Meet Nash Fung | Keynote Speaker & Magician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nash Fung and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nash, what do you attribute your success to?
Unlike most occupations where you have a successful blueprint laid out in front of you (ex. if you want to be a doctor, go to Med School; lawyer, go to law school), crafting a career as a magician does not have that luxury. The business side of show business is full of trial and error, and that’s why I attribute much of my success to one unique quality I believe we should all develop: Curiosity.

My friend Dr.Julie Pham said it best when it comes to embracing new challenges: “Don’t think about what you will accomplish, think about what you will learn”. That level of curiosity has been the biggest factor behind every victory along my journey. Being a magician was full of unknowns, but being curious to step into the unknown is what kick started everything. Be curious to ask what if, and be curious to take your action on your ideas. That’s been the driving force behind my career 🙂

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Back in 2009, nobody in the Seattle wedding industry had thought of magic as a viable entertainment option for weddings. Creating a market that didn’t exist might be my proudest professional accomplishments. At first I’d get many pushbacks from brides who thoughts “magic would be cheesy”, “why would I want a magician to saw me in half at my wedding”, “we’re not having a kids party” …

So many couples thought that magic only makes sense if they are having a themed wedding. At first I’d try to sell to couples that magic works for all weddings. Like many high end corporate events, having a magician who mingles through the crowd is a perfect ice-breaker. But the more I try to appease everyone, the more pushbacks I got. So one day, I became curious about the idea leveraging that misconception: What if I brand myself as a wedding entertainer for couples that want something unique?

That was the turning point. By branding myself as a specific niche, I attract the right clients and business are rolling in.
My reputation in the wedding industry grew. I was fortunate to be awarded “Best reception entertainment” three years in a row in Seattle. (**insert grateful hands emoji**)

Nowadays I am a keynote speaker who wants to inspire audiences to be more curious. And although I no longer focus on the wedding market, this journey of creating a market that was non-existent to being recognized as one of the best in the industry was one of the biggest lessons I had learned about branding and marketing. All of that kick started because I followed my curiosity.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Seattle is such a quirky town, but above all else, it will be the Fremont Troll. Yes. they built a troll sculpture under a bridge, with a car trapped under the troll’s hand.

YUP… welcome to Seattle.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
If I have to be absolutely real, I owe much of my success to my parents. 🙂 As mentioned, being a magician has no blueprints. It took several ventures and experiments until I found the **secret sauce**.
So I was barely making ends meet in the beginning. During that time, my parents supported me by simply letting me stay in their home so I can chase this dream (albeit an unrealistic one to most Asian parents haha).

Website: https://www.NashFung.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nashfung

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nashfung/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nashfung

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/nashfungmagic

Image Credits
Alante Photography, Chantel Andrea Photography, Diwas Photography, Lucas Mobley Photography