THE EARLY YEARS: Growing Up as a Magician
Jonathan Krackehl, a native of Westchester County in New York State, became enamored with magic at a surprisingly early age. Unbeknownst to his parents, their gift of a magic kit for his fourth birthday would propel him into a career as a magician.

Jonathan was a born performer: his winning personality and love for magic were nothing short of amazing. Perhaps this is why the nickname “Amazing Jonathan”, given to him by family and friends, stuck. Beginning at age nine, Jonathan started meeting with master magicians such as: Jeff McBride, “Just Alan” and Bill Andrews. These men helped Jonathan to fine-tune his craft and instilled in him the drive to share his magic with the world.

In addition to his interest in magic, Jonathan has also enjoyed the art of music. A drummer since the age of nine, Jonathan is well versed in musical performance. As a musician himself, he relates with and understands the plights of other artists.

In 1994, Jonathan’s magic career took off. He joined the Society of American Magicians, the oldest known magic association in the world, and then he formed his own magic performance business. It was with this business that Jonathan was finally able to combine his two loves: magic and music. He provided both his magic skills and the talents of a hired DJ to his clients. He would later return to this synergy in his Real Magic New York project.

HIGH SCHOOL YEARS: First Video Project
During his last year of high school, Jonathan found that he could combine his magic with philanthropic efforts to make a difference in the world. He has performed for various hospitals, religious institutions, and has organized several benefit shows. In addition, Jonathan tries to help promote the art of magic. In 1997, he became a coach for the Society of Young Magicians, Assembly #42 in Stamford, Connecticut. Two years later, he created a “Magic and Mystery” program in Westchester area elementary schools, to share his love for his craft and to perhaps inspire younger children to follow his path.

It was also during high school that Jonathan became interested in television production. He recorded his first video, entitled “Hallway Magic”, which captured spectators’ immediate reactions to his street performances. He brought this idea of recording street magic with him to the State University of New York College at Geneseo.

COLLEGE YEARS: Magic, Music and Television
Jonathan, as a freshman, became quickly involved with the campus television station. It was there that he met Gary Cirlin. As station manager, Cirlin encouraged Jonathan to use his ideas of close-up magic to create a special that could be aired on the television station.

Jonathan was enthralled with this concept. In the wake of September 11th, he decided to go beyond the state university campus and perform magic across New York State in order to raise money for the Twin Towers Fund. This special, Real Magic New York, premiered on September 13, 2002 at the Palisades Center IMAX Theatre in West Nyack, New York. The show was selected as the 2nd Best Overall Film in the first annual IMAX Student Film Festival.

During the course of taping Real Magic, Jonathan remembered how effective his music and magic combination was during his previous ventures. He began to involve recording artists such as Sevendust and Howie Day into his project. It was in this way that the idea of Real Magic TV was born.

PRESENT DAY: Expanding the Audience
Real Magic TV has exploded as Jonathan has performed magic for and/or interviewed over 100 artists and celebrities. The music television network FUSE signed on to carry episodes of Jonathan's program in 2005. The mini web-episodes were featured exclusively on fuse.tv and on the Network's highest rated show, Daily Download. FUSE broadcasts into 44+ million homes.

Jonathan has really found a niche in his combination of music and magic. He looks forward to continuing his Real Magic project and having a broader audience base with which to share his two loves.

Written by: Kerri Rider