Dan Chan Internationally Known Magician/Mentalist Show #200

As a Magician and mentalist, Dan Chan uses comedy anyway he can to relate to his audience and add energy to his shows. A successful entertainer in Silicon Valley, he has traveled the world (Japan, Germany, Hawaii, Pittsburgh, & More!) entertaining some of the largest companies and CEO's of our modern times. Whether he is doing straight magic, mental-ism, juggling...or just picking pockets for fun & profit, he entertains!

Website: www.DanChanMagic.com    ck it out, and book him today!

Dan Chan is an internationally recognized comic magician and mentalism expert based in the San Francisco Bay Area, who began his journey into the magical world by learning from seasoned magicians at a local magic shop. His perspective on comedy magic and mentalism is one that values specialization and adaptation, shaped by his years of performing different forms of entertainment such as juggling, watch steal, straight magic, and comedy magic. He primarily focuses on mentalism as he believes it sets him apart from other magicians and allows him to delve deeper into the psychological aspects of performance. Dan's desire to constantly evolve and expand his repertoire is evident in his ongoing projects which include, incorporating new tricks, launching a venue, and transitioning into a hosting role to highlight the multitude of talents in the magic and comedy world.
00:00:49) Dan Chan: Niche Mentalism Comedy Magician

(00:04:56) Enhancing Entertainment Through Comedy Magic Shows

(00:10:32) Magic-infused Wedding Souvenir Creations

(00:13:55) Versatile Entertainment Performances by Dan Chan

(00:23:48) Mentorship's Influence on Entertainers' Marketing Success

(00:28:00) Creating a Venue for Variety Show Days

Transcript

dan-chan-internationally-known-magician-mentalist-show-200

00:00:03 - Announcer

This is another episode of stand up comedy. Your host and emcee celebrating 40 plus years on the fringe of show business. Stories, interviews and comedy sets from the famous and not so famous. Here's your host and MC, Scott Edwards.

 0:00:20 - R. Scott Edwards

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the podcast. We have something fun and exciting for you today. We have scoured the international world of comedy, magic, mentalism, and even a little marketing. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, it's the internationally known comic magician Dan chan. Dan, it's so nice to have you on the podcast.

 00:00:49 - Dan Chan

It's a pleasure. Thank you for having me.

 00:00:51 - R. Scott Edwards

All that excitement. I get this, like, very drawl. Thank you. I know that it's a big thing for you to be on my international podcast as an international comic magician, and you're a mentalist. You do it all.

 00:01:07 - Dan Chan

Absolutely. I just woke up, rode out of bed. You know how that comic lifestyle is. I'm going to have my caffeine and jump right into it and give you a little bit more energy.

00:01:17 - R. Scott Edwards

There you go. So, ladies and gentlemen, Dan is out of the San Francisco Bay area. He is known in Silicon Valley as one of the the go to entertainers. If you have a private party, a wedding, a corporate event, and you want to kind of spice it up, Dan chan can bring out comedy magic. He can bring out straight magic. He does some mentalism. In fact, in Silicon Valley, you're even known as a little bit of a pickpocket. Dan, why don't you share with the audience how you got started in this amazing world?

00:01:52 - Dan Chan

Yeah, I found misdirections, magic shop, 9th and Irving, and he would have lectures and he would have all different styles of magicians come through. And a lot of the magicians in the beginning were like comedy magicians, like Gregory Wilson doing this friendly con man sort of shtick. And I would study everything in magic.

00:02:14 - R. Scott Edwards

And that gave you that kind of breadth of opportunity to learn all the different aspects. At what age were you, Danielle?

00:02:22 - Dan Chan

I was about 2021.

00:02:25 - R. Scott Edwards

Okay, so you were past that. You know, a lot of magicians say that they get their thrill of magic when they're, you know, ten or twelve. You were already into college or past that college age and discovered this art form. You must have had some natural abilities. Do you have those piano type hands and fingers where you could do the prestidigitation?

00:02:49 - Dan Chan

I think it's more about persistent and seeing that someone can do it, and then you realize that you can do it. A big hook is when you fool someone and you see that they're happy, but then there's also another hook when you start getting your first paycheck. I think mine was, like, a ten dollar tip. And at that event was this gentleman named Jerome Joseph, and I think he made 250 or $300 at that same event when I was twisting balloons off the side, and I was like, I go to that magic shop, I can learn some magic. And that's kind of how it started rolling.

00:03:23 - R. Scott Edwards

So for you, it wasn't so much. This fascination with magic is, wow, I like entertaining people, and if I learn this, I might make some money.

00:03:35 - Dan Chan

Yeah. Like, if you're doing kids shows back then, you're probably making 200, maybe 250 for average kids show. And I was thinking, you know, 200 times five, that's 1000. Multiply that by 52 weeks in a year, that's 52,000. And at that time, I was working at this small company called PayPal. In fact, I joined before Elon Musk merged X.com with PayPal. So technically, I worked at PayPal before Elon. I actually got let go 13 months later with a layoff. Believe it or not, Elon got kicked out by the board probably six months after he became CEO. So I actually stayed there longer than him as well, and he's a co founder, so that was kind of funny.

00:04:17 - R. Scott Edwards

Yeah, that's a little Silicon Valley deep state information. That's interesting. So you have a day job, you pick up magic. Now, I know that in learning the craft, you. You kind of hinted that you started with balloons. I know you do a little juggling, you do some magic. His comedy always been a part of your presentation, your pattern?

00:04:43 - Dan Chan

Absolutely. If you can make people laugh, you can really connect with them. And I actually studied at the San Francisco School of Circus Arts or the Circus center, and I studied clowning, and I'm a graduate of their clown conservatory program.

00:04:56 - R. Scott Edwards

That gives you a real step up when it comes to that. And I'm so glad you mentioned that, Dan. It's so important to engage with an audience, and one of the things that I've always appreciated about stand up comedy, or comedy in general, is that it's not only engaging with an audience, it's always entertaining. Well, I mean, yeah, I'm sure there's some comics that think they're funny, that aren't entertaining, but generally, when you're a juggler or a magician or even doing your pickpocket bit, you know, if you don't add some comedy, it can come off as a little stiff, right?

00:05:34 - Dan Chan

Absolutely. You kind of emulate and you monkey see, monkey do. When you see something in the beginning, and in the beginning, you're just like looking at all the best acts in the world and you're not competing on their market. So in some ways, you know, it is frowned upon to, you know, take material. But a lot of times when you start off, you take one liner, but you're a kid, and then you start realizing, hey, this is not the way to go. You gotta come up with your own material. And in the magic world, it's kind of interesting because a lot of things are for sale. So the top dog make something and you buy it legitimately, and then you have the rights to perform that trick. And hopefully you add your own personality and your own jokes, or you do it so often that it becomes you and your character shines through more than the magic trick. I think often magicians hide behind the magic trick and they don't have a personality or they don't, you know, they have one strength and they lean onto that. And that. What my mentor Shudagawa said is a lot of times your strength is your same weakness because you're so good at magic, you're not good at comedy, or you're not good at something. So kind of taking time out, like schedule time in your day to do comedy and then to do business and to maybe give yourself 8 hours of time or eight blocks of time to focus on one thing every day. And that's, I think, what probably makes people successful is focusing on the individual parts to make it a whole or a cohesive thing.

00:07:12 - R. Scott Edwards

Right? And I think that you pointed out several good things there. To be successful in comedy or magic or juggling or anything, you have to practice, practice, practice. And what we were talking about was the comedy writing. And for those, it's been mentioned in a couple other of the podcasts. But as a magician, you can buy tricks, and it comes usually with a stock hatter format. And a lot of people start with that as they're learning the trick and focusing on the trick. But once they make the trick theirs, and in your case, yours, then you augment the pattern to fit your personality, as you mentioned, to fit your character. And I think that is so smart, because that not only makes you a better performer, but it makes that once purchased trick now really yours, right?

00:08:01 - Dan Chan

Yeah. I think comics, they lean into the pain. I try to lean into who I am. And I had a corporate background, which makes me a perfect corporate entertainer. I've worked from companies from a to z, from Airbnb, Apple, Adobe, Amazon to Zillow, Zuckerberg. And Zamingo. So those are like mapping everything out and then also figuring out what are the authentic moments because no one wants to see Superman. Superman has even a weakness. So what are those things that make you a little bit more human? And I think when that happens, you make mistakes all the time. You add more comedy in it. But as I have become a more polished performer, there are less instances where I mess up. And so I don't rely as much on comedy. But however everyone throws me, of course, they're what they think are original one liners to me all the time during the show. And you just start realizing at this point in time, someone's going to say something to this effect just because you've kind of set them up for it, because they're thinking, or they're thinking along the lines of what everyone's thinking. You kind of get the same questions all the time.

00:09:17 - R. Scott Edwards

So then you can use that as a foundation to go off and do something funny or add some of your own pattern. I thought it was interesting, interesting that you mentioned that initially comedy was kind of that screen to cover up maybe miscues or things in magic. What's interesting, I worked with a lot of famous magicians, and they would make mistakes, but they would, you know, the audience would never know because they were so smooth that they could cover it up and move on like nothing went wrong, even though in their mind they realized the trick didn't go exactly the way they expected it to. You mentioned the corporate work. I know that you personally, and a lot of magicians and jugglers start off at kids parties, and then they maybe start doing restaurants, and then they start getting corporate events. You've even done a few weddings, which I think is pretty unique. But it's all about what you mentioned. Part of your, what you're known for is the marketing side, is that you find ways to, to inject your entertainment that you bring to all kinds of different events that maybe people wouldn't think about. Like a wedding.

00:10:32 - Dan Chan

Yeah. My character is very sophisticated, and I also have custom wedding routines. For example, I have the gentleman sign his name and their, the date they met or their, you know, or, or asking them to write something on there, and they inevitably forget. Then I asked the bride to write down, this is more, when I do anniversaries, when I do weddings, I just make them melt together as one. Two cards that people sign melt together as one, and then I give away that as a souvenir. And it symbolizes, you know, the union just as they've been married together just a couple hours ago or a couple minutes ago. So to have you two join together as one. So I make it very upscale. I put very little comedy in it. I sometimes do something like, the husband, today is going to be the day that you're going to. This is the last day you're going to make all the decisions by yourself without consulting your wife. And then I turn to the lady, I say, is that okay?

00:11:34 - R. Scott Edwards

That's a great, great icebreaker, a great way to start, because everybody that's married realizes a happy wife is a happy life, and. And you're a team now, and not just soloists making all the decisions. I think, Dan, that's a great way to not only introduce a newly married couple, but to get some comedy out of it. That's good stuff. I noticed also that you could use your pick. We call it pickpocketing, but you steal a watch here and there. You could do that with the father of the bride or somebody that's special in the group, and that brings everybody together, because for a moment, that obvious, important emotional figure is the foo pa of the trick. So it kind of relaxes everybody and gets everybody on the same page as far as family. I think that all those things really come in handy when it comes to entertaining a group. But what's interesting about you, Dan, is that whether it's in a restaurant or on a stage or at a wedding or at a corporate, you find a way to focus the group and entertain the group with all of your talents.

00:12:46 - Dan Chan

Yeah, it is. You kind of find out what works and what doesn't work over time. And then as you develop, you start realizing, for me, weddings was more like, you gotta be classy. You can't throw, like, these jokes. There's something that someone said is something about, like, this is the last day you're gonna have the upper hand. You put one hand, you know, put the wife's hand down, and then you put the husband's hand. And he says, I would never do that. And I think that's the same. You have to do it with a very specific tone where it's not demeaning to the guy on their special days. And this magician mentioned that other magicians do that joke. And I was like, I never heard anyone do that joke. And maybe other people might resonate it with it, but whatever you do, do you have to put videos out, too, so people can picture yourself, picture you at their event versus just.

00:13:44 - R. Scott Edwards

Yeah, photos. Tell everybody your website, Dan.

00:13:49 - Dan Chan

I have several danchan magic.com and millionairesmentalist.com.

00:13:55 - R. Scott Edwards

So, ladies and gentlemen, if you want to check out danchanmagic.com, there are some great videos of Dan in different locations, corporate weddings, where he kind of showcases what he does. And what's interesting is that's how I learned that you can do a little bit of juggling. You can do the watch steal, you can do straight magic, and you could do some comedy magic. And all those various art forms come together to give you an opportunity. Whether it's a five minute restaurant bit or a half hour corporate show, you can fill the time with professional entertainment. And that's, that's such an asset.

00:14:35 - Dan Chan

Dan, the riches are in the niches right now. I'm really specializing, but if I need to fall back, I can do some comedy bits, like paper balls of the head, which was famous by slideini. And then now Tony Clark teaches that, which is a comedy gag where you throw something over someone's head and everyone in the audience sees it, but the person on stage doesn't see it. The one that's being the person who it's being done to. And then I'm also doing powers of darkness by Mike Havney. And I just kind of semi retired these effects. I'll occasionally pull them out to make sure that I polish them off and add a little bit to it. But more of what I'm doing is mentalism, because I feel like for every magician, there's probably, for every ten magicians, there's probably one mentalist. Right.

00:15:23 - R. Scott Edwards

Makes you more of a specialist, right?

00:15:26 - Dan Chan

Yes. And then also being on television makes you a lot more of a celebrity. So I think with comedians, it's when they get their HBO special or when they get their other special with lots of people, and it's the time when you get it recorded. And I think that's the power of television, is it puts you on scale and it lets you repeat that again. So recording your material is essential, which I know all comedians do. But getting it in front of an audience where you're in front of 1000 people or 300 people out of a sales banquet, and you show yourself doing it again and again, the same line. And the people reacting consistently to that, they want to find people who are working and who are continuously doing this, that's the hallmark of a true professional. I've done probably 7500 shows, about 250 to 350 shows a year. And when I say that people, that's one of the things that adds that credibility and then gets me booked even more.

00:16:29 - R. Scott Edwards

Right, right. I wanted to touch on two things. Um, first off. How did you know? Maybe a lot of people don't know. But when you see a mentalist on tv or on YouTube or something, mentalism is basically just a form of magic. What helped you? Or how did you transition marketing yourself from a magician or comic magician to a mentalist? Because even though mentalism is really a type of magic, to the generic audience, it feels like a whole different, you know, psychic world. What brought you to doing that? Was it difficult?

00:17:08 - Dan Chan

Yeah, I saw a couple of really good mentalists, and to be honest, bad mentalism is sucked. And most of the mental psyche out there are pretty boring. But I saw a couple of really great mentalists. Some of the guys I look up to are Frederick da Silva. If you're ever in Las Vegas, go check him out. He has one of the most amazing mentalism shows. David Gerard and Darren Brown. Those are the two other guys who do amazing mentalism. So you got to see those three. And when you see that, you will be, you will be inspired.

00:17:44 - R. Scott Edwards

Right now, that leads me to my second question. All three categories, comedy, magic, and mentalism. Is there anybody that you look to as a mentor or that you train from or you just aspire to be like?

00:18:00 - Dan Chan

Yeah. In the beginning, my career, of my career, I saw Jay Alexander. He was like one of the top dogs in the Bay Area. And I still talk to him, but at one time, I wanted to be kind of like him. And I think I did one or two of his lines in my act before I found out who I, who I was. And I think he did something like Showtime. Showtime. Showtime or something like that. And I was like, wow, this, you know, he hypes up the crowd like that. But there's a lot of people I used to be copying. But if you just do a little from each one, it just becomes better to hide your sources as well. But it just eventually becomes who you are because of who you hang out with. You know, it's some part of who you're spending time with.

00:18:44 - R. Scott Edwards

Well, I asked that because you mentioned slideini, and you're in the Bay Area, which is a hotbed for stand up comedy. I didn't know if there was somebody that was particularly funny or particularly good at magic. I've had a chance to work with Harry Anderson, great Scott, uh, some of the, the big names back in the eighties and nineties of magic and comedy magic. And I didn't know if there was somebody that you got to work with or hang out with that, you know, acted as a mentor, was. Was Slydini, somebody you, you got to see, or you just heard that he did the act.

00:19:24 - Dan Chan

Well, I learned from Slideini's student, Tony Clark, and I took a workshop with him on how to do the paper balls of the head, which is pretty much a classic, because one thing with magicians, it packs small, plays big, and there's a visual component to it. With comedy, a lot of times you're just doing stand up, you have to use your hands or your face as the gesture prop. Right. You have to use your facial expression to kind of accentuate that. But when you have magic, you have things that happen, like the balls that go over the head or some stuff like that. But I really would watch everyone, but I didn't spend enough time in the comedy clubs to kind of get mentored by anyone or have them stick. I could. It's kind of like you can describe how something works and explain it, but you can't do it yourself. I could. I couldn't do a full stand up comedy set, but I know comedians frown upon it because they say something like, oh, it's a crutch, or you have something there to get you there. But that crutch has made me, made me a lot of money over the last, well, 20 years.

00:20:32 - R. Scott Edwards

Well, yeah. And comics are, I think, jealous because when you're a magician or a juggler or even a ventriloquist or something, it does, they look at it as a crutch, but it's really a different art form. And if you're able to add some comedy, it makes a little easier because you're interacting with a trick or the juggling or the ventriloquial figure. Stand ups are just up there with them in the microphone. And so there might be a little envy and jealousy and. But, you know, they call it a crutch, but I think it's interesting that you didn't see anybody that particularly led you down the path. You are buying tricks and learning tricks using the stock pattern, and then you just make it yours. And in doing so, uh, you're creating some of your own comedy. I think that, uh, uh, that's a different way to go, but, uh, definitely has been rewarding for you. I mean, you said your goal in getting into magic was to make some money, and here, many years later, you made a living at it.

00:21:37 - Dan Chan

Yeah, not only that, I performed in Germany, Japan four times, Las Vegas many times, Orlando, Chicago, New York, all around the world. And it, that, that's the journey. I enjoy the journey, and I enjoy the process of, you know, becoming who I am.

00:21:56 - R. Scott Edwards

Well, I think it's so funny. I think some of your mentalism is coming through because that was going to be my next question. You are Dan chan, the international magician and mentalist. You have played New York, Chicago, Hawaii, and in Germany, all over the world. How did, was that the core corporate world that took you around the world? Was it just you as a magician? How did you fall into that success? That's awesome.

00:22:23 - Dan Chan

I had one client that brought me to Shanghai and Germany and Las Vegas. That was one really good client. And then I also had the US Marine Corps bring me around to Japan four times. So the US Marine Corps, in the beginning, you're competing on price. And I gave them a really good value and they had like a family event. I think it was called friendship day in Okinawa. And the gentleman hired me the first time and then he just continued to hire me because I developed a relationship with him. I gave great value in the beginning. And when you start making the connection, you know, it's all about relationships, just connecting with people on LinkedIn, supporting them. Like when they post something, click, like, don't just stalk them, just put something, engage with them and show that you are a super fan, because the algorithm loves people who engage. So if you want to pick my brain, go click on my post like, you know, spam, click on all my posts and write something and say, hey, I'm a big fan of yours or something. And then those people in turn will reply. And that's how I got some kind of journalistic favor, is because I pitched them on LinkedIn, LinkedIn sales navigator, but I tried to engage with them before I pitch, and I've given them value because I'm like, wow, who is this guy that's liking all my posts?

00:23:48 - R. Scott Edwards

Well, you just described the marketing side of what you're bringing to entertainment. You do offer guidance and advice on marketing, and you just shared a little bit there. But I think you also left yourself a little short. You were talking about being utilized over and over and over by the marines and the military for their USO shows. One of the things you skipped over that I want to emphasize is you also have to have the talent, you have to fill the time and has to be clean. It has to be entertaining. And you succeeded in that. And that success and delivery of your act is why they kept rebooking you, Dan. So, yeah, it's important to be a marketer. As an entrepreneur, I always lean on that. But once you get someone's attention, you got to be able to follow that up with talent and you've been able to do that. So congrats.

00:24:43 - Dan Chan

Thank you. I like, when I bring people on, I like that to find out that they work the trenches, you know, like a lot of times people don't want to work the trenches or for magicians, I think it's kid shows. That's where a lot of people cut their teeth. And if they don't work kid shows, I think they're missing out on something because kids will call you on anything. They're not going to hold back. If they know that. If they don't, if you don't fool them and they think they know how it works, they're going to tell you how it works in a corporate audience. You don't know that. So then you just do that, and then you think, oh, I'm fooling them? But you just haven't worked that audience. You haven't worked the bars, you have to work the non paid audiences, because when you're invested, like, let's just say you pay money for a ticket, you're not going to want to ruin your own show. But if you have nothing invested in it, if you leave an empty beat, someone's going to fill that beat with something that they think is entertaining. And sometimes people get heckled only because you leave that. So that's the problem, is are you good enough to stop and not let anyone interrupt you, even when you've given that opportunity? Because they know that you're so in control that they know that they're in safe hands and good performers can pause other performers, and I struggle with this myself, is sometimes you keep on going so that way no one interrupts you. When you're not confident, you just want to kind of steamroll everyone because you just realize that. Or when you, when you are getting heckled, sometimes you're just leaving that opportunity because people don't find you entertaining.

00:26:24 - R. Scott Edwards

Well, I think a lot of performers sometimes are afraid to engage because they. It's the unknown. You don't know what's going to happen. And I think it's important to learn that. And I think that's what you're saying, because it forces you to engage and it forces you to be able to think quick, which is what's so important when entertaining an audience. If someone was to say something to you and interrupt your magic trick or your comedy bit and you don't have a smooth transition to react to that and get back into your act, it's gonna be very obvious and it's going to stop that energy. It's gonna stop that flow of your performance, whatever it is, juggling anything. So I think that's really important, and.

00:27:13 - Dan Chan

That'S what improv does. It helps you do that as a drill or an exercise. But whenever I get, I will think long and hard about four or five different ways I could have responded to a specific comment.

00:27:26 - R. Scott Edwards

And so you're ready, right? You're prepared the next time. And remember, ladies and gentlemen, it all starts with kids parties, because they're the toughest to please. Right, kids. Well, Dan, you've been so successful, been all around the world, world, performing, magic, mentalism, a little bit of juggling, a little bit of comedy. What do you have coming up in 2024? What are you looking forward to? Any new tricks, any new jobs that are exciting?

00:28:00 - Dan Chan

Yeah, I have a magic convention coming up, which is just for growth. Then I have an event, I think, in Philadelphia coming up, and then I'm wanting to open up a venue, and I'm looking for investors, but also performers to make a little bit of, like, variety show days. I have a new illusion in my house that I'd like to put in a venue once I find some investors, and I would love. And I think with this, people are going to, people just don't want to see me. I think I'm going to end up transitioning, being a host. I might do one or two shows, a month of solo shows, but I want to bring in other talents from around the world, people who would like long term contracts more, so magicians, because I'm in that world. But comedy magicians would be great.

00:28:50 - R. Scott Edwards

Well, I think it's, you know, a good sign that you want to grow as an entertainer in show business and go from being just the performer. Not just the performer, but being both the performer and the producer, because there is a lot of financial opportunity, but also a sense of success and accomplishment. When you can pull together the right entertainers to entertain, as I mentioned, a group from 30 to 300, whatever it is, when you can fit the right show to that situation, that occasion, and make it work, there's not only a great feeling of confidence in accomplishment, but, but also financial. Well, Dan, you have been a great guest. Thank you for sharing so much of your insight on magic and mentalism and being a corporate entertainer. Everybody go to danchanmagic.com, Dan chan, magic.com, and check out what this guy brings to your event. And if you have an occasional corporate coming up, I know Dan can be entertaining. Any last thoughts for the audience, Dan?

00:30:05 - Dan Chan

Yeah, I'm transitioning as well. If you want to see the mentalism things that I do, check out millionairesmentalist.com. And you can also see like the day to day of what it's like being a magician on my instagram again. Danchan magic on Instagram.

00:30:22 - R. Scott Edwards

Well, the mentalism, let's mention that again. Millionairementalist.com dot millionaires with the s, okay, millionaires mentalist.com. And that's because you've quite honestly performed for several of the Silicon Valley corporations and millionaires and provided a solid mentalism show. So congratulations on all your success. Dan thank you so much. Scott hey, ladies and gentlemen, we hope you enjoyed this interesting dive into magic and mentalism with our good friend Dan Chan. If you get a chance, tell your family and friends about the show and come back next week. We'll have another good one for you. Dan, thanks so much for joining us.

00:31:07 - Dan Chan

Thank you, Scott.

00:31:08 - R. Scott Edwards

Ladies and gentlemen, we'll see you next week. Bye.

00:31:13 - Announcer

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