Kevin Quantum needs no introduction and is famed for his many TV appearances and multiple theatre shows throughout the UK and internationally.
His break into magic is unusual but quite well documented as the physicist who appeared on the Channel 4 TV show "Faking It" to become a magician. Not only did he enjoy the experience but it opened up a career change that has been very successful for him. Later appearances on TV include BGT and he is known for mixing science and magic, which includes dangerous stunts.
Kevin is in a lot of demand and extremely busy with many accomplishments including Guinness World Record attempts, and working with other famous artists. He is also the founding member of "MagicFest" that is a regular annual festival promoting magic and offering workshops, shows and more as a non profit organisation.
Kevin is currently getting ready to appear in his new "Kevin Quantum Christmas Show" and we are very grateful to Kevin for taking time out to chat with us.
Please see the bottom of this post for contacts to book Kevin, who is available for bookings worldwide.
Magic Seats - thank you so much for joining us for a chat Kevin. I know you are busy with your new Christmas show. What can you tell us about this new show?
Kevin - Well, the new Christmas show is the "Kevin Quantum Christmas Special". This is our third year running it in Edinburgh. We started in 2022, and finding a suitable venue has been challenging since many theaters in the UK are booked for pantomime. Securing any decent space has been tough, but we were fortunate to secure a spot at the Church Hill Theatre in Bruntsfield, Edinburgh. So, it’s been our third year, and the show is growing in popularity.
What is different this year?
One notable difference is that it now runs for longer. Initially, we performed for four days, but we’ve expanded to seven days. It’s exciting to witness the show’s growth and improvement. I draw inspiration from pantomime, particularly its comedic elements, audience participation, and set pieces. I incorporate these elements into the Christmas special, and audiences love the interaction and energy of pantomime. We strive to bring that essence to our Christmas special.
This year, I’ll be hosting the show, performing around five or six acts. However, we also have an illusionist duo called The Art of Illusion, consisting of Chris De Rosa and Michelle Ferguson. They’ll occupy most of the other spaces in the act. They’re incredibly talented, and their performances are truly captivating. The Art of Illusion is based in Scotland, and we’ve also got a diverse range of other acts depending on the day you choose to attend.
We have Yollin Lee, a South Korean artist living in London, who performs a fantastic manipulation act. He’s been working at the Magicians’ Table in London and we’re fortunate to have him join us for a few days for our show. We also have Daiquiri Dusk, a hula hoop LED hula hoop artist based in Scotland.
Lastly, we have Adam Black, the previous young magician, Magic Circle, and Young Magician of the Year. It’s an honor to have him on our bill.
So, I believe you’ll witness a more polished and refined show this year. You’ll witness a more cohesive show compared to previous years because we’ve gained a better understanding of our craft. Hopefully, we’ll also produce a better-quality show. We always allocate some budget for impressive moving lights, cold spark machines, and a bit of flame. Hopefully, all these elements will come together to create a satisfying two-part show.
The line up sounds amazing!
That's lots of shows to sell. What is your secret to effective sales and promotion of your shows? Have you made any mistakes that you have learnt from.
Oh my goodness, that’s a big question. Yes, I’ve learned hard lessons, so I’ll start with the second part. I believe you must learn hard lessons, in everything. Unless you’re very lucky, you’ll need salesmanship. Try and fail, you know. And often, when you’re experimenting, you’ll spend a lot of money on marketing and PR, thousands of pounds, and some of it will work, while some of it won’t.
So, what we always do is have a PR person. I feel like spreading the word around Scotland and the UK is a significant part of what the Magic Festival’s all about. In recent years, we’ve had great coverage in the Guardian and the Times. In previous years, we also had coverage in the national newspapers, including the national broadsheet, the Evening News, and The Scotsman. So, we have a PR person. Secondly, the spending. I always feel that outdoor advertising is a big deal. So, we spend money on outdoor posters as much as we can afford to try and get the word out on the streets. Thirdly, the digital element of it. We have a PR person and a digital marketing manager specifically designed for organic campaigns, as well as a digital campaign manager specifically employed for paid campaigns. And so, that’s another aspect of what we do. Finally, we have the publications where we advertise, and we have good relationships with many local 'what’s on' style publications. I always feel like I want to spend money to support them. They have a great reach and knowledge of the local audience. So, we always spend money in local. That’s our mix.
You mentioned the Magical Festival (MagicFest) which of course promotes the art of magic. What’s the story, why did you decide to set up MagicFest?
So, the MagicFest began in 2010. The core event took place in 2009, and it all started when I met my wife, Svetlana. She had just graduated from Edinburgh's Napier University’s festivals and events management course and was eager to get involved in something. I recall her mentioning a whiskey and chocolate festival that sounded quite intriguing. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t organize that festival, but then we met, and she fell in love with magic. Consequently, we ended up visiting Blackpool, where we attended magical events in the UK and Spain, meeting renowned magicians. Before we had children, we embarked on this exciting journey. It was an incredible time of fun and exploration.
I highly recommend attending European Conventions because they absolutely rock. They offer a lot of fun and entertainment. And yes, we thought, “Why not bring a bit of that magic to Edinburgh?” At the time, there wasn’t a Magic Festival in the UK, so we decided to start one. Our first year was in 2010, and now it’s 2024. Time has truly flown by.
Initially, it was all about a love project. There was no financial gain for us. In fact, the money I earned from corporate close-up magic shows, which many close-up magicians do, funded the festival. I personally invested thousands of pounds into it.
These days, we’ve managed to make a small profit, but it’s usually reinvested in next year’s festival to cover the costs of performances. So, there’s not really a profit to be made from the festival. Everything goes towards paying the performers and organizers.
I definitely wish to attend in person. I joined the 2020 virtual year when the event was streamed during lockdowns.
How can others get involved?
If you have an actual show that you believe is unique, we’re interested in showcasing one-man shows that differ from traditional magic performances. We’re always looking for magic shows that will stand out from the rest. That’s what we value. So, if you’re interested in volunteering or sponsoring our shows, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
We have various opportunities available, including performance volunteering and production events. If you’re interested in getting into the production side of magic, we might be able to partner with you.
MagicFest is of course a massive achievement. Which of your many achievements are you most proud of and is there anything you still wish to achieve performance wise?
I have a small file on my phone called “Thank My Thankful List.” So, if we’re discussing magic in my career, I’m referring to non-family-related things. I’m most proud of my appearance on Britain’s Got Talent’s first round. That was truly remarkable. It was a beautiful moment for me, and the standing ovation from the audience and the judges made it even more special. I’ll never forget that.
What else am I proud of? My Magic Festival, of course! Let me just open it. Here’s my current thankful list:
- This year’s UK tour. I’ve never done a UK tour before, and it was fantastic. It was great to have sold-out shows in Norwich and Aberdeen, which are very different places. It was also interesting to find that I had fans in both cities.
- The TV shows I’ve done in Europe. Germany’s Got Talent, Italy, Spain, and France—it’s always been great to be in demand and perform in other countries.
- Cannonballs at the Castle. I collaborated with Edinburgh Castle to perform this really cool stunt.
- My collaboration with the Caledonian Hotel here in Edinburgh. I’ve developed a great relationship with them, which has resulted in almost 100 shows of my Edinburgh Magic show, which I perform every fortnight. You can go see me in Edinburgh.
- Virtual magic school. This is a free online resource that I created for children aged 7 to 12. It’s like an online learning resource for magic. It’s connected to the curriculum in Scotland and England, so it’s free to use. Just search for “virtual magic school” on Google, and you can sign up. They’re always proud of my tours in Australia. They’ve always been really successful, especially my recent show, “Momentum,” which was a big hit. That was a fantastic run, about two years ago.
We also produce some really unique stuff at MagicFest that I wouldn’t have had the chance to create otherwise. For example, we had a Hogmanay house with a magic production that incorporated many Scottish heritage themes. We’re also developing a secret room, which is becoming more of a heritage-themed magic dinner. We also had a Wonderland Magic Dinner Tower of Illusion, which was a team-building event in partnership with the Camera Obscura in Edinburgh.
We’ve produced many other really weird and wonderful productions. It’s great to have people like Darren Aronofsky, the director of “Black Swan,” come to my show and message me afterward to say how much he loved it. I’ll always remember performing for famous people and working with Alan Rickman on a theatre production. That was a lot of fun.
I think that’s probably enough highlights for now. Oh, and interviewing Lion-O from the Thundercats was also really fun. That was always a great experience. So, there you have it - there are a few highlights.
Impressive achievements. What would be your story that people would find difficult to believe? (any unusual stories or events?).
One time, while I was in New York to run the New York Marathon, I bumped into Steven Spielberg. It happened in a Starbucks so people often find hard to believe, but it’s true.
There’s another story about fate involving my mom. When she moved to America, she had a near-death experience. I don’t want to spoil it for now in this interview because it’s going to be a central theme in my next show. Unbelievable magic for non-believers. So, those are interesting stories. I think people will still find them hard to believe. I was trained by Penn and Teller on the art of faking it. That’s the story I’m always proud of and like to talk about.
I knew of your links with Penn & Teller as you have worked with many magicians. Who are your magical inspirations and why? (living or dead).
Well, that’s easy, Penn & Teller was the first introduction I had to magic as part of the TV show, where we faked it back in 2005 and I was transformed from a scientist into a magician.
Patrick Page was one of the mentors on that show as well. Sadly, he’s no longer with us, but what a guy! He was an amazing figure in the landscape of British magic over the years. It was a pleasure to have worked with him.
Ali Bongo - I performed alongside him at Stirling Castle as part of the Palace of Magic. It’s an honour to be part of that show and to perform alongside him.
Whenever I visit London for the Magic Circle, I can’t help but look around and be surrounded by legends—modern-day legends of magic who we may never have seen the likes of some of the incredible people at the London Magic Circle. Off the top of my head, there’s Fay Presto, Marvin Berglas, and so many more that I wouldn’t do myself any justice to even try to name them. But I’ve done it.
And of course, from history, there’s probably the Great Lafayette. His tragic story is linked to the City of Edinburgh. I love reading the stories about him. I love how he publicized himself and his approach to magic, which was very flamboyant and almost story-first. You know, the magic always supported the story, which I always loved. And his approach to entertaining an audience was simply brilliant.
Do you have any special magic collectables and if so, can you tell us about your favourite? e.g. signed posters, books, props etc.
Oh, gosh, collectables! Yeah, well, I went through a phase of buying Derren Brown’s first editions and early books. I believe I got more value from simply reading them than from ever selling them. They’re such treasure troves. His genius is evident in them, and magic is so fortunate to have him as a mentor. His outward-looking approach to close-up magic, coupled with his subsequent work in television and stage, is truly phenomenal.
I have some of David Berglas' last books. He was always a real inspiration to me as well. Sadly, he passed away a year and a half ago. My wife and I visited him and Ruth in their home. It was lovely to catch up with them. It was great to see him again as about a decade ago, he was in Edinburgh for the Magic Festival, where we presented him with the Great Lafayette Award.
I also have one of the old chop cups that Paul Daniels used. He is a huge inspiration to my body of work, and I constantly look back at what he did for inspiration
I have a signed pack of cards by Juan Tamariz. The Magic Festival was an opportunity to invite absolute legends to Edinburgh and meet people like the great Tom Sony and Jamie Harrison, the illusion designer behind all the Harry Potter shows.
I think that’s it. I’m not really a collector; I’m more forward-looking. I like to create my own stuff and build my own things. So, I have a few odd bits and bobs, but I don’t do much of the collectables thing. I have a decent library of books that I dip into as well. I’ll read the books that interest me, but I’m always looking to the future to see how I can make a mark and hopefully write about it in 20 or 30 years when I’m slowing down. I’ll read the autobiographies of the magicians I truly admired and respected, but I’m more focused on the present and the future.
Kevin - thank you so much for talking with Magic Seats and being so informative. We hope that you have an amazing MagicFest and Christmas show during the coming months.
If you would like to know more about Kevin, take a look at the links below for his official website and booking information.
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Kevin is UK based and available for bookings Nationwide and Worldwide.
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