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Thomas Webb (artist)

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Tom London
File:Tom London, hacker and magician, 2018.jpg
Official Press Shot
Born
Thomas Webb

(1991-12-11) 11 December 1991 (age 32)
Ashford, Kent, UK
Occupation(s)Magician, Hacker
Websitehttp://tom.london

Tom London (born Thomas Webb; 11 December 1991) is a magician and hacker who is best known for his well-received performances on Season 12 of the popular talent show America's Got Talent. He is one of WIRED magazine's 2017 Next Generation speakers. He was one of the youngest members to be entered into The Magic Circle.

Early life

London grew up in Ashford, Kent, United Kingdom. Son of 80's video game royalty Martin Webb, who developed the Commodore 64 game Out Run.[1] As a child, he enjoyed playing video games and has said that he had an early interest in magic. He attended St Edmund's School in Canterbury. Whilst there he hacked into the school's computer network and uncovered a system vulnerability allowing him to access students files. Tom was awarded a bursary for revealing this issue and permission to use the school computers to build video games.[2] He later attended Highworth Grammar School 6th Form where he was House Captain.[3]

Early career

At the age of 16 London became interested in close-up magic tricks and quickly found a restaurant willing to let him perform. Etienne Pradier heard of his performances and invited him to learn advanced close up magic. He is the founder[4] of the internationally recognized internet radio station filth.fm,[5] which in 2011 was voted best radio station at the DMA's.[6]

America's Got Talent and Magic Career

In 2017, London decided to audition for America's Got Talent. Tom London's audition in Episode 1204 consisted first of having the audience members hold their phones in the air; the phones' screens subsequently changed color, alternating between red, white, and blue. Then, he had the judges pick three volunteers and host Tyra Banks to join him on the stage. Tom had the volunteers provide guesses to numerical questions about the four judges' pasts, the last of which came from Tyra typing eight digits on a calculator with her eyes closed. He then multiplied on the calculator those four numbers to get a large number: 73,928,547. He then showed a pre-recorded video depicting him holding a card with the same number. Finally, he explained that the seemingly random number actually directly related to the judges' pasts. Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Simon Cowell all voted "Yes", sending Tom to the Judge Cuts. Tom London's Judge Cuts performance in Episode 1207 consisted of first having the audience members hold up photos of famous landmarks from all over the world. He first had guest judge Chris Hardwick pick one, write the name of it on a card, fold it up, and place it in his pocket. Tom next revealed an envelope taped to his back with a ticket that went to Hardwick's destination. Next, he had the four other judges pick four random landmarks they wanted to visit. Finally, he demonstrated an application on his phone that when filmed on the ticket, showed instead videos of Tom visiting the four landmarks the judges mentioned. Howie Mandel gave him a standing ovation. Tom's performance was not strong enough for the judges to send him to the Quarterfinals, eliminating him from the competition instead of Eric Jones. In an interview with Metro, he said that he had though about doing Britain's Got Talent for a long time but decided to audition for America's Got Talent as he thought the show would help him more with his dream of performing in Las Vegas.[7] He has also performed for Richard James.[8]

WIRED Magazine and Hacking

In 2017 Tom delivered a keynote for WIRED magazine on combing technology and magic as an art form to explain the possibilities of VR, drones and robotics.[9] He was a part of WIRED UK's Next Generation of tech innovators in their January 2018 issue.[10] In the May 2018 issue Tom was featured for creating magic using AI and drones. Using an Amazon Echo to read peoples minds and programming drones to perform the three card monte card trick. When asked about his inspirations for creating magic with technology Tom refers to Marco Tempest and French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin.[11] In 2018 Tom delivered a keynote for SAP, explaining the uses of blockchain and AI technology.[12]

Keynote Speaking

London has also delivered keynotes to various tech companies. Notably SAP SE,[13] and at MathCon 2018.[14] He has also worked with IBM, Microsoft and Samsung to design shows around their products.[15]

Karate

At age 11, London started Karate at his local JKA dojo with two of his friends. In December 2006 he passed his black belt grading in Walton on Thames aged 15.[16] A few weeks later he was selected to represent his country in the JKAE Karate squad.[17] He was selected to represent England in the French International Championships which took place early in December 2007 in Le Touquet in France. Tom received a gold medal in the U.18's kumite category.[18]

References

  1. ^ https://gaborvajda.kinja.com/heres-your-next-favourite-80s-racing-game-for-your-mobi-1678305646
  2. ^ https://tom.london
  3. ^ http://www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/americas-got-talent-star-surprises-129383/
  4. ^ "About Filth FM". Filth FM. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  5. ^ Lester, Paul (27 June 2012). "Guardian Quotes Tom". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  6. ^ "Results of Voting". Dub Step Music Awards. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  7. ^ Metro.co.uk, Caroline Westbrook for (18 July 2017). "America's Got Talent magician Tom London on why he chose the US show". Metro. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  8. ^ "The Row Blog". Richard James Savile Row. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  9. ^ "WIRED2017: Next Generation Speakers". Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  10. ^ WIRED. "How to inspire the next generation of tech innovators". Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  11. ^ Turk, Victoria. "Magic and AI are mixing to create tricks you won't believe". Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  12. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ySIt928-DI&t=1278s
  13. ^ https://events.sap.com/ae/sap-leonardo-summit-dubai/en/agendas
  14. ^ http://www.prweb.com/releases/2018/04/prweb15385444.htm
  15. ^ http://www.wired.co.uk/article/tom-london-magic-thomas-webb-hacker-ibm-samsung-microsoft
  16. ^ "JKA Grading Results December" (PDF). Japan Karate Association England. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  17. ^ "SESKA Blog". South East Shotokan Karate Academy. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  18. ^ "Thomas Webb European Championships". St Edmunds School. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
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