Rising Stars: Meet Jeffrey Lee of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Lee.

Jeffrey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It all started during one of my monthly goat sacrifices, when a wizard descended over the cliffs. It was Dumbledore, inviting me to study at Hogwarts! Unfortunately, I had to drop out after a semester—I mean, 10 galleons per year?! Wizard inflation is out of control!

Okay—that might be a slight exaggeration. The less mystical, more truthful story is that two things collided at just the right moment in my junior year of high school. First, I saw Shin Lim’s act on the TV show Penn and Teller: Fool Us. I’d seen magic on TV when I was younger, but I had never seen it done so beautifully and seriously before. Around that same time, a friend of mine showed me some card tricks. He was my first mentor, teaching me the basics of sleight of hand card magic.

Pretty soon, I was performing some simple card tricks for my friends, and their enthusiastic responses only drove me deeper down the rabbit hole. It was then I realized something vital: my goal in life is to create happiness, and magic is my favorite way to do it.

As my interest in magic outgrew my friend’s knowledge, I turned to learning from YouTube. I quickly ran into a roadblock. On several occasions, my friends would look up tutorials on how to do the tricks I performed for them, and they often found the exact videos I had watched and learned from. In this day and age of magic exposure online, I think that’s a moment that can make or break an amateur. Fortunately, it only made me more determined to study the art of magic more seriously—seeking out the secrets that can’t be found in a search bar.

At 19, I auditioned for and was accepted into the Magic Castle’s Junior Society, The Junior Society is a highly-regarded youth development group for magicians aged 13 to 20. Every month, they invite a professional magician to lecture for us, and I would get to “jam” with many magicians my age who were similarly passionate about magic. As important as the lectures on magic were, equally as important were the perks: free headshots, estate giveaways, and talks on how to craft a professional-looking website, as well as a great sizzle reel. But I think the best thing about the Junior Society is the opportunity to perform on the weekends during brunch at the Magic Castle. It’s a pretty rigorous process to get your act approved for the brunch circuit, but once you’re in, you get incredibly valuable flight-time in front of paying audiences on a semi-regular basis. How many other young magicians can say they have that?

Every journey has its plateaus. And in the past couple of years, I felt that I hit a plateau in my magic development. I thought I was a decent magician, and knew a few good tricks, but I was also desperately searching for how to have a greater impact on my spectators. So, I decided to look for a mentor to show me the so-called “real work” it takes to become a great magician. I was living in San Diego at the time, working as a producer for a local TV news station, and I happened to reach out to a modern day master magician there, Jamy Ian Swiss. Fortunately for me, Jamy is one of the most well-read and knowledgable magicians alive, and he quickly showed me that there are levels to this art—and that I still had everything to learn. He showed me what professional-caliber magic looks like, as well as the tears, sweat, and agony it takes to get there. He’s shown me the importance of scripting, how to have higher standards for myself, and the millions of details that must be considered before a decent performer becomes truly great.

I’d like to think I’m making my mentors, friends, and supporters proud. I’m still performing monthly at the Magic Castle brunches, I’ve entertained at incredible private and corporate events, and I recently fulfilled a dream by performing at the Chicago Magic Lounge. But more importantly, I’m still striving to get better every single day.

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?
Oh man—where do I start? I think it’s been the opposite of smooth! Like many people in their mid-20s, I struggle intensely with existential dread almost every day!

Early on, I felt a lot of pressure to do work that was “serious.” In college, I was deeply involved with student journalism, and I worked in local news for a couple of years after graduating, because I wanted to be at the forefront of what many people seem to consider to be a consequential period in our nation’s history. Unfortunately, I found that the environment eventually took a significant toll on my mental health. At the time, I also considered magic to be “trivial” compared to the work I was doing at the news station—I felt like I wasn’t doing enough substantive good in the world as just a magician.

Everything changed when I read the profile of Whit Haydn, who is a hero of mine in magic. Whit grew up during the Vietnam War and vehemently opposed it. He made a living busking and performing magic, and when he wasn’t performing, he was attending anti-war protests. He showed me by example that doing magic and “doing good” aren’t mutually exclusive. I was recently able to put that philosophy into practice by performing in a string of charity shows benefiting Alexandria House, a local non-profit providing transitional housing for women and children. It felt so good and rewarding to see that the magic wasn’t some vapid distraction—it was actually the vehicle for the good we performers wanted to do!

I’ve only reached a place in the past year or so where I finally think I’m happy with who I am and what I’m doing. I’m glad to be me!

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?
I am a magician! I specialize in theatrical, sleight-of-hand magic in close-up and parlor settings. Within the magic community, I think I’m known for being obsessed with perfecting various sleight-of-hand techniques. I pride myself on being able to perform those techniques well and combine them with family-friendly humor to help create treasured memories for my audiences.

One thing that sets me apart is my dedication to the classics of magic, towards routines that have stood the test of time. For instance, one of my favorite tricks is the Cups and Balls. It’s an old trick, with many calling it the oldest trick in the book, but to me, that doesn’t mean it’s outdated. Instead, it’s my connection to the greats before me. The Cups and Balls routine I do is heavily based on the one created by the greatest magician of the 20th century, a man named Dai Vernon, who magicians called “The Professor”, out of reverence. He was to magic what John Williams is to film music—a master of his craft, creating timeless pieces of art that will be remembered for generations.

One of the magicians who considered Vernon a cherished mentor and drew inspiration from him to create his own signature Cups and Balls routine was named Johnny Thompson. Johnny was known as the greatest magical mind of his era—and he was not only a very accomplished performer, he consulted for almost every famous name in magic today, like Penn and Teller.

One of the magicians who spent some time with Vernon, considered Johnny a cherished mentor for decades, and spent even longer crafting his own signature Cups and Balls routine, is my mentor, Jamy Ian Swiss. In turn, I’ve had the privilege of refining my routine under the tutelage of Jamy. When I perform a routine like the Cups and Balls, I’m not just doing a trick; I’m standing on the shoulders of these giants. While the Cups and Balls isn’t too common among younger performers nowadays, I’ve committed myself to mastering it—and I look forward to sharing this piece of history with audiences for the rest of my life.

What matters most to you? Why?
Wow, what a deeply difficult question! I think what matters most to me is being kind and authentic. I think it’s all the more important today, where you only need to open the comments section of a social media video to see all kinds of vitriol and hate being spewed. Kindness reminds people that there is still good in the world. It’s certainly been a lifeline for me during my darkest days.

However, I’ve learned that “kind” doesn’t mean “doormat.” That’s where authenticity comes in. Some people don’t deserve your unconditional kindness, and it’s exhausting to deal with such people. Your effort and time are better off used elsewhere.

Also, nearly all of Em Beihold’s songs. They are all bops. I want to go to one of her concerts so bad!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jeffreyleemagic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffreyleemagic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jeffreyleemagic
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/jeffrey-lee-arcadia
• Other: https://share.google/VkFbu62Uz4tSxFjsh

Image Credits
Scott Tokar