The Media Magician
Andreas Axmann
A digital pioneer
Andreas Axmann is an engineer, magician and author – and has won several international awards as a professional entertainer. For over 30 years, he has been providing performances that are guaranteed to go down well. His shows have taken him around the globe, including to Las Vegas, China and on the stages of well-known companies worldwide. He recognized the creative potential of digital technologies early on and developed his own form of “digital magic”, with which he also made a name for himself beyond Germany’s borders. As the first German iPad magician, he opened up a unique niche for himself and played a decisive role in shaping the combination of technology and illusion. The topics of digitalization and artificial intelligence not only accompany him professionally, but have always interested him privately as well.
His motto: unusual, inexplicable, unforgettable
CV
Andreas Axmann was born in the Bavarian Forest in 1985. It all started in the classic way: with the obligatory magic box for Christmas, which an aunt gave him. Fortunately, there was a magic store nearby that offered materials and courses for the next generation. At the age of 7, he performed on a big stage for the first time. Further support came from the German magic club “Magischer Zirkel”, which accepted him in 2002. So it was obvious that he would soon be presenting his skills in public. This was followed by several international awards and engagements on television and at corporate events. Andreas Axmann came to Berlin in 2004 to begin his studies in theater and event technology, which he completed in 2008 with a diploma thesis on the subject of “magic theater”. Since then, magic has been his main profession. In 2010, Andreas Axmann became the first German iPad magician to specialize in the field of “digital magic”.
In 2011, the Media Magician was runner-up in the German “Magic with speech” category and took part in the World Magic Championships. He was also invited to perform his iPad magic in Las Vegas for the first time this year. Andreas Axmann has been entertaining participants at conferences and congresses on the subject of digitalization with his unique “show-keynote” concept since 2014. In 2019, he added the topic of artificial intelligence, which further developed his style of magic. In his online show from 2020, Andreas Axmann created a new segment by combining his digital effects with live virtual video tricks. Since 2022, he has dedicated himself to the digital specialty of “human-machine interaction” and amazes with an industrial robot, among other things. In 2024, he added effects with the Vision Pro extended reality headset. And in 2026, a humanoid robot will even appear on stage …
Questions for Andreas Axmann
You’ve been doing magic since you were 6 years old. What did you love about it as a child?
Probably the playful aspect of magic. You have to tinker and try things out for a long time until you achieve an amazing effect that you can wow your audience with. I had many hobbies as a child, but magic fascinated me the most.
You differ from other magicians in that you perform magic with iPads, notebooks and smartphones. How did you come up with this idea?
Back in 2006 at the World Magic Championships in Stockholm, I had a monitor as a digital element in my show, which I used to perform magic. That was the first step towards becoming a “media magician”. Since the iPad came out in 2010, completely new possibilities have opened up in the field of digital magic. It’s handy, still has a large display and also looks magical. I’ve since expanded my show to include many other digital topics and technologies. This is particularly popular with companies that want to take away their employees’ fear of working with the latest technology at conferences and congresses.
Where do you get the inspiration for new ideas?
I “brainstorm” a lot. By thinking, writing things down and combining ideas. Interestingly, I’m also particularly creative when I’m traveling by car, train or plane. But inspiration comes from everywhere. From everyday life, from films, but also from the events themselves.
When you look back, which performance do you particularly remember and why?
Those were probably my performances in China. It was an incredible experience to perform 25 shows in front of around 2000 Chinese people in a large theater as part of a Magic Festival. An audience with a completely different culture that reacted very differently and particularly euphorically.
What do you like best about your job?
The fact that I can always combine my private life with my professional life. Because my job is also my passion. A relaxed evening with friends can be an excellent source of inspiration for a new idea. On the other hand, I always enjoy getting to know new cities and people when I’m booked outside my home city of Berlin. At the moment I’m answering these questions, I’m flying to Miami, for example, to appear at an international trade fair for a Hamburg-based company.
What are your plans for the future, what comes after the iPad?
My “show lecture” is currently very popular, where I am initially announced as a speaker, but then surprisingly become an entertainer for the audience. I’m currently experimenting with augmented and virtual reality headsets. And even with humanoid robots. Digital development is rapid and I like being a pioneer.
The interview was conducted by PNP. You can find the general press report here.
Awards
