Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Viner
Hi Kevin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I make my living as a mentalist, which is kind of like being a magician, except I focus on mind-reading illusions. There’s a method behind everything I do, but I always joke with the audience that I’ll tell them I’m lying to them, and they’ll still want to believe it. That suspension of disbelief is a powerful thing to create, and honestly, one of the most fun parts of what I do.
I started doing magic when I was five and got an early start performing professionally. My first corporate event was for Qualcomm when I was about fifteen. Around that time, I was also taking the train up to LA and hopping on the subway to Hollywood once a month to visit the Magic Castle, a private club for magicians. I was lucky to get mentored there by some incredible performers who helped shape my path early on.
Back in San Diego, I started performing tableside magic at local restaurants. I gravitated toward places that paid in tips, since they let me keep a flexible schedule and take on private events whenever I could. That steady practice really helped me sharpen my skills, and over time, it led to more bookings and bigger opportunities.
By the time I graduated college with a degree in math, I was already making more from performing than I would have with an entry-level job. So I figured, why not keep going and see where it could lead?
Not long after, I was onstage doing a rope trick where I cut and restored a rope, and I had this moment where I thought, “Why am I a grown man onstage with a rope?” That was the turning point for me. I realized I didn’t want to do tricks for the sake of saying “look what I can do.” I wanted something deeper—something that focused on the audience instead of the performer. That’s when I fully committed to mentalism.
Since then, I’ve had some pretty amazing experiences. I’ve performed at Kim Kardashian’s birthday, headlined Amazon MGM’s holiday party for Jeff Bezos, and shared the stage with Jeff Koons at a conference in Cabo. My work has taken me around the world, and I was able to buy a home in Encinitas by the time I was 29.
It’s funny how often people assume I must be just getting by. I think most people can’t imagine turning a childhood hobby into a full-time career. But if you treat entertainment like a real business and put in the work, it can take you further than you ever expected.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oddly, it has been a very smooth road. I think that by starting young, I was able to work cheaply for low-priced events that didn’t really “count.” Not that the smaller events didn’t matter, just that by the time I had national opportunities and TV work where I was being seen on a larger stage, I had already put in the hours to deliver a polished performance.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I was also incredibly fortunate to have a mentor named Jason Randal, who unfortunately passed away last year. I first reached out to him in my early twenties, and his advice and friendship had a permanent impact on my life. Jason was a true renaissance man. He had a PhD in social psychology, played and composed music for five different instruments, spoke multiple languages, held a seventh-degree black belt, and was a licensed locksmith, a master scuba instructor, a master flight instructor for both airplanes and helicopters, and a general building contractor. And somehow, on top of all that, he spent his entire career as a professional magician and mentalist. He performed on Letterman seven times, Ellen three times, and made appearances on plenty of other major talk shows.
Jason taught me how to really own my own step. He encouraged me to be fully myself onstage, and to put in the work offstage to become the best possible version of who I am. That way, whether someone was watching a show or chatting with me afterward, the experience would feel consistent and authentic.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Honestly, the best way to support me right now is to support my wife! She and I have an independent music project, which is my biggest passion at the moment. We just released a new single ‘rainbows (i saw her in green)’ which is streaming everywhere. Check out Jessie Lark on Spotify or anywhere you listen to music, and you can follow her @jessielarkmusic everywhere.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kevinviner.net
- Instagram: @thekevinviner
- Facebook: @thekevinviner
- Twitter: @thekevinviner
- Youtube: @thekevinviner
Image Credits
John Hancock
