Interview: Magician/Producer/Humanitarian Derek McKee Shares What's Up His Sleeves

A workshop production of Pure Imagination Projects' MARVELS OF MAGIC will have its world premiere the weekend of December 13, 2019 at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre. Written by Andrew Simmons and directed by Enrico De La Vega, this coming-of-age story of Pure Imagination Projects' creator Derek McKee will follow his path from his teens to becoming the magician/producer/humanitarian Derek is today. I had the chance to discover some of the behind the scenes magic that Derek conjures up in MARVELS OF MAGIC and POLYGRAPH.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Derek!

What initially sparked your interest in magic at age 13?

My interest for magic happened began when my grandma gave me a magic set for my birthday. It was an immediate attraction. Unlike my brothers who were the football and baseball players in the family, I found my voice through magic. Being able to do things that couldn't be explained gave me a voice that I wouldn't have had otherwise.

Not only are you front and center on stage in MARVELS, but your production company Pure Imagination Projects is producing it. When you founded Pure Imagination at age 19, was your original intention to concentrate on selling products of magic? You've sold over 200,000 decks of playing cards to date.

I had no idea when I started Pure Imagination Projects that it would take off the way it has. My goal to create a deck of playing cards came from idolizing David Blaine and Lance Burton as a kid, and they both had their own decks of playing cards. My thought was that I want to be as cool as them so that's what I did! Now to date, I have produced twelve different decks of cards, utilizing illustrators from all over the world.

When did you decide to produce your own magic show?

Magic has always been my main passion, but producing really sparked my interest when I was working on shows in Las Vegas. There I worked on shows on and off the Strip which gave me a huge appreciation and understanding of what goes into producing a show.

What would your three-line pitch of MARVELS be?

MARVELS OF MAGIC is a coming-of-age story set in the world of magic. Pulling from the format of a musical, but instead of the characters breaking out into song, they break out into magical moments.

Are you playing a character or yourself in MARVELS?

In MARVELS OF MAGIC, I play Gus, who admittedly is very autobiographical. The whole story revolves around my teenage years when I was more uncertain about myself and was pretending to be something I wasn't in the desire of the spotlight.

If you were writing a letter of recommendation for your MARVELS' character (or yourself), what qualities would you stress?

That confidence comes from within, and that you shouldn't seek outside validation. You make a living by what you do, and you make a life by what you give.

Any flaws you wouldn't necessarily include?

There are four main characters that all have elements of my flaws. One of them has heavy materialism, which I developed when I was successful at a very young age. One of them has an ego issue, which I try to keep in check now. One has a control issue, which I've experienced especially during this process when I am trying to make things the best that they can be.

Who was your magic idol that you studied his routines in particular detail?

Growing up Lance Burton was my idol. I would spend hours studying specifically his card manipulation. Later in my teenage years, I had the great fortune of traveling the country with him to promote Make Believe.

Who was your magic mentor?

Fortunately, I've had numerous mentors throughout my life. My first was a magician named Richard Nakata in Littleton, Colorado; who really gave me my start in magic. Without him, I don't know where I would be. Other great mentors include Greg Shofner, Greg and Chris Reinke, Kal Murib and Rico De La Vega.

What led you to become a part of the 2010 LA Film Festival Award-winning documentary Make Believe?

Make Believe was centered around the teen competition at the World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas. In the magic world, it's considered the premiere competition to be in. The doc follows six of the finalists, which included me. That experience has changed my life in so many great ways.

You are also very active in a number of charities and initiatives. What achievement in that arena are you most proud of?

The act of charity I'm most proud of is The Boy In The Box. An initiative I conceived with Zach Bonner of the Little Red Wagon Foundation, and partnered with The Food Bank Of The Rockies. It entailed me living in a plexi-glass and plywood box in downtown Denver for a week raising canned food goods for the homeless youth in Colorado. Through that project, we raised 2,500 pounds of food.

Another notable charity that I am involved in is United In Harmony, which main program takes four hundred kids from the inner city to a sleep-away camp for a week, absolutely free to the campers who could otherwise not afford it. It's going to be my 10th year doing it next summer; and each year, I leave with a new perspective because of the campers.

How often do you still need to practice your arsenal of tricks? Daily? Weekly? Only before a performance?

Practicing magic is part of my daily routine. There are sleights and moves that I've been doing for ten years that I still practice every day.

Are you still performing in your immersive show POLYGRAPH at the Sofitel? Or are you solely producing it?

Just like MARVELS, I am performing and producing POLYGRAPH. What makes POLYGRAPH unique is its fluid structure where magic happens spontaneously; which makes performing at it a great experience.

You view your magic talents today as being an effective tool of education aside from being a vehicle of entertainment. Can you describe some of your successful methods of combining magic and knowledge?

I've always viewed magic to be a great way of illustrating information to audiences. At the base level, all magicians are storytellers. If you combine that with an objective of sharing information, you have something really special. With the purpose in mind of sharing information or a moral, I then find a piece of magic that can be used to illustrate the knowledge I'm trying to articulate.

What do you see in the near future for yourself and Pure Imagination Projects?

The vision for Pure Imagination Projects was always to produce content across all medias. With MARVELS OF MAGIC being our first vehicle in the theatrical space, I see us continuing to create engaging content.

Personally I see a getaway to New York for some theater therapy after all of the MARVELS' craziness finishes up.

What feels would you like the Hudson audiences to leave with after your curtain calls?

I want the audience members at the Hudson to leave with the feeling of astonishment through the magic, and that they've left the theater with a valuable moral that hopefully they carry with them.

Thank you, Derek! I look forward to seeing the all the MARVELous magic you can do.

For Hudson Mainstage Theatre ticket availability for the three MARVELS OF MAGIC shows December 13 through 15, log onto www.marvelsofmagicshow.com

For future POLYGRAPH dates at the Sofitel and ticket availability; log onto www.derekmckee.com/polygraph

POLYGRAPH's close-up magic's at its most mystifying. Derek has gathered a talented bunch of magicians to wow you through the evening. I dare you to figure out how the card, rope, and coin tricks done right within inches of you are done.

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