Family
C.J. Johnson was born in St. Louis, MO, and currently lives in the Central Texas Hill Country outside of the Austin, Texas area between Liberty Hill and Leander . He is the proud father of three boys, Jonathan, Peter and Nicholas. On New Years Eve 2023 he also became a very smitten grandpa of a beautiful little girl. Jonathan and Peter both graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. Peter also got a Masters Degree from Texas Tech University and Nicholas served 6 years in the United States Marine Corps and is now the Security manager of a Hyatt resort.
Being a Dad was always C.J.’s main priority – even when away from his kids for extended periods of time. It was always to provide for them. He couldn’t be prouder of the men they have become.
CJ’s wife, Kim, travels with him often and assists in the magic shows now that the kids are all grown and out of the house. She also runs “Fun Fotos To Go” a novelty and photo business that CJ and Kim started in 2012.
Origins in Magic & Show Business
His fascination with magic came at an early age when he was given a magic book “Dunninger’s Monument to Magic” for Christmas one year. Though none of the tricks in the book were ever performed by C.J. (or anyone else probably), that book sparked the interest in magic. That spark faded for a while but was started again in high school when he spent his entire weekly allowance to learn a magic trick ($4.00). It was a card trick that he still uses to this day so he considers it a bargain.
While in Middle School C.J. was given a unicycle by his Aunt Laura and Uncle Buster, and he finally learned how to ride it during his Junior Year in High School. But it was in college where he really got good at riding it – way above average for the time. It was there that he also learned how to juggle and became a bit obsessive with both.
In 1985 C.J. auditioned for Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus Clown College. Though not accepted into that year’s class the audition changed his life. Scott Linker, a clown with Ringling, told him the audition was good, and that C.J. should get more experience in front of a live audience. That’s what he’s been doing ever since. Scott Linker doesn’t recall the comments that sparked the change made in the direction of C.J.’s life. He never went to clown college, but he never looked back either!
That audition included a show that consisted of Juggling and Unicycling as did C.J.’s first shows in the College Station, TX area where he attended College at Texas A&M University in the College of Architecture’s Construction Management Department. His first “professional” show was done in trade for an ad in the local “Thrifty Nickle” to advertise his new show.
The more shows C.J. did the more the audience wanted to see magic and his shows soon evolved into shows that were mostly magic. C.J. still occasionally juggles a little bit in most shows, just to hang on to his roots. In 1991 he was awarded “Best Comedy Magic Act” by the Texas Association of Magicians, and he’s performed at several of their conventions since that time, most recently in 2023.
In 1994 C.J. began touring theaters & convention centers performing shows as fundraisers for various police groups and civic organizations. As of 2024, 30 years later, he’s still making the rounds for these groups and if you’re in Texas there’s a good chance he’ll be near you sometime during the year.
At about the same time that C.J. began touring theaters, he began an earnest study of hypnosis, reading every book he could get his hands on about the subject, some good, some not so good. Then he got the opportunity to study with Dr. Scott McFall and everything fell into place for C.J. to put his creative talents to the test and create a completely new show using Hypnosis. In the process, C.J. was certified as a “Certified & Registered Hypnotherapist” by the American Board of Hypnotherapy and is now one of the most in-demand stars of the hypnosis world with appearances for casinos, corporations, colleges, night clubs, and high schools throughout the country. CJ was also voted as “Hypnotist of the Year” by (the now defunct) CampusAwards.com.
Game Shows
In 2003 C.J.’s dream of becoming a “Game Show Host” was realized, at least, sort of. It was then that C.J. founded “Game Shows To Go“, a business specializing in high-production game shows that go to college, corporate, and fair events.
Education
C.J. is a 1982 Graduate of the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, TX, and an active alumni of the school. He also attended Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, and the Dakota Hypnosis Institute.
You can tell a lot about a business person by the length of their relationships and C.J. has been working with many of the same groups for as long as 30 years, with the same business partner for 13 years and the same assistant for over 10 years. Once you’ve started a business relationship with C.J. Johnson you’ll understand why!