So, I Did a Magic Show Over Zoom and Everyone Cheered

There was a moment during the early pandemic — somewhere between baking banana bread and pretending to love sourdough — when someone messaged me and asked, “Hey, have you ever done a magic show over Zoom?”

I laughed. Out loud. Alone in my kitchen.

Then they asked if I could do one next Tuesday for their company’s virtual team-building event.

So I said yes.

That’s how I accidentally became a virtual magician for hire. A female mentalist performing mind-reading, sleight of hand, and the occasional awkward tech fix from my apartment-turned-studio.

The First Show (a.k.a. Trial by Zoom)

That first show was a wild ride. I wore lipstick. I had a prop table balanced on two chairs. I greeted 47 tiny squares of people, most of whom were muted and actively eating lunch.

There was one guy who spent the entire set trying to pretend he wasn’t in a moving vehicle. Another who forgot his camera was on and aggressively ate ramen while I guessed his selected word.

Somehow, it still worked.

That’s when I realized: magic on Zoom isn’t worse — it’s just different. As a female magician, I’ve always had to adapt. This was just a new kind of stage. One where your applause comes through as a silent thumbs-up emoji and your biggest gasp is a delayed chat message that just says, “wait.

WHAT?”

I’ll take it.

Rebuilding the Act

My in-person act had to change. Gone were the moments of handing someone a deck and watching their hands shake while they picked a card. In virtual shows, everything has to be bigger, bolder, and more interactive — without being cheesy or looking like a desperate birthday clown.

I leaned into mentalism. As a female mentalist, there’s power in staring into a camera and telling someone what word they’re thinking of. Especially when they’re sitting 2,000 miles away with a frozen background and a look of fear in their eyes.

I invested in a better webcam. Learned how to work with OBS. Set up lighting that made me look less like a haunted house extra. The tech became part of the magic — and the chaos became part of the charm.

Why People Book a Virtual Magician

If you’re wondering who actually books this kind of thing, the answer is: people who are tired of boring Zoom meetings and weird trivia nights.

Companies. Startups. Families who couldn’t be together for holidays. One woman hired me as a surprise during her girlfriend’s virtual birthday party — and then immediately asked if I could predict what she was getting her for Christmas. (I could. I didn’t.)

There’s something about having a female magician show up on your screen and break the pattern. It’s unexpected. It’s fun. It’s a tiny dose of human weirdness injected into the algorithmic hum of remote life.

Plus, let’s be honest: I’m a lot more fun than Dave from accounting trying to host charades.

Being a Woman in the Virtual Magic World

Here’s where it gets real.

Being a female magician in person comes with its own set of assumptions. People expect me to be an assistant, not the headliner. They’re surprised when I bend their mind instead of sawing someone in half.

Now put that online, and it gets even weirder. There’s a certain kind of audience member who logs on expecting me to do “cute tricks” while smiling politely. Spoiler: I do not smile politely. I read your mind, roast your boss (with consent), and then leave you wondering if I also hacked your Gmail.

This virtual stage gave me space to be even more unapologetically myself. No one’s interrupting. No one’s tapping on my table mid-performance. Just me, the camera, and a bunch of stunned faces blinking back at me.

I’ll take that trade.

Why I’m Still Doing It

Live shows are back. I’m back on real stages. But I still book virtual gigs every month.

Why?

Because it works. Because it’s accessible. A mom in Michigan can watch the same show as a CEO in Seattle. I can make someone feel wonder without either of us ever leaving the house.

Because I’m a female mentalist who knows how to own a room — even if that room is a bunch of muted tiles with questionable lighting.

And because honestly? Doing a magic show in pajama pants is the real prestige.

Need a virtual magician for your next event? 

Whether it’s a team happy hour, a birthday surprise, or you just want someone to mess with your brain in real-time, I’m available. Hire me -- Pajama pants not included (unless you ask nicely).