In part two, Kimlat discusses why he loves America’s team, living the American Dream, and the merging of sports and entertainment.

SCOTT JACOBS

Here is the second part of my two part chat with Kimlat.  You can check out Part 1 here.

JS: You’ve said you’re a big basketball fan. I know you travel a lot, but were you keeping tabs on the NBA’s crazy off season of LeBron?
KK: I was paying attention to it. When the sports turn off I try to focus my mind on work. I think over the summer I was just so busy that I was like ‘let me rest my head, let me focus on my business and I know that once basketball and football kick back in I know where my attention is going to be.

JS: What football team are you a fan of?
KK: So many people are going to hate me for this, but it’s the Dallas Cowboys. And the reason why, is because when I came to America, the kid that taught me the rules of American football when I was nine years old was like, ‘you’ve gotta love the Cowboys.’ That was back in 1992-93, when they were just killing and so I became a huge Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith fan and I used to watch religiously. As painful as it is to watch them this season in the back of my heart I’m still rooting for them.

JS: I wrote on Juiced Sports that I think there’s a curse on teams the year that they host the Super Bowl. Think there’s anything to that?
KK: I wouldn’t say it’s a curse, I think it’s like a psychological pressure on that team. In the back of their minds it’s like oh, this would be ideal and it’s that pressure that prevents them from focusing on each game individually because they’re still thinking about that in the back of their minds.

JS: Have you had a chance to perform any magic for any of the players or coaches on the Orlando Magic?
KK: Actually Michael just performed for Dwight Howard a few weekends ago.

JS: Where were you?
KK: I was at another event and Michael was performing on the other side of town and Dwight really just happened to come in with his family into this little restaurant (they’ve got magicians around a couple different restaurants in Orlando). He did some magic for them. They just loved it and went nuts and he was like ‘hey we’re on the same team now.’ So we’ll be seeing each other a lot.

JS: Have you had a chance to meet with any of the Magic players or interact with them?
KK: I’m sure we will. I’m sure as the season goes on we will definitely have the opportunity.

JS: You started out as a kid who immigrated from Kiev. You’re 27 now, you’re a world-renowned magician, you lecture on the psychology of perception and the business of magic. Sounds like you keep yourself busy a little bit. Any big plans or dreams on the horizon for you?
KK: My goal is to wake up every morning and to continue to do what I love to do and go to sleep knowing that I have zero regrets and that I’ve done everything that I wanted to. I’m loving what I’m doing and right now I’m settling in Orlando for a year (this is the first time in 7 years that I’m actually going to be home for an extended period of time). I’ll see how this goes, so I’m kind of putting my travel plans off for next year and seeing where it takes me. I’m doing a lot of speaking right now and then my big thing is to try to promote live magic and entertainment. There’s great magicians in every city that I’ve traveled. I’ve seen performers in every city, every country. I don’t think any of us are competition. I think that everyone performing good magic elevates the whole art. So my long term goal is to maybe help other performers around the country reach a certain level in their cities and their areas as I’ve done here in Orlando. That’s my long term project.

If you love what you do, and you’re willing to be persistent then you get lucky, and luck is when preparation meets opportunity. So if you work really hard and you’re willing to meet those opportunities than you’ll get lucky every time.

If you love what you do, and you’re willing to be persistent then you get lucky, and luck is when preparation meets opportunity. So if you work really hard and you’re willing to meet those opportunities than you’ll get lucky every time.

At the end of the day it’s all about the joy on people’s faces and the smiles. I may have a really hard day at the office, but then when I get out there to perform, the moment the fans start to laugh, scream, have their eyes bug out, that’s when I know why I love my job and continue to do it every single day.

JS: When did you know you wanted to be a magician?
KK: When I saw it on television. I was 12 or 13 and I just fell in love with it. I read every book in the library and I started coming up with my own tricks. As I went through high school and college I looked at what I was doing already and I never thought I would do it, I just had continued doing it. My clients continued to hire me year after year and my business just grew steadily and so I don’t even think I ever made the decision. But I’m literally living the American dream. It’s the one thing that I’ve done my whole life every year since I was 13 years old.

JS: Did you ever expect to rise to prominence this quickly?
KK: No, certainly not. In fact, I’d rather my efforts be known and not me. I’m not a fan of celebrity and I don’t really want it in my life, but I am incredibly happy when my efforts pay off. And I think it’s part of that immigrant culture that I have where coming here and having nothing, and for my parents to start completely over, it was either you work and you do something or you’re not going to get anything. Maybe in the back of my mind, it’s that kind of mindset that’s driven me. I’ve also always surrounded myself with people who are smarter, better, and more hard-working than anyone else I know and they continue to inspire me. I try to read non-stop and watch as little TV as possible.

JS: Sports nowadays seems like it’s almost as much entertainment, as it is athleticism. Do you continue to see this as a growing trend of the merger of sports and entertainment?
KK: Most certainly. This arena is a prime example of that. You walk in and realize that there are so many people who are coming there, because they just want to be there. It’s part of the process. There’s certainly die-hard fans that are watching the game, but as an entire process you want to bring your friends, you want to bring your family to the game, and you’ve got kids and family of all ages and different age groups, so the more entertainment you’re able to provide the greater it is. Sports is still the focus, but it’s definitely going the way of the entertainment side.

READ PART 1 here.

For more on Kimlat check out these fine websites:
www.SeeLiveMagic.com <–this lists their live performances including the MAGIC Games
www.MagicShowOrlando.com <– this is his dinner show in Orlando
www.ThinkMagic.com <–this is his corporate speaking company.

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