2020 is over…FINALLY.
Honestly, it started off strong for me - I had a ton of gigs in January and February all over the map. I was on track to have my best year of shows ever, along with some special projects and opportunities on the horizon. And then, in March, it all came crashing down. I’m sure it did for you, too.
Within 48 hours my entire schedule of events was gone. I refunded clients, cancelled flights, and contemplated unemployment. But then, my agent said “Send us a reel for a virtual show as soon as possible…” and I said “Okay! But what is a virtual show exactly?”
Since then I’ve performed close to 200 shows for clients from all over the world. I’ve done shows for events on three continents and 40+ states, all from the comfort of my studio here in Chicago. I worked for a bunch of major corporations including Quaker, PepsiCo, Marriott, HLTH, Podium, and even Zoom itself.
As campuses shut down across the country, many schools turned to online entertainment to give students something to look forward to. As a result I was able to give thousands of college students a momentary escape from the misery of the pandemic with my online entertainment.
Additionally, I also wrote two completely separate virtual shows and sold tickets to them through my mailing list. (If you aren’t a subscriber go here to sign up!) The show back in July had such great reviews that I worked on another one for four months which is set to debut tomorrow. It SOLD OUT within 24 hours of being announced and I’m stoked to finally share it with people this weekend.
Being stuck at home so much this year gave me time to work on other interests. I got back into drawing and piano. I watched a ton of classic films. And, I’ve been working more on my writing and filmmaking than ever before. As always, I kept up with my “One Second Every Day” video project. So, here is my annual year in review video - a second of video filmed from every long, miserable, exhausting day in 2020:
Okay, enough about 2020. Time for a new year and a fresh start. And oh yeah, the blog is back.
See you tomorrow.
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About Mark Toland
Mark Toland is an award-winning mind reader and two-time TEDx Speaker. His mind blowing skills have been featured on NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, NPR, WGN, Sirius XM, and more. Mark’s blog is a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a professional entertainer, full of creative thoughts for creative people. Sign up below so you’ll never miss a post.