About

Born and based in Halifax, The Amazing Mr. J (David Jolly) has performed for over 20+ years all across Canada (Nationwide Since 1999!), entertaining with Magic, comedy, and balloon art for kids, teens, and adults. (You can also let him entertain for YOU!)

The Amazing Mr. J loves adapting shows to YOUR audience, whether they’re for your: children’s birthdays, schools, campgrounds, festivals, malls, libraries, walk-around shows, weddings, libraries, PLUS house parties for adults, universities/colleges, high schools/Safe Grads, seniors, bachelor/bachelorette parties, weddings, and corporate groups (He’s even been hired by numerous celebrities! You can see pictures here in the celebrity section of the facebook photo galleries).

Having performed over 4000+ shows, from northernmost Newfoundland (Canada Day 2014 & 2015, in La Scie), to Toronto, even to Whitehorse, Yukon (at the 2016 Sourdough Festival along with beloved fiddling legend Natalie MacMaster), Mr. J loves our beautiful country of Canada, and all the truly amazing people who live here.

You may have already seen The Amazing Mr. J on one of his many TV guest appearances over years. (Most recently, in Summer 2021, Mr. J applied to perform on CityTV’s ‘Canada’s Got Talent!’).

You can read Mr. J’s story in print, since after facing The Dragons on CBC TV’s Dragons’ Den years ago, he luckily scored a deal with Kevin O’Leary! Kevin published Mr. J in his newest #1 international bestseller (pages 123-133) “Cold Hard Truth on Family, Kids & Money”. (Thanks for publishing Mr. J, Mr. Wonderful!)

How did it begin? When Mr. J’s wonderful MOM & DAD bought him a wonderful little Magic Kit for his 5th birthday, he became hooked, performing his first ‘shows’ for parents right out of the box. When turning six, a second Magic Kit turned into a little show for all the guests at his grandparents house in Saint John, New Brunswick… sparking a lifelong love of performing. (So, parents, it’s always good to encourage that stuff in your children!) A few years later, those same perfect parents hired some magicians to perform at his house, forever expanding little Mr. J’s imagination. (Again, always a good idea, parents…you never know what long-lasting influence such a childhood experience can give your child!)

Inspired by Nova Scotia’s own world-renowned Magic talent Mike Robinson, Mr. J took a break from his school teaching career to attend Circus School in Toronto, where he also studied Magic at Browser’s Den (with super-cool owner Jeff Pinsky). After performing his first public Magic Shows in Toronto in 1999, and returning to NS, he then performed every day for two months over Christmas, at Dartmouth’s Mic Mac Mall, (right beside Santa!), where he learned the art of performing for large crowds…seeing firsthand the joy Magic can bring.

While still working as a schoolteacher, Mr. J used Magic tricks as a fun motivator for his students. He found he could actually incorporate Magic directly into his lessons each year, whether teaching Science, French, or even European History. Following some school Magic workshops, the demand for actual Magic Shows at events while he was still teaching became so great, that Mr. J finally left teaching for good in 2005, to pursue magic performing exclusively, nationwide, on a full-time basis. Seeing the wonderful reactions from kids, teens, and adults, the fully-grown David Jolly continues to try and share this joy and excitement with as many people as possible!

Today, Mr. J generally divides his time between Halifax, Truro, and throughout Atlantic Canada…plus regularly at his ‘second home’ in Toronto.

By day, Mr. J is a Magician, Landlord, Writer, and Bon Vivant. By night, he is also those things. That’s because he’s that good kind of workaholic: a goal-setting, practical dreamer. Mr. J speaks French, and loves Canada, cooking, nature, the outdoors, green living, exercising, hiking, sports, writing, poetry, film, the arts, CBC Radio, singing, playing guitar and piano, skydiving, new ideas, random adventures, traveling, board games, magic (of course), plus virtually all music, and literature. (Secret confession: Mr. J loves hosting retro parties!)

Mr. J loves children, and is writing an original children’s book, hoping to make it into a series. A couple books for adults are also in the works. (Keep watching your local bookstore!)

Mr. J is cosmopolitan and urbane, and (let’s face it), rather silly too.

(By the way, Mr. J never goes around talking about himself in the third person like this. That’s just an understood pretense when writing mini-bios like this…) 😛

Thank YOU for visiting this page, and for helping yours truly to live the dream as a full-time Magician and entertainer. It has been a sincere pleasure, and honour, to perform for you for over 20+ years, and to share so many fun-filled times, with old and new friends of all ages.

YOU are helping keep the Magic alive! Feel free to send your questions, heckles, marriage proposals, or really good jokes to: misterjmagic@hotmail.com

THANKS! Wishing you Joy & Magic.

-David Jolly “The Amazing Mr. J- Magician & Entertainer”
782-414-3612 (That’s a Nova Scotia number, Magic Friends! CALL anytime, for more info, and bookings). 🙂

The Amazing
   Mr. J ON

Special Magic Show🎩🪄House Party🥳✨️for these ⭐️Golden Girls!❤️👍Magic keeps YOU Young at Heart.😉❤️👍 ... See MoreSee Less
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IMAGINE🤔❗️...YOU're all set to perform Magic at the prestigious Westin NS Hotel🪄✨️, as the sole entertainment for 300 VIPs (Mayors, Company Leaders, and political bigwigs from all over)❗️...you're given kind hospitality, a glorious meal with the group, then a GRAND intro...🎩🥰...and your BRAND-NEW $5000 sound system dies!🙄😨😲 (Looks like the trick is on 'ole Mr. J!)You're thinking: "OK, did two sound checks earlier...all was perfect...it's all brand new equipment...hmmm"...the seconds seemed like years, as the crowd went silent...what do they say about first impressions??🫢Luckily, it was just a single cord, accidentally unplugged by someone earlier. The newly working system got applause (!), along with my sudden hand-waving acknowledgment: "And now...for my next trick!"😋AMAZING group there. After THAT, t'was a SUPER-FUN show!🙃🥰🤗HERE's THE THING: During the awkward seeming eternity when the previously perfect sound puttered out...I surprisingly felt no panic, all because of a glance at my POPPY.🌹 Somehow, that precious poppy magically made me reflect, all in the moment: "Oh, sure, there's 300 prestigious people all staring at me in awkward silence...but I've never had to fight in the trenches. I've never had to suffer the horrors of War. Our brave men and women veterans, they've been through infinitely worse. Breathe, check the system, and fix the situation...in comparison THIS is small potatoes."That little poppy on my lapel bestowed a much-needed reminder of perspective, perseverance, and GRATITUDE.🫡Let's all Remember. Lest We Forget.🪖🎖❤️🫡 ... See MoreSee Less
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Have ⭐️YOU⭐️ ever imagined Your Life going in a completely different direction? Wondering...WHAT IF??🤔❓️WHAT IF You married someone else, had a different career, or lived in a different place? Maybe you can envision Your timeline, in another alternate Universe? Only to discover (as my Grandfather always said): "Things always work out for the BEST."🤗❤️Story for you: If you grew up with MUCHMUSIC, there's an AMAZING new documentary by passionate Canadian director Sean Menard, entitled '299 Queen Street West'.Highly recommended to you when it airs on Crave, Sean is touring our country for live screenings, along with original MUCHMUSIC VJs!🌟🎶🎸🎵Dripping with nostalgia for a unique time in our Canadian TV, when free-form, audience-interactive programming was the playbook, you could feel the Music Love. Gee willikers, we were LUCKY to grow up when we did!🍀Now IMAGINE: Who didn't dream of being a MUCHMUSIC VJ personality back in the day?🥳To be a PART of that star-filled, creative, rebel, pioneering spirit?❤️ Thousands of Canadians shared that goal.To that end, as a 1990s Radio DJ, young dreamer, theatre student, and teacher-in-training, yours truly auditioned during the famous 'MuchMusic VJ Search Contest'. Put together a professionally edited, best-possible audition tape...dutifully mailed it to Toronto, with fingers crossed...🤞😇🥰And LOST. 🙁😓😩Rick Campanelli (aka 'Rick the Temp')...WON.👏🙏👍All good...he was perfect for the job, and he was extremely good at it. A giving philanthropist, Rick went on to host several shows, rub shoulders with A-listers, and even worked the Oscars!🫢😮❗️⭐️👍Yours truly became a teacher, then (in 1999), began performing Magic Shows...my beloved, Life-fulfilling job to this day.🤗❤️👍This week in Halifax, when presenting a balloon flower to Sean for his outstanding film, and to the VJs for all their extraordinary memories, Rick mentioned he "WAS going to be a TEACHER, but that changed when he won the MuchMusic VJ Contest". (!!)❗️All at once, that opened visons of alternate timelines...completely spontaneously, a lot of 'What Ifs?' to mind...🤔So, it was time for Mr. Campanelli and I to have a little showdown! 🔫🤠💪Our long-awaited, impromptu 'confrontation' just happened to be LIVE on stage...the winner and a loser from that famous nationwide TV contest...❗️...in front of a packed house of cool culture connoisseurs at the Rebecca Cohn! 😋Actually, I had nothing but praise for Rick's many talents, who kindly added back to me: "I'm sure you became an excellent teacher!" 🥰❤️When mentioning I also became a Magician🎩, (a blessed, lucky, joy-filled career, and life which I wouldn't trade for any other), Rick and I walked across the stage, towards each other...and suddenly embraced in a huge, spontaneous HUG!❤️❤️👍👍Super cool guy. And you know, it really felt like a full circle moment, bridging all those many years since that young dreamer applied for that TV job...30 years ago.😀😊 Thank you, Rick. You da Man. (Y)It also felt wonderful to thank Sean the director publicly, and to meet legendary, beloved MuchMusic personalities Erica Ehm (!) and Mike Campbell! 🙂 Sean even let me ask them some interview questions, from the stage! For a few brief seconds, it felt like living the MuchMusic dream.🎵🎸🎶👍MuchMusic Legend ERICA EHM even exclaimed aloud, after all my stage tomfoolery: "Give this Man a JOB!"👍You can only imagine how that felt to hear, from her, after all these years.❤️Overflowing with gratitude, I became an even bigger 'Rick the Temp' fan.😁"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find...you get what you NEED."🫡 -The Rolling StonesWe can't change the past, but we sure can appreciate what we have, and where we be.😍May YOUR Life also be full of MuchMAGIC.🎩🪄❤️⭐️👍👍 #RickCampanelli #RickTheTemp #MuchMusic #299QueenStreetWest #SeanMenard #EricaEhm #MikeCampbell #MuchMAGIC ... See MoreSee Less
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Treating my Magical MOM, to Music! 🤗🎶❤️Need some Food for Your Soul? 🤔🫒🙏World-renowned cellist, Grammy-playing artist ⭐️Denise Djokic⭐️- an evening of sublime, living, crackling, energy...the full gamut of emotions...Gee Willikers!!🥳🌠What an uplifting, teleporting, transformative experience.❤️Where's YOUR Happy Place? 🤔😄Y'know, some say 'Classical Music' is 'boring'. As in Life, one bloke's 'Boring' is another's Avalon!⛪️💒🌞💫🌟🌠 Highly recommend Symphony NS. Treat yourself! Bought two front row, VIP tickets for their entire season...their 40th! If Classics aren't your cup o' tea, get this: our stellar Symphony NS mixes it up with modern music too (their Fusion series). 🎵🎼🎸PLUS! You can meet-and-greet with the many marvelous musicians...all true Connoisseurs of Cool.😎👍Naturally, Magicians🎩 admire seeing sleight of hand, and "Roll Over Beethoven!" Did our orchestra deliver! Nova Scotia ROCKS.💪As you may have guessed from this melodious missive: If there's an inroad to this entertainer's soul, (beyond the Magical Arts, or course), it's MUSIC.❤️🎶🎵 Honoured to share with my wonderful Mom.🤗 ⭐️🦸‍♀️👍👍Bottom Line: May YOU also share some Magical experiences with someone YOU Love.🫶❤️♥️🖤💚❣️🥰 ... See MoreSee Less
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What are YOU most thankful for?❤️🤔❓️Naturally, Your Health🙏, Your Friends👍, and Your Loved Ones!❤️ Of course, for Your time spent in Nature.🍂🌲 PLUS! Let me add Our SENIORS👏to our gathering gratitude this weekend.Living TREASURES.🌠 Always a pleasure to perform Magic🎩for them, and meet them all afterwards. LOVE their wisdom, stories, and jokes. ⭐️Get this: one lady I spoke with was an accomplished author📚, another a brave veteran🫡, another a great grandmother of over 20 great grand-children❗️, and one even recounted a story encountering modern-day pirates (!)🏴‍☠️ on the high seas during a storm!🫨 Incredible⭐️You know, these experiences are always a reminder: What we often take for granted in Life, is frequently what we should celebrate MOST.💫🌟HAPPY THANKSGIVING🦃🍗🤗 my Dear Friends.⭐️May you also experience the Quiet MAGIC that resides everywhere.❤️👍"All of us here at Shoreham genuinely loved your show. There were so many laughs, moments of reminiscing, and so much joy in the room. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. It was the talk of the day. Thank you again!"-Niki Rodenhizer, Manager of Recreation and Volunteer Services, Shoreham Village Continuing Care Facility (October 2023)(Personally also thankful for this very kind REVIEW!) 😋 ... See MoreSee Less
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YOUR MAGICIAN to the STARS!

The Amazing Mr. J performs for celebrities at VIP events, and loves sharing stories! He’s faced the Dragons on Dragons’ Den, entertained for CBC’s Peter Mansbridge, Gerry Dee (Mr. D), Lionel Richie, Natalie MacMaster, NHL stars, Hulk Hogan, Stan Lee, and many more!

“HOW the heck did you do THAT? That… was… amazing!” – Stan Lee, Toronto, August 2010