Today we’d like to introduce you to Aman J.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was 6 years old, a counselor at my summer camp was doing a magic trick during lunchtime and, ever since that moment, I have been in love with performing. I remember him speaking in a way that was perfectly synchronized with the movement of the cards, yet still seemed effortless. He would point somewhere, and ten pairs of eyes would immediately follow. I went home that night and begged my parents to sign me up for magic lessons. Eventually, they gave in and enrolled me into a magic camp which I attended every summer from age 7 to 15. I started performing at birthday parties, weddings, and countless other events. I was very shy growing up, but magic became my crutch – it was the fastest (and only) way I knew how to connect with other people. It let me share my imagination in a tangible and visual medium.
At age 13, I started posting videos on YouTube. The videos featured a combination of magic tricks, special effects, and fight scenes. I made about 50 videos throughout high school and eventually stopped after not seeing much success on the platform.
When TikTok came around, it had been a while since I made any content or had been regularly performing magic. I was yearning for an outlet; a place where all my hobbies could live. I started posting again – everything from magic tricks to movie reviews. A few weeks in, I decided to edit myself into a Bollywood movie. I had a green screen from my visual effects editing days and had become a huge fan of Hindi cinema because of my parents. I posted it and got my first taste of virality. 800,000 views in a week. I was blown away – this short vertical video reached more people than all the other videos I’d made over five years on YouTube combined.
I made a series based off that video called <i>Living My Bollywood Dreams</i> where I would green screen myself into popular scenes and act them out in my own way. I gained a large audience in India and more and more people began encouraging me to create videos and pursue acting. Eventually, I expanded and started collaborating with other creators: dancers, actors, singers, comedians, and magicians. I created content in every format I could think of – skits, mini music videos, magic tricks, fight scenes, etc. I began working with brands like Disney Plus, ZEE5, Falguni Shane Peacock, Meta, and more.
I couldn’t believe it. At first, just the numbers on the screen were changing, but now my daily life was being transformed. In the last year, I’ve gotten to attend movie premieres, walk the runway at New York Fashion Week, perform a magic show at Google’s Diwali party, and act in a play in Los Angeles.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s definitely been difficult to remain dedicated to creating content at times when it feels like it’s not being seen.
In the first five years of creating videos on YouTube, virtually no one watched. Eventually, I started posting on TikTok and began to gain a following. Then TikTok got banned in India in June of 2020 and growth was slow again. But I stayed the course and kept making videos. I tried to come up with virtual ways to collaborate with other creators and engage with comments. When Reels and YouTube Shorts dropped, I was ready. I had a huge backlog of content and remained consistent.
There’s been periods of time where growth on every platform has been stagnant or negative, but I just stayed the course. Luckily, I’ve been in love with the process of creating videos – everything from shot listing / scripting to filming with other creators to editing. That love enabled me to keep going.
Today, I’m lucky to have over 1 million combined followers across social media and over 500 million views.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m primarily known for creating Bollywood-inspired content. Essentially mini music videos / vignettes. I’ll pick a song, cast actors, and create a story.
These are two recent videos I’m proud of:
https://www.instagram.com/a.magic.man/reel/C7YPYrktBo3/?hl=ar
In the first one, I collaborated with another popular dance creator who goes by @eshhpat. We chose to cover the Bollywood song Main Parwaana. Instead of just coming up with a new dance, we scripted a narrative about two friends fighting to delete a bad photo. We choreographed a dance chase with tons of different camera angles and movements that aligned with the beats of the song.
Similarly, in the second video, with an actor by the name of Sharayu Mahale, we choreographed a fight scene inspired by the song Zinda Banda from the upcoming Shahrukh Khan movie Jawan.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I owe so much to all the creators I collaborate with. These days the majority of my videos feature other actors, singers, dancers, comedians, etc. These creators / collaborators have become some of my best friends and I owe them a thank you. Here’s just a few.
I’ve made the most videos with an actress named Sharayu Mahale. She was the first person I ever collaborated with, and people immediately liked the pairing.
Sachin Kumar is another content creator, actor, and comedian who’s become one of my best friends and collaborators in the space.
And last, but certainly not least, would be Tamer Qafiti. He’s an incredible magician who got me back into the world of magic and helped me join the Magic Castle.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.magic.man/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvUgm-qz75KKrgDLPXHddw
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@a.magic.man?lang=en
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Image Credits
Justin Yiu (@momentsinclarity) Manni Singh (@flyingbeardphotography)
