Third year magician parties with A-Listers in Hollywood

Everyone has their party trick, but this trickster has been invited to celeb birthdays and house parties –– to perform magic.

Julius Dein has been hooked on the art since the tender age of 12, when his grandfather took him to see his first magic show. Now, on top of his demanding International Relations degree, the third year has been to events hosted by the biggest corporate names, including Google, Deloitte and Morgan Stanley.

And his success doesn’t end there. Julius, from London, took full advantage of his study abroad placement at University of California, Los Angeles –– bagging gigs at Hollywood celebrities’ birthdays and house parties.

Julius (centre) performing at Kelly Rowland’s birthday party

Speaking to The Tab, he said: “When I got to Los Angeles I bought the domain name ‘thelosangelesmagician.com’, and I signed up for every entertainment agency I could. I advertised myself as this sort of ‘world-traveling London magician’, and within about three hours of my advertising campaign being active, I got my first gig.

“It’s not just about being a good magician, there is this element of marketing and exposure which has taken me some time to learn. It’s definitely a component of my success as a professional magician.”

But while some might find themselves starstruck, Julius insists performing for the likes of Kelly Rowland, Katy Perry and John Mayer doesn’t phase him at all.

He said: “When I performed at Kelly Rowland’s birthday party, I was just hired by her PA who’d heard about me through a friend. But I wasn’t actually told it was her party, so I had no idea. I turned up and started performing. Next thing I know, Kelly walks in, and I realised it was a really small intimate gathering for her birthday.”

Julius in action

He added: “I find it very exciting. I’m a born attention seeker, I love to amaze people and freak them out. And in terms of what I’m charging, they’re expecting a professional magician. They’re no different to anyone else I perform to. If they’re a celeb, the last thing they want is to be treated like that.”

Hollywood isn’t the only place where Julius rubs shoulders with the rich and famous. He’s also a member of the ultra-prestigious Magic Circle, where the likes of Dynamo, David Blaine and Derren Brown meet to exchange tips and tricks of the trade.

Incredibly, despite his dedication to magic, Julius, who’s in third year, also manages to get top grades at uni, maintaining a 2:1 and a 3.8 GPA during his year abroad.

Julius with Russell Brand

He said: “I do work hard, and if it was a trade off between doing a big event and passing an exam, I would pass the exam. Education’s very important to me, and that’s why I’m at university.”

But while he plunges a lot of effort into doing well at uni, Julius does miss out on some of the fun of student life, as he often has to sacrifice a night out with his classmates to entertain his clients.

“All of my events are in the evenings or the weekends, so while some kids are going to go to ULU on Friday, I’ve often had to make the sacrifice of not going because I’m performing. There have also been times when I’ve had to turn down events, but that’s all part of the balance of work life and the life of a magician.”

Julius doesn’t see himself ever doing magic part-time, but is realistic about the likelihood of having a show like Derren Brown. He said: “I’m very open to options. I don’t want to be a part-time magician, but that being said, an aspiration would be to have a TV show. I also have lots of aspirations, such as working in the banking sector, that type of thing as well. But I’m never going to cut magic out.”

You can check out more of Julius’ magic here.