Utah Magic Fest 2025

​ Lecturers and Performers

All proceeds from The Utah Magic Fest will go to benefit the non-profit organization Best Seat in the House. For more information about them, please visit www.BestSeatSLC.org
Full Festival Pass Tickets, which includes all lectures and shows are $135 and are for sale NOW on the SCERA website by clicking HERE
Stan Allen
Stan Allen grew up in Southern California, where he was a member of a unique magic club for teens, the Long Beach Mystics. For the better part of the ’70s and ’80s, he was a full-time comedy magician, working night clubs and cruise ships. For eight years, he was an exclusive entertainer for Princess Cruises, performing magic at sea and on land.

In 1985, Stan “settled down” to start a family and Inside Magic, an eight-page monthly newsletter that quickly gained an international following. Six years later, that little newsletter morphed into the full-color, glossy MAGIC Magazine. The monthly periodical grew from 48 pages to 132, and from 1,200 readers to over 10,000 at its peak. In the 2005 edition, Guinness World Records recognized MAGIC as the world’s largest-selling magazine for magicians.
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In 2001, Stan brought the pages of the magazine to life by producing the first MAGIC Live! This unconventional convention is held in Las Vegas and is the largest magic gathering in North America and regularly sells out.
Curtis Hickman
​Curtis Hickman is a professional illusionist turned location based experience pioneer and Co-Founder of The VOID, the critically acclaimed immersive entertainment company where he recently served as Chief Creative Officer.

Prior to launching The VOID, Curtis made a name for himself as an award-winning magician and one of the select few designers to develop theatrical illusions for top ranked magicians around the world such as David Copperfield and Criss Angel.

Specializing in mystery and miracle, Curtis’ passion for the craft found a new home in visual effects and VR in its ability to transcend the limitations of reality. He has worked for a number of studios and production groups as a Visual Effects Producer, including Kaleidoscope Studios where he created and directed commercials for Franklin Covey in addition to leading VFX work on music videos for such artists as BB King and Five for Fighting.

With more than 10 years of experience producing award-winning visual effects and motion graphics for film and television, combined with an obsession with the art of magic, Curtis's background in digital and practical illusion design has led to the development of the fundamental technologies behind The VOID. He was the executive Creative Director of nearly every VOID experience, including “Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire” and “Ghostbusters: Dimensions”.

His work continues to shape and guide the world of mixed reality today, bringing consumers closer to stories, characters and places than ever before.

Michael Ammar

Michael has been teaching magicians magic since 1980 when he started giving lectures and ultimately "lecture tours" (not very common back then). He pioneered an interest in the Topit by publishing The Topit Book in 1982. He has since published best selling magic books such as The Magic of Michael Ammar, The Magical Arts Journal and The Complete Cups and Balls.
He is best known for his expert teaching on his magic DVD's - in particular, "The Easy to Master Card Miracles" titles that are staples in magic shops around the world. He began video instruction alongside Dai Vernon in the "Vernon Revelations" series over 30 years ago. He has authored more than 50 video instructional titles, ranging from beginning level: Icebreakers and Exciting World of Magic to the most advanced level: The Complete Cups and Balls and The Topit DVD.

His Television credits include "The Tonight Show", "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Worlds Greatest Magic." Other professionals, including David Copperfield, Lance Burton, Siegfried & Roy, Doug Henning and Michael Jackson have consulted with Michael for their magic.

Michael has been honored numerous times, including Magician of the Year; six awards from the Academy of Magical Arts; FISM Gold Medal in Close-Up Magic; two awards from the International Magic Awards; Dragon Award; and West Virginia University's Distinguished Alumni award for achieving international recognition in his profession.
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He has traveled to 52 countries - and in doing so, has instructed over 25,000 people in the theory and practice of modern magic. His seminars have earned him accolades, including the maximum number of Lecturer of the Year awards from the Academy of Magic Arts in Hollywood, California. Michael is recognized as the world’s foremost teacher of magic. David Copperfield calls him “the magician’s magician,” and he was selected by Toys-R-Us as the instructor on “The Magic Video.” In 1991, his book “The Magic of Michael Ammar,” became the fastest selling book in magic history.

Eric Stevens

Eric Stevens is a multi-award-winning entertainer who has spent decades honing his craft, creating, performing, and teaching magic.

Born in San Diego but spending much of his life in the Pacific Northwest, Eric's youth took him in a variety of directions, not least of which was being asked at 19 years of age to go on tour with magic legends like Michael Ammar, Jeff McBride, and Daryl. From there he began to give lectures, teaching magicians across the country how to perform his highly unusual but incredibly powerful close-up inventions.

Since then, Eric has worked for Crystal Cruises, one of the most high-end cruise lines in existence, performed for celebrities like John Oliver, Zack Galifianakis, CeeLo Green and Patton Oswalt, published seven books and released multiple highly-acclaimed products to the magic community, including his most recent - STIXX, the most comprehensive project on the hot rod ever done. Though most of his gigs are comprised of corporate mentalism, close-up magic is still his first love.

Tim Hannig

One of the nation’s leading family entertainers, you’ll be STUNNED by the strength of Tim’s family show and his informative business-oriented lecture. Hailing from Chicago, Tim is a one-of-a-kind family audience performer. He speaks to kids like equals, doesn’t dumb down the magic, and is one of the most relatable performers you’ll ever encounter. Tim’s book, PERFORM, has been a hit with notable magicians worldwide and was voted “book of the year” on The Magic Cafe. We’ve asked Tim to present his family show for us and then lecture.  Just you WAIT for the polished, touching, and amazing magic of Tim Hannig!