Famous YouTubers: how a magician in Indonesia put away his wand and became a professional prankster
- Having failed to hit the big time with his magician’s act, Yudist Ardhana turned to YouTube, where his practical jokes soon made him famous
- His elaborate stunts have been described as Candid Camera for the internet age, and his channel has more than nine million subscribers
Five years ago Yudist Ardhana was an Indonesian magician struggling in relative obscurity. A number of his magician friends had already found recognition through TV contest shows such as Indonesia’s Got Talent, but Yudist just could not get his big break.
He was running his own magic store and performing the occasional show before a limited audience. But he wanted more, driven by the conviction that magic was his calling. Yudist, who grew up in Denpasar, Bali, yearned for recognition, and he found it on YouTube.
These days, with more than nine million subscribers on his official channel (and 1.3 million on Instagram), the 33-year-old has reached his goal, though not exactly in the way he craved. Most of Yudist’s fans know him as one of Indonesia’s biggest YouTube personalities and not as a magician.
But one day, Yudist says, “I plan on finding fame and returning as a magician with, of course, a lot more people watching … My magician career is something I still feel very proud of.”
For now, Yudist understands and appreciates his contemporary role. He is the perpetual prankster and tireless entertainer – shooting hidden-camera videos and getting reactions through pranks such as driving a child-size car or plastic dinosaur to a petrol station, dressing as a tree to shock passers-by, or shopping for a “long sleeve bra” at the supermarket.
