If you’ve ever been “blown away” by the performance of a world-class magician and wondered, “How did they do that!”—the answer could very well involve an Irish-American named John Gaughan. Since 1960, John has been building magic illusions for professional magicians as well as stage productions, TV, movies, touring rock groups and soloists. His handiwork has graced the stages of people like Doug Henning, Siegfried & Roy, Barbra Streisand, and Earth, Wind and Fire. And he has long been affiliated with amusement parks all over the world, including Disney Parks and Universal Studios in Florida and Southern California. When he’s not busy putting together mind-blowing illusions, John enjoys delving into magic from the Nineteenth century -- particularly as it relates to the ingenuity and craftsmanship of automata. His keen interest in these marvelous mechanical figures led him to restore Robert-Houdini's Antonio Diavolo and recreate the famous Automaton Chess Player of von Kempelen. Every other year since 1995, John and his partners have produced the Los Angeles Conference on Magic History, a convention where wonderful antique illusions and props are displayed and demonstrated to hundreds of admiring fans.
