In a profile of Kozak in the Press of Atlantic City entitled "Meet Kozak the magician, who might be the hardest working entertainer in Atlantic City," the performer discusses his discovery of magic as an adult:
At age 21, Kozak was in the U.S. Navy. He was 30 days away from being discharged when his job was switched to gate guard duty from midnight to 8 a.m. He was having trouble staying awake, so he chose a paperback book, "The Amateur Magician's Handbook" by Henry Hay, to read.
"I picked up this book, and it was like I was struck by lightning, and it was written in stone, 'That was my destiny.' That's what I was born to be. I just knew it. It was like an epiphany. I can't put it into words. I knew to the core of my being that's what I was supposed to be," said Kozak, who taught himself three tricks from the book during the next couple of weeks.