Canada's Magic: # ICMS

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22 December 2025

2025 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase summary

This concludes the 2025 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase (ICMS)!

We hope you enjoyed reading about many of the talented magicians across the country. Thank you for joining us on the journey.

A huge shout out to everyone who submitted names and supporting text to us last month. Thank you for generously making the time to celebrate your peers!

We couldn't have done this without the help of:

Alex Boyer
Chanelle Munroe
Ken McCreedy
Marc Trudel
Ryan Michael
Sean Watson
Tabraze Sheikh
Mystery Magician, and
Mystery Magician II!

Thank you for the thought and time involved in sending us your submissions.

Congratulations again to everyone featured. Keep up the great work!

Be sure to click on the links below to find out what makes each magician inspirational in their own right. The story isn't just about who was selected. Of equal, or perhaps greater importance, is why they were selected!

2025 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase featuring (alphabetical by first name):

Alain Choquette
Chris Gowen
Connie Boyd
Dean Gunnarson
Ed Fernandez
Ian Stewart
Matt DiSero
Ryan Joyce
Stéphane Bourgoin

19 December 2025

Ian Stewart: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Last, but certainly not least in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Ian Stewart!


Ian Stewart: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Canadian magician, hypnotist and multiple record holder Ian Stewart is an inspiration because despite his multiple achievements his pure love of magic is demonstrated by his unwavering support and mentorship of up and coming magicians.

In his home of Nova Scotia he has been a constant source of help in supporting the local magic community. All the while asking for nothing in return -- just because of his love of magic. Ian also is constantly a source of encouragement for local magicians to push their own boundaries.

Submitted by Tabraze Sheikh

Congratulations Ian! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Ian Stewart visit his website at WorldRecordMagician.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

Thank you to Tabraze, for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Tabraze Sheikh, follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

2025 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase featuring (in order of publication):

Matt DiSero
Dean Gunnarson
Connie Boyd
Alain Choquette
Ed Fernandez
Stéphane Bourgoin
Ryan Joyce
Chris Gowen
Ian Stewart

18 December 2025

Chris Gowen: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Next in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Chris Gowen!


Chris Gowen: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Chris has been consistently increasing the quality, variety, and strength of his shows. He's been performing multiple times per week at the Rec Room in Edmonton, and selling out many of them. His dedication to creating original effects, always looking to improve, and constantly learning and putting on multiple shows per week is an incredible inspiration.

Submitted by Ryan Michael

Congratulations Chris! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Chris Gowen, visit his website at ChrisGowen.ca and follow him on Facebook, and Instagram.

Thank you to Ryan, for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Ryan Michael, visit RyanMichaelMagic.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

16 December 2025

Ryan Joyce: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Next in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Ryan Joyce!


Ryan Joyce: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Ryan Joyce for his continued leadership of the Canadian Association of Magicians. Notably in 2025, Ryan championed the the launch of the "Canada Proud" deck of playing cards, which features his artwork on the backs.

Submitted by Mystery Magician II

Congratulations Ryan! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Ryan Joyce, visit his website at RyanJoyce.com or follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

Thank you to our anonymous Mystery Magician II, for your excellent submission!

15 December 2025

Stéphane Bourgoin: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Next in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Stéphane Bourgoin!


Stéphane Bourgoin: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Stéphane has been a driving force in the Montreal magic community for years.

He has been creating relentlessly and consulting on some of the biggest projects out there — from collaborations with Cirque du Soleil to theatre productions and television.

Just this year, he created the magic for Luc Langevin’s new stage show and consulted on the theatre adaptations of Dracula and Peter Pan, just to name a few of his projects.

Always generous with his time and advice, he continues to be a vital part of our community.

Submitted by Marc Trudel

Congratulations Stéphane! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Stéphane Bourgoin, visit his website at StephaneBourgoin.com or follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

Thank you Marc for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Marc Trudel, visit MarcTrudelMagicien.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

10 December 2025

Ed Fernandez: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Fourth in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Ed Fernandez!


Ed Fernandez: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Ed has been an inspiration for me when I first met him in 1976 at a night club in St. Catharines. He was touring with Johnny Green and the Greenmen (the Jokers henchmen from the original Batman TV series).

He toured the world with his illusion show on premier cruise lines. He had the largest Illusion show of its kind in Santo Domingo. He was an act in Liberace's show in Las Vegas and appeared in many television talk shows.

This past year he suffered a serious health scare and got through it with flying colours. We worked together in Quebec this past September.

Ed performs Mentalism and Hypnosis these days. What an inspiration!

Submitted by Ken McCreedy

Congratulations Ed! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Ed Fernandez, visit his website at FernandezHypnotist.com or follow him on Facebook.

Thank you Ken for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Ken McCreedy, visit KenMcCreedy.com and follow him on Facebook.

08 December 2025

Alain Choquette: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Fourth in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Alain Choquette!


Alain Choquette: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Alain Choquette embodies the spirit of Canadian magic with his unique blend of storytelling, wonder, and heartfelt connection to audiences. In 2025, his performances reminded me how magic can transcend language and culture, inspiring me to pursue creativity with authenticity and passion. He is truly one of the greatest entertainers to ever exist in the world of magic, and his career continues to show that true magic lies in touching people’s hearts.

Submitted by Alex Boyer

Congratulations Alain! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Alain Choquette, visit his website at AlainChoquette.ca or follow him on Facebook.

Thank you Alex for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Alex Boyer, visit his website at AlexBoyer.com, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

05 December 2025

Connie Boyd: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Third in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Connie Boyd!


Connie Boyd: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Connie Boyd is my inspiration because she has broken barriers and redefined what it means to be a woman in magic. Her groundbreaking book, The Power of Magical Women — the first ever written by a female magician — has made history and continues to empower performers around the world. Connie’s passion, talent, and advocacy for women in the art form inspire me to pursue my own magic with confidence, creativity, and purpose.

Submitted by Chanelle Munroe

Congratulations Connie! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Connie Boyd, visit her website ThePowerOfMagicalWomen.com or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Thank you Chanelle for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Chanelle Munroe, visit her website at ChanelleMunroe.com, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

03 December 2025

Dean Gunnarson: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Second in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Dean Gunnarson!


Dean Gunnarson: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Dean Gunnarsson was an incredible inspiration and mentor to me. His fearless creativity and dedication to the art of escape taught me the power of perseverance and showmanship. Dean always encouraged me to push boundaries, stay authentic, and believe in my own unique magic. His guidance helped shape not only my performances but also my confidence as an entertainer.

Submitted by Sean Watson

Congratulations Dean! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Dean Gunnarson, visit his website AlwaysEscaping.com or follow him on Instagram.

Thank you Sean for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Sean Watson, visit his website at SeanWatsonMagician.com, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

01 December 2025

Matt DiSero: Inspirational Canadian Magician

First up in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Matt DiSero!


Matt DiSero: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

He’s a working pro who not only excels at the best gigs but also at some of the hardest. Growing up in a comedy club environment Matt knows how to work a difficult crowd or room. He is comfortable in any environment. Matt knows how to construct a routine for maximum entertainment, and can squeeze a LOT out of very little. He was recently interviewed on a podcast about the secrets of cruise ship magic and he wasn’t afraid to drop the real dirt. His experience and knowledge can be very helpful to magicians of any level.

Submitted by Mystery Magician

Congratulations Matt! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Matt DiSero, visit his website MattDiSero.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

Thank you to our anonymous Mystery Magician, for your excellent submission!

2025 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase

It's time for our third annual Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase (ICMS)!

Back in 2023, we reached out to magicians across Canada to see who inspired them. And then in 2024 we reached out to the 2023 nominees and asked them to pay it forward by generating a list of their Inspirational Canadian Magicians for 2024.

In October, we touched base with the magicians featured in last year's ICMS and asked them to write two to four sentences about someone in the Canadian magic community who inspired them in 2025. (They were given the caveat that the magicians in last year's showcase were ineligible to be named in this year's showcase.) Not all of last year's nominees were able to contribute to this year's showcase.

Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be hosting a showcase of the submissions, in no particular order.

We hope you enjoy!


2025 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase.

Note: This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of the inspirational things magicians are doing across Canada. Instead, think of it as the community highlighting a random sample of excellence at a single point in time.

16 December 2024

2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase summary

This concludes the 2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase (ICMS)!

We couldn't have done this without the help of:

Thank you for the thought and time involved in sending us your submissions.

Congratulations again to everyone featured. Keep up the great work!


Review the submissions for the 2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase: Alex Boyer Chanelle Munroe Julie Eng Ken McCreedy Lon Mandrake Marc Trudel Matt Johnson Ryan Michael Scott McClelland Sean Watson Steve Valentine Tabraze Sheikh

13 December 2024

Julie Eng: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Last, but certainly not least in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Julie Eng!


Julie Eng: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Julie was the director of Magicana for eighteen years and how much she's done there can't be overstated. Among other things, she played a huge part in the production and release of the Johnny Thompson books as well as the more recently monumental tomes of Eddie Dawes, both projects being of tantamount importance to magic's legacy. This year, she's taken the big leap to the executive director position at Genii Enterprises and now has the reins of MagicCol. I'm so excited to see what else she's got up her sleeve for the future.

Submitted by Derrick Chung

Congratulations Julie! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Julie Eng, visit her website at Magicienne.com, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

To learn more about Magicana, visit Magicana.com. To learn more about Genii, visit GeniiMagazine.com.

Thank you Derrick for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Derrick Chung, visit his website at DerrickChung.com and follow him on Facebook, and Instagram.


2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase featuring (in order of publication): Matt Johnson Ken McCreedy Marc Trudel Ryan Michael Tabraze Sheikh Scott McClelland Alex Boyer Chanelle Munroe Sean Watson Steve Valentine Lon Mandrake Julie Eng

12 December 2024

Lon Mandrake: Inspirational Canadian Magician

We're coming near the end of this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase. Today we present Lon Mandrake!


Lon Mandrake: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Lon Mandrake has been a leader in the magic community as the former Regional Vice-President for Canada of the Society of American Magicians. Under this leadership, the Society expanded its membership and Assemblies. While some may think he had to live in the shadow of his famous parents - Leon (and Velvet) Mandrake the Magician, Lon carved his own path. A now retired educator, an award-winning science teacher and past President of the British Columbia Science Teachers’ Association. Lon is internationally recognized for his mentalism and magic but he is most appreciated as a generous and supportive colleague.

Submitted by Garnet Garven

Congratulations Lon! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Lon Mandrake, visit his website at LeonMandrake.com, and follow him on Facebook.

Thank Garnet for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Garnet Garven visit his IBM Member profile.


2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase featuring (in order of publication): Matt Johnson Ken McCreedy Marc Trudel Ryan Michael Tabraze Sheikh Scott McClelland Alex Boyer Chanelle Munroe Sean Watson Steve Valentine Lon Mandrake Julie Eng

11 December 2024

Steve Valentine: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Next up in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Steve Valentine!


Steve Valentine: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

For Steve's work at MagicOnTheGo. Really inspiring to see someone put up 900+ videos of magic instruction. Deep dives into the work from a real working pro is very rare to get access to. A lot of the material is also obscure and people may not even have known it existed, which aids in cataloguing material that may otherwise have been lost to history.

Submitted by Matt DiSero

Congratulations Steve! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Steve Valentine's project, visit his website at MagicOnTheGo.vhx.tv , and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

Thank Matt for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Matt DiSero, visit his website MattDiSero.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.


2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase featuring (in order of publication): Matt Johnson Ken McCreedy Marc Trudel Ryan Michael Tabraze Sheikh Scott McClelland Alex Boyer Chanelle Munroe Sean Watson Steve Valentine Lon Mandrake Julie Eng

10 December 2024

Chanelle Munroe and Sean Watson: Inspirational Canadian Magicians

Next up in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, are Chanelle Munroe and Sean Watson!


Chanelle Munroe: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Chanelle’s work with the Indigenous community in Canada is inspiring as she brings magic to remote communities and inspires young people with her performances and message of hope. She has gone where no other Canadian magician has gone before, and deserves to be recognized for her inspirational use of magic.

Chanelle appeared on September 2024 cover of VANISH Magic Magazine. Her full story is there. It’s remarkable.

Submitted by Paul Romhany

Congratulations Chanelle! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Chanelle Munroe, visit her website at ChanelleMunroe.com, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Thank you Paul, for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Paul Romhany, visit ChaplinMagic.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.


Sean Watson: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

I am inspired by Sean Watson and Chanelle Munroe for their ability to captivate audiences across North America with their unique style of magic. I’ve had the privilege of seeing them perform at an elementary school, where their show left both students and staff in awe. With a recent rebranding, they have successfully toured festivals, community events, and elementary schools throughout Canada and the USA, continuing to amaze and inspire audiences of all ages.

Submitted by Leif David

Congratulations Sean! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Sean Watson, visit his website at SeanWatsonMagician.com, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

Thank you Leif, for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Leif David visit BCMagician.com, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.


2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase featuring (in order of publication): Matt Johnson Ken McCreedy Marc Trudel Ryan Michael Tabraze Sheikh Scott McClelland Alex Boyer Chanelle Munroe Sean Watson Steve Valentine Lon Mandrake Julie Eng

09 December 2024

Alex Boyer: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Next up in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Alex Boyer!


Alex Boyer: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Alex Boyer has been putting in the work this year, bringing his fun, stylish brand of magic to audiences everywhere, including social media. He's got this natural flair that makes every performance a blast to watch. And besides all that talent, he’s just a genuinely awesome guy. Alex Boyer is warm, funny, and always brings good vibes wherever he goes.

Submitted by Lee Asher

Congratulations Alex! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Alex Boyer, visit his website at AlexBoyer.com, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

Thank you Lee, for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Lee Asher, visit LeeAsher.com and follow him on Instagram.


2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase featuring (in order of publication): Matt Johnson Ken McCreedy Marc Trudel Ryan Michael Tabraze Sheikh Scott McClelland Alex Boyer Chanelle Munroe Sean Watson Steve Valentine Lon Mandrake Julie Eng

07 December 2024

Scott McClelland: Inspirational Canadian Magician

Next up in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Scott McClelland!


Scott McClelland: Inspirational Canadian Magician.

Scott works tirelessly to create a fully immersive world for his audiences to step into a unique theatrical experience. He applies his artistic talent crafting one-of-a-kind props, puppets, and set pieces to build a show which looks and feels like nothing else on earth. His deep commitment to character and aesthetic is an inspiring example of making the world more magical.

Submitted by Ryan Pilling

Congratulations Scott! Keep up the great work!

To learn more about Scott McClelland, visit his website at DiabloManor.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

Thank you Ryan, for your excellent submission!

To learn more about Ryan Pilling visit his website WOWRyan.com, sign up for his newsletter at MagicTipsAndTricks.com, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.


2024 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase featuring (in order of publication): Matt Johnson Ken McCreedy Marc Trudel Ryan Michael Tabraze Sheikh Scott McClelland Alex Boyer Chanelle Munroe Sean Watson Steve Valentine Lon Mandrake Julie Eng