At first glance Justin Green appears to blend in with the mass of students at Oakland University. The 19-year-old sophomore electrical engineering major rocks a North Face jacket, a baseball cap, jeans and clean cut hair.

Then he pulls out a deck of cards and starts doing magic tricks.

“Is this your card?” he asks the volunteer, holding what obviously isn’t the card they had drawn.

He flashes a sneaky grin.

“ Well, you see, all I need to do is rub it,” he says, rubbing his hand over the card, making it transform into the volunteers card.

This is Justin Green, the magician.

A magical finding

From a young age, Green has always been fascinated with magic. But the intrigue was stuck on a plateau, always moving but never rising higher.

That all changed around four years ago, when his friend, a fellow magician, invited him to a magicians club meeting. It was there that he saw a professional magician, John Luca, perform.

Inspired by what he saw, he felt a need to dig deeper. His father encouraged him, buying him a few tricks, which he learned quickly. Within a month, he was performing his first paid job.

“I took the opportunity with open arms,” Green said. “I got sources, (which were) friends and books. It all happened little by little.”

He has since learned dozens of new tricks (cards being his specialty). He performs anywhere from 1 to 10 shows a month, averaging about 50 shows a year.

“Justin is completely self-taught. He absolutely loves anything to do with cards and (he) is a very personable guy who loves to entertain people,” said Ian Komisak, a friend of Green. “He tried to get his audience involved, which allows him to get on a more personal level with (them).”

Green works his magic in a variety of venues and occasions. He likes to do what he calls “table to table magic” — performing tricks at each table.

“It is not a stage show,” he said. “I prefer to walk around.”

For Green, his magic tricks are a mini career, and could eventually be much more than that. In the meantime he is pursuing a career in engineering.

“Magic can be a career,” he said. “I really like magic, but to make a career out of it is very difficult.”

But the possibility has not left his mind.

“If (it) got to the point that I had to put my job aside, then I would,” he said.

In the mean time, Green is concentrating on learning new tricks in order to keep things fresh for his audience.

“For me, it’s addicting,” he said. “When I learn a trick I want to practice it and show my family and friends. It’s exciting for me, just as much as it is for the (audience) to watch.”

 

Gaining support 

Green receives tons of support from his family and friends. His father, Al Green, is Justin’s self-described manager and promoter.

“We practice a lot together and we’re trying different things all the time,” Al said. “I do most of his bookings, but he’s getting better at doing that.”

Father and son both agree that school comes first, though.

“I support (what he does in) his magic, but he needs to get that college degree first,” Al said. “I support him any way I can.”

Green also does a lot of charity work. He performs for free at the Hurley Medical Center in Flint several times a year, as well as performing for other charities.

Green is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM), ring (section) 36. He has had many opportunities to perform with and view big names in the field, including Frank Everhart Jr. and David Copperfield.

Green is always open to opportunities and ideas. Contact him via e-mail at [email protected]

 

Contact Senior Reporter Jordan Gonzalez via e-mail at [email protected]