Published May 2003

Conjuring up smiles
Magician finds niche
in corporate, nonprofit events market

Snohomish County Business Journal/JOHN WOLCOTT The “magic bug” bit Bruce Meyers a lifetime ago, when he was a few years younger than his son, Paul, 13. Now Paul has been bitten, too. He’s already performing with his father, most recently at the Everett Civic Auditorium “Smoke and Mirrors” charity program for the Snohomish County Boys and Girls Clubs.

By John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor

Question: What kind of corporate entertainment program is wholesomely humorous, mysterious and memorable, and gets managers and employees involved in everything from team building to celebrating significant events?
Answer: Magician Bruce Meyers’ illusions and comedy show.

Question: What kind of event has been proven to be an effective fund-raiser for nonprofit groups?
Answer: Magician Bruce Meyers’ illusions and comedy show.

Question: Who has a client roster that includes the Seattle Mariners, Dairy Farmers of Washington, The Everett Mall, Washington Mutual, American President Lines, Farmers Insurance, Retired Agents of the FBI, Frontier Bank, Boeing, Group Health, ENTCO International and First American Title Co., among a few hundred others?
Answer: Magician Bruce Meyers.

Question: Who entertains crowds at the Everett AquaSox’s pre-game show on the annual Bruce Meyer’s Magic Night, and then astonishes people with amazing magic at the concession stand during the game?
Answer: That’s right, magician Bruce Meyers (he’ll be at the Aug. 13 AquaSox game this year).

Bruce Meyers has literally had a magical life. He has built his boyhood fascination with magic and his gift for performing into a career, one that has been all the more successful for his great sense of humor, adding comedy to his marketable skills.

Although he performs his art of magic in a wide range of venues, much of his business has been focused on corporate and nonprofit enterprises. His love for charity fund-raisers, in fact, is evident from such things as doing annual fund-raisers for the same charity for nearly 25 years in some cases.

“The hardest part is having to do new material all the time so they always see and hear something fresh,” he said.

But, that’s fine with Meyers.

“At first it was a real challenge. Now it’s what I love most, dreaming up new stuff and getting new material,” Meyers said.

He doesn’t dream it all up himself. He has a magical family to help him

When he was dating his future wife, Jennifer, she was already helping him make props and contributing ideas for his acts. She’s still his best critic, supporter and builder of stage sets and props.

Their son Paul, 13, is as avid about magic as Bruce was at his son’s age. He performs regularly with his father, as well as working backstage and helping with other aspects of the show. His earliest performances were at age 5. He’s doing some of his own shows, now, too, such as performing before 300 students and parents involved in the home-schooling world that the Meyers’ children have been raised in.

A foster son, Joe, now 21, joined the family at 13, took to the magic environment and now performs solo shows of his own, making pink flying doves suddenly appear from nowhere. It’s not that everyone in the family has to be into magic. Their son Joshua, 21, did a stint in his father’s shows while growing up but today, he jokingly remembers being a magician’s assistant as “a form of child abuse.”

For those who want to participate, however, no challenge is too great to overcome. Their daughter, Mimi — described by her mother as “full of charisma, plus sunshine” — is a paraplegic studying at Skagit Valley College, working toward a career of helping people with disabilities overcome their impediments.

Bruce Meyers recalled performances when Mimi would roll on stage in her wheelchair, dressed in a beautiful formal gown, and do “wheel dancing,” always drawing a standing ovation from the audience.

The family involvement has always been energizing, he said. It has made the shows better, but it also has drawn family members together as they share and learn and grow.

“We average four shows a week throughout the year, and during the Christmas season it’s sometimes four shows a day. When we need ideas or critiques, that often happens in a family gathering,” he said.

Ideas, jokes, magic illusions, costumes, props, good humor and charm all wind up in the mixture of talent and good will that make up Meyers’ performances. But much of his popularity stems from one basic principle — the humor is always clean, even for adult-only audiences, and no one is ever embarrassed.

“Some of our corporate programs, for example, are for getting people to relax together, build a rapport with each other or sometimes with management or the owners of the company,” Meyers said. “We can get them involved in the act without embarrassing them, and we don’t use language that might upset anyone. As a result, we get people involved who would never dream of getting up in public — they end up having a great time and so does everyone else.”

One reason he works so hard to entertain people well is that he knows the value of word-of-mouth promotion by people who loved his shows, and the impression it makes on business event planners who receive great feedback on his magical performance at a banquet.

“Whenever you think back to banquets past, you probably won’t remember the food. However, you most certainly will remember the entertainment,” he said.

Related: Meyers bitten by "magic bug" as a young child

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