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David Martinez

Professional Magician

David Martinez is a Magician based in San Jose, CA. David has over 20 years of experience and has performed throughout Northern California at weddings, private parties, team-building events, and more. He has notably performed for some of the biggest companies in the world, including Apple, Google, Facebook, and Uber. David previously had a career in tech and worked in Marketing and Product Design at Apple for 17 years. In 2021, he quit his job to pursue his passion in magic, and now he is one of the busiest magician entertainers in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2023, he combined his learnings from both careers to co-author Amaze and Delight: Secrets to Creating Magic in Business, aimed at helping individuals and organizations nurture healthy and happy business cultures.

Education

  • University of California Berkeley, BA, English

Professional Achievements

  • Authored "Amaze & Delight: Secrets to Creating Magic in Business" and "The Book of Baseball Literacy"
  • Winner of multiple awards for close-up, parlor, and stage magic

Certifications & Organizations

  • Past president of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, Silicon Valley chapter (Ring 216)

Favorite Piece of Advice

The number one thing for beginning magicians to know: tension kills magic. When performing, you need to learn the moves and sleights so well you can do them at a relaxed pace, so it doesn't look like you're doing anything at all.

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Co-authored Articles (14)

How to Perform Magic: 8 Tricks for Beginners

Dazzle and delight with these spectacular illusions Many magicians devote their entire lives to mastering the art of illusion, but you don't have to go to such great lengths to impress your friends and family. With the r...

How to

Read Minds (As a Magic Trick)

People visit psychics, palm readers, and mystics because they're attracted to the idea that it's possible to read minds. You can capitalize on this fascination by learning magic tricks that show you know what's in your p...

20 Number Magic Tricks: Read Minds with Math!

Perform math magic to ace your arithmetic + amaze your friendsAmaze your friends, relatives, and teachers with these number-based mind tricks! Whether you want to be able to do math quickly in your head or blow your frie...

How to

Do a Simple Coin Magic Trick

Coin tricks are the place to start for any budding magician. These four tricks are easy to perform with a bit of practice and can liven up any dull moment. Just make sure not to give away your secrets – your friend...

How to

Escape from Handcuffs

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to escape handcuffs, it is entirely possible to do so using ordinary objects. Handcuffs have standard locking mechanisms that can easily be unlocked with a makeshift key...

How to

Use the Svengali Deck

A Svengali deck is a common type of trick card deck with slightly shortened duplicate cards.. 22 March 2024. With it, you gain the ability to do hundreds of different magic tricks. The key part of using a Svengali deck i...

How to

Perform an Easy and Convincing "Guess Which Card" Trick

We've all seen "pick a card, any card" tricks where the magician does something amazing and finds your card. This one is slightly different, as it requires a partner, but it is extremely easy.

How to

Make a Card Disappear

Prestidigitation, or sleight of hand, is a type of magic trick or illusion using quick hand movements and various objects. One of the most common subsets of these tricks is to make objects seem to "disappear." Playing ca...

How to

Levitate (Magic Trick)

Perhaps we all wish, deep down, that we had the ability to rise from the ground and fly. That's why levitation is one of the most compelling magic tricks a magician can add to his or her repertoire. This article outlines...

How to Perform 4 Easy Magic Card Tricks

Wow your friends with a card magic trickMagic tricks are great for impressing your friends as well as practicing your sleight of hand and your ability as a performer. All you'll need to perform these basic card tricks is...

How to

Do an Easy Magic Trick

Are you starting out as a magician, or just looking for ways to impress your friends at a dinner party or during everyday conversation? If so, then you've come to the right place. If you want to know how to make somethin...

How to

Make a Pen Magically Disappear

This is both a fun and engaging trick that is a great start for an aspiring magician or just someone who likes to mess with their friends. It's easy, fun to perform, and doesn't require any special tools or skill. Just k...

How to

Memorize a Deck of Cards

Imagine being able to memorize the order of cards in an entire deck (or two) as quickly as they can be dealt. The secret of the card counters is a secret no more. Using a mental map and a celebrity matrix, you can memori...

How to

Flourish Cards

Card flourishing is a performance art that uses a regular deck of playing cards to create visually impressive tricks. These tricks are meant to look difficult and wow an audience. One of the fundamental skills for a begi...