John Stessel
John Stessel | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Magician, mentalist, illusion designer |
| Website | johnstessel |
John Stessel is an American magician, mentalist, and illusion designer based in New York City.[1][2]
Career
[edit]Stessel began performing magic as a child and created Flush, a linking rubber band effect, while in high school; it was later released commercially by the magic publisher Vanishing Inc.[3][4]
In 2014, Stessel appeared as a competitor on the Syfy series Wizard Wars.[5] He later served as head magic consultant for The Magician, a show featuring Dan White produced by theory11 at the NoMad Hotel in New York City.[3][6][7]
In 2019, The New York Times noted Stessel's Saturday-night performances at the Red Rabbit Club in Manhattan's Meatpacking District, writing that he "does everything but pull a red rabbit out of a hat."[1] In 2026, Flaunt reported the announcement of his residency at the Moxy Chelsea hotel, described as "a close-up evening of contemporary magic and mind-reading."[8]
Stessel has been a recurring guest on Elvis Duran and the Morning Show.[9][10]
In 2026, Stessel served as magic producer on The Puzzle Room with David Kwong, a Netflix video podcast hosted by magician David Kwong and produced by Pod People, which premiered in May 2026.[11][12]
Magic for Shelter Dogs
[edit]Beginning in 2018, Stessel gained attention for performing magic tricks for dogs at animal shelters to encourage adoptions. A holiday video produced with TBS at the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter in New York was covered by People and HuffPost.[13][14] The project, produced with St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, was a finalist in the Shorty Impact Awards nonprofit partnership category.[15]
In 2023, the project was featured on ABC's Good Morning America and covered by Newsweek, which reported that Stessel had spent five years performing for adoptable dogs.[16][2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Musto, Michael (March 6, 2019). "Bottle Service Lives On at the Red Rabbit Club". The New York Times.
- 1 2 Gibbs, Alice (December 21, 2023). "Magician Performs for Shelter Dogs, and Their Reactions Get Them Adopted". Newsweek.
- 1 2 Ingraffia, Nicole (September 20, 2017). "A Magic Moment with John Stessel". The Outlook. Monmouth University.
- ↑ "Flush by John Stessel". Vanishing Inc. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
- ↑ "'Wizard Wars,' on Syfy, Lets Magicians Compete". The New York Times. August 18, 2014.
- ↑ "About theory11". theory11. Archived from the original on December 31, 2018.
- ↑ "How I Make My Money: Insurance broker who quit job to become a magician now earns £8k a month". i News.
- ↑ Bettencourt, Lindsay (2026). "Moxy Chelsea: Not Just a Place To Stay". Flaunt.
- ↑ Gold, Allie (December 7, 2020). "Magician John Stessel Will Blow Your Mind With His Tricks". iHeartMedia.
- ↑ Barnd, Abigail (April 3, 2026). "John Stessel Stuns the Studio with His Magic Trick". Z100 / iHeartMedia.
- ↑ "Netflix Adds Podcasts from Stephanie Soo, Evan Ross Katz, Ellison Barber, David Kwong". Variety. 2026.
- ↑ "The Puzzle Room with David Kwong". Netflix Media Center. 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
- ↑ Zauzmer, Emily (December 19, 2018). "Magician Entertains Shelter Dogs as an Adorable Reminder to Adopt". People.
- ↑ "Shelter Dogs Have Sweetest Confused Reaction To Magician's Holiday Tricks". HuffPost. December 18, 2018.
- ↑ "Magic for Shelter Dogs". Shorty Awards. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Magician uses his passion to help dogs get adopted". Good Morning America. ABC. August 25, 2023.