I look back , feel like the universe had been pointing me toward my own true north . Here is the first : when I was twenty-two I travelled to London from California to see Derren Brown ’ s Show “ Svengali .” At that point to me Derren was basically Jesus , so when I caught a frisbee during his show and he asked for my name , my life was complete . And when by some unbelievable coincidence I managed to get coffee with him the next day , and he said that he had seen a clip of mine online , I couldn ’ t believe it . And when he continued to say I was good and should keep performing , it felt like I had been ordained an apostle , instructed to continue to spread the good word of Magic . This was an earth shattering moment in my life . I was wandering aimlessly in a post-collegiate void with no employable skills . I was in doubt of myself and my talent . Then , when I opened myself to the universe and asked for direction , boom . My biggest hero told me I should be a magician . It was destiny . ( Years later I recounted this fateful story to Derren and discovered for him it was far less significant : he couldn ’ t recall it .)

The second turning point in my magical life , a moment that has proven much more important , was when I met James Galea .

I had known about James , of course . I had seen the viral clip of his story deck “ 637 King Street ” and his appearances on “ The Ellen DeGeneres Show ” and clips of the Discovery Channel show