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MAGIC MATT Master Illusionist Matt Hollywood brings his special brand of magic to the Gold Coast.
WORDS RHONDA OXNAM WITH A CAREER than spans many continents and several decades, Master Illusionist Matt Hollywood is one of the Gold Coast’s most recognisable personalities. Known for his grand illusions, he has been named Australian Entertainer of the Year and International Merlin Illusionist of the Year, however, the road to success has not always been easy. In the early days, Matt was taking up to 400 flights a year, crisscrossing the country and building a reputation as one of Australia’s most popular magic acts. “Sometimes I would do eight flights a day and for three years I was Virgin Australia’s highest frequent flyer which resulted in me being their first ever Platinum member,” Matt recalls. “I might do a morning TV appearance in Melbourne, then a corporate booking in Sydney, back to Melbourne for a business lunch and then up to the Gold Coast for an evening show.
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“Someone told me a long time ago to ‘pack small, play big’, so I learnt to do that very well and that’s what gave me the ability to do the shows in quick succession. “I was doing gala dinners, business conferences, birthday parties, TV appearances, whatever came my way “And for a long time I did a lot of television, from The Footy Show through to Rove, which set up my profile, so from there I cruised along and had fun.” That fun included playing shows for everyone from princes to prime ministers. “I’ve been very fortunate to play for some very high-profile guests such as Nicole Kidman, Robbie Williams, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pamela Anderson and Gordon Ramsay, as well as a host of presidents, royals and public figures all around the globe,” he says. These days you will find the Master Illusionist much closer to home, performing regular Friday
and Saturday night shows at the Village Theatre Sanctuary Cove and savouring the time he gets to spend with his precious loved ones. “From travelling so much around the country, I realised the value of family,” he admits. “While I still love performing, what matters most for me now is not money, it’s time … time with my kids, time with my partner, time with my friends. “That’s the main reason I’ve based myself at Sanctuary Cove, to be close to my family.” In fact, it was a family member who inspired Matt’s initial interest in the world of magic when he was just a young boy. “My great grandfather was a well-known magician back in the 1910’s and 1920s,” Matt explains. “When I was around 10-years-old he showed me my first magic trick ever and it was amazing, I’ll never forget it. “He would get a table and he would float it in the air.