Finding the right ending is difficult for any narrative pursuit, whether you’re writing or performing magic. In the second part of our GeniiCon 2017 interview, Curtis Kam offers some advice on cliches to avoid when ending a trick, and tips on what to look for when coming up with an ending.

For the rest of our interview, check out the links below:

Part one: On discovering coin magic in Hawaii

Part three: On finding your own voice

Part four: On crafting stories around magic

Part five: Advice to new magicians: “Find a mentor”

Part six: Curtis Kam’s fascination with the Museum of Broken Relationships

Part seven: Watch Curtis Kam make coins appear out of thin air

To close out our interview series with Curtis Kam at GeniiCon 2017, he takes a minute to show us some magic, passing three silver dollars between his hands in the blink of an eye. He also explains how the trick didn’t have an ending for years, until he figured out how to tie everything together with the sound of jangling money in a coin purse.

For the rest of our interview, check out the links below:

Part one: On discovering coin magic in Hawaii

Part two: Simple rules for ending a magic trick

Part three: On finding your own voice

Part four: On crafting stories around magic

Part five: Advice to new magicians: “Find a mentor”

Part six: Curtis Kam’s fascination with the Museum of Broken Relationships

“Magicians spend an awful lot of our time crafting stories around props,” Curtis Kam told us in our interview at GeniiCon 2017, and the Museum of Broken Relationships is the place to go “if you want good, solid of examples of great stories that come from real-world items”. In this video, Kam talks about why he’s fascinated with the museum located just a few blocks away from the Magic Castle in Los Angeles, and the way people can attach meaning and narrative to ordinary objects.

For the rest of our interview, check out the links below:

Part one: On discovering coin magic in Hawaii

Part two: Simple rules for ending a magic trick

Part three: On finding your own voice

Part four: On crafting stories around magic

Part five: Advice to new magicians: “Find a mentor”

Part seven: Watch Curtis Kam make coins appear out of thin air

The problem with learning magic these days isn’t that it’s hard to find guides and tutorials; it’s that there’s an abundance of information, and knowing how to sift through it all is vital if you don’t want to develop bad habits. In our interview at GeniiCon 2017, coin magician Curtis Kam talks about how it’s important for budding illusionists to find someone experienced who can curate their intake of instruction and knowledge, as well as other ways newcomers can learn how to improve.

For the rest of our interview, check out the links below:

Part one: On discovering coin magic in Hawaii

Part two: Simple rules for ending a magic trick

Part three: On finding your own voice

Part four: On crafting stories around magic

Part six: Curtis Kam’s fascination with the Museum of Broken Relationships

Part seven: Watch Curtis Kam make coins appear out of thin air

Fooling people is a vital part of being a magician, but for Curtis Kam it’s not the only thing. In the fourth part of our interview at GeniiCon 2017, Kam talks about how he enjoys the art of scripting magic, the influence of David Copperfield’s early performances, and why giving the act of fooling significance is so important.

For the rest of our interview, check out the links below:

Part one: On discovering coin magic in Hawaii

Part two: Simple rules for ending a magic trick

Part three: On finding your own voice

Part five: Advice to new magicians: “Find a mentor”

Part six: Curtis Kam’s fascination with the Museum of Broken Relationships

Part seven: Watch Curtis Kam make coins appear out of thin air

Curtis Kam has been professionally performing magic for years, but he also offers consultation and advice for magicians looking to begin and develop their craft. In the third part of our interview at GeniiCon 2017, Kam talks about helping people figure out one of the most important parts of magic: how to find your own voice.

For the rest of our interview, check out the links below:

Part one: On discovering coin magic in Hawaii

Part two: Simple rules for ending a magic trick

Part four: On crafting stories around magic

Part five: Advice to new magicians: “Find a mentor”

Part six: Curtis Kam’s fascination with the Museum of Broken Relationships

Part seven: Watch Curtis Kam make coins appear out of thin air

Curtis Kam is one of magic’s leading experts of coin illuions—leading many to dub him the “King of Coins”. But Kam’s journey to finding his magical niche didn’t begin with coins. In the first part of our interview at GeniiCon 2017, Curtis Kam talks about why he fell in love with coin magic, learning magic in Hawaii, and how coin magic allows him to appreciate and understand performing other kinds of magic.

For the rest of our interview, check out the links below:

Part two: Simple rules for ending a magic trick  

Part three: On finding your own voice

Part four: On crafting stories around magic

Part five: Advice to new magicians: “Find a mentor”

Part six: Curtis Kam’s fascination with the Museum of Broken Relationships

Part seven: Watch Curtis Kam make coins appear out of thin air