(Photo courtesy of Jillian Sipkins)
Justin Willman is a magician and comedian known for his multiple appearances on The Tonight Show, Ellen, Conan, and @Midnight. He’s performed live at the White House for the first family, his online videos have racked up over 50 million views, and his debut comedy/magic special Sleight of Mouth premiered on Comedy Central to rave reviews. For several years Justin hosted the show Cupcake Wars on the Food Network. He is also a consultant and writer for film/television productions like America’s Got Talent, The Goldbergs, and Disney’s upcoming feature film Magic Camp. The L.A. Times calls him, “A new breed of comic who’s making magic cool again for grown-ups” and Playboy dubbed him, “the freshest and funniest magician working today.”
In This Episode:
05:35 Justin’s “Fake Believe” Tour and the power of suspending disbelief
08:36 Justin’s Comedy Central special “Sleight of Mouth” and what made his audience unique
10:35 Justin’s time as host of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars (and how many cupcakes he’s cumulatively eaten)
16:20 How Justin defines “magic” and what he finds so compelling about it
18:00 Justin challenges the most pervasive stereotype about magicians
19:38 Why Google is the enemy of magic
21:00 What role comedy has in social and global issues
22:36 Justin’s career trajectory from magic to journalism to magic again
24:55 The best piece of advice Justin ever received
27:12 What’s on the horizon for Justin with Netflix
