MISSOULA — Most 14-year-olds are worried about starting high school this fall and making new friends.
But Lander Schwab, an eighth-grader from Missoula, has already achieved something extraordinary that earned him recognition at one of the entertainment industry's most exclusive organizations.
It's hard not to be impressed by Lander and his magic.
The young magician has worked so hard perfecting his sleight-of-hand card tricks that he recently earned membership in Hollywood's prestigious Academy of Magical Arts Junior Society at the Magic Castle — a private club dedicated to the art of magic that most young magicians only dream of joining.
"It's phenomenal. I mean, no words," Lander says of the experience. "It was just a bunch of magicians just like me. There's other people, you know, because I still think there's barely anybody in Montana — very, very slim."
From birthday disappointment to magical obsession
Lander’s journey began at age 7 with a birthday magic set that initially disappointed him.
But everything changed when he was 9 years old at a Super Bowl party, when a family friend showed him a trick that left him speechless.
"I was like, what? I didn’t know how that worked, and it was fooling everybody else at the Super Bowl party too," he recalled.
That moment sparked an obsession.
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Lander taught himself sleight of hand, began creating his own tricks and even practices during school sometimes.
Last summer, he produced and performed a 50-minute solo show that drew dozens of people to Missoula's Zootown Arts Community Center.
His mom, Whitney, said, "When you find your people, particularly as it relates to card tricks and mentalism and bringing joy to folks in the magic community, it’s really neat to see that just blossom."
Standing out among the best
To audition for the Magic Castle, Lander had to perform a five-minute routine in front of 30 other hopefuls and Magic Castle executives.
Rather than use existing material, he chose to create his own original trick.
"I chose the route of inventing kind of my own trick or routine," he explained.
While Lander says he might be a lawyer someday, for now he's focused on perfecting his craft and inspiring others through the art of illusion — essentially spreading joy and wonder.
"The feeling you get when you fool somebody, when they smile and they laugh — it’s like no other," he said.
