H ITS MELBOURNE
BY: MELISSA WALSH
M
ention the name Mister Maker around any kids and watch the excitement in their eyes. Children of all ages love to watch what the crafty and colourful character from ABC Kids can make; especially in under a minute. After his sell-out 2015 tour, the craft-man himself is back to make more crazy creations with help from the doodle box.
Although he has been doing the show for 10 years, Gallagher says he is grateful every day to do something he loves.
“It’s such a joy to do and such a privilege Phil Gallagher, as Mister Maker is known in everyday life, began his career as a journalist but always wanted to be a children’s TV entertainer. to be able to call it my job; I feel very fortunate indeed,” said Gallagher, who was “I was sports reporting very early on, before my proper career started, nominated for a BAFTA in 2009. and was very fortunate to get experience with my local BBC. I loved local sports and was able to report on the local footy. But it had always been my dream to work in kids TV,” said Gallagher. “I had an opportunity to work on the Disney Channel many years ago and that’s where it all started.” For Gallagher, growing up watching kids TV presenters gave him something to work towards. “I loved watching how they entertained the kids and that connection on a one-to-one basis. That’s what I do with Mister Maker, using arts and crafts and lots of fun to create a show that inspires people of all ages to get arty. Its comical and funny and the kids feel as if Mister Maker is one of their friends. With the live show we bring the connection to the TV show and it is great because we get an immediate reaction from the audience. The live show is interactive and so much fun. Last year we had Jimmy Giggle come up on stage and it was great.” 10
Peninsula Kids – Winter 2016
“That was a surreal moment. We had only been on air for a couple of years and we lost out to Richard Hammond from Top Gear, so we were in very good company. I met him on the night and it was great to be able to congratulate him.” When asked what makes the show so popular, Gallagher laughs and says, “My hair of course.” Mister Maker is well known for his kooky hairstyle and his colourful vests, with the show commanding the attention of tens of thousands of viewers across the globe. Screened in over 100 countries, and dubbed in several different languages, Mister Maker’s crafty approach to