It's Magic

Benjamin Jackson '09 came in first place at the 33rd annual World Magic Seminar's international close-up magic competition. More recently, the biomedical sciences graduate competed and won first prize at the world's largest magical organization, the International Brotherhood of Magicians, beating out the contestants from Singapore, China, Japan, Canada, Sweden, South Korea, Russia and the USA.

Check out this article written about the A&M grad back when he was a student.

Student/Magician Piques Imagination 
By Kelli Levey
April 20, 2009


Ben Jackson regularly proves that the hand is quicker than the eye as he runs through synchronized series of magic tricks, plucking silver dollars at his finger tips or pulling particular cards from a deck. His trademark closing – “Thanks, and gig ‘em” – gives a nod to his main occupation as a senior biomedical science major at Texas A&M University.

The 22-year-old Klein native says when he is not studying topics such as canine anatomy or organic chemistry, he is practicing his art of close-up magic – sleight-of-hand artistry, using small objects like rings, strings and coins to entertain and mystify his audiences. Jackson’s hobby since he was 8 has opened doors to national recognition.

“Magic’s not about tricks like restaurants are not about food – they’re about people,”Jackson says, of the hobby he started when he was 8. “Sleight-of-hand artistry is something that happens inches from your nose, something your senses will tell you, ‘That is not possible.’ People talk about it and they remember it, and that’s why it has endured.”

Jackson practices his tricks constantly, drawing from ideas he finds in books and performances of others.

“School definitely comes first, but I practice all the time,” he says. “You always need to keep it fresh, and when you’re going to competitions you really have to go out of your way to create an act that’s original and creative and fools the professionals.”

Jackson likes to try out new tricks at the Memorial Student Center when he is on campus and in airports when he is traveling. 

“The airport is the perfect venue because first of all, no one wants to be there, and second, this provides an instant focal point for communication,” he says. “I like to do this in a restaurant: Get a pink sweetener packet and a white sugar packet, twist them together and it turns into a peppermint. It guarantees me a smile.”

The practice pays off, as evident in Jackson’s popularity. At age 20, he was the youngest magician to earn the title of “Best Close-Up Magician in the State of Texas.” He won first place at the Strolling Olympics, an international competition held in Los Angeles at the Magical Castle, the home to the Academy of Magical Arts. He also was featured in the January 2008 issue of Magic Magazine and on the television show “Wild About Houston.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRE5aI9V_eQ)

He has performed the past couple of years and served as emcee this year for the MSC Variety Show, a student talent show at Texas A&M on the Friday of Parents’ Weekend, and has performed at corporate events, parties and in the Kids for Kids fund-raising dinner for the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority Brazos Valley.

Jackson’s current project is compiling a booklet of five simple tricks. The title: “The Jackson Five.”