Kostya Kimlat is a Ukrainian-American magician, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and business consultant who uses magic to help companies train employees. As a speaker, he helps groups understand the importance of perception in their daily lives through the art of magic and sleight of hand.
In January 2006, he became the youngest magician to be featured in a Magic Magazine cover story centered upon his technical skills and early business success.
In August 2015, Kimlat fooled the legendary magician duo Penn & Teller with an original card trick on their TV show, Penn & Teller: Fool Us. The appearance was notable for the duo's extreme reaction of bewilderment, with Entertainment Weekly describing Kimlat as the series' "best fooler yet."
Video Kostya Kimlat
Early life
Kimlat was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1983, and immigrated to Orlando, Florida with his parents, sister, and grandmother in 1992. His parents wanted a life away from Communism and the lingering effects of the Chernobyl disaster, and a life in which the family's Judaism would no longer be called into question.
Kimlat first became interested in magic when he was 12 years old from watching The World's Greatest Magic on television. At age 14, he was regularly working in restaurants and at private events as a sleight-of-hand magician. By age 18, after graduating Winter Park High School, Kimlat had written his first book of magic and toured the United States lecturing to other magicians.
Maps Kostya Kimlat
Business Highlights
Kimlat is the CEO of Event Magic International LLC, including sub-brands See Magic Live, Restaurant Magic Business, and ThinkMagic.
Businesses
See Magic Live
Based in Orlando, Florida, See Magic Live is a company of magicians that performs for corporate events, non-profit galas, trade shows, and private celebrations throughout the country. They perform regularly for fans at Orlando Magic NBA games.
Restaurant Magic Business
Restaurant Magic Business places performing magicians in restaurants, consults restaurant operators, and trains staff on customer service.
ThinkMagic
Kimlat travels the country delivering corporate and sales trainings and keynotes through his company ThinkMagic, which combines his magic talents with business-focused presentations.
Book
Think Like a Magician is the title of Kimlat's best-known keynote presentation and forthcoming book. Kimlat helps businesses drive relationship-based growth by using the lessons of magic to see things from another person's perspective.
Television Appearances
Kimlat appeared on Season 2 of Penn & Teller: Fool Us on The CW Network and fooled Penn & Teller. On the episode, Kimlat performed a card trick using an original method, which involved shuffling a deck face-up-into-face-down, and then making all of the cards instantly face the same direction, except for Penn & Teller's selected cards. Penn, failing to understand how the trick worked, reacted with mock anger, lifting his stool over his head and throwing cards in Kimlat's face, while Teller reacted with delight, emitting audible giggles (rare for the typically silent performer).
Penn highlighted Kimlat's performance on his podcast, Penn's Sunday School:
"We did that exact trick on The Today Show. Teller and I know every method of doing that trick. We know it inside out. That was [Kimlat's] kind of 'oh well, that trick you did on The Today Show? I'm now gonna show you how it's done.' When Teller saw his name pop on on the introduction...I saw Teller just go, 'we've lost.' You know he's just that good. And when I finally found out how he did it, I was so much more amazed. I wanted to run up and tell people, 'do you know that he actually did this?' It's mind-blowing."
Community Involvement
Kimlat's team of See Magic Live magicians regularly perform at Orlando-area non-profit fundraisers. His team also teaches magic summer camps and classes for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Orlando.
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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