Sunnyvale's viral teen magician won't reveal his tricks

“I have an invisible deck of cards in my pocket,” Satvik Balakrishnan tells several teenagers enjoying a sunny day in the park. Balakrishnan asks one to draw a card, and the participant shows an imaginary seven of spades.

The magician takes a real deck of cards out of his pocket and fans them out until a face-down card appears – the seven of spades. The crowd goes wild.

This trick is a must-do for Balakrishnan, better known by his stage name Satvik the Magician. In just a few years as a professional performer, 17-year-old Satvik has made a name for himself throughout the Bay Area. The teenager has booked more than 50 gigs, performing at birthday parties, a restaurant and even a wedding.

He's also brought his tricks to the small screen. Satvik's TikTok page – @satvikmagic – where he shares short tricks like the invisible card gag, has more than 1 million likes.

Satvik fell in love with magic at the age of 8, but at the beginning of the pandemic, he started taking his magic more seriously. At a Zoom meeting of international magicians, Satvik connected with Palo Alto-based magician Robert Strong, who was looking for a young magician to mentor.

“He was just so passionate about it that it was easy for me to make time for him,” Strong said. “I think of all the people I've mentored over the years, his passion and potential far surpasses anyone I've ever worked with.”

Last year, Strong suggested Satvik attend the week-long Tennan's Magic Camp on the idyllic campus of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, where more than 100 young magicians attend workshops, lectures and performances. The camp has been producing industry stars since the 1970s; past participants include David Blaine and Michael Carbonaro.

Camp director Terri Cook said magic is as popular as ever with Generation Z. Magicians often start at a young age, and online platforms like YouTube have made it easier for young people around the world to learn magic.

“They're looking for an outlet for their creativity,” Cook said. “It helps the kids come out of their shells.”

Satvik works on his craft with scientific precision, using a process of “testing and repeating,” he said. He repeats it 50 to 100 times to develop “muscle memory” before introducing it to the public, paying careful attention to how it compares to his tried-and-tested techniques.

Satvik practices on family members, on the street, and even at school with teachers and classmates.

“I think a lot of them think it's really cool that I can do magic,” Balakrishnan said. “When I show them tricks that they can't figure out, they probably think, 'Oh yeah, this guy is real.'”

This fall, Satvik will try his boldest trick yet – college applications. As one of his most well-known extracurricular activities, Satvik's magic is sure to be there. Cook said many of her campers will talk about magic in their college essays and interviews and later use it on clients in their future careers.

“It's a way to break the ice,” Cook said. “They let their guard down because they're being entertained.”

Satvik plans to study computer science and business administration while continuing to perform on the side. He has used these skills in his magic business by designing his own website and business cards, managing bookings and communicating with clients. He invests much of his profits back into the business by purchasing audio equipment, his website domain and props, including more than 100 decks of cards.

He applied that same business acumen to social media, posting daily magic videos to find out what worked. Satvik did this impressively, sharing flashy tricks in a snappy, high-energy format.

As a minor, he can't monetize his social media accounts, but the pages help him gain attention for his personal appearances, which range from a regular gig at a Burlingame restaurant to a steady schedule of children's birthday parties. Children are much harder to fool than adults, he said, and they have shorter attention spans. But Satvik seems to be a natural, and he has perfected his children's performances over the years to make them feel like they are “the stars of the show, too.”

“It's always about how can I make them feel comfortable,” Satvik said. “How can I make them excited? How can I make them want to keep seeing magic?”