Rick Lax
{{short description|American author and entertainer (born 1982)}}
{{pp-blp|small=yes}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Rick Lax
| image = Rick Lax in the Wizard Wars Magic Shop (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Lax in May 2014
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|4|17}}
| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = American
| other_names =
| alma_mater = DePaul University
| occupation = Entertainer
| years_active = 2008–present
| known_for = {{Hlist
| Viral Facebook content
}}
| notable_works =
| website = {{URL|ricklax.com}}
}}
Rick Lax (born April 17, 1982) is an American author, entertainer, and magician. He is a notable creator of viral content on Facebook.
Early life and education
Born in Detroit, Lax's interest in magic began at age 5, inspired by David Copperfield.{{cite web|url=https://www.vegasnews.com/151713/rick-lax-broke-facebook.html |title=Rick Lax Broke Facebook |publisher=VegasNews.com |date=2016-07-17 |access-date=2018-04-27}} After attending Michigan State University and studying political science at the University of Michigan, he earned a Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University, and subsequently passed the Illinois bar.
Career
Lax was a friend and the first manager of rock band Tally Hall, beginning in 2004.{{Cite tweet |last=Baldwin | first=Coz | user=hiddeninthesand |number=1242686488309051395 |title=When @RickLax was signed as @TallyHall's manager in an effort to get them signed to a major label.}} He also appeared in videos by the band.
From 2011 to 2013, Lax worked as a behind-the-scenes consultant for Copperfield and wrote two books about Las Vegas. He also created the TV show Wizard Wars,[http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blogs/entertainment/give-conjurers-random-props-set-clock-and-presto Las Vegas Review Journal, Give conjurers random props, set the clock, and ... Presto, February 23, 2014]{{cite web|author=Angela Watercutter|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/07/video-vegas-wizard-wars/ |title=Video: Vegas Magicians Face Off in Wizard Wars | Underwire |publisher=WIRED |date=2012-07-24 |access-date=2014-06-26}} which aired for two seasons on the Syfy network in 2014.[https://www.gamingtoday.com/articles/article/47713-This_year_s_Tony_Awards_show_wasthe_best_yet#.U7ntvVZWdMI ‘’Gaming ‘’Today, This year's Tony Awards show was the best yet, June 17, 2014]{{cite web|url=http://www.syfy.com/wizardwars |title=Wizard Wars |publisher=Syfy |access-date=2014-06-26}}
In 2015, Lax competed on The CW's Penn & Teller: Fool Us. He performed an original card trick called Binary Code, and was the only contestant to fool Penn & Teller during the episode.{{cite web|url=http://www.boingboing.net/2015/09/17/rick-lax-how-i-fooled-penn-an.html |title=Rick Lax: How I Fooled Penn & Teller |publisher=BoingBoing.com |access-date=2015-09-17}}
Lax continues to work as a show producer and behind-the-scenes magic consultant.{{cite web|url=http://itricks.com/news/2014/03/rick-lax-and-wizard-wars-magic-week-in-review/ |title=Magic News, Magic Videos and Podcasts » Blog Archive » Rick Lax and Wizard Wars [Magic Week in Review] |publisher=Itricks.com |date=2014-03-02 |access-date=2014-06-26}}
In 2015, Lax started releasing videos on Facebook. By 2019, he was gaining more than a billion views every month.{{cite web|author=Kevin Roose|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/08/technology/facebook-viral-stars.html |title=Facebook's Other Critics: Its Viral Stars |work=The New York Times |date=2018-04-08 |access-date=2018-04-19}} Also that year, Lax launched Making Magic, which features Lax interviewing fellow magicians.{{Cite web|date=2019-05-17|title='Making Magic' and Rick Lax are a hit for Facebook Watch|url=https://nypost.com/2019/05/17/making-magic-and-rick-lax-are-a-hit-for-facebook-watch/|access-date=2021-09-18|website=New York Post|language=en-US}} Lax later launched a network of over 180 content creators dedicated to creating viral content for Facebook. Notable content created by Richard Lax's network includes pranks, life hacks, "shocking interactions between strangers" (some of which were pre-existing clips purchased from sites like Jukin Media) "weird inspirational content", and gross-out videos featuring food.{{cite web |title=Your Least Favorite Gross Viral Food Videos Are All Connected to This Guy|url=https://www.eater.com/2021/5/11/22430383/why-are-gross-viral-food-videos-popular-rick-lax-facebook-watch|publisher=Eater|date=11 May 2021 | first=Ryan | last=Broderick}}{{Cite web |last=Wang |first=Lydia |title=Here's Why You Can't Stop Watching Those Outrageous Recipe Videos |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2021/06/10502249/viral-gross-food-videos-countertops-rick-lax |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=www.refinery29.com |language=en-GB}}{{Cite news |last=Mears |first=Ashley |author-link=Ashley Mears |date=July 28, 2022 |title=Hocus focus: how magicians made a fortune on Facebook |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/07/28/hocus-focus-how-magicians-made-a-fortune-on-facebook |access-date=2023-04-25 |issn=0013-0613}}
By October 2020, Lax's Facebook page had the second highest reach on the entire Facebook platform.{{Cite web|date=2020-11-10|title=What Do People Actually See on Facebook in the US?|url=https://about.fb.com/news/2020/11/what-do-people-actually-see-on-facebook-in-the-us/|access-date=2021-09-18|website=About Facebook|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Fischer|first=Sara|title=Facebook says 6% of the content its users see is political|url=https://www.axios.com/facebook-says-6-percent-of-its-content-is-political-7f64673b-5b86-4d62-91e5-f93db225b7f1.html|access-date=2021-09-18|website=Axios|language=en}} Lax and his associates made considerable money as a result of their videos, but Lax has said he has received thousands of death threats as a result of his content. Lax's network was severely negatively impacted by changes to Facebook's algorithm in March 2022 that penalised "watchbait" videos that create "arbitrary" curiosity gaps or "promise sensational revelations".
Publications
- {{cite book|title = Lawyer Boy: A Case Study on Growing Up|year = 2008|publisher = St. Martin's Press|isbn = 978-0312373351|url = https://archive.org/details/lawyerboycasestu00laxr}}
- {{cite book |title = Fool Me Once: Hustlers, Hookers, Headliners, and How Not to Get Screwed in Vegas |year = 2011 |publisher = ST. Martin's Griffin |isbn = 978-0312545703 |url = https://archive.org/details/foolmeoncehustle00laxr }}
- {{cite book |title = I Get Paid for This: Kicking Ass and Taking Notes in Vegas |year = 2012|publisher = Huntington Press |isbn = 978-1935396505}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://ricklax.com Official website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lax, Rick}}
Category:21st-century American Jews
Category:21st-century American male writers
Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers
Category:American male non-fiction writers
Category:DePaul University College of Law alumni
Category:Jewish American entertainers