<< Previous   of   Next >> Photo courtesy of Shiftpoint Strategies Inc.  (click to enlarge) Magic maker Nash Fung captures the attention of party crowds, business gatherings and a variety of other audiences, tailoring his magician's talents to a wide range of venues.

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CONTACT SCBJ Kurt Batdorf, Editor kbatdorf@scbj.com

Popular magician Nash Fung wows audiences

By Rebecca Bailey
SCBJ Freelance Writer

A wallet catches on fire, a coin appears out of nowhere, and a driver's license mysteriously disappears. These are all tricks of the trade for Nash Fung, a young hip magician creating illusions that charm a variety of audiences.

He describes his art as a new kind of magic. Instead of using traditional stage acts such as sawing women in half or joining two rings together, Fung has uses his knowledge of how the mind works and his love of people to turn his magic into a growing entertainment business.

For five years, Fung has been working to establish his unusual enterprise. His talent and entrepreneurial spirit have gotten him many performances for corporate events, weddings, birthdays and other private functions.

“I love the interaction with people. It's the interaction that makes it magic. They have fun and relate to the performer and don't really care about the magic,” Fung said.

About 80 percent of his business comes from the corporate market where he often performs at company parties. He mingles with guests for two to three hours, performing “close-up” tricks, delighting crowds as he borrows wallets, watches, money, jewelry and other personal stuff, making them disappear and then reappear.

He was just into his teen years, living in Hong Kong, when he saw his first magic act. Instantly, he wanted to figure out how it was done.

“I was one of those kids who asked a lot of questions,” he said.

Fung, who studied psychology in college, creates original magic tricks by combining illusion with his knowledge of how the human mind processes information.

“The trend is geared more to the magic of the mind,” he said. “The tricks are visual and designed to influence how the participant will respond.”

Fung performs his other shows mainly at 20 percent of his shows at smaller venues, such as weddings and birthday parties. Although corporate clients are his mainstay, he wants to grow his wedding market.

Fung said that in countries such as England, it's popular to hire magicians for entertainment at wedding receptions. It's not as expensive as hiring a band and he has customized his act to entertain tables while guests are waiting for their turn at those typically long buffet lines. The work is not without its challenges.

“Magic is not an esteemed act. People are biased before I can show them what I can do,” he said.
To help offset this, Fung built an online video library for potential clients to view his acts. He also works in collaboration with related businesses such as disc jockeys and cross-promotes their businesses on his videos.

The slow economy has caused some hurdles, too. Companies have cut back their budgets for employee parties. He has compensated by putting more efforts into marketing, and stepping up his direct mail and networking efforts.

“It's a 24-7 job,” he said. “But, I'm feeling okay with it.”

He has learned much about the marketing arena during the last couple of years. Summer and the Christmas holidays are his “hot season,” so he targets his marketing around these times.

Growth in his skills as a magician is important for Fung, too. He performed as a street magician last year to improve his art form and draw people to his act.

“I was miserable for the first two days, I didn't know how to stop people in crowds,” he said. One he caught on, he began drawing crowds.

“I learned how to get people's attention when they were not expecting it,” he said. “Using the element of surprise, I could turn a completely disinterested person into an active participant.”

Fung teaches his craft, too, marketing his original tricks and instructional DVDs to professional magicians. Initially he wanted to teach, and has taught three classes overseas, but he's waiting for the demand to expand.

“I love teaching what I create,” he said.
For more information, visit Nash Fung's website at www.nashfung.com or call 425-772-9411.