Mat Franco
| Mat Franco | |
|---|---|
Mat Franco in 2015
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| Born |
May 10, 1988 Johnston, Rhode Island |
| Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Rhode Island |
| Occupation | Magician |
| Known for | America's Got Talent Season 9 winner |
| Website | matfranco |
Mat Franco (born May 10, 1988) is an American magician and the winner of the ninth season of America's Got Talent. Franco rose above hundreds of thousands of acts to become the first and only magician in history to win AGT, including the $1 million prize. Best known for his personality-driven, sleight-of-hand style of magic, Mat Franco's TV specials marked the first time NBC produced a spin-off show around their AGT winner. Franco is currently headlining in at The LINQ Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Franco was born in Johnston, Rhode Island. After he saw magic on TV when he was four, he begged his parents to get him a magic set. He then began performing tricks in his kindergarten class. Franco continued studying magic as a child and performed any chance he could. When he was 12, he had saved enough money from local shows to fly to Las Vegas to study performance art with some of his idols, including Jeff McBride.
Franco attended Johnston High School and the University of Rhode Island, receiving a degree in Business Administration with a minor in Communication Studies.
In 2003, at age 15, Franco was invited to perform onstage at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, as part of a show hosted by the Society of American Magicians called "Stars of Tomorrow".
After graduating from college in 2010, Franco performed his one-man show on college campuses throughout the U.S., touring six months out of the year, for four years. He was nominated for "Fastest Rising Star" in 2012, and in 2013 was awarded "Best College Performer" by Campus Activities Magazine (based in Prosperity, South Carolina) in their Reader's Choice Awards.
Franco was always encouraged by his grandmother, Eleanor Campellone, who told an interviewer, "His mother was always working and he couldn't show her everything -- look mom, look mom. So the grandma was there and I had all the time in the world. I'd spend hours watching his tricks."
In 2014/2015, Franco achieved mainstream success as the winner of America's Got Talent.
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