Joshua Jay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joshua Jay
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | October 30, 1981 |
| Occupation | Magician, lecturer |
Joshua Jay is a famous American magician, writer, and teacher. He was born on October 30, 1981. Joshua has performed his amazing magic shows in more than 100 countries around the world.
He won a top award at the World Magic Seminar in 1998. Joshua also worked with the well-known magicians Penn & Teller on their TV show Fool Us. He even holds a Guinness World Record for his incredible card tricks! You might have seen him on popular TV shows like Good Morning America and The Today Show. In 2018, the Society of American Magicians honored him for his important work in magic. Joshua Jay lives in New York City.
Contents
Becoming a Magician
Joshua Jay grew up in Canton, Ohio. He went to Canton Country Day School and GlenOak High School. Later, he studied at Ohio State University. Joshua became interested in magic when his dad showed him a cool card trick but didn't tell him how it worked. This made Joshua want to learn all the secrets of magic!
Joshua Jay's Magic Career
Joshua Jay creates magic tricks for both stage shows and TV. He even helped HBO with illusions for their popular show Game of Thrones. The United States Postal Service also asked for his help when they designed a special series of Magic postage stamps.
Setting a World Record
On January 30, 2016, Joshua Jay set a Guinness World Record at the Columbus Magi-Fest. He found 21 selected cards from a shuffled deck in just one minute! This record still stands today.
Vanishing Inc. Magic
In 2008, Joshua Jay and his friend Andi Gladwin started a company called Vanishing Inc. Magic. They make and sell magic props for other magicians. Today, Vanishing Inc. is one of the biggest magic shops in the world. They have warehouses and ship items from both the United States and Europe.
Performing for Presidents
Joshua Jay has performed for important people, too. He appeared at the 2008 Inaugural Ball for former President Barack Obama. He has also performed privately for former President Clinton.
Books by Joshua Jay
Joshua Jay studied creative writing at Ohio State University. His final project there became his book, The Amazing Book of Cards. He has written many other books about magic, including:
- MAGIC: The Complete Course
- Big Magic for Little Hands
- How Magicians Think: Misdirection, Deception, and Why Magic Matters
He has written over a dozen books for magicians. For 12 years, he was the Tricks Editor for MAGIC Magazine. Many of his books have been translated into other languages, so people all over the world can learn from him. He has also published books through his company with Andi Gladwin.
Some of his books and contributions include:
- Overlap (2005)
- A Teens Routines (1998)
- Joshua Jay's Magic Atlas (1999)
- Destroyers: The Magic of Troy Hooser (2001)
- Session: The Magic of Joel Givens (2004)
- Magic: The Complete Course (Book & DVD) (2008)
- Joshua Jay's Amazing Book Of Cards (Book & DVD) (2010) (translated into German, Japanese, and French)
- Moments: More Magic of Troy Hooser (2010)
- He was also a special writer for The Linking Ring magazine in May 2010, and he was on the cover!
TV Shows Featuring Joshua Jay
Joshua Jay has appeared on many television shows, sharing his magic with a wide audience. Some of these include:
- Discovery Channel's Grand Illusions: The Story of Magic
- Fox Network's Lance Burton's Young Magician's Showcase
- NHK's Magic of America (Japanese National Television)
- NBC's TODAY SHOW (two appearances)
- ABC's Good Morning America
- The Daily Buzz (broadcast on the Spike Network)
- Brad Meltzer's Decoded (Broadcast on the History Channel)
- The CW's Penn & Teller: Fool Us (Episode: Teller Plays with a Full Deck)
Awards and Honors
Joshua Jay has received many awards for his magic and contributions to the art. Some of his top awards include:
- 2011 Merlin Literary Achievement Award
- World Magic Seminar, 1998 First Place Champion (Presented by Lance Burton)
- International Battle of Magicians (twice, in 1996 and 1998)
- Columbus Magi Fest
- Kleinman Incentive Award, Most Promising Youth (SAM National Convention)
- Best Published Trick, Award for Creativity (The Linking Ring magazine)
- Youngest magician to write a "One-Man-Parade" (a twenty-page article about his original magic tricks) in The Linking Ring magazine
- Society of American Magicians Close-Up Magician of the Year Award 2011
External links
