John Lovick


John Lovick is an American magician, writer, and director. Since the 1990s he has performed as a magician throughout the United States and Canada, as well as England, Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia.
His performing alter ego, Handsome Jack, is a regular performer at the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, where he has served on the Board of Trustees, and where he won the 2016 "Parlour Magician of the Year" Award after having been nominated thirteen times. Additionally, he is a writer and has written many cover articles for both MAGIC Magazine and Genii Magazine, where he has served as associate editor for both publications. In January 2018, he was featured on the cover of Genii.
Lovick has invented numerous popular magic effects and regularly lectures at magic conventions. In 2006 he compiled and authored "SWITCH: Unfolding the $100 Bill Change," a comprehensive guide to the bill-switch magic trick, which includes history, performance theory, and presentation ideas for the effect. He has also written the books “Experience: The Magic of Jon Allen”, “Mayhew: What Women Want”, and he co-authored “The Paper Engine.” He produced the popular magic demonstration DVD, "Reparation," which teaches his influential method for the Torn and Restored Card. In August 2016 he released a book detailing his own entire professional magic repertoire, entitled "The Performance Pieces & Divertissements of the Famous Handsome Jack, etc.". This book was a best seller in the magic world and the first printing sold out in less than three months. He co-wrote with Asi Wind a book of Wind's creations called "Repertoire" that was released in the spring of 2018.
On July 20, 2015, Lovick appeared on and he fooled them with an original Torn and Restored handbill, combined with a presentational angle involving a "Grappler" that he purchased from Harry Anderson. On April 2, 2018, Penn & Teller featured Lovick as the only guest performer on their one-off special "Penn & Teller: April Fool Us".
He is currently on the faculty of the USC School of Dramatic Arts, where he is an adjunct lecturer.
Lovick lives in Los Angeles, California.

Early life and education

Lovick grew up in Libby, Montana. He graduated from Montana State University before attending the University of Washington School of Drama for graduate studies, where he received an MFA in theatre directing.

Publications