John Gaughan is a manufacturer of magic

Magic (illusion)

Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...

 acts and equipment for magicians based in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. His style of work is classic, not based heavily on machinery and technology.

Great illusionists have noted his work, such as David Blaine

David Blaine

David Blaine is an American illusionist and endurance artist. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance, and has made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. He has set and broken several world records...

, who has several times called him "a magical genius".

He has built for people such as Alan Wakeling

Alan Wakeling

Alan Wakeling was an American magician and inventor who is known in the magic world for devising classic illusions and routines used by some of the top performers in the business...

, Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson may refer to:* Mark Alan Wilson , American murder victim* Mark Wilson , American football offensive tackle* Mark Wilson...

, Criss Angel

Criss Angel

Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos , better known by the stage name Criss Angel, is an American illusionist, writer, director, musician, and actor...

, David Copperfield

David Copperfield (illusionist)

David Copperfield is an Emmy Award-winning American illusionist, and was described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history. Copperfield's network specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards and won a total of 21 Emmys...

, David Blaine, Simon Drake

Simon Drake

Simon Drake is the stage name of Simon Alexander; a British magician based in London. He is best known for the innovative and shocking television series Secret Cabaret made for Britain's Channel 4.-Early life:...

http://magic-review.co.uk/2010/02/the-secret-cabaret/, Doug Henning

Doug Henning

Douglas James Henning was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician.-Early life:...

 and The Doors

The Doors

The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...

, and is responsible for the construction of dozens of major acts. He has also constructed a replica of the 18th century chess

Chess

Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...

-playing machine, The Turk

The Turk

The Turk, also known as the Mechanical Turk or Automaton Chess Player , was a fake chess-playing machine constructed in the late 18th century. From 1770 until its destruction by fire in 1854, it was exhibited by various owners as an automaton, though it was exposed in the early 1820s as an...

, which often tours chess conferences.

Gaughan created David Copperfield's flying illusion, which is notable for its graceful motion and unencumbered appearance. Gaughan holds a patent on a method for creating the illusion of flight.