His father was known as a "magician's magician" and was a well-known creative force in magic fraternities; Alan grew up among New York's "inner circle" of professional magicians and variety performers, learning their style, their techniques and their secrets. Today, when asked about his material, Sands replies, "I've stolen only from the best."

"People ask me how long I've been performing. 'Since before I was born'," says Sands. "My father was a professional entertainer. He never had a job either". This is partially truth. In reality, Alan first appeared on stage when he was four, assisting his father with many of the routines he does in his own comedy magic show he has performed for over 25 years around the world.

Sands started entertaining seriously, practicing magic with coins and cards, at the age of six; won his first talent contest at age 12; and began performing professionally at 17. While attending high school Alan began honing his skills as a hypnotist at parties. He later worked his way through college, doing balloons and performing magic and comedy at San Francisco's Cannery, Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. There, he polished his act and perfected his ability to make people laugh.

Sands graduated from the streets in '86, took his clinical hypnosis training in '97 and became a Certified Stage Hypnotist in '98. He has performed at 170 county, state and agricultural fairs, exhibitions and festivals, fifty colleges, a dozen casinos, multiple extended runs at amusement parks, about 500 company picnics, dozens of comedy clubs, theaters, conventions and two cruise ships worldwide.

International credits include a three-month theater tour in the Republic of South Africa (1992), Beijing, China including a performance July 4th for the US Ambassador to China and 5,000 Americans (1997), Malaysia (1997), The United Arab Emirate, Dubai (2000) and dozens of trips north to Canada where he performs regularly.

Alan's national credits include over 300 Fortune 500 companies, 10 of the top 100 fairs and exhibitions in the USA and Canada, casino credits including seven weeks at the Tropicana in Atlantic City, The El Dorado in Reno and Bally's Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, universities across the continent have used The SandMan and corporate trade show clients include Sprint PCS and Motorola Wireless. Now age 44, Alan has been performing professionally for 26 years.

While his current favorite entertainment medium is hypnosis, the underlying theme is always comedy. He makes people laugh. His sense of humor is often described as a combination of "funny Ñ ha ha" and "funny Ñ strange."

Sands says his sense of humor, which is sometimes dry, often corny, but always funny, has been influenced by a combination of street performing in San Francisco and his Catskill, NY youth. It consists of double-entendres and one-liners that touch on the political, but he admits, "I don't say anything that would offend my mom." However, his mother danced with the Follies Bergiere!

When performing hypnosis, The SandMan brings the subject's subconscious to the movies, through temperature changes and to Mars, animal encounters, arguments in international tongues and creating what Alan likes to call "a three-ring circus of dreams", where every volunteer on stage imagines different fantasies at the same time. One of his great talents is making children and adults laugh simultaneously, keep them laughing and to leave them wanting more.

Sands' 60-120 minute comedy hypnosis show is best described as a "situation comedy using audience participation."