Episode 23. R Paul Wilson talks magic, directing, writing and presenting. Influences and inspirations.

The magic of...podcast with Paul Roffman

R Paul Wilson is a writer, director, producer, actor, expert on the art of deception and a world- renowned magician. His show “The Real Hustle” ran for eleven seasons on the BBC and was sold to over fifty countries.

As writer and presenter, Paul has pulled more scams on real people than anyone in history in his mission to inform and protect the public. In “The Takedown” (Tru TV), he formed a team of experts to cheat businesses and casinos using high-tech and old-school techniques before revealing their methods and explaining how to “protect the house” and for his two-hour special “Scammed” (History Channel) Paul re-invented an age-old scam and pulled several classic con games on real people, businesses and investors in Charleston, SC.

He is the author of “The Art of the Con” (Lyons Press, 2014) and has written countless articles on con games, consulted for high profile legal cases and advised both casinos and players on methods of deception.

Paul was the senior consultant and producer on the hit BBC show “The Magicians”, designing and directing brand new illusions for a ground-breaking live Saturday night show with an audience of over seven million viewers. He has acted as consultant for numerous television shows and feature films, advising writers, producers, directors and actors about magic, con games and the inner workings of deception. As a magician, he performs around the world on stage and in private, intimate shows where he demonstrates cheating, magic and miracles. He is considered to be one of the finest living exponents of sleight of hand and has created effects and material for many of the world’s best-known performers.

As a filmmaker, Paul began as cheating consultant and second unit director on “Shade” (RKO Pictures, 2002) and expert consultant for Joe Carnahan’s “Smoking Aces” before returning to the UK for The Real Hustle, an innovative hidden camera show featuring real scams pulled on real people.

Paul has directed television, shorts, a feature documentary and two scripted features. “The Magic Box” (2013) is Paul’s award-winning homage to nostalgia and the art of magic and his feature-length documentary “Our Magic” is a deep insight into the world of magicians with thirty one of it’s most respected performers and thinkers sharing their thoughts and feelings about the art. His first scripted feature “Con Men” is a zero budget indie that drew on his experience as a con artist and helped to attract investors for “Isolani”, a thriller set in Glasgow where a young mother becomes a pawn in a deadly game of deception. Isolani premiered in London at the Raindance Film Festival, was nominated for best feature, a BIFA and for best debut at Camerimage.

Paul is currently in the early stages of his third feature while working on several TV projects that combine elements of magic, deception and storytelling.

LINKS:

ISOLANI TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/222539329

CON MEN TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/131299482

OUR MAGIC TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/98007553

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themagicofpodcast/support