Keynote speaker
Business keynotes, taught with magic they can’t explain.
Kostya Kimlat, a magician who fooled Penn & Teller, teaches sales and service teams how people perceive, decide and remember, and shows each idea live on stage.
Kostya’s team replies within one hour during business hours.
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Tell us about your event
Check Kostya’s availability.
Five short steps, starting with when and where.
“I have hired Kostya on 5 separate occasions. Years later, people still remember his presentation.”
See him work
The speaker reel.
3:39 · Cut from keynotes and corporate events
What you’re booking
Reading people, explaining your value, and astonishing customers.
Tell him who is in the room and what you need to change, and he will tell you which one fits.
01 / 03 People & communication
Personality Magic™
A system for reading a person’s style in seconds, then adapting how you speak to them in real time.
Best for: sales teams, managers, cross-functional groups
Four styles: Diamonds, Clubs, Hearts and Spades. Your team learns to place anyone within moments of meeting them and adjust before the conversation goes sideways.
- Strengthen workplace relationships
- Read a customer before they finish their first sentence
- Build buy-in with people who think nothing like you do
- Diamonds
- Clubs
- Hearts
- Spades
02 / 03 Sales & leadership
Think Like A Magician™
Your team stops leading with how they work and starts leading with what the customer feels.
Best for: sales kickoffs, leadership meetings, annual conferences
Every role has methods (how something gets done), results (the metrics) and effects (how customers and colleagues feel). Most professionals lead with methods. Magicians hide methods and lead with the effect.
- Explain your value without explaining your process
- Win deals on what the customer feels, as well as on specs
- Give your team language for why their work matters
03 / 03 Customer experience
Astonish Them
Turn routine service into experiences customers tell other people about.
Best for: customer experience teams, service culture initiatives, retention programs
Your team learns how magicians set, meet and exceed expectations, and how to plan the moment a customer will describe to friends afterward.
- Build moments customers describe to other people
- Turn good service into referrals
- Give frontline teams specific things to do differently
TEDx Talk
The keynote, compressed to eighteen minutes.
18 minutes
Why teams book him
Live magic, with a business lesson in every trick.
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Every idea is attached to a moment they can’t explain.
Kostya pairs each principle with a piece of live magic, so people remember the lesson along with the moment that fooled them.
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Your people take part.
Kostya invites volunteers up from their seats and sends them back looking good in front of their colleagues. Anyone who’d rather watch is left alone.
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It’s built for your event.
Before the date, Kostya learns about your audience and your business, so his examples come from your world.
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Clients book him again.
Medix brought Kostya back to keynote its national sales kickoff a second year, and one client has hired him five times.
Penn & Teller: Fool Us
He fooled Penn & Teller with an original card trick.
14 million views
“One of the best magicians we have in the world today.”
Client reviews
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Tamah Kushner
Conference organizer
I honestly thought it might be a bit cheesy. Boy was I wrong! Kostya was entertaining and thought-provoking.
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Michelle C.
Event for 200 leaders and 100 industry partners
He even spent time getting to know our audience in advance by attending several of our events, which demonstrated his commitment to delivering a meaningful experience.
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Christopher Chen
Director, North America Sales & Marketing
Even now almost a week after he presented to us, we are still referring to his presentation details and using the concepts he shared.
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Isaiah R.
Google review
I was amazed you could mix magic and sales in a way that I never thought possible. Opened my eyes to ideas and potential to take back to my team.
Planning
How it works.
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01 · You send the request.
Tell us about your date, your audience and your budget on the form at the top of this page.
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02 · A prep call.
A conversation about your audience, the results you want and the tone of the event.
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03 · We send everything.
Technical requirements, promotional copy and images to drive attendance, and an intro for your emcee.
On the day, he arrives early for sound check, walks the room, and talks to your AV team before doors.
Questions
What planners ask.
Will our executives take this seriously?
Yes. The magic is written for smart adults, and Kostya learns about your audience and your business before the date, so his examples come from your world.
Is there actually magic during the keynote?
Yes, throughout. Each piece of magic illustrates a business principle, so people remember the two together.
How is this different from a motivational speaker?
Motivational speakers set out to inspire. Kostya teaches a specific skill, demonstrates it with live magic, and your team leaves able to use it the same day.
What does it cost?
Keynote fees are in the five-figure range and vary with format, customization and travel. Send your event details and Kostya’s team will reply within one hour during business hours.
Can the keynote be customized to our event?
Yes. Every engagement starts with a planning call to align on your audience, objectives and theme.
How interactive is it?
Very. Several pieces use volunteers from the audience, and Kostya sets up each one so the volunteer looks good. Leaders stay comfortable, and anyone who’d rather watch is welcome to.
Can this run longer than a keynote?
Personality Magic™ can also run as a longer workshop, with time for your team to practice the material themselves. Tell us how long you have and he’ll tell you what fits.
How far in advance should we book?
As early as possible, especially for sales kickoffs and peak conference seasons.
Book Kostya for your next keynote.
Kostya’s team replies within one hour during business hours.