The Benefits of Cross-Pollination

David champions combining seemingly unrelated fields to yield a synthesis that is fresh and innovative. David demonstrates how he took his three fields of expertise — illusion, puzzles, and cinema — and created an exciting new genre of storytelling in Hollywood. With a glimpse behind the scenes of Now You See Me and a demonstration of some of his signature performance pieces, David discusses the value of fusing together one’s passions and areas of expertise.

The Illusion of Cinema

Both filmmakers and magicians use illusion to tell stories. David Kwong, the magician behind the hit caper Now You See Me speaks about his work as Hollywood’s premiere magic consultant. In addition, David and the Misdirectors Guild have designed illusions for The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, The Immigrant, and Paranormal Activity 4. David will discuss the synthesis of magic and storytelling by expounding on some of the fundamental principles of illusion.

Creating Order out of Chaos

In a world of Twitter and RSS feeds, how can one make sense out of all the scattered bits of information that we are inundated with each day?

Through a series of "mental gymnastics," David collects vast amounts of data and orders them in his brain. As a magician, puzzle creator, and Hollywood producer, David demonstrates how he synthesizes these seemingly disparate fields via a tour de force of sleight of hand and puzzles.

Think Inside The Box: Creativity and innovation within constraints and parameters

People are at their most creative when they innovate within a given set of boundaries. How does one tell a clever story while obeying the construction rules of a crossword puzzle (e.g. rotational symmetry, word count), the three-act structure of a screenplay, or the sensitive angles of a stage illusion? We are at our most creative when we design a new form for something familiar, and subsequently express it in a novel and compelling way. David will demonstrate some of his groundbreaking puzzles and illusions by way of inspiring a new method of problem solving.