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 “Best Male Comedian” at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards. In 2010 was awarded the “Reilly 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 “The Fred” for his show “People”.

His impressions are what really make Simon a unique addition to any event - they include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bert & Ernie, Elmo and “that movie guy”. It’s his impersonations of the everyday folk like “the kiwi lady”, “that 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 “AotearoHA” series. In 2010 Simon also appeared in and took the character of “Rachel”, Rhys Darby’s receptionist in TV2’s “Comedy Christmas Cracker - The Work Do”, as well as TVNZ’s “New Zealand Variety Show”, TV2’s hit comedy series “A Night At The Classic” and is one of the voices & puppeteers on the hit children’s TV show “The 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.

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Media

Video

Simon McKinney 2017 Showcase

Feedback

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 readingkeep 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

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 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 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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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