"It's for the people and to make them, for one moment, feel great about life. And that there's stuff to be discovered."
That's how 16-year-old Oliver Harris describes the magic of magic. He's a member of the Hollywood Magic Castle's Junior Society, an elite team of 13 to 20-year-old magicians.
This mini documentary, which just aired on the YouTube channel, "Thrash Lab," follows several kids at they audition for a coveted spot on the team.
The young illusionists share how the Castle is a place where they get to be themselves, no matter how different that is.
"When you go to school, a lot of people don't do magic, and you can't talk about it. When you come here, you're in your own world and you forget about everything," one young magician shared.
"The people here understand being different really does take things to a new level. As Emerson said… 'To be great is to be misunderstood.' And we just get big points for being who we are," Harris said.
Another member, SaraLee Steiner, shared that magic has been a medicine for her. As she was in and out of the hospital as a child, her dad taught her coin tricks. She explained that magic has the potential to be "a sort of medicine… where it can change a person's outlook on life and can challenge preconceived notions, give inspiration, make someone really hopeful."
"Thrash Lab" is the new channel programmed by Katalyst, Ashton Kutcher's studio. Kutcher served as executive producer of the video, and Jena Malone was the still photographer.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that members of the junior society could be ages 13 to 17. The eligibility age range is actually 13 to 20.