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Simon
McKinney

In demand comedian and talented MC

Profile

Simon McKinney is perfect for the corporate audience with his 'clean' comedy both as a feature comedian and as an MC. His fun and generous style warms him to any audience.

Comedian

Simon returned to New Zealand following a very successful stint on the UK pro circuit, where he performed at two Edinburgh Fringe Festivals and then went on to do a massive 300 gig run across Britain.

Awards

He was quickly embraced by the New Zealand comedy scene with appearances at the NZ International Comedy Festival, a Billy T Award Nomination and in 2007 he was voted by his peers as NZ's œBest Male Comedian at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards. In 2010 was awarded the œReilly Comedy Award, by the Variety Artists of New Zealand. At the 2011 NZ International Comedy Festival, Simon was nominated for the Festival's supreme award œThe Fred for his show œPeople.

His impressions are what really make Simon a unique addition to any event - they include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bert & Ernie, Elmo and œthat movie guy. It's his impersonations of the everyday folk like œthe kiwi lady, œthat drunk guy and his international accents that connect him with his audience.

Television

He has appeared in numerous televised Comedy Galas as part of the NZ International Comedy Festival and TV3's œAotearoHA series. In 2010 Simon also appeared in and took the character of œRachel, Rhys Darby's receptionist in TV2's œComedy Christmas Cracker The Work Do, as well as TVNZ's œNew Zealand Variety Show, TV2's hit comedy series œA Night At The Classic and is one of the voices & puppeteers on the hit children's TV show œThe Mo Show.

Current work

Simon travels the world as the Star entertainer for premier Cruise lines performing to up to 2000 people a night.

Simon McKinney is renowned for his character impersonations and is an in demand comedian for corporate performances.

Expertise
Media
Feedback
We thoroughly enjoyed having Simon as our Emcee for our Christmas function last Friday night at Malo in Havelock North. On meeting him for the first time I was struck by how unassuming and friendly he was. Once the night got under way, he was super funny and rolled with the many curve balls that got thrown at him on the evening, from the malfunctioning quiz to the heckling crowd, and he even helped me get everyone back into the taxis at the end of the night. He was the ultimate professional, put everyone at ease and read the crowd perfectly. Would thoroughly recommend him. Delegat

Simon did a wonderful job at our gala event, he was able to grab the attention of the noisy crowd and hold it for the duration of our formal events. I've heard great feedback from a number of our attendees, they found Simon very funny and entertaining.

Informa

We recently had the pleasure of having Simon McKinney as the MC for our South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards. Simon is an exceptional MC, whose wit, humour, and charisma kept the entire audience engaged throughout the event. He seamlessly guided the flow of the program, ensuring that everything ran smoothly and on time, while keeping the energy high. Simon’s ability to connect with the audience through his humour was wonderful. Every joke was perfectly timed, and his natural comedic talent had the entire room laughing and enjoying his stories. He struck a perfect balance between entertainment and professionalism, making sure that the event’s purpose was never overshadowed, and our sponsors were well acknowledged throughout the evening. What truly stood out was Simon’s dedication to ensuring the success of the event. He led with grace and poise, making sure that the event remained a seamless and enjoyable experience for all attendees. Simon played a key role in making the event a resounding success, entertaining, engaging, and steering it with finesse. He went above and beyond by arriving early to engage with our sponsors and staying after the event to chat with guests. We would wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone seeking an MC who can provide both laughter and engaging entertainment.

South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce

Simon was exceptional at hosting our gala dinner and awards evening. His humour was witty and clean which resonates well with our brand values. As well as being highly entertaining, Simon was professional and exactly what we were looking for. I highly recommend Simon as an excellent option for a host and performer who will add value to your event.

Flex Fitness

We thoroughly enjoyed having Simon entertain us! Simon went beyond our expectations. He was so engaged with the audience. He is charismatic, well presented and most of all - hilarious!! Everything we wanted and more “ Thank you Simon.

Delegat

Simon did a wonderful job at our gala event, he was able to grab the attention of the noisy crowd and hold it for the duration of our formal events. I've heard great feedback from a number of our attendees, they found Simon very funny and entertaining.

Flex Fitness

Once again thank you so much from the IESANZ CMC Committee, the Awards Organiser, the Awards Convenor, and me personally for steering an often faced moving but well oiled, slick event. All reports are that it was the best award we have ever had, and Simon was an integral part of its success. Simon your professionalism and quick wit dovetailed with an impressive amount of material that we had to get through which varied between the highly technical and the visually stunning, hence your presentation allowed for people to take in all that stimulation and information within some tight time signatures and without distracting the audience from focussing on the awards themselves. It was an honour to work with you and with an often-tough audience that had not seen each other for over 2 very emotional years and the energy in the room was intense, needing constant taming and making your part even more challenging.

Illuminating Engineering Society

Simon was fantastic! He tailored his act to suit our audience, assisted with drawing our 'prize winner' and took the time to chat to people after his act. They really enjoyed his humour and the chance to meet him.

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand

Simon recently hosted our annual Business Excellence Awards in Timaru. This was at very short notice and Simon delivered in every way. He managed to quickly adapt and customize his material to our requirements and to make it appropriate for the audience. He engaged with the audience over 5 short events with 100 guests at each, set the tone for our event and was a pleasure to work with. He was happy to mix and socialise with guests and we felt he was not rushed to get away and people enjoyed his company. We do not hesitate to recommend him to other groups and would be happy to talk to anyone thinking of booking him for their event.

South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce

Simon was a great recommendation from your team, Simon adapted his content to our theme and provided outstanding entertainment, it was an enjoyable way to end a virtual session which received great feedback from our attendees. Simon was genuinely enthusiastic to be part of our event and it showed in his performance.

Ingram Micro

Our first time having a celebrity drop in to our Zoom meeting did not disappoint. Having a guest speaker brought more members to the meeting and our 73 attendees were thoroughly entertained and stayed til the end. Even though Simon McKinney was unable to hear any of our reactions due to Zoom ettique of having mics muted, his ability to engage and interact with the audience was unparalleled. Simon's performance was relaxed, on point and he was able to make a connection with members through the wonders of technology. Our members ended the meeting in fits of laughter and Simon's performance was the perfect way to fill our buckets to counteract any lockdown blues. We would not hesitate in recommending Simon McKinney for your next event and would absolutely appoint him for our future events.

School Business Managers

Thanks for putting on such a great show for us on Saturday Simon. I appreciate that having my niece in the front row might have restricted the material a bit but it did not show in your performance which was on point. I've had so many positive comments about the evening and most have referenced what a hoot you were - people were literally crying with laughter. Job done, exceeded expectations!

Waitomo Group

We had Simon as a Master of Ceremonies for both days of our Salespersons Conference and Gala Awards Dinner. This is the second year in a row that we have had Simon as a host for this event. Simon is a true professional and did his MC job very efficiently. Simon had everyone engaged and laughing when he did his performance which included many different accents. He has endless material and his act is truly original. I would highly recommend you have Simon as an MC or performer for your next event.

Professionals Real Estate Group

Simon was outstanding as the MC for our conference. He really picked up on the mood of the audience and kept the banter throughout the day amusing and fun, which was exactly according to the brief. He wowed doing a comedy routine later in the day and was a very engaged MC, who made a point of researching his speakers and preparing well. I would highly recommend him both as an MC and a performer. He made me laugh from dawn to dusk but was always extremely professional at the same time! Simon is an absolute pleasure to work alongside.

REINZ - Real Estate Institute of New Zealand

Great laugh, very appropriate, good clean kiwi humour, Simon made the evening special, and with a diverse group that isn't always possible. Well done, would highly recommend.

Rentokil Initial

WOW!!! Simon was awesome he exceeded my expectations! He was so easy to work with and fitted in with our changing plans. We felt like he had tailored his performance to suit both us and our guests. He was extremely funny - with many people reduced to tears of laughter and it rounded off our night perfectly. Everyone I spoke to thought he was amazing, brilliant, very talented and the list went on. I would recommend him to anyone and everyone - so thanks for organising him for us and please pass on my thanks and praise to him.

Private Function in Christchurch

One of the difficulties in running a conference with such a broad spectrum of attendees is finding entertainment that suits both younger and older individuals “ we nailed it with Simon McKinney. He was appropriate and relevant and had almost the entire audience in tears. My only issue was that for the remainder of our event I had wannabe comedians coming out of the brickwork and I laughed at anyone with an accent.

Brick and Blocklayers Federation of New Zealand - BBFNZ

Simon is a great comedian and certainly made our 20th Anniversary Dinner a memorable event. Everyone loved his performance with lots of sore jaws from the laughter. His content was perfectly pitched to our varied audience. Thanks Simon for your entertainment and Celebrity Speakers for your organisation.

Wynn Fraser Paints

Simon was a great speaker, he had the audience rolling with laughter and kept us entertained for over an hour. We were very happy with his presentation, and friendly manner and would highly recommend him. Our CEO commented that Simon was one of the best speakers we have had in the last 12 years. We have had a number of our guests also express how much they enjoyed Simon as guest speaker “ one emailed me this morning to say his cheeks were still sore from laughing!

First Mortgage Managers Ltd

Simon McKinney was an absolutely fantastic speaker who really set the tone for the evening. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed his performance, we were all in fits of laughter “ some of us even crying! Comments made throughout the night that he was a stroke of genius, and Book him again for next year, and I could have listened to him all night!. Simon is very professional, very skillful and flawless in his delivery. I would recommend him to anyone looking for an MC! He even did a fantastic job hosting our charity auction. Can't sing enough praise for Simon “ absolutely brilliant!

Craigmore Farming Services Ltd

Simon was the making of a very lovely night with our staff and their partners. The laughter is still heard when our staff talk about him - he was without a doubt the best entertainment we have had. Bless him -he was wonderful

Gallagher Group Limited

Simon was great, he was very professional, confident and easy going. Such a nice man to work with. My guests enjoyed his comedy and it really added to the evening overall. I will definitely keep him in mind for future events. I actually would like to use him as an MC, I really appreciated his ability to keep the audience captive without raising his voice “ he definitely has great presence.

ITM
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