News

Alumnus becomes one of the Magic Circle’s youngest members

03 December 2008

Business and Marketing Management alumnus Richard Young has been inducted into the Magic Circle, becoming one of the youngest of the society’s 1,500 members. In the process, Richard – who runs his own business, Richard Young Magic – has set himself significantly apart from his competitors in the local area.

“If you’re a serious magician you should be in The Magic Circle,” Richard says. “It’s our only industry stamp. Since I joined, my business has definitely increased – it’s just hard trying to find the time to take on all the jobs!”

Richard’s interest in conjuring began with a magic set for Christmas when he was 8 years old. “It was a hobby,” he explains, “something that made me different”. But his self-tutored skills paid off when he won a Magic Circle junior contest for Close-Up Magic at the age of 14, largely because the judges were impressed that he had such talent but had never been taught professionally.

After winning the contest Richard was tutored by professional magician Bob Swadling, who lives nearby in Oxfordshire. “Bob invented some of the tricks you would see Paul Daniels or David Blaine perform,” Richard points out, “and he taught me a lot about the performance aspect of magic, rather than just giving me a load of tricks”.

Richard founded his own magic-making company in 2005, and in 2006 he came to Brookes as a Business School undergraduate. But even Richard was taken aback by his own success: “I knew I wanted to be a magician, but I didn’t realise how quickly it would take off. I was out doing gigs all the time during my first year, which meant I began to struggle with the workload.”

So, after completing a year of his course, Richard decided to leave university on temporary withdrawal. “It was a very hard decision not to stay. I really enjoyed my time at Brookes, but just didn’t have enough hours in the day, and with my magic company I was doing the work that I really wanted to do.

“I would never rule out returning to complete my degree. That one year alone really helped – it gave me the foundations for running my own business. And since it’s just me, it’s very important that my marketing is right, and I understand where people booking are looking for magicians.

“It might be hard to believe, but 90% of my time is spent tweaking and improving my marketing. I have five or six calls a day to deal with, bookings to complete and a website to manage. I think sometimes I spend more time improving my Google page rank than I do on improving my tricks!”

Even with the pressures of running a business, though, it’s clear that Richard’s act is top quality. The seven month process of Magic Circle membership involved huge commitment and rigorous examination of his skills, including performing before a panel from the upper ranks of the society.

“Becoming a member of The Magic Circle is something you dream of doing,” Richard concludes. And for his next trick? “My big ambition is to work on cruise liners – it’s a fantastic life, you see so many places, and you’re performing really big tricks. That’s the dream now.”

Now a member of The Magic Circle and an award winning Close-Up Magician and Stage illusionist, Richard is available to perform at any private function, wedding or corporate event. For more information please visit his website at http://www.richardyoungmagic.com/ or call free on 0800 335 7995.