Wallingford Magician Is Making Balloons Disappear

WALLINGFORD, CT — Matt The Balloon Man is no more.

After more than seven years of performing magic tricks and twisting balloons, Matt Martin took time during the coronavirus pandemic to rebrand his business with a focus on the environment.

Martin, who performs under the stage name Matt Matthews, recently changed his company’s name from Matt The Balloon Man to Matt Matthews Magic as part of a broader push toward being more environmentally sustainable.

“As we begin to learn more about balloons and their impact on the environment, I wanted to refocus away from them with my business,” Martin said. “The balloons that I use for balloon twisting have always been considered biodegradable. I think they’re probably still safe for the environment, but new research is raising questions about that. But even still, any single-use item carries with it a larger carbon footprint than something that can be reused.”

Martin, who usually performs at dozens of libraries throughout Connecticut, has pivoted away from the balloon décor and balloon delivery aspects of his business during the pandemic. He said Mylar balloons, which aren't used in balloon-twisting, are particularly hazardous to the environment.

Martin is still offering balloon twisting for his party entertainment, which has moved to Zoom in recent months.

Disappearing acts in a pandemic

Like many businesses, party entertainment has been decimated by the pandemic.

“No question, the pandemic has been brutal for my business,” Martin told Patch. “My entire business model relies on large groups of people getting together! It's the worst thing you can image for a party entertainer. Offering virtual shows for libraries helped a lot last summer, but overall, it's just been a year of terrible revenue. It's been personally difficult, but I'm grateful and recognize how lucky I am to still have a full-time job, plus the support of my wife who also has a job. We've been struggling like many families, but we also count our blessings for how much worse it could have been.”

Martin, who works as a case manager for a non-profit organization that helps homeless families, said many of the library shows he usually performs over the summer were canceled. But a lot of them moved to virtual shows over Zoom, which he said was a “new and interesting experience.”

“The feedback from the show was really great, but it seemed like turnout was a bit disappointing for many librarians,” Martin said. “I'm hopeful that we can get back to in-person programming this year. If not, I have some ideas for changing the format from Zoom shows to Facebook Live shows which can hopefully attract a larger audience.”

As COVID-19 numbers were lower over the summer, Martin said he did do some smaller, outdoor parties, but “all of that ended with the rising numbers of the fall combined with the cold weather.”

“I had some inquiries in December, but I turned them down because they couldn't be done safely,” he said. “I'm starting to offer limited, in-person shows again, but I'm being very strict about making sure that everyone wears a mask during the performance.”

The magic ahead

Martin said he’s been performing magic since he was a child.

“My passion for magic led to me falling in love with balloon art, and then I decided to spin that passion off into a career, so I could do what I love for a living,” he said.

His long-term goal is to eventually move to performing full time.

“Because of the pandemic, I don't expect that 2021 will be the year that that happens, but I do think we'll see general restrictions on gatherings start to ease up as the warm weather arrives,” Martin said. “My hope is that with the vaccine now rolling out we won't have to go back into lockdown at the end of this summer, and things will be back to something resembling normal by this fall.”

When things do return to normal, Martin plans to perform more magic shows than balloon-twisting events with an eye on the environment.

“Magic shows are a more sustainable type of performance,” he said. “My magic shows use and reuse the same props over and over again, so there’s a much lighter carbon footprint.”

For clients that still want balloon twisting, Martin plans to explore more environmentally friendly alternatives.

“I’m looking into doing more with bubbles, which environmental groups often recommend as an alternative to balloon releases,” he said.

Changing his business in the middle of a pandemic was a challenge, but Martin thinks it was worth it.

“2020 was just such a bad year for so many people, but making this change to my business is something that I accomplished and can be really proud of,” he said. “I just want to leave the world a little better than I found it.”

For more information, visit Martin’s website here and on Facebook here.

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