Central Florida magician works to trick Penn and Teller

Seven minutes is all Kostya Kimlat had to perform a magic trick on “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” the hour-long competition series featuring the legendary duo Penn and Teller.

In each episode, a magician is invited to perform their best trick for the duo. For Kimlat, the Winter Park High School grad turned globe-trotting performer and motivational speaker, seven minutes usually is just barely enough time to say hello to his audience. So the Ukrainian-born magician said he had to pick his act strategically. So he pulled out the playing cards and went back in time a few hundred years.

“It had to be something that I’d created myself and that I’ve done thousands of times, something that’s been a part of my repertoire for many years,” he said. “It’s kind of like music, I didn’t want to play a cover.”

The trick itself is centuries old, according to Kimlat, but he’s put a special twist on it, one that he hoped would impress Penn and Teller. Though he’s performed for more than 20 years in over 200 cities on five continents, Kimlat said he was a nervous wreck up until the show.

“The moment the cameras started rolling, it was just like any performance. I was just present and with the audience, ready to rock and roll,” he said.

Unlike other magicians selected for the show, Kimlat said his goal was not really to fool Penn and Teller. He just wanted the giant stage to himself.

Magic caught Kimlat’s eye when he was very young. He had a habit of playing cards with his family. His father taught him a few tricks with a deck of cards. But his passion for performing began the day he wandered into a Casselberry restaurant looking to practice the three tricks he knew. With the manager’s permission, he began entertaining dinner guests. It was at the end of the night, after he’d received several tips, that he realized this could be more than a gig. Since that day, Kimlat has never had any other jobs. In 2010, he founded See Magic Live, training and booking magicians for events around the country. His local team serves as the magicians for the Orlando Magic’s NBA team, and he recently started teaching magic classes at the Dr. Phillips Center for children and adults.

After nearly 20 years of magic, Kimlat began unraveling the psychology of magic with business leaders. Instead of seeing it as giving his secrets away, Kimlat said it’s an opportunity to empower companies to connect better with their clients by understanding the principles of perception and communication.

“I’ve talked to the scientists at NASA, engineers at GE, lawyers at NASCAR.

So all my clients are different, but no matter who they are or what they do, perception plays such a key role in our lives that the message I share resonates with all of them,” Kimlat said.

Kimlat balances being an artist and a businessman by continuing to get back on stage. Every month for the past seven years, Christner’s Prime Steak and Lobster hosts a special dinner. Guests are enthralled by the beautiful setting, the exquisite food, and Kimlat’s hour and a half magic show.

But it may be teaching his tricks that gets him the most excited. In his forthcoming book, “Think Like A Magician,” Kimlat opens up the world of magic and the power of paying attention to different personalities, reactions, and perceptions.

Kimlat said the biggest lesson he hopes audiences will take away is that no matter your talent – magic, computer programming, teaching – the first step is to master it. Only then can one expect to focus their attention on the audience.

His choice for the magic trick on the Penn & Teller show was one he’s practiced 20 times a week, 45 weeks a year, for the last 13 or 14 years – roughly 12,000 times. Maybe that’s why during his shows, Kimlat said not a single head is bent down staring at their iPhone.

To see how Penn and Teller’s reaction, tune in to the CW’s episode on Aug. 17 to see Kimlat’s performance.