Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick Morrill.
Rick, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was on a vacation and wound up in front of a magic store. The magician at the store was performing the Chinese Linking Rings trick. It was the first time in my life I had ever seen a trick like this in person. Then I found out you could buy a set of those rings, and I thought it would be really cool to have some metal rings that could defy the laws of physics.
However, after I purchased them, I found out that the $70 price gives you $10 worth of rings and $60 worth of instructions. The rings don’t actually link or unlink, but because of the way they are made, you can use them to create the illusion of rings linking and un-linking. I was a little disillusioned, but I decided to show the trick to some of my friends when I returned from the vacation. I was meeting my friends at a restaurant. So, I did the trick right there at our table.
When I finished the trick, a man from another table came over to me and asked, “Are you a magician?” I said, “This is my only trick, but I like doing magic.” He said, “Well, buy some more tricks because I am about to hire you to entertain my friends at a party.” I had so much fun making everyone laugh at that party that I knew I had found a new career.
That was 23 years ago, and for me, doing magic never gets old. I still enjoy every event as much as I did that first party. However, I constantly add new and more complicated tricks to my show to challenge myself.
In addition to my performing career, I now teach magic lessons to others in the hopes that they will enjoy it as much as I have. My closest friends know that I don’t like cameras, and I dislike being recorded on video. So, it is ironic that I am in a video that has now been viewed by over 13 million people. I am referring to the “viral” video that was recorded by the body camera of a Frisco police officer. You can find one of the many copies of it on the Internet by doing a search for “magician” and “Frisco Police”.
Here is the story behind that video:
On June 24th of 2017, I had just finished the last of three magic shows in Frisco, Texas.
I was near the Dallas North Tollway looking for someplace where I would be out of the way of traffic so that I could return a phone call, and then I saw a barricade on Rockhill Parkway with a “ROAD CLOSED” sign on it. I thought, “Well, no one will bother me here.” So, I pulled in behind the barricade and turned the car around. I did not know that Frisco police officer Aaron Steensma was also on that closed road. He was coming back from checking on a farmer who lives at the end of Rockhill Parkway. When Aaron saw my car, he wasn’t really sure what was going on, but he thought that my car might be disabled with a problem like a flat tire.
Ironically, Aaron found out that I was a magician because I told him I wanted to do a highlight video with a local police department. Little did I know that I was going to make the highlight video right there on the side of the road. I’m glad I did not know that the tricks were being recorded because that would have made me a little nervous. On the other hand, I wished I would have known I was making a video that would become so popular because there are many things in the video that I would have changed. However, Aaron’s reaction was priceless, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.
The video was featured on many of the local news broadcasts, and Aaron and I have become good friends since the video became so popular. Every once in awhile I will be recognized by someone I don’t know because they have seen the video. It’s a weird feeling, but it makes me happy to hear how much they enjoyed watching it. Now, everywhere I go, I try to bring a little “magic” into the lives of people that I meet. I feel incredibly blessed that God has given me a talent that brings so much happiness to others. I feel very fortunate.
Has it been a smooth road?
The hardest part of doing a trick is trying to remember what comes next.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My specialty is performing comedy magic for adults at corporate events. This includes events such as employee office parties, trade shows, and wedding receptions. However, I really enjoy doing kids birthday parties because kids have a sense of wonder that most adults have lost, and sometimes the kids think that I am doing real magic! It’s a lot of fun.
Still, my favorite part of performing magic is making people laugh. I did stand-up comedy before I became a magician, but it is much easier to make people laugh with a funny line when you’re doing a trick because there is something intrinsically funny about seeing something happen that your brain can’t comprehend.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel very fortunate to live in this area because Dallas is probably the best possible city to have a career as a magician. There are so many opportunities to perform magic in Dallas, and the people here really appreciate good entertainment.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.RickMorrill.com
- Phone: 214-883-0378
- Email: rickmorrill@gmail.com
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