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What does it take to be a Las Vegas headliner for a decade?<\/p>\n
1) Talent.<\/h2>\n
Mat Franco’s biggest strength is he has actual talent. A lot of magicians rely on props. That’s not talent, it’s just the ability to buy props. To see how talented he really is, check out his Instagram account<\/a>. Franco’s strengths lie in close-up magic, which doesn’t always read on a big stage. But holy crap this guy is good.<\/p>\n Franco’s been doing this for more than a decade. He’s put in the work. That length of run requires professionalism and punctuality. Having a good work ethic is invisible to audiences, until a performer doesn’t. Some in Vegas show up late, some show up drunk, some are predatory, some are just assholes. They don’t last long, and even if they manage to, they are loathed by everyone around them. (It’s a small town, so word gets around.) Franco has zero scandals and rumors about him. Terrible for blogs, but great for him and his team.<\/p>\n One of the toughest things about a long residency is you can turn into a robot. David Copperfield, for example, phoned in his shows until he was shown the door by MGM Resorts. We’ve seen Franco several times, and every performance feels like he’s doing it for the first time.<\/p>\n The best way to succeed as a Las Vegas performer is keep costs low. Be one guy. Yes, you need light and sound persons, but ultimately, the lower the costs, the easier it is to make rent and stay afloat.<\/p>\n Ticket sellers are the life blood of mid-tier shows like Mat Franco’s. You scratch their backs, they’ll scratch back.<\/p>\n Casinos are known for doing little to nothing for their four-wall (the show basically just pays rent for the room) show partners. Franco graduated from the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business Administration with a major in marketing.<\/p>\n To have a long-running show, you have to navigate not only the financial aspects of the business, but also the relationships. Linq is in the Caesars Entertainment family. You have to get along with suits (even when they are known to come and go) and other personalities (like media boneheads). You can’t ruffle feathers. Mat Franco is genuinely likable, and again, we’ve heard of no feuds or head-butting. That’s the real magic.<\/p>\n Franco’s sense of humor shines in his show, but possessing a sense of humor goes a long way when dealing with corporate executives and drunk audience members. Franco always seems to be having fun onstage, and he’s affable offstage as well.<\/p>\n Other assets: Franco’s show is family-friendly. That pulls in a whole other audience and broadens his appeal.<\/p>\n Franco won Season 9 of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” but that was in 2014. Even though he was the first magician ever to win that competition, one does not thrive in Vegas based upon a TV appearance a decade ago.<\/p>\n Back in 2024, we interviewed Mat Franco on our podcast<\/a>. Check out episode 162 below, or wherever you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n2) Work ethic.<\/h2>\n
3) A high tolerance for repetition.<\/h2>\n
4) Low production costs.<\/h2>\n
5) Good relationships with ticket brokers.<\/h2>\n
6) Marketing savvy.<\/h2>\n
7) The ability to play well with others.<\/h2>\n
8) A sense of humor.<\/h2>\n