Mystery is the stage name and alter-ego of the Canadian author and entertainer Erik Von Markovic. He is most famous for starring as the main character of the book, 'The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of pickup artists' as well as starring on the VH1 reality TV series, 'The Pick-Up Artist.'
Early days
Mystery was born Erik James Horvat- Markovic on 24 September 1971 in Toronto, Canada. Before moving in to the role of a pickup artist, Markovic worked as a professional magician and earned his money from it, stating the world famous magician David Copperfield as his idol.
Markovic made a success of this line of work and was earning up to $1500 a night performing at big corporate events, even appearing on TV. In order to become more of a success, Markovic moved from his home in Toronto to LA in the United States in order to try and land himself into a major television spot. This did not work out and he was forced to move back to Toronto, totally broke.
A pick-up artist
A pick-up artist is somebody who is an expert in picking up girls. By this, we mean he is a master of seduction. Whilst broke, Markovic began trawling the bars and clubs of Toronto, gaining knowledge and skills as to how to pick up women.
He used his experience as a magician to impress girls with tricks and jokes in order to get their attention and he soon found out that this method proved to be very successful. His first indulgence as an advisory pickup artist came when he advertised his live services to men.
Five students picked him up on his offer and paid $500 each to receive live, audio instruction from Markovic when approaching women in clubs.
Fame and success
Markovic's first mainstream exposure came following his contribution to the book, 'The Venusian Arts Handbook' in which he detailed some of his 'mystery methods.' He continued running seminars and boot camps about pick-up artistry but his fame hit heavy heights when he starred in his own VH1 reality TV series, 'The Pickup Artist' in 2007.
Along with this, came his 'Mystery' alter ego and the show and after a disappointing start, it became immensely popular in the U.S. The show saw Mystery take on eight inept men and teach them the art of becoming a pick-up artist.
The show followed these men as they learned the tricks of the trade and became more confident when it came to chatting up women.
A final word
Today, the show is no longer running but Mystery does continue to run his seminars and boot vamps in LA and he is a minor celebrity.
