Paul Draper is an

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

, academic, and an award-winning

mentalist Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Mentalists perform a theatrical act that includes special effects that may appear to employ ps ...

, magician, and

film maker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screenwritin ...

. As an anthropologist and communications expert specializing in the cognitive science of religious beliefs, he has lectured at

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...

companies and universities. As the creator of the show Mental Mysteries, Draper blends his academic background as an anthropologist and communications expert with the arts of

mentalism Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Mentalists perform a theatrical act that includes special effects that may appear to employ ...

and

magic Magic or magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces ** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic * Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...

. Draper performed live streaming shows during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Paul Draper recently had an article published in
Anthropology News
in 2023 for the

American Anthropological Association The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is an American organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 10,000 members, the association, based in Arlington, Virginia, includes archaeologists, cultural anthropo ...

. The entire issue of the magazine focused on magicians as collectors of magic artifacts. Draper was elected to the leadership Council of The Magic Circle in 2023, a London-based British organization and one of the oldest magical societies in the world.

Early life

Born in

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

in 1978, Draper first became interested in magic when family members discovered Showplace Magic and Novelty in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

. The first full-length magic show that he saw was at the 49th Street Galleria when he was 7 and then developed his own show and started performing for his grade school every year. Draper began performing magic for his friends at age 8 and continued performing throughout his school years, lettering in debate, choir, and drama. In his high school years, he also became a national debate champion in original oratory and a state drama champion in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

. At age 16, Draper watched Michael Skinner perform at the Golden Nugget in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, which propelled his interest in magic, which eventually led to his discovery of mentalism.

Education

Before embarking on a career in magic and

, Draper received his bachelor's degree in anthropology at

Weber State University Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy and earned its current name in 1991. As of fall 2023, the student population reached 30,536 students, cons ...

Career

Before embarking on a career in magic and mentalism in

, Draper worked as a lecturer in Utah at Westminster College and

and later as an instructor at the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the ...

where he taught

communication studies Communication studies (or communication science) is an academic discipline that deals with processes of human communication and behavior, patterns of communication in interpersonal relationships, social interactions and communication in differ ...

. In 2004, Draper gave up his full time academic career to follow his "childhood passion" of magic and mentalism. At that time, he began working as the house magician at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. For Draper, these two career paths — anthropology and magic — coincide in the study of cognitive science, or how and why people believe what they do. In 2014, the International Magician's Society awarded Draper the prestigious Merlin Award for Best Corporate Performer. He has lectured on these topics at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, Apple Cupertino Headquarters, the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

, the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, the

Magic Castle The Magic Castle is a performance venue, restaurant, and clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts for magicians and magic enthusiasts in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, United States. The Academy was started in 1952 by ...

in Hollywood and The Magic Circle in London. Draper has appeared as himself in television shows and documentaries, including ''

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

'', ''

Pawn Stars ''Pawn Stars'' is an American reality television series shown on History and produced by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24 ...

'', ''

House Hunters ''House Hunters'' is an American unscripted television series that airs on HGTV and is produced by Pie Town Productions. Each episode follows people making a decision about a new home purchase or rental. Debuting in October 1999, the show has ...

'', ''

Criss Angel Mindfreak ''Criss Angel Mindfreak'' is an American reality television series that aired on A&E (TV channel), A&E in the U.S. and USA Network (Canadian TV channel), Discovery Channel in Canada from July 20, 2005, to September 8, 2010. It centers on stunts an ...

'',

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

-sponsored ''The Comedy Festival'' at

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesar ...

, ''

Ghost Adventures ''Ghost Adventures'' is an American paranormal television, paranormal and reality television series that premiered on October 17, 2008, on the Travel Channel before moving to Discovery+ in 2021. An independent film of the same name originally ai ...

'', and ''Houdini: Unlocking the Mystery''. He has appeared alongside

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

Lance Burton William Lance Burton (born March 10, 1960) is an American stage magician. He performed more than 15,000 shows in Las Vegas for over 5,000,000 people until retiring in 2010. He serves as a judge on '' Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars''. Profess ...

, and Teller on the

History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...

as a consultant and expert. He appeared as a magician on ''

Hair Battle Spectacular ''Hair Battle Spectacular'' is an American reality competition series that aired on Oxygen from August 10, 2010, to October 3, 2011. The series features ten hair stylists as they compete for a $100,000 grand prize and to see who can create the mo ...

'' and as a scorpion handler in ''Guerilla Magic.'' In March 2018 Draper was the guest scholar for an episode of What'sHerName women's history podcast on "Queen of Magic" Adelaide Herrmann.PODCAST DIVES INTO THE FASCINATING CAREER OF ADELAIDE HERRMANN, “THE QUEEN OF MAGIC”
/ref> Draper has also performed as an emcee. He has appeared at

Comic Con A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention emphasizing comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at conv ...

as a moderator in a celebrity panel interview. In addition to performing, Draper also works as a consultant and guest lecturer for businesses. He has designed special effects for theater and acted as a religious advisor for theater companies, drawing on his Jewish faith background. Paul Draper was also featured in an article by Makezine on his historical knowledge of Houdini's Legacy and Magicians in the Maker community. He was profiled in a six-page cover story in the August 2021 edition of ''The Magic Circular Magazine'' in London, England, the publication of The Magic Circle. He was previously profiled in a six-page cover story in the March 2017 edition of M-U-M Magazine, the publication of the

Society of American Magicians The Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) is the oldest fraternal magic organization in the world. Its purpose is "to advance, elevate, and preserve magic as a performing art, to promote harmonious fellowship throughout the world of magic, and ...

. He is a member of the senior faculty of the McBride Magic & Mystery School. Draper sits on the board of directors for the Inclusion Center for Community and Justice. Paul-2-draper-spoon-bend

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic Draper began offering live magic shows over streaming platforms, and presented educational lectures to assist other performers. He has been an Adjunct Instructor at

Soka University of America Soka University of America (SUA) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Aliso Viejo, California. Originally founded in 1987, it was established on its current campus in 2001 by Daisaku ...

for the following classes : Learning Cluster: The Art of Magic, Core 1: Enduring Questions of Humanity and Modes of Inquiry: Questioning and Exploring Truth.

Awards

* 1997 Finalist in Original Oratory,

National Forensic League The National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) is the largest interscholastic speech and debate organization serving middle school and high school students in the United States. It was formed as the National Forensic League in 1925 by Bruno Er ...

competition * 1999 American College Theater Association, National Theatrical Management Award * 2000

Irene Ryan Irene Ryan (born Irene Noblitt, Noblett, or Noblette; October 17, 1902 – April 26, 1973) was an American actress and comedienne who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television, and Broadway. She is most widely known for her po ...

Acting Scholarship * 2002 PCAM First place award winner for mentalism * 2003 Volunteer Award,

National Conference for Community and Justice The National Conference for Community and Justice is an American social justice organization focused on fighting biases and promoting understanding between people of different races and cultures. The organization was founded in 1927 as the Natio ...

* 2009 Houdini Award winner for Best Mentalist * 2014 Merlin Award for Best Corporate Performer, International Magicians Society * 2020

Adam Cheyer Adam Cheyer (born c. 1966) is a co-founder of Siri Inc. and formerly a director of engineering in the iPhone group at Apple. Early life and education Cheyer attended Sharon High School, in Sharon, Massachusetts. After graduating in 1984, Cheyer ...

Adam Award for Virtual Performance * 2021

Presidential Citation for being the World's Preeminent Virtual Magic Presenter

Film, television and radio/podcasts appearances

The Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It initi ...

Josh Gates Tonight "Behind Closed Gates" *

The Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. ...

Travel Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical Location (geography), locations. Travel can be done by Pedestrian, foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without Baggage, luggage, a ...

"Fear Factory" Season 9 Episode 5 *

FOX Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

13 Chefs Compete *

The History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the General Entertainment Content division of The Wa ...

, "Houdini: Unlocking the Mystery" * A&E, "Criss Angel's Mindfreak: Burning Man" * Oxygen Network, "Hairbattle Spectacular 2: I'm a Beautician, Not a Magician" *

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

, "Poltergeist (25th Anniversary Edition)" *

HGTV HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. HGTV Dream Home is an ...

, "House Hunters Las Vegas" episodes 1–5 *

, "Pawn Stars: Learning the Ropes" *

, "Pawn Stars: Crosby, Stills & Cash" *

Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...

, "Hocus Pocus: Denny and Lees Magic Studio" *

, "In Utah: Mysteries of the Mind: Parts 1-3" * WB, "15 minutes of fame" *

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

, "

Duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

", June 27, 2008 (contestant on US game show) *

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

, "Touched By an Angel: Show Me The Way Home" * What'sHerName women's history podcast, "THE DISAPPEARING WOMAN: Adelaide Herrmann" * The Magic Word Podcast, "An Hour With Paul Draper" February 2013 * Penguin Magic Podcast with Erik Tait * The Branding For Entertainers Podcast, * The Magician's Code Podcast with Hadlen, "Manifesting Mystery (feat. Paul Draper)" Episode #009

Publications

* Penguin Magic Live Act Lecture * Penguin Magic Live Lecture * Murphy's Magic At the Table Experience * Draper, Paul, ''Mentalism: Theory, History and Performance'' * Draper, Paul, ''Cold Reading with Playing Cards'' * Draper, Paul, ''The Magicians Journey'' * Draper, Paul, ''History of the American Spiritualist Movement 1880 -1920'' * Draper, Paul, "The effect of a "Psychic Fair" on casino floor drop rate: State Line and Silversmith Casino Wendover, Nevada 2002"

Contributed chapters, interviews, and photography

* Houstoun, Will and Thompson, Steve, Video Chat Magic (contributor) * Macknik, Stephen, Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals about Our Everyday Deceptions (interview) * Sperber, Burton, "Miracles of My Friends II" (contributor) * Tillar, Jack Kent, "Septet: Super Powers for Mentalists" (contributor) * Banachek, Psychological Subtleties 2 (contributor) * Beckwith, Tobias, Beyond Deception, (editor) * Vanderwood, Jill, "Erase the Problem of Bullying" (contributor) * Woodward, Chris, "Rameses: The Forgotten Star", (contributor / research) * Hitchcock, Scott, "The New Same Old Lecture Notes" (editor) * Ogden, Tom, Idiots Guide to Street Magic (Photographer, talent and consultant)

Works

"Mentalist and Magician Paul Draper Teams Up With Vegas, Broadway, and Late-Night TV Stars"
Live Event, 2021 t. Myers, Fla.
"Tender"
short, 2016

Salt Lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per liter). I ...

48 Hour Film Project The 48 Hour Film Project is an annual film competition in which teams of filmmakers are assigned a genre, a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue, and have 48 hours to create a short film containing those elements. The competition has been a ...

* ''Mr. Clown'', documentary
"The Great American Novel"
short, 2015

"Enthusiasm"
short, 2015

"Inefficiency"
short, 2013

"Legacy"
short, 2012

''Level Up''
short, 2011

''Inheritance''
short, 2010

"Choices"
short, 2010

* ''The Pitch'', short, 2009 Utah 48 Hour Film Project (winner of Audience Favorite and Best Writing, 2009

)

References

External links

Draper as a Personality
{{DEFAULTSORT:Draper, Paul American magicians Living people 1978 births Mentalists American anthropologists Weber State University