Check Out Jason Michaels’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Michaels. 

Hi Jason, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was sixteen, I walked into a magic shop. The owner of the shop, Garry Hayes, proceeded to blow my mind with magic that was right in front of me. I walked out of the shop that day with a new passion – magic! 

I studied magic as a hobby through high school and college. After graduating from MTSU with a degree in theater I had an opportunity to work for a multi-million-dollar magic show in a casino. It was a dream come true. I worked on and off for that magician for the next decade. 

In 2002, I decided to try and make magic a career. I began by performing magic tableside in Nashville restaurants like Mere Bulles, Chu, South Street, and Mellow Mushroom as I built up a client base. 

Over the last two decades, I have performed magic in thirty countries around the world – on cruise ships, for colleges and universities, for corporate and private clients, and for the United States Armed Forces. 

In 2018 I worked with the owner of House of Cards to create the magic experience there. I served as Director of Entertainment at House of Cards for the first year of business before I continued my touring schedule. 

Today I have my own show, Mysteries, and Illusions, playing at The Filming Station in downtown Nashville on Saturday nights. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Being a professional entertainer is a very bumpy road. There are very high highs and very low lows. 

I am most proud of accomplishing my goal of becoming a full-time entertainer even though there were people who believed it would never be possible due to my having Tourette Syndrome. Alas, an uncontrollable movement disorder does not instill confidence in strangers when you seek to perform on stage in front of live audiences. 

The real magic trick in this whole story is that when I step on stage the majority of my tics vanish. One of the reasons I work so hard to excel in my industry is because the stage has always felt like a safe place to me. As a teenager, I found that because of my interest in magic people would congratulate me for the things I could do instead of making fun of me over something (the tics) I had no control over. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am most proud of the original presentations that I have created over the years of being a magician. When a new magician starts learning magic it is very common to learn tricks and then perform them exactly the way you see other magicians perform them (mimic.) 

What is difficult is to take the tools and techniques that I have learned over decades of practicing magic and find new ways to express myself artistically. I believe some of the tricks I have changed and/or created definitely have my style imprinted on them. 

What does success mean to you?
From an artistic standpoint, success is when I connect with my audience and share an idea with them that touches their soul. 

From a commercial standpoint, success is measured by being able to pay all the bills. 

Contact Info:

• Email: info@mysteriesandillusions.com
• Website: www.mysteriesandillusions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonmichaelsmagic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasonmichaelsmagic
• Twitter: @jmichaelsmagic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jasonmichaelsmagic