“America’s Got Talent” winner Mat Franco appearing at Tusculum College on Oct. 15

This year’s “America’s Got Talent” winner, Magician Mat Franco, will be performing in Tusculum College’s Annie Hogan Byrd Auditorium on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 6:45 p.m.

Since graduating from college in 2010, Franco has become a campus favorite across the country. In early 2014, Franco decided to enter NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” competition. Competing against a wide variety of the country’s top talent, he emerged as the first magician to win the show’s top spot.

Franco became fascinated with the art of magic after seeing it on television at age four. Growing up in Rhode Island, Franco learned techniques by studying magicians he videotaped off television, and he continued to hone his craft with performances throughout his teen and college years. He now specializes in creating customized, interactive presentations for his audiences that allow for spontaneity and improvisation.

Mat Franco

“Mat really brought magic back in a big way,” said “America’s Got Talent” judge Mel B. “The audiences at home and in the theater loved him. He had a little bit of edginess to himself in performing.”

Campus Activities Magazine named him The 2013 Best Performer of the Year because of Mat’s unexplainable magic, music and spontaneous humor.

For Franco, magic isn’t about “tricking” or “fooling” the audience; it’s about connecting with people and bringing smiles to their faces. He has been entertaining college audiences full-time ever since the day he finished college himself,

Before approaching magic as a full time endeavor, Franco was a student of business with a concentration in marketing at the University of Rhode Island. He also minored in communication studies. Using his education as a tool, he was able to morph his hobby into a career.

This event is sponsored by the Tusculum College Office of Student Affairs.

Limited tickets are available at $15 per person and reservations may be made by calling Tusculum College Arts Outreach at 423-798-1620423-798-1620 or by emailing jhollowell@tusculum.edu. Tickets may be purchased at the box office window one-and-a-half hours prior to the performance. Tickets are payable by cash or check only, no credit or debit cards will be accepted.