Written in Partnership with Amir Bakian
The magic industry has been around for quite some time, and it has been a common entertainment outlet for audiences worldwide. Today, as the world continues to evolve and modernize, magician Oscar Owen is at the forefront of reshaping how people learn and experience magic.
Oscar is among the world’s top-paid performers today. He has flown around the world to perform for A list celebrities, billion dollar brands and often does magic at red carpet events and festivals. But Owen’s real passion lies in teaching magic. A quick search of his name on Google will show you that he has over 1 million followers on his social media channels where he reveals some of magics best kept secrets. In fact, his tutorials have been viewed more than 100 million times, which is why The Mail Online dubbed him as being “one of the most influential magicians of the decade”.
Bringing Magic Into The Digital Age
Even though the world is moving towards digitalisation, the magic industry has been lagging behind for quite some time. Up until a few years ago, you could only learn magic by visiting a physical magic shop, or renting an old magic book in the library. The problem here is that magic isn’t accessible, and only those privileged to have access to the aforementioned resources could master it. That was until Oscar Owen came in.
Owen has made it his mission to make learning magic more accessible to all; and really bring it into the 21 century. As such, in 2016, he set up his YouTube channel that teaches world class magic tricks to anyone who wants to learn them. He reveals the same effects that have fooled the minds of Albert Einstein, Elon Musk and Abraham Lincoln to name a few. Through making magic freely available, Owen has inspired a new generation of magicians, reshaping the magic landscape as we know it.
In 2020, Owen released his flagship card magic course called Card Magic Pro. To date, it is the most popular course of its kind, boasting over 10,000 members and 100+ high quality tutorials. The purpose of the course is to cut out all the ‘fluff’ associated with learning magic, and instead streamline the process so that students can master this craft in just a few weeks. Again, this is a huge step forward for the magic industry, which previously passed on magic secrets through the mediums of books and/or word of mouth. Having a digital course where you can track your progress and be held accountable for your practice is a first in the magic world; again showcasing how Owen is changing the way in which magic is taught.
Owens’ latest project was to release a book called Mind Blowing Magic Tricks For Everyone. Inside he reveals 50 mind blowing tricks that anyone can do with objects lying around their house. However, when writing the book, Owen was keen to bring a digital aspect to it, and so each trick includes a scannable QR code that takes the reader to a performance of the trick. As Owen puts it, “this way you can get the best of both worlds – readers of the book can see what the magic trick looks like from the video, and then learn how it is done from the text and images within the book”. As the only magic book on the market right now with this feature, this is yet another way Oscar Owen is changing the game when it comes to learning magic.
The Future Of Magic
Magic is a form of entertainment that is going to be around for many more years. The question is, what will the magic industry look like 10, 20 or even 50 years from now? It is magicians like Owen who are undoing the old ways we consume magic, and are fashioning new tools that open up the magic industry to more people.
Going forward, Owen says that there are still barriers to entry when it comes to mastering magic. Students have to be willing to put in the time and effort it takes to learn the tricks. The main difference will be that magic will no longer be exclusive for those who are lucky enough to live near a library or a magic club; rather, anyone will be able to learn (so long as they have the dedication to do so). It is clear that the digital age is changing all aspects of our lives, and magic is no exception. Oscar Owen has embraced this shift, and is leading the magic industry to greater heights by inspiring a new generation of digitally taught magicians.
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