Breakaway Daily Interviews Mathew C. Martino
A man of many talents, Mathew C. Martino is a Zimbabwe-born English actor, best selling author, film producer, pilot, and entrepreneur who currently lives in London. He takes some time away from his busy schedule to talk to me about his passion for flying, his favorite part about being a film producer, and his plans for the future.
You juggle a lot of projects. You are a pilot, author, film producer, actor and are also getting into music. What is a typical day like for you?
Well I don’t know about getting into music just yet, but I think a typical day for me sees me go through three or four different towns. I often have meetings with clients on the aviation side for my Lets Fly business, and some days I will pop my head into set to see how its all going. Its also normal for me to be working from another country for the day. I wake up in London and have a day based in Glasgow which means I’m at the airport first thing.
You have a real passion for flying. Where do you think this originated and what made you pursue it?
I think it originated in Africa, for us plane spotting was a real interesting thing and because planes where scarce there my love for flying just grew stronger and stronger.
You are also passionate for sharing this love of yours with aspiring pilots. You wrote a manual book called Lets Fly and have gone on to create other aviation resources including the Lets Fly Academy website, developed a Lets Fly App, and even a Let’s Fly documentary. Why did you want to share your enthusiasm and knowledge with others through these different channels?
I wanted to share this with others so that there are more pilots out there. I think flying is absolutely beautiful and I would like to share it with everyone and get the world flying. I’ve made Lets Fly on different platforms for it to reach people of all ages and circumstances.
It was reported a few months ago that you were planning to work with the international charity World Vision. Is this still in the works?
Yes indeed, Its still in the works. I can’t comment too much on that at the moment as I want my charity work to not be confused for a publicity stunt. I really want to help people and World Vision supports orphans often from Africa so this will mean I’m supporting people close to my roots.
How did you get involved with producing? What do you find most rewarding about being a film producer?
I was on set during my acting days and I just decided that I wanted to try out the other side of the camera. I’ve never looked back since as it gets better and better. The most rewarding thing is seeing your project getting critical acclaim and recognition and as a producer you feel proud as you helped make it happen.
Are you going to be doing some more acting in the future?
I don’t know yet, I often say never say never so we will see. Do I want to get on set pick up an AK47 and totally blast an action scene? Hell yeah!
What projects are you currently working on?
I’m currently working with 1066 Productions out of London to assist in developing their 2014/2015 slate. I also have personal projects I’m attached to and hoping to shoot some episodes of Lets Fly documentary in 2015.
Is there another interest of yours that you would like to embark on that you haven’t yet?
Yes I would like to learn to sail. Its hit me that I will probably never be an airline captain so I want to try and be a captain at sea. I’m getting a bit excited with the sailing stuff, and although I lost my boat to vandalism earlier this year, I will soon get a replacement toy.
Thank you to Mathew C. Martino for taking the time to speak with me today, it seems there is no stopping this young businessman!
