Monday, December 10, 2007
He's a magic man: Business major puts his entrepreneurial talent to work
 Daniel Cullen, a junior business administration major, transferred to USI from the Savannah College of Art and Design during his freshman year. The son of Dr. Stephen and Sharon Cullen of Washington, Indiana, Cullen went to Savannah to study architecture, but soon realized that he didn’t want to be an architect. “When I got there I found out architecture was just an interest,” he said. Magic was his passion. Cullen has performed magic since he was four years old. He’s been working professionally for the last six years, since he was asked to perform at a graduation party during his sophomore year in high school. “I did a walk-around show at a graduation party, and from there went on to stage performances for crowds of hundreds. I never once got nervous. The first time I stepped out on a stage I felt this comfort. My mom gets nervous for me.” He started out with slight-of-hand magic and has since found his focus to be mentalism. “It’s the mind-reading style of magic,” he said. “You can make predictions, appear to read someone’s mind, and cause objects to move without touching them. You appear to be a psychic.” Psychics, he said, use simple magic tricks. “Magicians see psychics as the con artists of our community, giving people false hopes. Mentalists admit it’s for entertainment purposes.” Most of Cullen’s performances are private corporate affairs for groups of 150 to 800 people. He promotes himself through word of mouth, Youtube videos, MySpace and Facebook profiles (including a Facebook group, “The Magic and Mentalism of Daniel Cullen,” with videos and pictures), and business cards. “I’ve never had to put too much money into advertising myself,” he said. “You don’t have to if you know how to put your self out there.” He majored in business administration in order to learn how to market his business. “I want to focus on marketing and entrepreneurship, and I think that will help me to run my business, because I need to market myself.” His business communications class was particularly beneficial. “You have to be professional in your communications,” he said. “Business communications taught me how to write proper letters and emails that have helped me get shows and interviews.” He already has a good idea of what will make his act stand out from the crowd. “You’ve got to be different. I never want someone to say to me, ‘You remind me of David Copperfield or David Blaine.’” Though he deeply admires magic’s luminaries, his heroes include gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, quirky filmmaker Wes Anderson, and the idiosyncratic team of actor Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton. He even took an acting class at USI to polish his performance skills. “I enjoyed it, and it helped my shows out a lot,” he said. Cullen is a member of the Society of American Magicians and attends its annual convention each year. In addition to performing solo, he writes scripts for other magic professionals and is developing an act with his friend and fellow magician Nick Sinnamon. He also consulted with Angela Funovits, a finalist on the magic-themed reality television show, “Phenomenon.” Wendy Knipe Bredhold News and Information Services 812/461-5259 wkbredhold@usi.edu |
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