Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank Bright.
Frank, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a magician and mentalist based in Southern Utah and have been performing for more than a decade.
I still remember my first magic kit. It was a fisher price one built to look like a traveling suitcase. I don’t have the original one but I’ve recently purchased one that holds a place of honor in my magic shop. I practiced and learned all sorts of magic as a kid and teenager, and performed often while attending BYU.
In 2012 as I was wrapping up my time at BYU, I produced and performed an original mentalism show called Games of the Mind at the Echo Theater in Provo. That was my first real foray into professional magic and I honored the 10 year anniversary with a virtual online show named. Magic, Mind Reading, & More.
Since then, my magic has gone down several paths. First, I perform often and for a wide variety of venues and audiences that include county fairs, festivals, senior communities, libraries, corporate events, backyard birthdays, and more! Second I own Utah’s largest and only magic shop and theater: the Sunflower Magic Shop and Theater in Parowan. We are the only brick and mortar magic shop in the state and house a 25 seat parlor theater as well as the Bright Academy of Magic, where we teach kids and adults who want to perform the amazing magic they love watching.
Southern Utah doesn’t have a big magic scene. There are a few magicians around, but given the nature of our region we are a bit spread out. Part of the mission of the magic shop and theater is to create a hub where those magicians can go to improve their craft and spread their love of the art.
And I’m always looking for the next great magical opportunity, so if you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Yes and no. I think it’s more accurate to call it a slow road. I’ll openly admit that I’m not a sales person, and that I just want to go out and perform magic. But in the magic business, magicians tend to be their own agents, sales, marketing, and accounting teams. We not only build our own shows, but often have to deal with all the business admin around it. However, as I’ve expanded my circle and relied on friends and mentors who’ve accomplished the things I’m wanting to, I’ve found a lot of success.
Adding a magic shop and theater to that just increases the challenges. The biggest struggle I’ve found is just letting people know we exist. We’ve had world class magicians and amazing events at the shop, but the thing I hear most often from people is that they didn’t know we were there. So I’m always looking for ways to let people know what a gem they have right there in their own corner of the world.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I do magic! That’s a really simple answer but I love telling people that.
What I really do is provide fun family-friendly entertainment that helps organizations, families, and venues spice up their events. My shows include a variety of classic magic tricks, as well as modern mind reading feats. I pride myself on creating a show that is interactive and requires the audience to be a part of the action. I don’t want the audience to just sit back like they’re watching a YouTube video, but rather I want them to feel like they’re just as critical to the success of the show as I am. And I want them to feel that way because it’s true.
It’s often said magic is the only art you can’t do for yourself. The painter can hang up their canvas and enjoy the scene they’ve created. A musician can listen to themselves play. But for magicians, we can’t surprise ourselves. Sure we find joy in creating the magic, but the magic we create only really exists in someone else’s experience and if they’re not there, well then neither is the magic.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Just do it.
Make the phone call. Ask for the review. Try the new trick.
Too often we hold ourselves back not because a new thing is difficult but because it’s unfamiliar. We scare ourselves based off of assumptions about what’s going to happen instead of the reality of what will happen.
And all too often I’ve found that after just doing the thing I was scared of, it wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it’d be and in most cases it had an overwhelmingly positive outcome. So just do the things that you’re taught will bring you success, and trust the process when you do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://areallyneatguy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/areallyneatguy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/areallyneatguy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@areallyneatguy
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@areallyneatguy
