20 years of magic: a WILD milestone for IVAN the Selfie Magician

WHY go to the zoo when you can have it come to you?

That is what IVAN the Selfie Magician – or Jonathan Ivan Rivera by birth – has to offer as he celebrates his 20th anniversary in the magic industry.

In an interview with republicasia, IVAN said that he makes sure to upgrade his magic acts especially since he always has repeat clients or audiences. And the 2025 version of his magic is much wilder than he had ever dreamed of.

“It’s just amazing because this year, I really do – I have reached the epitome of my dreams for the magic. I mean, now, I will disappear from the stage and appear from the audience; have a tiger and lion on the show and a lot more wild animals, I mean, I now have a menagerie of exotic animals,” he excitedly said.

Now being the first and only magician in the Philippines who specializes in big cats like lion and tiger, IVAN shared that he got the inspiration to incorporate animals in his shows from his idols Siegfried and Roy, as well as his innate love for animals.

IVAN’s father was a magician as well, and he had magician friends, all of whom IVAN noticed similarities in their acts. Wanting to be different, he innovated: instead of producing the usual rabbits and doves, he made snakes appear – an act now being done by other magicians.

“I like to believe I was one of the pioneers of using snakes in the show 20 years ago when I started. So, I said, why not bring out a snake instead of doves? And that’s how I started. I started with smalls snakes and now, my very first snake, Serpie, is up to today we’re still using him for the show and still bringing joy to a lot of people and [giving] a lot of awareness [of] what pythons are, how to deal with snakes, and everything like that,” he recalled.

MAGIC WITH ADVOCACY

And contrary to what many might think, there is no animal cruelty involved in IVAN’s acts. In fact, by incorporating his pets in his magic, he aims to share his advocacy of promoting coexistence with animals.

“I always wanted to be a veterinarian and I think it’s rooted [in] my love for animals. And with that, I love watching educational animal shows but I always find it a little boring. So, what if we add a little magic and illusion to the mix, make the information entertaining, make the education magical. They are misunderstood creatures and in hopes of me doing this, using them in the show, hoping to share awareness to these misunderstood creatures, we hope to improve and help the understanding of people, hoping to improve the [coexistence] with wildlife,” IVAN explained.

From his vantage point on stage, IVAN gets fulfillment once fear transforms into amazement and curiosity whenever he shares his animal friends – aptly called Selfie Jungle – to the audience.

“The initial reaction is fear, because again fear is rooted with misunderstanding, with not knowing, we fear what we don’t understand. And after the show, those who are afraid are the number one to come over, they want to feel, they want to understand, they want to take pictures. From fear to joy!” he said.

TAKING CARE OF SELFIE JUNGLE

Showcasing all his personal pets – from lion and tiger to Macaw and endemic Philippine eagle owl to ball and Burmese and reticulated pythons to pot bellied pigs to iguana and bearded dragons – is one thing, but their maintenance is another.

And just like any other responsible pet owner, IVAN makes sure that all of his animals are healthy and that his acts will not traumatize them.

“It’s a lot of discipline, a lot of discipline in taking care, in making these misunderstood animals ready to be showcased or exhibited. A lot of discipline and training and commitment. We don’t want animal cruelty. We make sure that our acts are safe and healthy for the animals. We have our quarterly check ups – and we have four veterinarians, Doc Juri, Doc Kenn, Doc Leo, and Doc Sean, who are taking care of our animals and making sure that they are safe and healthy to exhibit in shows. They’re also there to make sure that our acts are safe,” IVAN said, assuring the well-being of the animals.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE FOR YEAR 2025?

While Selfie Jungle is certainly taking the center stage of IVAN’s magic acts, he has a lot more to offer for his 20th year in magic.

One of which is his constant innovation with existing magic acts, “We have so many new acts, so many new illusions, and if I may add, original illusions that haven’t been seen worldwide.”

He will also be having an anniversary concert where, besides the animals, he will also be showcasing Filipino culture and the magic of the Philippines. IVAN teased that he is in close consultation with prominent people in the theater industry like Rody Vera and Norbs Portales, to help bring his vision come to life.

And he is not keeping the magic all to himself, as IVAN is also planning on training magicians so that more people will spread joy, laughter, and amazement.

After all, IVAN believes that, “We can be amazing, we can have fun, and we can learn – all at the same time!”