Bedros “Spidey” Akkelian is an internationally acclaimed mentalist/ hypnotist as well as a creator of magic and mentalism. He was a finalist on four national television shows, including Canada’s Got Talent and Showtime at the Apollo. He was also nominated Canadian Magician of the year and was awarded US Mentalist of the Year 2017.
Akkelian has always been passionate about magic, and then it also became his career. “I have always loved magic, but I used to do it just for fun,” Akkelian says. “Then, in high school, I started getting a lot into card tricks and mind tricks which then transitioned into mentalism.”
The business side of magic is something that Akkelian is not very fond of. “The tours are devastating and it’s really difficult,” Akkelian says. “But the passion is still there.”
Akkelian has a degree in social psychology and he incorporates it into his form of magic. Using sociology and psychology, his presentation can relate more to how the mind of the audience works and how they respond to his tricks. “Social psychology helps me with the presentation of mentalism, but not with the actual method,” Akkelian says.
Akkelian believes that performing and creating magic is unique to every country. As a Canadian from Armenian heritage, Akkelian visited Armenia to meet with a group of magicians who had reached out to him. “This trip opened my eyes to something that I didn’t know existed and felt a part of,” Akkelian says.
“In Canada or the United States, when we do magic, we almost use a new trick every day and no one puts it into practice,” Akkelian explains. “In Armenia, magicians don’t have access to use a new trick every day, so magicians put so much practice into one trick and the skill level that they had was unexpected for me. It was incredible.”
Akkelian has performed and consulted for celebrities such as J-Lo, Steve Harvey, Simon Cowell, and Neil Patrick Harris. He has always “went with the flow” when it came to his career. “I have always tried to do the best I can with every opportunity I have been given,” Akkelian says. “Whatever happens, I just go with it.” He believes that in the course of his career, this approach has helped him to achieve what he would have never anticipated.
When it comes to his audience, Akkelian is aware of how the needs and expectations of live and online audiences are different. His material rarely changes for his live audiences. “I always make my tricks better but the materials are more or less the same,” Akkelian says. However, as a YouTube celebrity with 10 million views in over 200 countries, he responds to the needs of his online audience and keeps them updated with new tricks as much as possible. “For live shows, the change is slow but online, it’s a constant change,” Akkelian adds.
“I encourage people to live a life of passion and to pursue whatever makes them happy,” Akkelian says. However, he believes that living in a society that is very much money-oriented, passion alone may not be enough. “If you have a passion for magic that’s great, but you need to find something that will make you money to sustain yourself, and that may or may not be magic,” Akkelian says.
Akkelian’s career has taught him that besides living a life of passion, pursuing a degree and a profession is also important. As passion and career can become two aspects of life that are mutually exclusive.
Lala Mouradian
Abaka News
