Curiocity: The Magician Behind Mickey's Magic Show

Brad Ross was 13 years old when his parents took him on vacation to the magical land of Las Vegas. Though he began his love of illusions at the tender age of 5, he always saw it as more of a hobby than anything else. But on that night, he settled in for the live "Grand Illusion" show with his family in Vegas -- and everything changed.

"It wasn't a magician doing magic tricks at my birthday or a magic teacher teaching a trick in an after-school workshop, it was Siegfried and Roy -- magicians of the century -- presenting some of the biggest illusions you could possibly imagine," he said. "Watching these illusionists perform live on stage, I thought, 'how cool to be able to wake up every day, work in a theater and be able to perform these amazing illusions for audiences.'"

It was then that Ross set his eyes on a new goal, a future profession. Now, 14 years later, he's doing exactly what he set out to do that night at "Grand Illusion" -- waking up every day, working in theaters and able to perform mind-bending illusions for audiences around the world.

Ross will perform his love of magic for a Twin Cities audience this Sunday for two performances of "Disney Live! presents Mickey's Magic Show" at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Making it this far has certainly been a dream come true for Ross -- but the journey here wasn't quite as easy as the wave of a wand.

Ross said once he figured out this was what he wanted to do with the rest of his life he found the biggest challenge was finding a strategy.

"If you want to become a doctor there's a pretty prescribed, no pun intended, game plan for you -- you go to college, you go to medical school, you've got your path laid out. And the same is true for most jobs and chosen professions," he said. "When you want to be a magician, it's not quite the same."

Ross said he when he told people about his future profession, he heard plenty of comments questioning the practicality of a career in magic. Luckily, however, those comments weren't coming from the two people that mattered most, his parents.

"I have very supportive parents who always encouraged me to follow my dreams and pursue my passion," he said.

Sure, his mother may have had an initial "are you sure you don't want to be a doctor?" plea, but after talking with his dad -- a man who is an orthodontist and absolutely loves what he does for a living -- they put full support behind their magical son.

Ross went to college, majoring in television and film (ensuring he secured an education, to have as a backup) and then sought out help from the people around him who were involved in the world of magic. It wasn't before long that he was working with David Copperfield's former choreographer to help him with his own shows.

He started his own business, doing children's birthday parties and magic for local town events around New Jersey. And before he knew it, he was headlining his own show at the New Jersey Six Flags Adventure theme park. Since then, Ross has been touring the world, performing magic and entertaining families through the Mickey's Magic Show.

And he's not going unnoticed. Last month, Ross received the prestigious International Magicians Society Merlin Award for Best International Family Entertainer of 2010 ... at the age of 27. (It's like winning an Oscar, but for illusionists.) And coincidentally, previous winners include Ross' inspiration -- Siegfried and Roy.

"It's a very humbling experience," Ross said. "Sometimes it's surreal to think about how far I've come."

Ross credits his journey in the world of magic to the support of friends and family and stopping at nothing to follow his dreams – something he tries to pass on to other hopeful magicians who stare up at him in awe and get that same sparkle in their eye that he had growing up.

"You really have the power and magic inside you to follow those dreams," he said. "If you want it bad enough, you will find a way, as long as you're following that dream."

Catch Ross in action this Sunday in Disney Live! presents Mickey's Magic Show at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Mickey's Magic Show is a unique experience and the first magic show produced by Disney. Families can catch all their favorite Disney characters, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, Jasmine and more, combined with world-class illusions.