Why Magic Invention Makes Me a Better Boston Corporate Performer
I was in my hotel room in Hartford at 2 AM, wide awake, trying to figure out how to make a business card appear in a sealed envelope without it looking like, well, exactly what it was—a business card appearing in a sealed envelope.
This wasn't for a magic convention. This was for a Connecticut pharmaceutical company's sales kickoff the next morning, and their VP had asked if I could incorporate their new product launch into the show somehow. The thing is, most magicians would have said no or pulled out a standard trick and slapped a logo on it. But I spent three hours that night inventing something custom because that's what I do. And here's why that obsession with creation makes me better at what I do for corporate clients across Boston, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut.
Creating Magic Teaches You What Actually Astonishes People
When you invent a magic trick, you can't rely on the instructions that came in the box. You have to build it from scratch, test it on real people, and watch their faces carefully. You learn—sometimes painfully—what actually fools people versus what just fools you.
I've created over 50 original effects in my career. Maybe 12 of them are actually good. The other 38 taught me more valuable lessons than the successful ones ever could.
Here's what invention teaches you that performance alone never will: the precise moment when someone's brain switches from watching to experiencing. It's usually not where you think it is. The big flashy moment? That's often just confirmation of the magic that already happened three seconds earlier when you did something small that seemed innocent.
This matters for corporate entertainment because business audiences are sophisticated. They've seen magicians before. The Boston corporate event circuit especially—these are executives who've been to hundreds of events. They can smell a standard trick from across a ballroom.
When I perform something I invented specifically for corporate environments, it lands differently. Because I built it for them, not for other magicians.
Problem-Solving Under Pressure Becomes Second Nature
Last month, I was performing at a New Hampshire tech company's product launch. Thirty seconds before I went on, they told me their CEO wanted to be involved in the show. No warning. No rehearsal.
This is where magic invention saves you.
When you've spent hundreds of hours breaking down how tricks work, rebuilding them different ways, and troubleshooting why something doesn't land right, you develop an almost instinctive understanding of how to adapt on the fly. I pulled from three different effects I'd been working on, combined them in a way I'd never tried before, and created a moment where their CEO seemingly predicted their quarterly results that were sealed in an envelope.
It worked because I understood the underlying principles—not just the steps.
Most corporate entertainers have a set show they do the same way every time. I have a framework I can reshape based on what the room needs. That flexibility comes directly from the invention process, where nothing ever works the first way you try it.
You Learn to See Events Through the Client's Eyes
Here's something nobody tells you about creating magic: you fail constantly.
I mean, constantly. An effect I'm working on right now has failed in 23 different ways over the past six weeks. Each failure teaches me something about expectations, timing, psychology, and what people actually care about versus what I think they should care about.
This translates directly to understanding what corporate clients in Maine, Connecticut, and Massachusetts actually need from entertainment—not what I want to perform.
When a Boston financial services firm tells me they want "something memorable that reinforces team unity," I don't just pull out my standard show. I think about how I'd invent something specifically for that goal. What would that look like? What would make their team feel united rather than just impressed?
Sometimes I do invent something custom. Sometimes I realize an existing effect fits perfectly but needs to be reframed. Either way, the invention mindset means I'm solving their actual problem, not just performing my act.
The Best Corporate Entertainment Feels Designed for That Room
I performed at a Connecticut manufacturing company's 50th anniversary last year. Their theme was "Building the Future Together." I could have done my standard show and mentioned their anniversary a few times.
Instead, I spent a week creating an effect where team members from different departments each held a piece of a blueprint. Throughout the show, these pieces impossibly assembled themselves into a complete design—which turned out to be their new facility plans that the CEO revealed at the end.
Was it more work? Absolutely. Did it require invention skills most performers don't have? Yes. Did it make their anniversary celebration something their employees still talk about? According to the three referrals I got from that single show, very much yes.
When you can invent, you can customize. And customization is what transforms entertainment from a line item on the budget into the thing everyone remembers about the event.
It Makes You Genuinely Curious About Your Clients' Industries
To invent magic for a corporate client, you have to understand their world. Not just their company—their entire industry, their challenges, their wins, their language.
I've learned about pharmaceutical regulations, financial compliance requirements, software development cycles, and manufacturing processes because I needed to create effects that resonated with those audiences. This makes me a better performer for Boston corporate events because I can speak their language, reference their realities, and create moments that feel relevant to their professional lives.
Most magicians perform at corporate events. I perform for the specific humans in that specific company at that specific moment in their business journey. Invention taught me to care about that difference.
The Takeaway: Creation Breeds Connection
Here's what fifteen years of inventing magic while performing across New England has taught me: the best corporate entertainment doesn't come from a catalog. It comes from understanding what makes people feel amazed, included, and valued—then building something that delivers exactly that.
When someone in New Hampshire is planning their company's annual meeting, or a Connecticut CEO wants their sales team energized, or a Maine non-profit needs their fundraising gala to stand out, they don't just need a magician. They need someone who can invent the moment their event requires.
That's what magic invention has made me. And that's what I bring to every corporate event I perform.
Planning a corporate event in Boston, New Hampshire, Maine, or Connecticut? Let's talk about creating something specifically for your team—not just performing at your event. Reach out to check my availability and discuss how we can make your next corporate gathering genuinely unforgettable.
