Meet Matthew Vizio | Sleight-of-Hand Man / Comedian / Magician
We had the good fortune of connecting with Matthew Vizio and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Matthew, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I remember doing my first magic show back in the day with another friend of mine and when it was all said and done we both received our first payment – $50. I loved studying, practicing and performing magic, but getting money for that show was the spark for realizing I could get paid for this. It was wonderful. Fast forward to college where I ended up majoring in Business Administration and learned not only about business in general, but how I could apply that knowledge to my magic ( i.e. how to grow a business, marketing, accounting, etc. ). That was the time where I combined not only my love of magic but be able to put together a viable business model to make short, medium, long term goals, setup invoicing and advertising forms for clients, and truly make my magic business it a reality. Ever since then, it’s been a wonderful journey full of ups and downs and everything in between.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The biggest thing I think about when putting together a magic show is breaking the barrier between myself and the audience so people can have an interactive experience as opposed to simply watching a magic show. When you engage with the audience, ask them to participate, or get them involved in some way, they pay more attention, sometimes say and do things that elevate your show to another level, and at the end of it, really do remember what happened and enjoy talking about it once they leave.
I am where I am today simply because I work on it everyday.
Spending time in the gym / Go out and pound sand / Respect the grind – Those are a few slogans I’ve come across on my journey that I always try to remember to keep me honest and keep me going. I wish I could tell you I remember where I heard or saw them, but unfortunately not so much. But they have kept me going over the years and are vital to keeping me on the path when I need them.
It’s having a plan on what you are going to train on everyday to keep your hands and fingers sharp. It’s reviewing the material on what you are saying to make sure you have the funniest, most engaging, and most powerful thing you can say. It’s reviewing your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals to make sure you know where you want to go and how you plan on getting there. There are no shortcuts and it’s going to be a long road to achieving anything that’s worthwhile.
When performing shows, the ultimate goal is to learn at least one thing after each one. If you learn one thing from one show and perform five shows a week, then that one thing compounds into a much larger picture and makes the learning curve that much lower and the results come much faster.
The key word – I believe – is doing it everyday. It’s what are you going to do everyday that will determine how much you achieve. It is the most simple and yet simultaneously the most difficult thing to do.
Motivation will start you on the path, but discipline will keep you on it.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Pasadena, CA so I would immediately mention places like the Rose Bowl for an outdoor walk or play date and then visit Old Town on Colorado Blvd at night. Plenty of places to check out and eat at, bars to patronize for a watering hole, and clubs to visit for music. That would definitely fill a weekend out without repeating anything.
I live in Pasadena, CA so I would immediately mention some places to visit like the Rose Bowl for an outdoor walk or play date and then visit Old Town on Colorado Blvd at night. Plenty of places to check out and eat at, bars to patronize for a watering hole, and clubs to visit for music. That would definitely fill a weekend out without repeating anything.
The best part about Pasadena too is that is very centrally located in Southern California, so I would recommend places in Downtown LA for sporting events like the Dodgers, Lakers, or Kings. Downtown LA – much like Old Town – would fill the void for more food, music, and other activities to check out.
Lastly, the mountains are not that far away too, so you can make a long weekend at Big Bear or Snow Mountain if the weather is right.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout to the first two people I met when I first entered the world of magic and would certainly not be here today if it were not for their friendship, mentoring, and partnership. They would be James Holguin and John Guastaferro.
Website: www.honestdeception.com
Instagram: @HDMattVizio
Twitter: @HDMattVizio
Facebook: HDMattVizio
Image Credits
Photos: Taylor Wong
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
