David was the sole protégé of Ross Bertram (1912-1992), one of the great sleight-of-hand artists of the twentieth century. While studying magic with Bertram, David also graduated from the University of Toronto (BA), the University of Western Ontario (LLB), and the London School of Economics (LLM). He flirted briefly with a career in tax law but abandoned it in 1990 to pursue his passion for performing, writing and community.

David is now recognized as one of the world’s foremost sleight-of-hand artists. Theatrical works he has developed have been staged at the Shaw Festival, Theatre ROM, the Charlottetown Festival, Soulpepper Theatre, Luminato, the Canadian embassies in Paris and Tokyo, the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, and elsewhere. He has made numerous television appearances and was the subject of the award-winning documentary “A Conjuror in the Making.”

David has written several books, and has contributed articles and reviews to the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and many other publications. He is the co-founder and artistic director of Magicana, a performing arts organization and registered charity, and he uses learning, practicing, and performing magic to help disadvantaged children, to fight isolation in seniors, and to help unlock creativity, innovation, and problem-solving.

David also tries whenever possible to give back to the community. In 2016, after losing his wife Jan Howlett to brain cancer in 2013, David raised close to $250,000 by having his signature mop of hair shaved off as part of The Princess Margaret Hospital “No Hair Selfie” campaign.

He lives in Toronto with his partner Jessica Levman, near his children Court and Harrison, and spends his spare time playing the piano, painting, indulging in culinary delights, and acquiring historical Canadian art.