The story of Mago Zen
The story of Mago Zen begins in a small town in the lower Verona area, among wheat fields and the scent of the countryside. A quiet place, perhaps too quiet for a curious and lively child like me.
Storytelling and theatre have always been part of my life. But magic came later, and in a completely unexpected way.
My story
Bangkok, 17 years old and a new language
In 2014, at the age of 17, I left for Thailand as a volunteer. I worked in a small orphanage near Bangkok, with disabled children who did not understand English, let alone Italian.
I did not have words. I had my hands. That is where I discovered magic not as a show, but as a language: a way to communicate through wonder, to create a genuine connection even when words are missing. Those children did not know who I was, they did not understand what I was doing, yet they laughed, came closer, wanted more. That reaction changed me.
When I returned to Italy, I already knew that I could not let that thing go.
The first steps: from enthusiast to performer
Back in Italy, I started studying magic with the same seriousness with which I was approaching my Law studies. Two worlds that seemed very distant, yet in my mind they always coexisted without contradicting each other.
The first events were those of someone who is still learning: small, imperfect, precious. Every performance was a lesson. Every audience taught me something different about how to read a room, fine-tune an effect, understand when to surprise and when to wait.
In 2018, the first big opportunity arrived: I set sail with MSC Cruises ships for South America. For months I performed in Italian, English and Spanish for varied, cosmopolitan audiences. It was my first real international school: I learned to build a performance that works regardless of language, culture or expectations.
Blackpool and the discovery of a world
In 2019, I took part in the Blackpool magic convention, one of the most important events in the world for this profession. For the first time I came face to face with top international performers: I studied, observed, questioned myself.
That moment when guests look at each other in disbelief and say “Did you see that?”. When magic becomes a pretext for conversation. When someone who arrived skeptical, convinced that magic was “just for kids”, comes over at the end of the evening and admits they did not expect to feel so moved.
This is real success for me: winning over those who expect nothing.
Lawyer and performer: a conscious duality
In 2023, I graduated with top marks in Law from the Università Cattolica in Milan. This duality is not a contradiction. It is a strength. The analytical precision of a lawyer and the creative sensitivity of a performer feed into each other: the ability to read a situation, build an argument, understand what is needed in a specific context are qualities that belong to both worlds.
I returned with new techniques, new perspectives and a stronger conviction: the path I wanted to follow was not that of the classic theatre magician, but that of a performer who works in close contact with the audience, in exclusive contexts, where every detail makes the difference.
Porto Cervo, the summer that changed everything
In the summer of 2022, I made a decision that many would have considered risky: I rented a small house in Porto Cervo, with no scheduled bookings, no guarantees. Only the belief that direct contact with that kind of audience (entrepreneurs, celebrities, international personalities) would open doors that no agency could open.
It went better than I could have imagined. In just a few weeks, I found myself working for footballers, actors, singers and international stars. Word of mouth did the rest. At the end of the summer I moved to Monte Carlo, where the circle was completed: what had started as an experiment became the confirmation of a positioning.
Graduation and the present
In 2023, I graduated with top marks in Law from the Università Cattolica in Milan. A milestone I am proud of, not because I intend to leave magic behind, but because that duality (lawyer and performer) is part of who I am.
Today that story continues. In more than 30 countries, with hundreds of events behind me and the same curiosity as that boy from Verona who left for Bangkok without knowing what awaited him.