If you didn’t win America’s Got Talent, what do you think your life would be like right now?
Let me start by saying that despite my best efforts, I did not win America’s Got Talent. That is a true statement … as it pertains to Season 1. In fact, after my Season 1 audition the producers never even called me back! Lo and behold, several years later I returned to face rejection in the eye and became the first magician in history to win the show.
With that said, the answer to your question becomes evident. Whatever I was I doing between Season 1 and Season 9 is probably what I would be doing if I hadn’t won.
My lifelong goal was always to make a living performing magic. By age 22, I had no money or resources – only student debt. I did, however, have a marketing degree to show for it, and its intended use was to support my magic habit. I also had many years of experience performing magic as a part-time professional in and around my home state of Rhode Island. With some local experience and publicity knowledge in my tool belt, I started grinding. It was a true one-man operation, from creating the shows, to writing contracts, to booking travel and being my own agent. Oh yeah … and at the end of all that I actually got to perform the show, and that is what made it all worth it! In my mind, as soon as I was comfortably performing full time I was living my dream. So, prior to AGT, I already felt that I had truly “made it.” Of course, at that time I had no idea what was on the horizon.
Winning AGT was the beginning of something special beyond my comprehension. It was the spark that made headlining Vegas and being on TV the new norm. Maybe continued hard work would have ultimately landed me in the same place. Maybe it wouldn’t have; we’ll never know for sure. But without a doubt I can tell you that no matter what, I would be doing magic somewhere for someone.
Mat Franco stars in Mat Franco—Magic Reinvented Nightly at The Linq, where he performs some truly memorable close-up magic and sleight-of-hand.
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