Meet Matt Gallant—times four. There’s Matt, the TV personality, Matt, the hero of sick kids and troubled adults, Matt, the sculptor and Matt, the teacher. Four “different” Matts rolled into one man committed to “doing what I can to make things better for people in need.” And he means it. All four of him.
Take Matt, the TV personality, who also is an accomplished emcee standup comic and actor in commercials. He’s best known as the host for five years of “The Planet’s Funniest Animals.” This Emmy-winning series, produced in conjunction with “Animal Planet,” catapulted him to celebrity status.
It also put him in a position to solicit and organize show business luminaries in support of charities, which he managed to do on numerous occasions.
Enter Matt, the hero of sick kids and troubled adults. “One charity that has been a passion of mine for years is the Make-A-Wish-Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. These folks turn dreams into reality and bring happiness and hope to children with life-threatening medical conditions,” Matt explained.
Helping to make all this happen was Matt’s mission as a volunteer and fundraiser for nearly ten years. “The courage and positive outlook of the kids I met provided all the inspiration and motivation I needed,” he added.
Motivation reached a high point in 2004 when he founded Matt Gallant’s Bowling for Wishes and turned himself into a multi-tasker par excellence.
For the next five years he was one of the “multiest” multi-task guys around, doing just about everything that needed to be done to make this popular annual charity-bowling event a success. But hard work is no match for hard times. When the recession hit, donations dropped and Bowling for Wishes was forced to close down.
These days, a considerable amount of Matt’s time is spent counseling patients at Clearview Treatment Center in Los Angeles, a haven for adults 18 and older who suffer from psychiatric disorders and drug or alcohol addiction.
He describes the job as “humbling. I’m amazed at how deep their suffering goes and grateful to be able to help.”
Now let’s lighten up a bit with Matt, the teacher. He teams up with the best teacher of all—experience—to turn would-be television hosts into the real thing. His private classes focus on the unique challenges that aspiring hosts face, plus specific performance aspects of TV hosting itself.
Matt is certainly up to the task. In addition to The Planet’s Funniest Animals, he’s hosted Not Just The News, which earned him an Emmy as Best Host, plus: American Inventor; X-Treme Energy; Friday Night Videos; and Pranks.
Switching easily from teaching to learning, he emerges as Matt, the sculptor. This Matt practices his art with the noted sculptor Jonathan Bickart at The Sculpture Studio in Santa Monica. He specializes in contemporary figurative creations, many of which have been exhibited in galleries throughout the Los Angeles area.
Matt was quick to point out that “sculpting gives me another opportunity to help people by donating some of my pieces to fundraising events of the Circle of Care Foundation.” CCF is dedicated to obtaining financial and material assistance for worthy causes.
In 2004, Matt delivered the commencement address to undergraduates at his alma mater, the University of Rhode Island. At that time he received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree for his fundraising work with Make-A-Wish.
Throughout the ceremony, Matt displayed the wit and charm that brought him success on television, while the honorary degree attested to his most meaningful attribute:
Concern for people in need, from a man who walks the walk every day of his life.
He is also a fantastic brother! Matt has been there for me through thick and thin – I appreciate his wisdon and courage.
Paul J. Gallant
Shell, you make me look good! Thank You