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Rudy Coby's Advice for Becoming a Famous Magician
Rudy Coby, also known as Labman, is a comedic magician from the U.S. He has performed in live shows and on TV. In a 2011 lecture, he shared how he became a world-famous magician, even though he didn’t win a competition. Rudy explained that many kids dream of becoming famous magicians, but they’re told they can’t do it, especially if they come from small towns. He wants you to know that you can do it—just like he did!
You don’t need a big budget or an hour-long show. Rudy says, “If you have a strong, original 3-minute act, you can travel the world tomorrow!” If your 3-minute act is original and entertaining, people will be lining up to work with you. The best agents and TV shows will want to book you.
Here’s what Rudy suggests:
- Take your best tricks and write them down.
- Practice your 3-minute act in front of a mirror.
- Ask yourself if it contributes to your act. If it doesn’t, leave it out.
This helps you focus on your character instead of worrying about learning every trick. To stand out, you need a strong character with original material. A good character is key because, even if someone steals your trick, your unique character will always make you stand out.
To develop your character, you first need to discover your own personality. Rudy calls this the Personality Challenge. It’s easy to fall into copying other magicians, like David Blaine or Lance Burton. But Rudy’s advice is to find your personality by performing simple tricks like Linking Rings, Professor’s Nightmare, and Cut and Restored Rope. Don’t worry about the technical details—just perform as much as possible, even for free. Try performing in different places like prisons or hospitals.
The goal is to focus on your personality, not the tricks. Experiment with performing them quickly, slowly, or in a new way. Over time, you’ll realize that people react to you, not just the tricks you’re doing. This is something many magicians never discover.
Once you find your personality, here’s how to match your tricks with it:
In your practice space, surround yourself with things you love—like music, comic books, or photos. Make your magic world reflect your interests. This will make your act feel more personal and unique. Whether it’s Devo music or Batman comics, let your passions shine through. When your magic world is your own, it will help you get bookings and, eventually, fame!
Embrace your differences and create a magic style that is truly unique to you.
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I couldn’t agree more with Rudy’s advice, which I heard at the EMC convention and during his Penguin lecture. If you look back at Shin Lim’s rise (over 15 years ago now), all he did was introduce an original element—making smoke appear under the table and in his mouth. And here’s the key: the tricks themselves weren’t new, and the "smoke idea" wasn’t new either. What was new was how the vaping industry had improved the visual appeal of smoke effects.
Sure, a Mercury Fold or producing a card from the mouth isn’t groundbreaking on its own. But Shin incorporated a massive vape puff, and suddenly—the experience was wow.
When you think about it, it’s such a simple concept: take an old idea, wait for technology to advance in some unrelated field, then adapt it into your act. How many magicians saw e-cigarettes and immediately thought of magic? Before, old smoke techniques relied on creams that created the illusion of smoke (without real smoke) or required bulky fog machines.
I’d also add that Shin Lim’s willingness to experiment played a big role—he bought and tried things many would avoid (even though he doesn’t smoke). That boldness in testing unconventional methods for magic is part of what made him a star.