We were lucky to catch up with Keith Kong recently and have shared our conversation below.
Keith, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?
Keith, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Absolutely! My name is Keith Kong and I’m an entertainer and keynote speaker for corporate and private events. I work with companies to entertain their staff and to communicate their most important messages to their most important clients in some of the most fun and memorable ways possible.
Clients work with me for a number of reasons. Some are afraid that their event will have low engagement so they want to bring in something that’s interactive and entertaining. Others have had entertainment in the past but it was, in some way, passive, dull, or easily forgettable. And all of them worry about having a bad experience with a performer who won’t show up or acts unprofessional in some way.
I help them solve those issues by really focusing on their individual event needs and working with them to make sure it’s a success because the entertainment can influence the entire evening.
It’s not uncommon to find me performing at a companies award show, holiday party, cocktail hour, annual conference, or anywhere else that one would expect to find impactful after-dinner entertainment.
One of the things that I’m most proud of was my appearance on the CW’s television show, “Penn & Teller: Fool Us”. The show gathers some of the greatest magicians and mentalists from around the world for the opportunity to perform for one of magics greatest duos in an attempt to fool them. I had the honor of winning back in season 7 which is surreal when you’re going head to head [to head] with other industry leaders that you admire and respect.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I had 5 minutes until showtime and 200 people were crowded outside waiting to be let into the theater.
Earlier that day, the airlines had lost my luggage but assured me that it would arrive at the venue by 7pm but at 7:25pm I received an email from them… It said that my bags wouldn’t be delivered until 9:48pm.
I remained eerily calm as I got to work delegating tasks and asking questions like, “Do you have any books or magazines?” or “Where can we find pens and scraps of paper?”.
As the saying goes, “The show must go on” and that night was no different. I’m pleased to say that I pulled it off and the end result…a massive standing ovation!
With no props, I was able to think on my feet and pull off 45 minutes of captivating mentalism!
The event organizer was so thrilled that he left me an incredible testimony and commented that nobody in the audience could tell that my luggage had gone missing!
I assure you that nobody could have been happier about this than me.
I’ve always been a huge fan of my skill stemming from extensive knowledge. It’s never been about fancy props or glamorous tables but instead, it’s about the personal connection and our ability to adapt.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
One of the most rewarding aspects of my work as an entertainer is giving people a moment of wonder.
I believe that we need more of this in a world where we have most of the answers in the palm of our hands.
Watching someones face light up as they witness the unexplainable makes everything worthwhile.
The second, longer lasting, way is by providing a paradigm shift.
With a degree in psychology and criminal profiling, the real world science behind things like persuasion, memory, and body language has always appealed to me.
I’m able to offer entertainment AND empowerment by teaching things in a way that’s fun and easy to digest.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kongmentalist.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kongmentalist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kongmentalist
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kongmentalist/
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/kongmentalist
- Other: Mailing List – http://subscribepage.com/insiderinsight