Mat Franco has been mesmerized by magic since age 4. In fact, he’d been planning on a career in the field long before occupational questions ever came up in conversation. So perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that the America’s Got Talent winner and new Las Vegas headliner (He has his own residency and show ‘Mat Franco—Magic Reinvented Nightly’ that’s rocking Sin City.) landed on another amazing stage and is making a living doing what he loves. I was thrilled to catch up with Franco backstage at The Linq Hotel and Casino for a special episode of my podcast Whine At 9.
He seems more mature than his 27 years, but then again, Mat Franco has been crafting his career for decades. “I think I always planned on it [magic] being a career before I knew what a career was—before I knew what that even meant. I was just too young to even know,” admits Franco. “Other people wanted to be a firefighter, or this or that, and to me it was like, ‘I’m just going to be a magician’. I didn’t know that was weird. I didn’t know that was unusual.”
Finding what he loved to do at an early age, had its benefits. “People always ask, do you get nervous?” he says. “And the answer to that is ‘no’, because I started doing it at such a young age, I didn’t even know you were supposed to be nervous talking in front of people. So that whole fear of public speaking thing didn’t exist for me, because I wasn’t self aware enough, because I was in kindergarten. I was too young.”
While he may have started young, Franco has meticulously cultivated his skills within and beyond magic. As a business major in college, Franco knew his marketing training would be critical to helping him build his career. “That business background was super helpful, because as a magician, you know, trying to do something with it and turn it into a career, I had to do everything myself in the beginning. Everything—from drafting the contracts, to making the calls, to sending the emails, to booking the travel—every single step of the way was me. And you know, I’d spend 90% of my day doing that stuff, and the other 10% or less doing what I love.”
Franco’s engaging personality definitely doesn’t hurt when it comes to creating magic on stage. The new Vegas resident seems to effortlessly blend a charming sense of humor and unassuming demeanor with astounding magic skills that captivate audience members from 8 to 80. “Magic is the art of engagement,” says Franco who credits his grandmother with helping him nurture his early obsession with magic. And who wouldn’t love a guy who puts Grandma at the top of his influencer list?
“The reason I do what I do is to connect with people and to make them happy and sort of take them out of the normal world for 90 minutes or whatever it is, just so they can sit back, relax and have fun—but in a way that’s connected.” How does Franco feel about the fact that audience members are walking away from the Linq Theater smiling and talking about the magic of his magic show long after the stage lights have gone out? “For me, it’s all about enjoyment. And that’s why I shoot for the smiles, and shoot for the laughs.” Adds Franco, “It feels great to be spreading happiness.”
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