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As is the case with many magicians, his interest in magic took root at the very young, impressionable age. One year at a Christmas party, Jonny stood witness as a magician magically made a solid red ball pass straight through, not only one, but three solid brass cup. After watching that performance there was no turning back, he was hooked. The town library became this up-and-coming young magician's magical Mecca. Sitting on the floor, legs crossed, almost buried by the dusty old books, he would learn amazing magical illusions. The Fun Shop, a local novelty store, was also a great place to spend a lazy Saturday. The Fun Shop made most of it's money selling the classics; hand buzzers, whoopie cushions, itching powder, etc. The shop's owner did however, have an interest in magic. With his loving and patient mother right by his side, little Jonny would stand at tiny magic counter located in the back store. Hours would go by while he counted his allowance over and over again, almost wearing the bills out, all the while trying to decide which cool new trick to buy. Inevitability, mom would throw in a couple of bucks to make sure it was the right trick... the perfect trick.

While in the third grade, Jonny spent about half of the school year, with his desk firmly planted next to his teachers desk. The offense, talking too much. Little did his teacher know, but she had unintentionally put little Jonny right smack dab in the spotlight. Jonny jokes that his teacher was Mrs. Jonny Carson and he was little Ed Mcmahon. From school talent shows to family gatherings, Jonny's goal was to entertain everyone, and chalk up as many laughs as possible.

Throughout his youth, and into his teen years, he continued to be fascinated by magic of all sorts. For many years his interest was in close up magic; playing cards, coins, mentalism, etc. . As much as he enjoyed doing magic for friends, family, and anyone who seemed remotely interested in checking out a trick or two, there seemed to be something missing. Years later this something would be discovered, almost by accident. You see, Jonny was employed at a local grocery store. One day his deli manager ask him to do an intercom announcement to advertise fried chicken. At that very moment, he swore he could hear the angels sing. He picked up the store intercom, put on his very best Casey Kasem disc jockey impersonation, and sold fried chicken like the little town of Milan Illinois had never seen before. Alright, I'm not really sure if Jonny sold much or any chicken. After Jonny finished his world famous chicken announcement, there was a spontaneous burst of applause... lots of applause. Could it be true? Could the stores' cashiers, baggers, and customers be applauding this over the top intercom announcement? As hard as it was to believe, it was true. Almost immediately, Jonny was approached by numerous people, including his store manager. Most of them suggesting he become a disk Jocey. To this day, Jonny is not sure if his store managers enthusiasm to get him a gig as a disc jockey was because he was impressed, or mortified by the intercom announcement.

A short time later, Jonny was hired by a local radio station to be the director of music research and development. The job was basically calling people and asking if they liked certain songs, while also having to master the fax machine. Boring! Jonny's real dream was to star in his own morning radio show, but was not meant to be. He did learn a very valuable lesson from the radio stations' morning talk show host. Fresh from his starring engagement at the local grocery store, Jonny had a bit of a big head. Ok, let's be honest, his melon shaped head could not fit through most doors. Hold on... with a great set of pipes and his ability to master the almost impossible fried chicken announcement, senor Jonny was sure to be a huge star... right?... Wrong! The very kind and talented morning talk show host pulled Jonny "The King of Fried Chicken" aside, sat him down and told him something he has never forgotten. A nice announcers voice will get you about ten seconds of recognition, then you need to have something...anything of value to say. More true words have never been spoken.

Radio was not meant to be, but as luck would have it, a very generous man name Joe Sturgis gave Jonny his first chance as an entertainer. The gig... disk jockey at a hole in the wall college night club. At the end of his first night, Jonny remembers sitting in his car outside of the club. His hands shaking and sweating. All he could think about was what a big mistake he had made. How could he possibly be qualified to be a disc jockey. In the blur of the night he had shut the wrong record off while the dance floor was filled with people not applauding, but booing him. He would turn the microphone on, but had no idea what to say. As he sat there pale white, running over his opening night train wreck, he wanted to quit. "No... No... No..." he yelled aloud. "I am not giving up!" And he did not. The next night, nobody at the club seemed to remember Jonny's opening night nightmare. As a matter of fact, most everyone was really happy to see him. The second night was better than the first, and so on and so on. What stared out as a one day a week part time job, soon became a full time position as club entertainment director.

Over the next 8 years, Jonny worked as a disk jockey at numerous night clubs, enjoying every moment of it. The last club Jonny was employed at was connected to a hotel. After about a year of employment the hotel made an announcement that they would be closing the club to the general public permanently. What seemed to be pretty bad news, turned out to be one of the greatest opportunities of his life. The hotel manager explained that the hotel did not want a club open to the public, but instead wanted to turn the space into a venue for private parties. It seemed to be fate. For the next three years, Jonny would be the venues exclusive disc jockey. He entertained at events such as; birthday parties, class reunions, wedding anniversaries, and almost seventy wedding receptions. At the end of this great string of events, fate reared it head again when the hotel manager announced the hotel was being sold. The private venue was going to be turned into a restaurant. This was the day Jonny decided not to move to the next "soon to be out of business nightclub", but instead, start his own disc jockey service. Having very little money, Jonny was lucky to have befriended two very generous men. Their names, Robert Whitacker and Jerry Phillips. Robert and Jerry owned "Roberts Magic Shop", the only magic shop in Iowa. Not only did Robert and Jerry help Jonny by selling him both magic and disc jockey epuipment at just over their cost, They also provided jonny with invaluable information about everything magical. After six months of scrimping and scraping, and having paid cash for everything one piece at a time, Jonny opened "Rovatti Productions". A very proud day indeed!

One day while working on new disc jockey material for an upcoming wedding receptions, it suddenly it came to him. Why not entertain the bride and groom along with their family and friends with comedy magic? To some magic did not fit quite right at a wedding reception, but to Jonny it seemed perfect. In days of old...Kings and Queens were entertained by jugglers, sword swallowers, fire eaters, and magicians. At a wedding reception the bride and groom are the Stars of the day... Royalty... Kings and Queens! Over the next seven years, Jonny entertained with comedy magic at as many wedding receptions as he was permitted. These early performances allowed him to hone his comedy magic skills in the trenches, in front of many live audiences. There is a major difference between performing magic, and performing comedy magic. Magicians like to practice in front of a mirror. While performing magic in front of a mirror, it's not hard to see when you get it right. When performing comedy magic in front of a mirror, the mirror will not usually laugh. Thus, it is impossible to practice comedy magic without a live audience. Jonny's first magic show was about ten minutes. Over time the wedding reception magic show grew to about half an hour. This seemed to be the right amount of time for magic at a wedding reception. Entertaining the guest was the goal. But it was imperative not to take the spotlight away from the true stars of the night, the bride and groom.

By weaving the comedy magic material from all of his performances, his stage show has grown to run as long as sixty minutes. Over the years, Jonny has built an array of comedy magic routines that are constantly evolving. Jonny says the routines tend to take on a life of their own, and he's just along for the ride. While at times, it may seem to the audience, that things on stage, including the performer himself, have run amok and are out of control, nothing could be farther from the truth. Jonny lays awake at night, going over and over every single nuance of his act. These tiny nuances are the essential building blocks for all good comedy magic acts. From the most minute turn of ones head, to the slightest shifts of ones eyes, everything matters. From waiting for the laughter and applause to die down, before delivering the next line, to annunciating each and every word you speak, everything matters. Jonny has spent his entire life studying the comic greats. He understands, that there is no real way to ever know if a comedy magic act is perfect. In spite of this, his goal is to make sure that his act, along with each and every performance, comes as close to perfect as humanly possible.

With more than 21 years as a professional performer under his belt, Jonny has entertained at almost 350 wedding receptions, in addition to countless other special events. This may, or may not, sound like a lot, but keep in mind a T.V. series can live forever in reruns after only 100 episodes. These all-important performances have allowed Jonny to experience many different types of audiences. The incredibly diverse array of people he has had the pure pleasure of entertaining over the years, have helped him to become the well rounded professional entertainer he is blessed to be today.

With an incredible eye for detail, an improvisational quick wit, the inate ability to interact one-on-one with the audience, and the constant yearning to squeeze every ounce of entertainment from his act, be assured that Jonny Rovatti is the right choice... the only choice for your next special event.

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