. Much of my work will still be contained within Asia as it is a tremendous market. But, I’m actually looking to develop more magic projects in Singapore. While small, the potential is there because magic as a viable entertainment and business venture has never been done before in Singapore. Our permanent show at The Arena is the first step in the right direction and has created buzz within the tourism industry, as well as, with the media. Our government’s support for M.I.C.E events and commitment to building Singapore as a tourist hub does give hope for an even larger world-class magic attraction.

I also still have several mega illusions that have not been staged because we have not yet found the right partner or event to showcase it. I have original illusions for vanishing an MRT Train carriage and an illusion involving a jumbo jet. I also have created an illusion presentation for our National Day Parade, so maybe we will see it soon one year.

Out of magic, I look forward to the day I can dedicate more time to competitive pool and play more seriously. I’ve got a competition-size pool table in my studio and play most days as a way to relax and de-stress.

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