Ben Ulin, a native of Des Moines, Iowa has been a professional comedy magician since 1980. His interest in magic started at age 8 when he discovered magic books at a library and purchased tricks from magic shops on various family vacations. At age 10, he performed his first magic show in his living room for neighbor kids.

In high school, he worked as a demonstrator/salesman in a local magic shop for four years and his first paid shows were birthday parties for shop customers. These parties turned into company picnics and other private shows. His first public appearance was at the Iowa State Fair in the Homemakers Theater. He performed his magic act accompanied by his sister, Christy,  playing the organ. They called the show, “The Melody of Magic”

Ben studied theater at Drake University for two years and then opted to start performing full-time. He developed a variety of entertainment skills as he both traveled throughout the Midwest doing stage shows and performing table-side magic for several restaurants in the Des Moines area.

In 1980,  Ben traveled to San Francisco and spent several months street performing there. Returning to Des Moines for the holidays, he discovered an increase in local performing opportunities and decided to stay.

Stumbling onto a weekly open mic night, Ben fell in with a group of local comedians. They became the core of the growing comedy scene in Des Moines. He was also working table-side magic at the downtown Spaghetti Works restaurant where he persuaded the management into using a back room to stage a three-night weekly comedy show. Ben became the emcee and hosted the show for the first year after which he began headlining comedy clubs around the Midwest.  

In 1986, Ben entered the Showtime Television’s Funniest Person in America contest and was officially awarded the title of Showtimes’ Funniest Person in IOWA. Later that year, he was hired to host a televised version of the Spaghetti Works Comedy Shop by Iowa Public Television.

In 1988, Ben was hired to perform at Adventureland Amusement Park in Des Moines, Iowa. It was a rigorous 5 month schedule of six shows a day on every day the park was open – no days off.

Ben didn’t own any large scale props at that time and had to use a very limited budget to creatively purchase, design, or build all of the large props that became part of this show. He hired his girlfriend, Margaret McCoy, to become his onstage assistant and together they produced, Sheriff Sam’s Magic Review in the Sheriff Sam’s Saloon theater.

Ben’s performances at the park caught the eye of the local Fox Television Station. Ben was hired to become their first on air personality, hosting a show called the Fox 17 Kids Club. This was a series of short, pre-taped vignettes that ran in between the cartoon programming every morning and afternoon. Ben was still doing Adventureland throughout the summers and traveling to comedy clubs, company functions, and special events the rest of the year.

Ben was hired by Holland America Cruises in 1995 and later worked on Norwegian and Disney Cruises.

This schedule continued for several years during which Ben married his long time magic assistant Margaret, and they started a family of two children.

In 2012, Ben was acknowledged by the Adventureland management and the magic community for 25 years of performing at the park. It is one of the longest running amusement park magic shows in history.

In 2019, he has performed 20,000 shows at the park. He has added new assistants to his show and continues to perform at company dinners and other special events throughout the country in the off season.

In 45 years, Ben has demonstrated success in an incredibly diverse variety of venues, types of audiences, mediums, and performing skills. He has designed and performed material for close-up magic, street magic, comedy magic, illusions, stand-up routines, black art shows, hypnosis, television appearances/hosting, game shows, lectures, magic shop demonstrations, and magic classes. 

Ben Ulin is clean, professional fun.