Life & Work with Jordan Allen of Kansas City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Allen

Hi Jordan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a professional magician. I got interested in magic when I was 5. I remember looking through a Toys R Us catalogue with my cousins talking about the “powers” we could possess if we ever got one. A few months later I remember walking past my parents bedroom one night to get a glass of water – the TV was on and a magic special was aired. I remmeber a magician (I can’t remember who) make a bird appear from a large hankerchief. A year later I got my first kit for Valentines Day.
I did my first public performance in 2000 / 2001 ish at the same time I got duel diagnosed with ADHD & Autism Spectrum Disorder. I did a few performances here & there for $50 each then I decided to go pro my Freshman year in High School. Graduated and then enrolled in university as a theatre major & psych minor. That is when the ADHD & ASD got bad so I switched the two up.
In 2019 I attempted to audition for America’s Got Talent. They have you fill out this paper to collect your backstory, I couldn’t really think of an interesting story to tell – I’m just a magician. Covid put things on hold that following year to give me time to think about day at the audition. Cody Clark, close friend & fellow magician of mine who also has ASD started running his show based on his ASD, I took that as a framework to make mine more ADHD affirming (later adapted to to be more Neurodivergent affirming to diffierentiate the two of us.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
After graduating Uni I ran a mind reading show, something I had been experimenting with since 2010 – I ran it for 9 years. The early days was tough & it reached its peak in 2019. I closed the show in 2020 with Covid – when everything moved to virtual. The magic was much easier to sell and it kept me afloat. Things got a little bumpy when I made the in person show more “Neurodivergency Affirming”. People automatically assume you are not good or competent in what you do BECAUSE of your disability WHEN you are public about it. That said, differentiating yourself also helps you FIND your niche and tribe.
Running a show of any kind is tough and it can be tougher when you have both ADHD & Autism, I go off script ALL the time which has made me better at improv, that said when a audience member says something I may miss the joke or sarcasm with the Autism.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a magician who just so happens to have Autism Spectrum Disorder & ADHD. While I don’t make my shows solely around that part of me, I do use magic to tell my lived experience. As a magician I do both stand up and strolling magic in the Fringe Circuit and private events.

What were you like growing up?
Alone and not fully realizing why. The isolation from having 2 comorbid conditions no one in your enviroment understands either because of poor education or selected ignorance means you go deep into your own niche interests and hobbies. I spent a LOT of time growing up reading on my special interests, magic & dinosaurs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jallenexperience.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/270magic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/270magic