Magician spellbound with fame

Northland teenager Mike Lindsay reckons he is giving professional magicians a run for their money with his fledgling entertainment business.

The 16-year-old from Ruawai has been into magic for about four years - what started from a small card trick has just got bigger and bigger.

Now he entertains audiences all around Northland and Auckland, performing at anything from children's birthday parties, to conferences and public shows.

Mike says his unique style has grabbed not only the attention of his audiences but other magicians'.

It wasn't until 2010 after he put together an act for the New Zealand Magic Convention that he really focused on constructing an act and developing his special character - one he often still uses.

Its a real Kiwi character - grassroots style and based on "growing up on the farm" - he's now proclaiming himself to be the Kiwi Magician and, although the act is constantly evolving, he's proud with what it has become.

He says he knew he was on to something when he received compliments from some of the world's top magicians attending the convention, including the legendary Paul Daniels.

He admits that "audiences all react differently" but says that he enjoys the unexpected and it means that no two shows are the same.

Mike began performing regularly early last year after a magician from the North Shore Magic Club approached him about performing in a fundraising variety show.

It kick-started Mike into promoting himself as a performer and late last year, after he launched his website, things really started to take off.

Now Mike even runs some of his own fundraising variety shows, along with his own solo shows.