Meet Gonçalo Sousa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gonçalo Sousa.

Hi Gonçalo, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Born and raised in Porto, Portugal, my family and I had the opportunity to move to Los Angeles when I was 14. My parents put it up to me to decide if I wanted to pack up and move across the world. Six months later, I landed at LAX on July 17th, 2015. I went to a small High School in Pasadena where my theater teacher noticed and nurtured my interest in magic, an interest I had been developing for a few years at the time on my own, learning on the internet (YouTube mostly). He put me in contact with the Junior Program at the Magic Castle in Hollywood and at 16 I auditioned and was accepted as a member of the Academy of Magical Arts. I debuted at the Close-up Gallery at 17, the day after my High School graduation, and have gone on to headline at the Magic Castle close-up gallery several times since.

I have performed in showrooms and private events across the world, organized and performed at an online fundraiser streamed across 17 time zones, and organized and performed at a charity event in Burbank, bringing in over $20K. I hosted the Ungimmicked Podcast, with over 15 hours of content available online on various platforms. One of the highlights of my career came in 2021 when the Academy of Magica Arts awarded me the Junior Achievement Award, the highest honor in magic given to young magicians.

As this career unfolded, I was at college at UCSB, where I graduated in 2022 with two degrees, a B.A. in Economics and Accounting and a B.A. in Portuguese Literature and Culture. The following year, I graduated with a Masters in Education from the GGSE at UCSB and am currently a first-year teacher at LAUSD, teaching three different math classes and the first-ever Portuguese language class in LAUSD history.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a smooth road in the sense that I have been able to (and lucky enough to) make the most of the challenges that came before me and turn them into growth opportunities.

Moving across the world as a teenager deserves mention for the natural language barriers and cultural differences overcome, but at the same time, it was what opened the door for all the opportunities that have shown up in the rest of my life.

COVID-19 lockdowns raised immense problems for all live entertainment. The need to adapt to online performances from day to night was an immense challenge, yet I used that time to hone my craft and connect with peers. That’s where the Ungimmicked podcast came from, deep conversations about performance and magic theory with like-minded young magicians.

Splitting my time between a double major at university and a magic career was logistically quite difficult, but it made me feel like Hannah Montana almost I really made it the best of both worlds.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What sets me apart has to be interdisciplinarity and variety. I am incredibly passionate about learning so I always want to learn more and from more places, different places, and sources.

I specialize in presentation. My magic shows, both close-up or stage, are presentation or story-driven, and the magic serves the purpose of carrying that story. I believe I am a gifted presenter and captivating storyteller, and have learned to leverage those in different endeavors. The most current outlet has been the classroom where I have applied these strengths to teaching angles and congruency in geometry, derivatives and integrals in AP Calculus, and language, geography, history, and culture in Portuguese.

What makes you happy?
The simple things. Nothing beats going outside to watch a sunset. A dinner out with a beer and good company is the dream evening. The moment my favorite seasonal Trader Joe’s item is restocked sends me over the moon.

The other side of that is celebrating other’s little things. Life is so short that anything can and most times should be a cause for celebration. Got through that tough video game level? High Five! Did you get to go to the beach this weekend and you saw a seal? How cool!!! You have been trying to get out of bed earlier and succeeded today? LET’S GO!!!!!!

Most times, we don’t celebrate these little things ourselves, so seeing the joy in a friend’s face when I validate and celebrate these things that they themselves didn’t even see as an accomplishment has them light up in a beautiful way.

A mention to the family as well. I am very close with everyone I sadly left behind in Portugal, and miss my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins dearly. There has not been a week in the last eight years I have not called my grandparents, and one of the happiest moments of these years in California was certainly when they visited me and were present at my College Graduation.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.goncalosousamagic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gugafinosousa/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC74-16_5aJT-zYZnFk1PbMA

Image Credits
Taylor Wong (magic castle show photo only)