It’s no secret that Greeley and northern Colorado are ripe with talent. From artists like Armando Silva to bands like The Burroughs, there is an endless array of amazing creatives living in the region.

Magician, mentalist, illusionist and entertainer, Ryan Beyer is just one of the many artists that calls Greeley home. Through his performances, Beyer brings his years of magic experience to audience members of all ages.

The magic bug first bit Beyer when he was 8-years old.

“So, for 43 years now. Man, that makes me seem really old,” Beyer said, laughing.

Beyer’s grandfather was skilled in sleight-of-hand and when he pulled a coin out of young Beyer’s ear, the 8-year old was hooked.

“He never toured, he was more of a hobbyist, but when he pulled that coin out of my ear, I about lost it,” Beyer said. “I was just amazed in wonder. Not even my grandfather would tell me the secret of the trick.”

From then on, Beyer began watching every David Copperfield special and magic show he could find, laser focused on what the performers were doing to expand his knowledge and skills.

“We didn’t have the internet back then, so everything was learned from books,” he said. “One of the mottos I go by is that I am not going to wait for the world to build my stage, I’m going to build my own.”

Beyer continued to hone his craft, performing shows in a variety of venues and at any event he could nail down.

The combination of book learning and TV watching paid off because magic is Beyer’s full-time gig.

Beyer is in the midst of literally taking the show on the road with a unique concept that will feature a completely new show at every stop.

“The only thing that remains consistent is me as the Master of Ceremonies,” he said. “It’s a lot of hard work but I’ve built a great team.”

Before traveling to each new city, Beyer put out a call to local magicians interested in vying for a spot in the show. Guest performers will range from highly seasoned magicians to those who are newbies to the stage.

“What I’ve designed this tour to do is promote local and semi-local acts in each of the cities that I go to; give them a platform and an opportunity to perform on a stage that they normally wouldn’t be able to; introduce themselves to their community and share their magic with their community,” Beyer explained. “It’s a pretty unique platform or business model compared to what a normal magic tour would look like.

“It’s really exciting to me not only to support and mentor a lot of these magicians, but to travel around the country sharing what I love most.”

Accompanied by his army of support, which includes Mike Hankins, executive producer; Frankie Valle, technical producer; Eythan Maidhof, cinematographer and Jordan Rooks, chief marketing officer, Beyer is scheduled to perform in 11 states— including Arizona, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Nebraska —before wrapping up the tour in Las Vegas where it started.

“We are going to have an all-stars of magic or a handful of acts that we select from the tour from all stops and bring them to Vegas to end the tour,” he said.

People can see Beyer’s shows not only in-person at the venues, but also online through live streaming. The shows will be available for viewing to people all around the world.

“We are hoping to reach out to between 25-30 different countries with the Phoenix show alone,” Beyer commented.

As with any form of entertainment, keeping his act fresh and new is important. And with the rise of using technology in magic, the competition from fellow magicians can be fierce.

“The best way to learn a new trick is to read an old book. So many young magicians are going on YouTube and going to these magic suppliers and getting whatever looks flashy,” Beyer said.  “I think it’s a lot better to find an old trick, rewrite it, make it yours, make it unique. That way you don’t run into the problem of everybody having the same material as you have.”

While Beyer feels that television shows like “America’s Got Talent” and “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” are great platforms to get your name out into the entertainment industry, he “hates” sites like YouTube and other similar platforms.

“Simply because the number one rule in magic is to never share the secrets — it’s magic,” Beyer said. “So many people do videos to where they disclose the magic, and I have a really hard time with that. Magic is an art that I hold really near and dear and when people go and start exposing magic, especially tricks that isn’t theirs or that they didn’t develop or put out, that creates a big problem.”

With several different shows in his toolbelt, Beyer can tweak shows for any kids of audience type — including family friendly and adults only. Along with performing in venues for the public, he is also available for private shows in homes and corporate entertainment for small to large business events.

Originally from Omaha, Beyer and his family moved to Colorado when his wife, who is a nurse, was offered a job in Greeley. Along with being a husband and magician, Beyer is a father of six kids.

“Greeley has been great to me; I absolutely love it. I can be very involved in the community and volunteer my time,” Beyer explained. “You know, you get out of it what you put into it.”

To learn more about Ryan Beyer, his upcoming performances or how to book him for an event, go to www.theryanbeyerexpereince.com.