Sydney Magician Liam Power Featured in the News

Hi, I’m Liam Power. I’m a Sydney Based Magician and entertainer. I was lucky enough to be a featured magician in a Daily Telegraph article headlined – “Magicians and illusionists of NSW: A day in the life of an entertainer”, written by Journalist Clare Sibthorpe. Below is an excerpt of the original article

You might think being a magician is all fun and games when that is literally the job description.

But behind the scenes, entertainers are busy working with engineers and designers to beat internet trends, perfect tricks and outsmart their competition in what some describe as a challenging and competitive industry.

From those who self-taught their skills watching YouTube to those who trained at an intense full-time magic company for two years, we can reveal the secrets of some of the most popular magicians across the state.

Liam Power – Magician

Liam Power has travelled across Australia and around the world making people laugh and scratch their head in confusion.

He has performed on national TV shows, filmed a documentary in Cambodia with The Fred Hollows Foundation and spoken at TEDx events. The list of magic and arts festivals he’s performed at is a little too long to mention.

How did you break into magic?

I got into magic while on a family holiday in Thailand. We were in a small village near the Laos border, it was Christmas morning and there was one other foreigner in town. We were both eating breakfast on Christmas morning and he walked up to us and performed some really amazing first class magic. From that moment I was hooked. For the next two days I followed him around while he was performing magic shows for the Red Cross. He eventually taught me a trick. Many years later I lived with him and his wife for a couple of months while he trained me.

How long did it take you to do magic professionally?

Not long to start doing it part-time. I started performing magic in 2001 and in 2002 I was doing kids shows as a weekend job in high-school. After school, I did a chef apprenticeship and ended up leaving chefing and working as a full-time magician in 2008.

Is it a competitive industry?

It is surprisingly competitive. There are a lot more professional magicians out there than you’d think. Having said that, there is a great community where magicians collaborate and help each other out with our acts and passing on gigs. So while it is competitive, there is also a great sense of community between a lot of performers.

What does your work involve?

It’s a lot more diverse than most people think. I’m essentially running a small business as well as performing magic in which many performances are different. I might be doing a small bespoke show for 20 people and a large stage performance for more than 1000 people the next day. I also collaborate a lot with clients, creating custom magic specific to their events or products. I’m on the road a lot, driving or flying to events. More of my day to day work is coming up with new ideas, marketing, website development, bookkeeping etc.

What is the longest it has taken you to perfect a trick?

I was traveling through Central America for six months. On the way home I was planning to meet up with a mentor of mine in Boston, the guy I met in Thailand all those years ago. I wanted to impress him when I saw him so I was learning a particularly hard bit of sleight of hand. It took me every day of six months.

Where do you get your inspiration?

In many places – from other performers, comedians, circus performers, other magicians etc. I used to be a chef and I got inspiration there. My favourite magicians who inspire me are Rune Klan, David Williamson and Tommy Wonder.

What is the best part about your job?

Definitely the performing. Performing at music festivals are my absolute favourite. They just have such a great atmosphere and the crowd is always really fun.

What is the hardest part about your job?

Probably the uncertainty. There is no regular pay cheque.

Have you ever had anything go wrong in a performance, and how did you recover?

Yes! More than once. It depends on what goes wrong. Sometimes the audience doesn’t notice, sometimes you can change the ending of a trick. If something has gone horribly wrong it’s best to just acknowledge it to the audience and move on. The important thing is not to get flustered.

What is your ultimate career goal?

I’m not sure I have one. I’m happy being able to earn my living performing magic. That doesn’t mean that I’m lazy or that I stand still. Instead of having a big dream or ultimate goal, I like the philosophy spelled out by Tim Minchin in his famous graduation keynote speech, “Nine life lessons,”. He said: “I advocate passionate dedication to the pursuit of short term goals …. Just be aware the next worthy pursuit might be in your periphery, which is why you should be wary of long term dreams. If you focus too far in front of you, you might miss the shiny thing out of the corner of your eye”.

If you’d like to read the full article it can be found here – https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/southern-courier/magicians-and-illusionists-of-nsw-a-day-in-the-life-of-an-entertainer/news-story/f095393c7afee83167d7b8a67e9614bd

If you’d like more information or a free quote contact Magician based in Sydney Liam Power today