Ohio State student Matt Tyson works a part-time job, but his job is not the usual on-campus, food service or retail job common among many college students. He is better known by some as “Matt, the Balloon Guy.”
Tyson, a junior in mechanical engineering, began his journey to become “Matt, the Balloon Guy,” when he was 14 years old. A friend in his church introduced him to balloon-twisting.
“It looked fun and interesting, so another friend of mine and I went to the library and checked out a couple of books about it,” Tyson said.
After he learned the basics, Tyson – still 14 years old – went to work for an entertainment company, which he did not name. Even though he was young, Tyson learned early that working for the company was not where he wanted to be.
“They put too many regulations and restrictions on me. They told me what I had to wear, and I really didn’t want that,” Tyson said.
Tyson decided to go to area restaurants in his hometown to convince those restaurants that they needed him to improve the dining atmosphere and keep their patrons happy.
“I try to fill the space between the time that the people order their food and when the food arrives,” he said.
Tyson’s first job was at a Chi Chi’s restaurant in Akron. He worked for two years, but the Radio Disney Company approached Tyson after an employee from Radio Disney noticed how well Tyson worked with children. Tyson left his job at Chi Chi’s to serve as second-in-command of local promotions for Radio Disney in Cleveland.
After a little more than one year, Tyson moved to Columbus to attend OSU. Immediately after his arrival, he handed out business cards and began a search for work.
He eventually found a steady job with the Spaghetti Warehouse, 397 W. Broad St., where he has now worked for two years. He spends his Saturday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m., making all sorts of balloon creations for the customers.
But Tyson has expanded his “empire.” He has three additional restaurants where he works regular hours – Damon’s Restaurant, 3025 Olentangy River Rd., on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m.; T.G.I.Fridays, 1330 Polaris Pkwy., on Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m.; and Quaker Steak and Lube, 8500 Lyra Dr., on select Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m.
His friends at Quaker Steak and Lube added an extra date to Tyson’s schedule last week for their kick-off to Bike Nights. Tyson built a life-size replica of a Harley Davidson motorcycle entirely out of balloons.
Angela Perkins, general manager at Quaker Steak and Lube, said having Tyson there on Mondays for Family Night helps to increase the response from their customers, and it helps bring those people back.
“He is one of the most accomplished balloon artists I have ever seen. He does such complex creations; it’s not just the balloon dogs you’ve seen people make,” Perkins said. For that reason, Perkins and her fellow employees decided to include Tyson and his skills in kicking off their Bike Night event.
Tyson was allotted six hours to build the massive creation. He prepared by visiting Harley Davidson Web sites and looking at different styles of bikes, which is why he decided to create a softail motorcycle.
The softail is Tyson’s most complex creation. He estimated it would take between 200 to 300 balloons. Once, he created a Spongebob Squarepants balloon, which took approximately 30 to 40 minutes to assemble.
“I feel like building it from scratch, and taking so much time will give people an incentive to stick around to see it finished,” Tyson said. And the patrons did stick around to watch the artist in action.
“I’ve never seen it before. I’m interested to see it when it’s finished,” said Irwin Kuhns, a patron at Quaker Steak and Lube.
Tyson hopes to continue his balloon twisting indefinitely, but he does wish to pursue a career in mechanical engineering as well. He also says the art has taught him skills beyond twisting balloons.
“It has taught me good business sense and time management skills that will help me out in the business world,” Tyson said.
Tyson has really loved being “Matt, the Balloon Guy,” and apparently, his audience has loved it too.
“I like it. I think it’s really cool. I could never do that,” said Tiherra Booker, 10, who attended Bike Night with her mother.
Tyson said he is always willing and able to help others learn the trade if they are interested.
“People in this business aren’t selfish because we are not in competition with each other. They are always willing to help each other out,” Tyson said.
If people would like to learn on their own, he advises to check out books from the library or visit Web sites such as his, www.protwister.com, to see artists’ creations.
