year in review

2020 Year In Review

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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.


2019 Year In Review

Happy New Year!

Check out my annual year in review video:

That’s one second of video for every day of last year. (You can also watch the seconds from 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015, if you’re interested.)

I love doing the One Second Everyday project because it’s an unpolished, authentic glimpse of a year in my life. Nestled in-between exciting trips and big performances are many cups of coffee, treadmill workouts, and rainy days at home. Every year I look back and see a year full of peaks and valleys, and I’m reminded how much more exciting the peaks are when you can appreciate the valleys, too.

The year started with a trip to Florida for the Orlando Fringe Winter Mini Fest. That festival marked two straight years of festivals around North America. I collected a ton of press and awards, and made dozens of friends with performers from all around the world. But I started to get burnt out, so after the Winter Mini Fest I decided I wouldn’t travel as much in 2019 and just focus on myself.

You know that feeling when someone isn’t into you and it makes you want to get to know them that much more? Well, that’s what happened with traveling last year. As soon as I said to myself “I don’t want to travel as much this year” my phone started to explode with requests for work in all sorts of places. I think I ended up traveling more this year than ever before.

The first big event was in Dubai. It was my first time in the Middle East and I’ll never forget it. Then came a four month residency at the Chicago Magic Lounge amidst events from coast to coast. Throughout the spring I made some appearances on Windy City Live, Good Day Chicago, plus a dozen of the top radio shows, podcasts, and newspapers in the city.

While I was doing the residency at CML I finally got clearance to start running again. After a sprained ankle and broken toe in 2018 I had been taking it easy, but once I went out again I didn’t stop. In the first couple months of spring I ran the Shamrock Shuffle and Chicago 10K. Then, on a whim, I signed up for the Soldier Field 10 Miler. I wasn’t fully trained for it, but it was the best thing I could have done. I finished under my goal pace and was thrilled to know I could finally go for longer distances. So I set my sights on a half marathon in the fall.

After my residency ended at CML I headed to Pittsburgh for a six week run of shows at Liberty Magic. I did six shows a week while I was there. I went to Pittsburgh with a 75 minute act and left with a 90 minute show. Since I was in the same location for a month and a half I was able to focus on other things. Instead of early flights, rental cars, and hotels I could concentrate on writing, reading, running, and more. And, as a result, the show got better and I had more fun doing it.

Something I’ve learned about myself this year is that the amount of shows I’m doing is finally filling a quota for my level of energy. When I was younger I was somewhat hyperactive, mischievous, and full of energy. I thought I was an extrovert. I was loud and a little obnoxious because I had all of this energy with nowhere to put it. But now, I realize that I’m finally channeling that part of me into something useful. I’m using my time onstage to connect with other people in a positive way. Several nights a week, I give people a feeling of mystery, laughter, and an escape from the valleys of their own lives.

With my energetic side fulfilled I’ve found that I am actually quite introverted. Outside of shows I find myself seeking alone time with a book and a cup of coffee. I prefer movies over bars and museums over parties. I am no longer seeking attention in the way I once was. What a lovely realization.

Speaking of movies - I saw some really great ones this year. I highly recommend Parasite, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Little Women, The Irishman, Midsommar, and Marriage Story. I also saw a brilliant production of Hamlet at Chicago Shakespeare, plus concerts by some favorite artists including Marc Broussard and John Mayer.

Somewhere in the middle of everything I bought a typewriter and sought out a more analog life. I started to really detest social media. It was taking too much of my time. I tried all of the tricks - setting my phone to greyscale, setting timers, not going on apps during the weekends, and more - but none of it worked. I kept scrolling twitter or posting to instagram, but it wasn’t making me happy.

I’ve never been able to build a big following online - offline, though, people seem to really like what I’m doing. I have fans of my live events in Chicago that come to every show I do. So I said back in August that I would delete my social media after I’d tied up a few loose ends. Last month I did exactly that.

The fall and winter were full of corporate and college events throughout the US and Canada. Oh, and I successfully trained and ran the Chicago Fall Half Marathon in a nasty, misty morning that I’ll never forget. I can’t wait to do another.

We also saw Derren Brown's brilliant show “SECRET” on Broadway. In college, when I was feeling a little lost, I found Derren’s work on YouTube and was blown away by his artistic approach to mentalism. I was questioning my career move at the time but that was the push I needed to give it a go. Now, fifteen years later, I’m thrilled to call him a friend.

More than anything, what I'll remember this year is people on their phones. I’ve had to tell people to put their phones down during Broadway shows and Oscar winning movies. I’ve called at least a dozen people out during my shows for causing a distraction, too. My memory of everything I did this year is clouded by people on their phones.

I’m a longtime fan of John Mayer, for instance, and was excited to finally see him in concert. But all I remember is the people on either side of us, mindlessly texting or scrolling their social media feeds instead of being present and appreciating the raw talent onstage. People are incredibly unaware of how their phone use disrupts the experience of other people around them. The glow of your device in my periphery directly relates to how I experience what’s going on in front of me, too.

We saw a Monet and Manet exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute this year - through a sea of cell phones. Hamlet was brilliant, but I can still hear that lady’s ringtone echoing through the theater. Talk about being pulled out of the Shakespearean time period! Not to mention all of the people who constantly bump into me on sidewalks or in the aisles of my neighborhood stores. It’s a shame, but that’s what I remember.

I can’t believe this decade is coming to a close but I’ve always loved new beginnings. In 2020 I’m continuing my push into an analog life. I’m going to work harder on my show and my running and…that’s it. It feels great to be focused and not worried about a dozen other things that don’t matter. And it feels great to be back writing Thursday Thoughts again after a much needed break for the holidays. See you next week!

2017 Year In Review

2017 has been an incredible year for me. Here are some of the highlights:

• 135 shows in 35 states and 3 countries
• “The Mystery Tour” with SOLD OUT performances at six fringe festivals internationally
• “Best Bet” at FRIGID New York
• “Audience Choice” at FRIGID New York
• “Patrons’ Pick” at Orlando Fringe
• “Critics’ Choice” at PortFringe
• “Outstanding Magic or Mentalism Performance” at San Diego Fringe
• “Top Selling Show” at Chicago Fringe
• 13 TV appearances
• Features on Theatre Is Easy, Broadway World, Voyage Chicago, The Orlando Sentinel, WGN, NBC, FOX, and more.
• Largest Audience - 6,000 people at Purdue University in Indiana
• Smallest Audience - 7 people for a private event in NYC

I performed in Major League Ballparks, massive theaters, airports, mountainside resorts, casinos, rooftops, pool cabanas, and more. I also started writing my first book and helped create a customized marketing plan for an international brand kickoff campaign.

My new show is nearly written and I’m already putting together my tour for next year. It’s going to be amazing and I can’t wait to share all the deets with you soon. For now, check out my new Year In Review Video for a look back at all the places I went in 2017.

Thanks for following my adventures this year. I’ll be taking a month off from Thursday Thoughts so I can concentrate on some other projects for a while. But I’ll be back soon with more ideas from the road.

See you in 2018. 

Year In Review

2016 was my busiest year yet!

The year started with shows in Rhode Island, Florida, NYC, Iowa, Houston, Boston, Lubbock, South Dakota, Kansas, and Illinois. After that, I took my lovely wife to my show at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Our road trip led us through Utah, Idaho, and into Wyoming where Stephie fell in love with everything about Jackson Hole.

Up early to take photos of the sun rising over the Grand Tetons.

Up early to take photos of the sun rising over the Grand Tetons.

Shows kept me busy. I performed in an airplane hanger, on the rooftops of New York City, a barn full of neon signs, giant conference rooms, small meeting rooms, casinos, large theaters, small stages, and more. Plus, I headlined at The Chicago Magic Lounge once a month. It's been great to be a small part of such a cool project and to help magic flourish in Chicago once again.

In May, Stephie graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with her Masters of Arts Management. (She had a full-ride scholarship and graduated with top marks!) She came with me to a gig in Vegas a few days later to celebrate. The gig went so well that the client got me drunk in the bar at The Cosmopolitan. I came back to our room upstairs and woke Stephanie up. You'll have to ask her for the rest of the story...

Stephie said, "I got to be on that stage before you!" BURN.

Stephie said, "I got to be on that stage before you!" BURN.

Then, I spent a couple days in Los Angeles with my best friend Frank Fogg. We went to the beach, spent a night at the Magic Castle, and saw Derek Delgaudio's fantastic one-man show "In & Of Itself." It was a great trip.

If you've enjoyed any part of my show then Frank probably had a part in it. He's easily the most creative magician I know.

If you've enjoyed any part of my show then Frank probably had a part in it. He's easily the most creative magician I know.

After a gig in NYC I slept two hours then woke up to get to the airport. An hour later my Uber dropped me off at LaGuardia. I was tired but I was on time with my bags in tow. Everything was perfect - except my flight was out of Newark. I always fly in and out of LaGuardia but had booked this last-minute trip into LGA and out of EWR. Oops! One hour and $100 later I walked through security and straight onto my flight in Jersey. You learn not to panic on the road. It may be terrible in the moment but nothing's ever as bad as it seems.

Laugh it off, learn from it, and move on.

In July, Stephie and I took a week off for a trip to London. We were there right after Brexit, which was quite interesting to say the least. We did the usual touristy things - museums, Big Ben, the London Eye, the Tower of London, Sherlock Holmes Museum, and more - then went on to Blackpool to see the last night of Derren Brown's "Miracle" tour.

The show was fantastic. Derren is the reason I got into mentalism so I was thrilled to finally be able to see him live. Stephie patiently waited with me at the stage door following the show and after an hour, Derren emerged to say hi to the ten of us who were still waiting. It was a perfect night!

With Derren Brown after his show "Miracle" in Blackpool.

With Derren Brown after his show "Miracle" in Blackpool.

By the end of the summer, I had made a few new friends in the theatre community and lost another friend to suicide. I logged a couple hundred miles training for a marathon, then injured my feet and lost all of my progress. In the midst of it all, I wrote a new show and performed it three times at the Chicago Fringe Festival.

In the fall I performed in Utah, Nevada, Napa Valley, Seattle, Ontario, Buffalo, Albany, Houston, South Carolina, Cleveland, and of course Chicago. We went back to Rhode Island for a show in Watch Hill. It was just down the street from Taylor Swift's house! We saw the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Pier 39, the Space Needle, the Grand Tetons, the St. Louis Arch, Niagara Falls, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and Zion National Park.

It's way better from the Canadian side.

It's way better from the Canadian side.

At the start of October I turned 30. THIRTY! My only request this year was to be able to perform on my birthday. I remember mentioning that I could "think of no better place to spend my birthday than onstage" and having a fellow performer say "I can think of a dozen better places."

Well, I disagree. So I spent my birthday blowing minds onstage at the Chicago Magic Lounge.

Best gift ever.

At the start of November I watched the Cubs win the World Series alone in my hotel room after a gig in Las Vegas. After the election I produced the "Be Happy Variety Show" to raise money for the ACLU. We raised over $1500. I also joined with my friends Nick and Sin and started performing at their monthly private event in downtown Chicago known as The Magic Penthouse.

Taking a final bow at the "Be Happy" variety show.

Taking a final bow at the "Be Happy" variety show.

In December I had an extremely busy schedule of holiday shows and private appearances. My final flight out of Chicago was cancelled due to snow, so Stephie and I loaded the car and drove 6 hours over to Cleveland to make it happen. I never miss a show.

After losing my friend Jacob I started writing more. I needed an outlet to express the thoughts I was feeling. I've stuck with it and now I publish my thoughts here on my website every Thursday. I call it: Thursday Thoughts. Original, I know.

It took going halfway around the world to see Derren Brown's show for me to have an artistic breakthrough and ascend to the next plateau of my art. I've taken my work in a completely new direction and am truly excited for the months ahead. I already have bookings in three countries next year, so it's shaping up to be pretty incredible. (Stephie's looking forward to going to Cancun in March. For some reason I can't convince her to come to Omaha in January, though.)

2016 was hard. There was loss and pain. The election sucked, great icons passed away, and I spent much of the summer in physical therapy. But I spent the year looking ahead. I went to as many shows as I could and the best ones I've mentioned here. I studied Stoicism and became obsessed with figuring out how to be truly happy. I read and watched and studied and practiced and dreamt about everything that's important to me. It was time well spent.

Blowing minds at The Magic Penthouse.

Blowing minds at The Magic Penthouse.

I don't know what 2017 has in store but here's what I plan to do:

  1. Travel even more. (Hopefully Stephie can come, too.)

  2. Write every day. (Currently I write 1,000 words a day. I'm going to stick with it.)

  3. My name was just drawn for the 2017 Chicago Marathon. Let the training commence!

  4. Get off the Internet. Read more, create more, make more eye contact, take more pictures.

  5. Make more videos.

One last thing.

I love telling stories through video. For three years now, I've been recording every moment of every day. A few months ago my Canon S120 stopped working. That's the second S120 I've busted. When you use it as much as I do it wears out pretty quickly.

For Christmas I asked for some gift cards to put towards replacing my camera. Thanks to some generous family members and some extra savings I just ordered a new camera. I've been filming everything I did in 2016 - good or bad - but for the past few months I've had to use my iPhone and GoPros to capture those moments. It's just not the same so I can hardly wait for my new camera to arrive!

For now, in the spirit of making more vidoes, may I present to you my newest project: My 2016 Year In Review Video. If you're looking for me in 2017 I'll probably be onstage somewhere in North America. Maybe you'll be in the audience.

See you next year.