Sammy Cortino is ready for the big show.

The 22-year-old magician from Hickory, N.C., who was endorsed into the IBM by Lance Burton and Siegfried and Roy, is set to tour around the world, and it starts with a show in his hometown. He and his partner Lyndsay Thomas will perform, then head to Nashville for a series of appearances booked by Music City Artists and Alkahest Artists and Attractions. About a year and a half ago, he set a world record for card manipulation.

Why are we telling you about him? Because this could be you.

We’re under no illusions here: Starting a career in magic is hard. But it can be done. Ask these guys:

~ Nick Bretz is a martial arts master and stay-at-home dad from Perham, Minn. He is also a magician and comic who recently did a New Year’s Eve show for 2,000 in Grand Forks.

~ Carlos Sawyer, of Oroville, Calif., trained with Victor Kent while in high school. Now 32, he just finished performing a sold-out show Sunday at the Copa De Oro. He also holds on to his day job.

What do all those guys have in common? They received coverage in local newspapers (we linked to the news reports instead of their websites). They worked their art and built their business well enough to get attention and become newsworthy. Their performances are good enough to earn reviews strong enough to catch the ears of editors.

In the spirit of helping add fuel to the fire of your performance goals for 2012: Why can’t that be you?

Of course, you’ll need help, and maybe some mentoring. We got you covered: Our Performance HQ Forums are filled with all kinds of advice on how to get work. And, if you pass the test, you can get some great help in the Back Room.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 16th, 2012 at 11:31 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.