Having a blast Matt’s ballooning took off to be a huge hit
AFISHPONDS teenager who loves hot air ballooning runs one of the UK’s most successful websites devoted to the pursuit.
Matt Joyce, 19, set up MJ Ballooning in 2014 as a way of storing photos, videos and launch schedules.
Now Matt says his YouTube channel boasts more ballooning content than any other channel on the platform, while his website and social media accounts go from strength to strength too.
Reflecting on his hobby, Matt told the Bristol Post: “It’s a massive part of my life. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t do hot air ballooning.”
The ballooning season runs from March until October, with summer launches typically taking place at 6am and 7pm.
At the peak of the season, Matt says he gets up at 4.30am, shoots footage at a launch, goes to his day job as an SEO executive, then heads back out for the evening’s activities.
He says his dedication means he is now very well known among the ballooning community, with many members relying heavily on his site.
“It’s amazing, the amount of people who come up and say hello and say they love the website,” said Matt.
“Often they’re there because they’ve seen my update, which is brilliant – it makes it all worth it. That’s the best part about it.”
Most of Matt’s friends are fellow enthusiasts, although none can match his passion. Last year he attended more than 100 launches.
Matt said: “I think I’m the most committed person out of our group of ballooning people.
In at least one other respect, though, Matt feels he stands apart from many others in the ballooning world.
He said: “I’m one of the younger people who do ballooning – it tends to be older people who do it.
“I want to get young people involved in ballooning – that’s one of the aims of the website.
“They can go out and watch or if they want to get more handson, they can contact me and I can get in touch with pilots who might need crew.”
A great deal of Matt’s enjoyment comes from seeing the nonconventional ‘special-shape’ balloons.
His favourites include the Scottish piper, Churchill the dog, Yoda from Star Wars, and the superbike.
Pictures of those balloons are among the thousands stored on Matt’s website.
“There’s not anyone else who does what I do,” said Matt, reflecting on other ballooning sites.
“I’m very dedicated to it and there’s obviously loads of hot air ballooning companies around Bristol, but they’re around to book flights whereas I just want to promote hot air balloons.”
Asked whether he regards his project as the leading ballooning site in the UK, Matt said: “I don’t know if you can say it’s the best in the country but I’ve had comments saying that.
“From my point of view it’s the best in the country but I don’t think anybody [works] as much
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From my point of view it’s the best in the country but I don’t think anybody [works] as much as I do - it’s not always easy
as I do - it’s not always easy.”
The three biggest ballooning festivals in the UK, according to Matt, are Bristol Balloon Fiesta, Longleat and the Midlands Air Festival balloons.
One of Matt’s lifetime goals is to visit the largest festival in the world, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
More immediately, though, Matt would like to grow the popularity of his website.
“I want to build up the collection of photos and keep doing what I’m doing - maybe add a new section to the website,” he said.
Summing up the appeal of Bristol for balloonists, Matt said: “You’ve got the Cumberland Basin, the suspension bridge and the floating harbour to fly over, which are all interesting.”
He added it was “special” to fly over his home city, something he has done on numerous occasions.
Matt Joyce