In the first episode of our third season, we speak with Jason Greenamyer from the Class of 2002. Jason is a professional magician who performs alongside his wife, Stacy, as the husband-and-wife duo The Alans. Jason has performed professionally for nearly two decades, taking his career from birthday parties and libraries to cruise ships and stages around the country.

In our conversation, Jason recounts growing up in a working-class Salem family and describes a childhood spent playing sports, working alongside his family, and making frequent trips to the Salem Public Library–a place he credits with helping spark the interest in magic that would eventually become his career. Jason reflects candidly on struggling academically, the teachers who found ways to connect learning to his interests, and his experience as a three-sport athlete at SHS. He also describes a winding college journey that took him from Thiel College to Youngstown State University, where he competed in track and field before his growing interest in performing magic began pulling him in a different direction.

We also learn about Jason’s decidedly unconventional path to becoming a full-time magician–including getting booed before his first major performance, driving back and forth to Cleveland for gigs, sleeping in his car between shows, and eventually performing aboard cruise ships. Jason shares how the work ethic he learned growing up in Salem helped him turn a passion into a business, how his wife eventually left her career to join him in creating The Alans, and the risks, sacrifices, and persistence required to build the life they have today. We hope you enjoy!

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