Ben Seidman (born December 1, 1984) is an American magician, actor, comedian, and creative consultant known as the sleight of hand expert by Vanity Fair.[1] Ben appears in the film Now You See Me: Now You Don't.[2] Behind the scenes, he created practical magic for the movie and served as magic teacher to Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson, Jessie Eisenberg, and the rest of the cast. [3].
Ben has won the entertainer of the year award for Princess Cruises and guest starred on Netflix's "Brainchild".[4] He is the only person to have served as the Resident Magician at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.[5][6] In 2013, Seidman co-starred in Magic Outlaws on Travel Channel.[7][8][9] Following the debut of his TV specials, Ben taught Johnny Knoxville magic tricks for his film Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.[10] Seidman’s performances are notable for featuring original magic effects. His inventions are employed in A&E’s program Mindfreak, starring Criss Angel, where Seidman served as writer and adviser for three seasons.[9][6][10] Seidman tours globally, bringing his live show—a combination of sleight-of-hand, pickpocketing, and comedy—to colleges, parties and events.
Seidman's new live experience, Con Man: A True Crime Magic Show , has a series of engagements at various theaters across the US in 2025 and 2026.[12][13][14]
Performances/TV Specials
Seidman stars in Vanity Fair's Expert Reacts episode on magic in film and television. After the episode went viral, Seidman appeared in two sequels. [1][15][16] He was later profiled by Wired, where he demonstrated the "nine levels of pickpocketing." Collectively, these appearances have garnered millions of views. [17]
In 2011, Seidman starred in a series of hidden camera videos using his pick-pocketing skills to slip computers into people’s handbags without them knowing. The “I Was Framed” project, directed by Jamie Kennedy and Michael Addis, and also featuring Bob Arno, gained online popularity and quickly reached over 900,000 views.[19][20][21]
In 2013, Seidman co-starred in Magic Outlaws on Travel Channel.[9] The two TV specials, High Noon in Austin and 3:10 to Vegas, follow Seidman and fellow Los Angeles-based magicians Chris Korn and David Minkin, as they travel across the country performing close up magic for onlookers.[22][7] In 2018, he guest starred on three episodes of the Netflix original series "Brainchild," produced by Pharrell.[4]
In 2025, Seidman taught pickpocketing to YouTuber Brent Rivera for a video that has garnered 16 million views. [29]
Earlier in his career, in 2006, Seidman was hired as a magic consultant for Mindfreak on A&E starring Criss Angel. Seidman created content, invented magic effects, and served as a creative/technical advisor to the show for three seasons.[9]
Seidman spent the summer of 2011 in Stockholm, Sweden writing and directing Helt Magiskt for SVT, the prime television channel in Sweden.[30] Helt Magiskt, the Swedish adaptation of the BBC show The Magicians, followed Charlie Caper, winner of Sweden's Got Talent, Michael Halvarson, Star of Cirque du Soleil’s Koozå, and large-scale illusionist Joe Labero, as they performed alongside celebrities.[31] Shortly after, Seidman returned to Stockholm to work with Charlie Caper creating a performance piece using iPads.[32] The video has over 3.36 million hits on YouTube.[33]
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