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The Magic Of Timothy |
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I was born in Utah to Karen and Larry Riggs who are wonderful and loving parents. When I was eight years old I learned my first magic trick. I was a cub scout in a small town in Oregon and my whole scout troop was planning on performing a magic show for our parents at the next pack meeting, quite a task when you're eight. We spent the month reading library books, learning our lines, and practicing tricks on each other, it was a lot of fun. Finally we were ready and I still remember that magical night. We each performed a couple of small tricks and then for a finally all the scouts helped perform a levitation. I was the one who got levitated (I was the only one strong enough to hold up the fake legs). It was a lot of fun and everyone who came had a wonderful and magical time. All the scout's parents were very proud, my scout leader was particularly impressed with my performance that's good because she was my mother. As I was growing up she always supported me with great attention on all of the subjects that I was interested in. She's truly a great lady and I owe her everything. As time went by, like many young boys I'd occasionally visit the local library, check out some magic books and learn a few tricks I could perform for my friends. I took a couple of magic lessons held in my community and even performed a small magic show for my elementary talent show. I probably would have left it at that had it not been for one pivotal meeting in my life. When I was thirteen years old I met an amazing magician named Paul Brewer. He was performing in my hometown of Salt Lake City and I absolutely loved his show. Well, after seeing me in his audience five or six times in several different towns and me making a pest of myself after each of his shows as many thirteen-year-olds do. Paul decided to take me under his wing and give me some more magical experiences. I became his apprentice and in exchange for many many hours of work in his show I learned magic. I worked closely with Paul for about seven years during which time I assisted with hundreds of magic shows. We did everything from amusement parks and fairs to stadiums and nightclubs which are pretty exciting when you're still a teenager. I will forever be grateful for Paul's patience and instruction as I learned from him the psychology of what creates a truly entertaining and magical experience. I still try to continue my magical education and often make the trek to Las Vegas to watch a new magic show or attend a magic convention. 1983 to 1989 apprentice and then magician for The 49th Street Galleria (a large family entertainment center in Utah). I honed my skills as a magician while assisting in the stage shows and performing on my own in hundreds of birthday parties at the Galleria. In 1989 while attending Skyline High, I designed and performed magic and illusions for several assemblies. In 1990 while attending Snow College, I created my first full length stage show which I performed in the main theater. When I was nineteen I took the time to serve a two year religious mission for the LDS Church. While there I performed several magic shows as a community service. When I returned I continued my pursuit of magic. I also continued my education and in 1998 received my bachelors' degree in electrical engineering from the University of Utah. In 1993 one of my comedy spots was shown on ABC's Americas Funniest People. In 1994 while volunteering my time as a magician at the University of Utah's Children's Hospital, I created a magic instructional video titled "You Are The Magic" which inspires self-esteem in children by teaching them magic tricks. The primary use for this video was to aid in the recovery of hospitalized children. Since its creation the video has been placed in dozens of children's hospitals in the United States and in Canada. In 1994 I accepted a three year entertainment position at Lagoon (Utah's largest amusement park). During my contract I preformed for hundreds of thousands of Lagoons guests including shows on every Lagoon stage. In September of 1995 I married my sweetheart Rebecca. She graciously let me cut her in pieces in many of my shows. I owe a lot to her and love her very much. In 1998 I accepted what would become a five year performing position as the magician for The Utah Fun Dome (Utah's largest indoor amusement park). During this time I performed over three thousand illusion shows on their main stage. In 2001 I created a family magic show for The Hale Center Theater, which ran for several months. In 2001 I accepted a position as an electrical engineer at L-3 communications which is a large defence contractor located in Salt Lake City. Since that time I have contributed to several well known aircraft projects including the Predator, Global Hawk, U2 and many others. It's nice to know that the projects that I work on help to protect our troups and this great country that we live in. My education and technical skills have also aided in the design and construction of several of the magic illusions an props that I have created over the years. In 2004 to 2012 I accepted a position as the magician for Hollywood Connections in West Valley City In 2013 to present I accepted a position as the magician for Classic Skating and may currently be seen performing there every Saturday on the main stage November - May My entertainment experience also includes thousands of other performances that vary from company parties and large special events to children's birthdays and school assemblies. Truly I have an entertainment background and experience level that few performers can claim. |
