From law enforcement to acclaimed magician and theatre owner – the inspiring story of Chris Hester

Have you ever met someone you could just listen to for hours? That’s how we feel about Chris Hester, owner & performer at Hester’s Theatre of Magic. A highly accomplished magician, you can feel this guy’s passion for what he does shimmering off every word. 

There’s something about the way Chris tells his story that completely captures the imagination – which follows, as his work is all about transporting people to an otherworldly place of intoxicating wonder. Maybe it’s the magic touch, or maybe it’s just because he loves what he does so much; whatever the reason, we absolutely loved chatting with Chris and learning about his impressive career. Even better, there are tons of invaluable insights for budding magicians and entertainers here, too. 

Grab yourself a coffee and get ready for a good read. We guarantee it’ll make your day that bit more enchanting 💫.

✅ Key ticketing takeaways

💸 Chris loves the fact that, with Ticket Tailor, fees are prepaid with zero hidden costs or surprise  deductions at a later date. He talks about how he’s been stung in the past with a ticketing provider that took hundreds of dollars worth of fees off their revenue after their events had run. Ouch. 

💻 The fact Ticket Tailor allows Chris to send automated, personalised emails to ticket buyers has been a lifesaver – as historically, people would buy tickets way in advance and then forget to attend the show! 

🍿 It’s really helpful that attendees can buy merchandise, drinks and snacks ahead of events at ticket checkout – which makes everything run much more smoothly in their small lobby. Attendees can also buy super-cool add-ons, like mid-show shoutouts and guaranteed participation. Nice!

📲Ticket buyers for Hester’s Theatre of Magic are often on-the-go (the theatre is based in a heavy tourist area). So Chris is really pleased with the fact Ticket Tailor’s checkout process runs very smoothly on mobile – as many of his customers are making purchases through their smartphones.

Find out about how to sell Products with Ticket Tailor’s feature >

How did you end up in the world of magic? 

My first exposure to magic was at a western-themed tourist attraction in Colorado called Buckskin Joe’s. Looking back, I now know the magician performing there was Max Hapner, but at just four years old, I don’t remember much about the show itself – only that I was there. Still, it must have been the spark that set everything in motion.

The first magic I vividly recall was from NBC’s World’s Greatest Magic, a TV special that aired around Thanksgiving each year. I recorded them on VHS and watched them over and over. My two favorites were Jeff McBride and David Williamson – both of whom are now friends and mentors!

Growing up in Celina, Texas, I was raised by my grandparents, who kept me interested in magic by taking me to the Queen of Hearts Magic Shop in Plano, Texas. The closest magic theatre, however, was in Hot Springs, Arkansas – The Maxwell Blade Theater of Magic. Seeing Maxwell’s show would later become a major inspiration for my dream of opening a theater.

Magic remained a passionate hobby, but in 2005, I entered law enforcement, where I’ve spent the past 19+ years. In 2010, my wife Heather said, “You’re good enough that you should be performing for people other than family and friends.” So with that nudge, I built a website and started networking and offering my services. As with most magicians, you start performing birthday parties which opens the door for private events for adults such as weddings, cocktail parties, holiday parties and corporate work. 

It took years of hard work and I eventually ended up working with clients like Hilton, Hillwood Airways, and the Dallas Cowboys Club. While I love corporate events, I had an undeniable desire to create something of my own – a dedicated magic theatre. There’s just something about the atmosphere, the energy, and the experience from the moment you walk through the door that can’t be duplicated any other way. 

I remember how I felt sitting in Maxwell Blade’s Theater waiting for the curtains to open. I knew this is what I wanted to do but first I had to find a location! I explored several tourist areas and finally decided on Hochatown, Oklahoma which is near Beavers Bend State Park and Broken Bow, Oklahoma. After a two-year waitlist, a commercial lease opened up and in 2024, I took a leap of faith and opened Hester’s Theatre of Magic, creating a space where magic could be experienced the way it was meant to be – live, up close, and in an intimate theatre setting.

What’s been your greatest achievement so far, as a magician?

While I’ve loved performing for major companies, my greatest achievement as a magician has been earning the recognition and respect of the magicians I idolized as a kid. The same guys I saw on TV in the 90s! Meeting your heroes is one thing, but having them validate and encourage your work is something truly special. Standing on the shoulders of giants doesn’t even begin to describe it – these are some of the greatest living magicians, and likely the best of my lifetime, acknowledging my place in the craft. That, more than anything, has been the most meaningful milestone in my career.

What advice would you give to someone looking to build a career as a magician?

Pursuing a career in magic requires balancing the urge to perform with the need to master your craft. Don’t rush – build a solid foundation first. As my mentor Jeff McBride advised, “If you can’t perform a move flawlessly without looking, you’re not ready.” Practice rigorously, perform for honest feedback, and study everything from sleight of hand to storytelling.

Experience is the best teacher. Want to do close-up magic? Offer to perform at a restaurant once a week. Stage magic? Get involved in community theatre. Comedy magic? Try improv. Take gigs within your skill level and grow into bigger opportunities. Most importantly, find a mentor, join magic clubs, attend conventions, and never stop learning… 

What can attendees expect from one of your upcoming shows?

Expect the unexpected! Our shows are packed with high-energy magic, plenty of audience participation, and a strong focus on creating unforgettable moments. We believe real magic isn’t just about tricks – it’s about the memories we make together, and that’s exactly what we aim to deliver. I love sleight of hand magic set to music so we start the show that way and then flow a few illusions and interactive routines that involve audience members! We include magic classics as well as new pieces that are exclusive to our show. 

From heartfelt stories to ridiculous moments, there’s a little bit of everything! And the best part is no two shows are ever the same because the audience plays such a big role in shaping the experience. Some nights, it’s a room full of adults; other times, it’s a mix of families, or even a bachelor or bachelorette party! That’s why we stay flexible, adapting the show in real time. You could see the show twice in a row and walk away with two completely different experiences!

There’s a really cool video on your website about the meaning of magic. What does magic mean to you?

Magic, to me, is about creating moments of wonder that connect us. There’s a saying I love: “The magic behind magic isn’t the illusion. It’s that someone cared enough to create the illusion for you.” Growing up, my grandparents played that role for me. I’d perform a piece of magic, sometimes getting it wrong, but they acted as though it worked – they were creating the illusion. So in a sense, THEY were the real magicians at the time making me feel a sense of wonder. And then somewhere along the way, the roles reversed.

So I learned that magic is about how you make others feel through shared experiences and the human connection. Our goal with the theatre is to make every guest that walks through the door feel that same sense of wonder. If you’ve never been to one of our shows, you should be excited because it’s not something you simply watch – it’s something you experience. 

Tell us about opening your very own theatre…

Our biggest challenge was delays. We aimed to open July 4th weekend, 2024, but contractor setbacks forced us to do much of the work ourselves. We built a second bathroom and met strict health department requirements to serve fresh popcorn, which put us over budget and past our deadline – but fresh popcorn was a must for the theater experience!

We painted the space, installed a truss, stage lighting, curtains, and a DMX-controlled sound system. The truss came from a former George Strait tour manager – we drove hundreds of miles to a dusty barn in West Texas, packed the pieces into our Honda Odyssey like a game of Tetris, and cleaned them up for the stage.

Our theater chairs came from the former RFD-TV Theatre in Branson, MO, helping us keep costs low. Despite delays, we opened just four weeks late – only 10 weeks after signing the contract!

Now, seven months in, we've performed 73 shows for 1,960 guests – that’s over a thousand pieces of magic and 700+ gallons of popcorn popped!

How do you get the word out about your theatre and events?

Currently our best seller is word of mouth. We’ve used banners and even billboards but there’s no better marketing strategy than converting people in town into fans of the show. 

From waitresses, to other business owners, or anyone in a position to recommend things to do for tourists, we visit them, perform magic, and then invite them to the show so they can experience it for themselves. It’s exponential marketing because a tourist will ask a waitress for their favorite things to do in town several times a day! If you treat them special, they’ll do the same in return by recommending your show. 

We also recently created a tourist rack initiative where we provide free tourism brochure racks to businesses all over town and allow businesses to advertise in the racks for a fee or mutual advertising. 

We’d love to know – why choose Ticket Tailor as your ticketing partner? 

Ticket Tailor came highly recommended by Hidden Wonders Speakeasy Magic Experience, and it quickly became clear why. One of the standout features for us is the ability to pre-purchase ticket credits. As a small business, anything that streamlines operations is a huge win.

With most ticket providers, you sell tickets, collect payments, and then get billed later – often weeks after sales – deducting a percentage of your revenue when you least expect it. Our first good month with our previous provider was exciting – until we got hit with hundreds of dollars in fees at the end of the month.

With Ticket Tailor, fees are prepaid, meaning once we receive our ticket revenue, we keep it – no surprises, no deductions after the fact. This transparency makes managing cash flow so much easier and removes the frustration of seeing a big sales number only to lose a chunk later. It's been a game-changer for us!

Another major selling point for us is Ticket Tailor’s ease of use – from navigating the platform to creating and editing events, everything is simple and intuitive. Plus, the checkout process looks so professional that it feels like an extension of our own website.

Since we're in a tourist area, most of our customers purchase tickets on their mobile devices. Ticket Tailor delivers a smooth, polished experience that looks great and functions flawlessly on any screen, ensuring a hassle-free booking process for our guests.

Which Ticket Tailor features have you found most useful so far?

One of the most valuable features we've found is the ability to offer merchandise and upsells before an event. Since our lobby is small, anything that speeds up the checkout process is a win! With Ticket Tailor, customers can pre-purchase drinks, snacks, merch, shoutouts, and even guaranteed participation ahead of time. At the event, they simply show their QR code in the lobby to redeem – something we couldn’t do with our previous ticket provider.

To track our marketing efforts, we've built a survey directly into the checkout process to gather insights on how customers heard about us.

Another absolute gem of a feature is the ability to customize ticket confirmation emails, as well as send event reminders and follow-ups. We’ve leveraged this in several ways:

• Sponsorship opportunities: We collaborate with local businesses, and in exchange for their marketing support (such as displaying our rack cards or linking to us on their website), we include a “This show is sponsored by” mention in our ticket confirmation emails.
• Event reminders: These help us reduce no-shows while covering key FAQs, such as door opening times, parking details, and rule reminders. 
• Follow-up emails: Sent a day after the event, these emails thank our guests, offer a discount code for a return visit, and include direct links to leave a Google or Tripadvisor review. Ticket Tailor gives us full control over when these reminders and follow-ups go out, making it an incredibly powerful tool for maintaining guest engagement. My follow up email is worded as if it’s a personal email from me to them, and Ticket Tailor allows you to address them by first name (automated) and include personal details from their order to make it feel even more direct.  

Has Ticket Tailor helped you overcome any specific challenges?

One issue we had was people forgetting to come to the show! They would buy tickets months in advance, then life gets busy or their plans change and they don’t show up! Our old ticket provider could not send a reminder email unless we manually went in and clicked “resend” to every order individually. We simply didn’t have the time to do that and all their function did was resend the tickets. There was no personal touch. Ticket Tailor allows automated, personalized emails and guess what? We haven’t had a single guest forget about the show since we switched! 

What does the future hold for Hester’s Theatre of Magic?

We’re excited about the future of Hester’s Theatre of Magic and have a lot of plans in the works! Our merchandise line is expanding to include T-shirts, custom magic kits, and unique souvenirs such as Hester’s Theatre of Magic playing cards, giving our guests a chance to take home a piece of the magic. We’re also constantly creating new illusions and magical moments to keep the show fresh and exciting for repeat visitors.

As the holiday season approaches, we’ll be gearing up for our special Christmas and holiday shows starting in November, filled with extra seasonal magic. And while we’re open to growing and moving to a bigger location in the future, for now, we’re going to pour our hearts into every show and see where that takes us!

Thank you to Ticket Tailor for the amazing customer service. I’ve messaged support a few times during our initial setup and always received a prompt response and resolution. Your platform has made ticketing simple and efficient, helping us focus on delivering the best experience for our guests. We're grateful for the support and look forward to continuing this journey with you!

That’s really amazing to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us, Chris!

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