By Michael Kinney
In 1997 JP Wilson purchased his first automobile. It was a red Porsche 928 that he used to drive up and down the back roads behind the Mile of Cars in Norman every Sunday with his father, Paul.
Wilson had been able to save enough from his part time job to purchase the classic car for just $3,500.
The only issue at the time was that Wilson was just an 8 year old with a talent for magic and making money. Neither of those could produce a valid driver’s license for him.
Wilson didn’t own the Porsche for long. After several months of using the Norman backstreets as his personal speedway, his mother inadvertently found out the secret he and his father had been keeping.
“Needless to say, it was gone the next day,” Wilson laughed. “We had to sell it after my mom found out. If I had kept that car, it would be worth $30,000 more today than what I had paid for it.”
Wilson never lost his feel for collecting nice cars. He waited until he was 15 to purchase a silver Jaguar XJS Coupe for 3,000. Ever since then he has been buying and selling vehicles that catch his eye.
At the age of 31, he had 14 automobiles, which includes another Porsche.
One of his newest purchases is a blue 2004 Chevrolet Le Mans Corvette, which he picked up in 2020. The Commemorative Edition celebrates Corvette’s back-to-back class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and can reach a top speed of 180 MPH.
Wilson had no interest in owning a corvette until he came across this particular one, which at the time belonged to a fellow car enthusiast. Everything about it spoke to him.
“When you see it, it’s just beautiful,” Wilson said. “It’s just gorgeous. It’s a special edition Le Man’s blue color. That’s the only time they have ever used that color. It’s just a pretty car and it’s fun to drive. When you get into the corvette. It feels more luxurious and comfortable.”
The iconic corvette is the manifestation of the classic American style. With its eye-catching curves, sleek lines and aggressively loud colors, it projects success.
Wilson, who is often seen driving the corvette while wearing very bodacious Robert Graham shirts, looks to project that same level of success in the business world, where he has seemingly just as many businesses as he does cars.
Despite barely being into his 30s, Wilson has been working for most of his life. He began at the age of 7 doing odd and ends jobs at Ferguson Pontiac in Norman and was making $600 a month by the time he was 8.
That same year Wilson discovered that his youthful passion for magic could also put money in his pockets. When he was hired to perform at a birthday party, he was paid $75 for 20 minutes of work. He was hooked and The Magic of JP Wilson was born.
“I love performing magic, I love entertaining people,” Wilson said. “It’s a way to take what’s going on in the everyday world and let people sneak away from it. To still be able to perform magic that is relevant and entertaining even at an older age is something we enjoy doing.”
So, by the time he was 9, Wilson was making close to $1,000 a month and already filing taxes.
When he was 15, Wilson’s big break arrived after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina forced the NBA’s New Orleans Hornets to relocate to Oklahoma City in 2006. The budding photographer offered to photograph basketball games for the franchise.
The Hornets not only made Wilson the youngest contracted photographer in the NBA, they also hired him to perform magic as a halftime act for home games.
“The Hornets relocating here is probably the most influential thing that has happened to me in my life as far as being the kick starter for a lot of things we have done,” Wilson said. “It helped us take it to that next professional level.”
Wilson is still providing photography for the Oklahoma City Thunder and he has become one of the most sought-after halftime acts in the NBA. In 2012, he formed JAM Events and Productions, which the Thunder use to provide in-house entertainment for fans.
Wilson’s entrepreneurship does not end there. He bought Falcone’s Pizza several years ago and managed to keep it open during the pandemic.
Three years ago Wilson started The Light Box, a photography studio in downtown Oklahoma City. THat same year he got into the food truck business with Big Foot BBQ and plans to buy a plane so he can fly himself to gigs around the country.
Wilson is not ready to slow down. When asked what his plans are five or 10 years in the future, he said doesn’t know what he will be doing the next day.
“We are just constantly finding new ideas,” Wilson said. “We never know what each day is going to hold. Every day is a new adventure.”
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