B.C. magician wins big at renowned 'Olympics of magic' championship in Italy
Competition is held once every 3 years somewhere in the world, magician says
Billy Hsueh is a Surrey, B.C., magician who recently competed in Turin, Italy, at an international magic competition known as the "Olympics of magic."
Hsueh won a prize in the invention category at the World Championship of Magic — where magicians are rewarded for inventing a new magic trick or upgrading an existing trick.
His trick, called "Think-a-Drink," turning water into a drink of choice for an audience member, won him the prize.
He had to compete to represent Canada at the global competition.
"It is essentially the Olympics of magic where you have to qualify in your continent and then you can represent at the championships," Hsueh told CBC's The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn.
He also represented the International Brotherhood of Magicians at the competition, the world's largest organization dedicated to magic, where he was served as president in 2022-23.
He has been a magician for nearly 20 years and has performed for audiences in Italy, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Taipei, Vancouver and beyond.
Before life as a magician, Hsueh used to work in the hospitality industry, serving and bartending.
He says that he uses real-life examples to influence his magic tricks.
"My goal is making sure that you are having as much fun as I am performing," he said.
Hsueh said he was inspired to become a magician when he was 11 years old at summer camp, where he visited a magic shop on Granville Island.
"The guy at the counter showed me some magic, and that's kind of where I got hooked."
He started researching magic, learning tricks, and joined the local Vancouver magic circle.
Magicians from around the world compete in the competition once every three years, with the next one in Busan, South Korea, in 2028.
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