In 1980, shortly after his 20th birthday, Burton wins the "Gold Medal for Excellence" from the International Brotherhood of Magicians and moves to Southern California. Bill and Milt Larsen, the founders of the Magic Castle, feature him in their annual "It's Magic" show and land him an appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. To date, Burton has appeared on the "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson ten times and appeared five more times with Jay Leno as the host.