Meet Eric Sharp

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Sharp and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I put my brand name “Sharpo!®” behind everything I do. That makes me hold myself accountable to the highest standards of excellence I can possibly provide. My name is on it so I must always do my best. I built this from scratch and created a name for myself in a very hard business. I now am the guardian of my trademark and it means the world to me. It must always be a welcomed word.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Ok. Wow. No it don’t come easy. The first hard thing is choosing to do this. To live the live of an artist and then sticking with it. You gotta have a thick skin, which comes over time and lots of disappointments. You have to be comfortable living hand to mouth and without many comforts of home.

For me it was a journey that began out of necessity. I wanted to be an actor in Hollywood so I started doing kids parties and murder mystery dinner shows as my day job.

I came to love my work so much that i began devoting all my energy to it. Creating routines, writing my own scripts, practicing magic and mystery for hours and hours every day. It became who I am. I have become inseparable from my work. Creating and performing my magic and mystery shows is what makes me jump out of bed every morning.

There’s been times I have been riddled with self doubt. Times I couldn’t pay the bills. Times where I almost gave it up to try selling real estate. I know now that my choice is a way of life. I signed up for this and wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love, love, love, being “Sharpo!®”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is easy. First stop would be the Magic Castle in Hollywood. We’d get there early. 5 pm and go into the early early closeup gallery show. Then my friend could enjoy the bar and piano room. Up we would then go for the Palace of Mystery show, followed by dinner, more parlor magic and I’d do an impromptu set myself in the hat and hare lounge. The next evening we would drive up to fabulous Le Chene in Agua Dulce, voted the most romantic restaurant in the area and btw. We’d enjoy the award winning French Cuisine and atmosphere. I love this place. It is home to Sharpo Enchantment and Magic Shows and my famous murder mystery dinner too. The next night, El Cid Flamenco Dinner Theater in Silver Lake. Historic and magical! Since we’re out that way I think a hike at Vasquez Rocks – you know, where Captain Kirk battled the Gorn? Love that place. Then… Maybe a day at the beach? Will Rogers Beach is my favorite. It has plenty of parking, gentle waves and soft sand to sun bathe in. Another day I would suggest a walk around the lake at Balboa Park in Van Nuys. Maybe enjoy the paddle boats! Speaking of Van Nuys, there’s this little Thai Food place my kids and I go to all the time. Khun Dang. Omg the spicy red curry. Wow wow wow. Maybe finish the week with trips to the Getty Museum and LACMA… With the La Brea Tar Pits too. I love LA. This is such a great city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
That’s right. No one makes it on their own. Everyone who had achieved any success in life has had teachers and mentors and benefactors who guided them. My dad, Walter Swirsky, taught me to run a business like a business. My friend Sid Wilner, 97 years young this year, taught me how to listen to my audience to create comedy moments in my act. My friend, George Athans, deceased taught me that work is its own reward. My children teach me everyday because I see the world a new through their eyes.

I got more names for you. Kathy Reed and John Dwyer who first hired me to perform interactive theater and they also bought the first mystery script I wrote. Maura Hanlon Smith, who really got me performing my magic for family audiences and gave me countless opportunities over many years to hone my act.

I have to mention Jack Goldfinger too. He is the director of entertainment at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood a champion to magicians. He gave me my shot in the showrooms there affodring me the opportunity to perform alongside the greatest magicians in the world. In that world my heroes are Pop Haydn, Jeff McBride, Johnny Ace Palmer. All of the greats.

The fact is my audiences teach me something at every show and I’ve done thousands of shows over the past 35 years as “Sharpo!®”

I know I’m forgetting names here but they will forgive me.

Website: https://Sharpo.com

Instagram: Sharpo_magic

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/Sharpo

Youtube: Sharpo

Other: Tik Tok too Sharpo_magic.

I just want to say how grateful I am to get to share my magic with the world. It’s the best life I could ever have hoped for.