Tampa Bay’s got talent!
More than 4,000 people auditioned at the Tampa Convention Center Monday for the 14th season of NBC’s America’s Got Talent.
All types of performers from all walks of life waited for hours in hopes a 90 second audition will punch their ticket to Hollywood. AGT hasn’t held Tampa auditions for a couple of years.
For some, like Matt Stone, it was their first time auditioning. The 15 year old musician and Elvis impersonator drove up from Palm Beach with his dad. Stone said he wasn’t nervous, and felt confident his act would impress the producers.
“It’s just a totally raw audition experience,” he said. “I feel like my music is one of the few things that can actually pull that off.”
Others, like singer Phillip Williams from Tampa, have experience with auditioning for talent competitions.
“I tried out for America Idol, I tried out for The Voice,” Williams explained. “So I said, okay, I’m going to try for America’s Got Talent.”
Stephanie Ogilvie is an opera singer from Naples who auditioned Monday in honor of her grandparents, who passed away earlier this year. Her brief performance was enough to bring a man in the audition room to tears. Ogilvie says the entire experience is exactly how she imagined it would be, based on watching the show.
“The signs, the lights. Everyone’s interacting with one another and very supportive,” she explained. “And that’s what it’s all about.”
Those who auditioned Monday will likely have to wait until February to March to learn if they’ll get a callback.
