Now you see him: Julius Dein is magicking up schools

Julius Dein seemingly had it all. In 2021, the 29-year-old magician boasted the most viewed Facebook page in the world, had attracted more than 70 million followers across social media, was completing sell-out magic shows and performing for A-list celebrities including Lionel Messi, Jeff Bezos and Drake, but there was still something missing. And it was not disappearing coins or playing cards.

Philanthropy. Wanting to feel fulfilled beyond business and making money, the social media star is leveraging his success to focus on philanthropy this year and is about to open a school in Uganda, which he has funded and built.

Julius Dein with children in Africa where he is about to open a school

Oozing charisma and kindness, Julius tells me: “As an entrepreneur, you can get pulled into one direction. It’s important to have a part of my life focused on doing good and helping, and it will be an important part of my future – fulfilling in a different way to making money, getting views and building a business.

“It’s important to do good and I am really excited about that [the schools].”

For this project, Julius has teamed up with Sophia Wilmot-Josife, founder of the charity Stronger Together, which supports children who have been displaced or affected by crisis and conflict.

All of the schools will be called Jeremy’s, named in honour of Julius’ father Jeremy Dein, the eminent KC criminal defence barrister. The first, which is due to open in February, will cater for 240 children aged seven to 13, primarily refugees who have escaped to Uganda from war-torn South Sudan.

“Thousands of orphans and refugees have fled to Uganda for safety and there aren’t enough resources. It’s a real problem,” says Julius. “We didn’t want to just donate money, we wanted to go deeper. Education equals opportunity. That’s what will give these kids a better chance at life.”
Julius hopes to build 100 such schools over the next 10 years – five in Uganda and then in other countries. “There are lots of different areas of need, but we want to make sure we get this one right first, then we will scale up and do more.”

Travelling the world, combining mind-blowing tricks with clever comedy, fomer JFS schoolboy Julius has amassed a huge fan base. His viral videos are averaging more than 100 million daily views.

Julius impresses footballer Lionel Mess with some card trickery

… and captivates Drake with a Batman lollipop

Twenty-three million people have tuned in to see the one where he stunned Canadian rap star Drake by putting a lollipop in his mouth and a few seconds later, removed it to reveal it had been carved to look like the rapper’s favourite superhero, Batman.

Julius has also wowed Argentine World Cup-winning captain Messi with mesmerising card tricks (61m views), performed to Israeli soldiers (164m views), walked on water (109m views), and, in a particularly moving compilation, ‘magic’d’ money for homeless people (244m views).

The magician is also spinning several other plates. A successful social media entrepreneur, Julius is the co-founder of north London-based Evolve Media, which looks after both personal and consumer brands. He also owns Blink Labs, a viral video media business and has invested in over 20 companies, including Augment, Maeving and Runna. He is in the process of setting up an online site where wannabe magicians can learn and buy a selection of his tricks.

Growing up in Finchley, north London, Julius’ passion for magic ignited when his late grandma took him to a show at the Magic Circle aged nine. “I saw all these kids performing magic and I thought it looked amazing. I found out where they went to learn magic – the Young Magicians Club – and I joined.” A couple of years later he got his first job working with a street magician in Camden, first selling tricks, and then performing magic to passers-by.

Aged 12, he got his “first gig” – doing magic at a children’s birthday party. “I got paid £60 for a half-hour show, which was a lot of money when you’re 12. And I realised I could combine doing what I love with a job.”
He continued while at university at King’s College London – he studied international relations – performing at birthdays, private parties and corporate events for high-profile clients, including Sky and Google. Julius’ passion became his profession, and his profession became a lifestyle.

When Julius moved to Los Angeles for a year as part of his degree, he said he saw “the wave of social media creators and whizz kids”, adding: “I saw they were on an exciting trajectory.”

Returning to London to finish his degree, Julius started posting online videos of his street magic and that’s where the real magic began.

An early big break came when, in an enchanting case of full (magic) circle, a video he did performing magic on his grandma went viral, clocking up almost 150 million views. “My grandma got me into magic and then helped me blow up on socials. She was very proud of me and I like to think she is watching me from afar.”

Julius’ social media following was gathering pace. He was earning a six-figure salary and travelling the world filming magic videos. But when the pandemic hit and travel stopped, he was unable to perform his in-person magic.

Living in Mexico at the time, he set up a team and pivoted to posting prank videos online. His platforms exploded; one video got 980m views and his Facebook page was the most popular in the world in 2021, generating 45bn views in 12 months – more than LADbible and the Daily Mail. Despite making “many millions of dollars”, Julius admits he got carried away with clickbait videos that “didn’t resonate” with who he was. “Even though we had cracked the code of going viral, I wasn’t proud of the genre of content. So it was a bit of an identity crisis.”

As soon as Covid restrictions in the UK lifted, Julius – who now divides his time between London, the US and Dubai – returned to London to refocus on his magic shows and videos.

Julius got his first gig aged 12 at a children’s party and hasn’t looked back

He pays tribute to his parents, who have been a huge influence in his career. “My dad taught me about humility and to treat everyone with respect whoever they are, and that instilled in me my love of meeting all types of people.”

His mother, Lee, runs the successful Magic Link Handwriting Programme for those aged five to 18.

“I think I got the ‘don’t think twice’, ‘go-get’ attitude from my mum, along with a love for travel. My parents would take us on these big trips when I was younger – my friends would be in Marbella or Majorca, and I would be on an 18-hour train journey in Mumbai.
“My mum is an absolute extrovert and I definitely think that helped give me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone, and not just follow the status quo.”

Despite achieving such an elevated social media status, Julius remains remarkably down to earth.

Acknowledging the darker and “unhealthy” side of social media, he says: “I think the world is going to go through a huge crash. Social media will cause a lot of problems. TikTok is so insanely addictive. It is not normal for someone to get that level of dopamine. I am honestly concerned about the damage it is going to do for future generations.

“My advice is to try to take some time every week to be away from your phone.”

With a new year starting, while it’s clear that Julius has huge further ambition in the world of magic and business, it’s also evident that giving back is no less of a priority for him. “The happiest people in life don’t just take take take… they give.”

Some of Julius’ popular magic videos

Israeli soldiers react to magic – 164m views

Homeless people react to magic – 244m views

Lionel Messi magic trick compilation – 61m views

Bubble magic trick – 182m views

Walking on water – 109m views

Magic bench compilation – 63m views

Drake lollipop – 23m views