Jump to content

Matt Harding: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Monkbot (talk | contribs)
Bots
3,695,952 edits
m Task 16: replaced (7×) / removed (0×) deprecated |dead-url= and |deadurl= with |url-status=;
Changed it back to what it was
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit
 
(40 intermediate revisions by 27 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|American traveler, video game designer and Internet celebrity}}
{{about||the British musician of the same name|Matt Harding (musician)|the viral video|Where the Hell is Matt?}}
{{for multi|the British musician|Matt Harding (musician)|the viral video|Where the Hell is Matt?}}
{{Distinguish|Matt Hardy}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
|name = Matt Harding
|name = Matt Harding
Line 6: Line 6:
|image_size = 220px
|image_size = 220px
|alt =
|alt =
|caption = Matt Harding in [[Yoyogi Park]], [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]] on January 27, 2007.
|caption = Harding in [[Yoyogi Park, Tokyo]], Japan in 2007
|birth_name = Matthew Harding
|birth_name = Matthew Harding
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1976|09|27}}
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1976|09|27}}
Line 19: Line 19:
|notable_works =
|notable_works =
|known_for =
|known_for =
|influences =
|website = {{url|www.wherethehellismatt.com}}
|influenced =
|website = http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/
|module = {{Infobox person/Internet info
|web alias = Matt
|web host service = [[YouTube]]
|meme = ''Where the Hell is Matt?''
|signature phrase =
}}
}}
⚫
'''Matthew Harding''' (born September 27, 1976) is an American [[Tourist|traveler]], [[video game]] designer, and [[Internet celebrity]] who is known as '''Dancing Matt''', for his [[viral video]]s that show him dancing in front of landmarks and street scenes in various international locations. Harding has since received widespread coverage of his travel exploits in major print and [[broadcast media]] outlets,<ref>{{cite news
}}
⚫
'''Matthew Harding''' (born September 27, 1976) is an [[United States|American]] [[Tourist|traveler]], [[video game]] designer, and [[Internet celebrity]] known as '''Dancing Matt''' for his [[viral video]]s that show him dancing in front of landmarks and street scenes in various international locations. Harding has since received widespread coverage of his travel exploits in major print and [[broadcast media]] outlets,<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://travel.guardian.co.uk/article/2006/dec/23/budget.saturday.egypt
|url=http://travel.guardian.co.uk/article/2006/dec/23/budget.saturday.egypt
|title=Dance, dance, wherever you may be
|title=Dance, dance, wherever you may be
|author=Benji Lanyado
|author=Benji Lanyado
|date=December 23, 2006
|date=December 23, 2006
|publisher=The Guardian
|work=The Guardian
|accessdate=2006-12-28
|access-date=2006-12-28
|quote=In the year we became obsessed with YouTube and MySpace, perhaps it's no surprise that a blog of a bloke doing a silly dance around the world got five million hits [...] Tis the season to give out awards. So, here's another one. My award for Alternative Travel Hero for 2006 goes to (cue drum roll, split screen of smiling nominees) ... Matt Harding.
|quote=In the year we became obsessed with YouTube and MySpace, perhaps it's no surprise that a blog of a bloke doing a silly dance around the world got five million hits [...] Tis the season to give out awards. So, here's another one. My award for Alternative Travel Hero for 2006 goes to (cue drum roll, split screen of smiling nominees) ... Matt Harding.
|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5ZDNiue2N?url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2006/dec/23/budget.saturday.egypt
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080701023441/http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2006/dec/23/budget.saturday.egypt
|archivedate=July 10, 2008
|archive-date=July 1, 2008
|url-status=dead
|url-status=dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/20/AR2006102000373.html
|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/20/AR2006102000373.html
Line 45: Line 37:
|author=Andrea Sachs
|author=Andrea Sachs
|date=October 22, 2006
|date=October 22, 2006
|publisher=Washington Post
|newspaper=Washington Post
|accessdate=2006-12-28
|access-date=2006-12-28
|quote=So, where the hell is Matt? We found him in Seattle, but before that, Matt Harding, 30, was everywhere. In 2003, the video-game maker performed a silly free-form dance in more than a dozen countries, which he filmed and then posted on his Web site at http://www.wherethehellismatt.com.
|quote=So, where the hell is Matt? We found him in Seattle, but before that, Matt Harding, 30, was everywhere. In 2003, the video-game maker performed a silly free-form dance in more than a dozen countries, which he filmed and then posted on his Web site at http://www.wherethehellismatt.com.
|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5ZDM15iMn?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/20/AR2006102000373.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829230901/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/20/AR2006102000373.html
|archivedate=July 10, 2008
|archive-date=August 29, 2008
|url-status=dead
|url-status=dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=KC&p_theme=kc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11435BF6F92F6B68&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=KC&p_theme=kc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11435BF6F92F6B68&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
Line 57: Line 49:
|date=September 17, 2006
|date=September 17, 2006
|publisher=[[Kansas City Star]]
|publisher=[[Kansas City Star]]
|accessdate=July 11, 2012
|access-date=July 11, 2012
|quote = The man in the video is doing some sort of quirky dance in a foreign land, arms flailing and flopping, feet moving as if walking over hot coals. There is nothing graceful or beautiful about the dance. Nonetheless it communicates an infectious joy that defies easy characterization. In short, it is fun to watch. [...] "It's just something I've always done," said Matt Harding, who created and stars in the video. "It's that dance that kids do when they're 2 or 3 years old.
|quote = The man in the video is doing some sort of quirky dance in a foreign land, arms flailing and flopping, feet moving as if walking over hot coals. There is nothing graceful or beautiful about the dance. Nonetheless it communicates an infectious joy that defies easy characterization. In short, it is fun to watch. [...] "It's just something I've always done," said Matt Harding, who created and stars in the video. "It's that dance that kids do when they're 2 or 3 years old.
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
Line 66: Line 58:
|date=October 5, 2006
|date=October 5, 2006
|publisher=Seattle Times
|publisher=Seattle Times
|accessdate=2006-12-28
|access-date=2006-12-28
|quote=It's a 20-something's fantasy: Travel around the world, dance a lot and get paid to do it. [...] Matt Harding of Seattle made that dream come true. And he's turning into an Internet star, thanks to a short video he made of his recent trip that's become wildly popular on the Web.
|quote=It's a 20-something's fantasy: Travel around the world, dance a lot and get paid to do it. [...] Matt Harding of Seattle made that dream come true. And he's turning into an Internet star, thanks to a short video he made of his recent trip that's become wildly popular on the Web.
|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5ZDNzonS2?url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2003172815_dancingguy06.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917171214/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2003172815_dancingguy06.html
|archivedate=July 10, 2008
|archive-date=September 17, 2008
|url-status=dead
|url-status=dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/12/AR2008071200141.html
|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/12/AR2008071200141.html
Line 76: Line 68:
|author=Mike Musgrove
|author=Mike Musgrove
|date=July 13, 2008
|date=July 13, 2008
|publisher=Washington Post
|newspaper=Washington Post
|accessdate=2008-07-14
|access-date=2008-07-14
|quote = Matt Harding has this silly dance he does, this running-in-place thing where he waves his arms around spastically. If it had a name, you might call it the Excited Toddler.
|quote = Matt Harding has this silly dance he does, this running-in-place thing where he waves his arms around spastically. If it had a name, you might call it the Excited Toddler.
}}</ref> and was hired by [[Visa Inc.|Visa]] to star in their ''Travel Happy'' campaign in 2008.<ref>''[http://www.visa-asia.com/ap/sea/mediacenter/pressrelease/NR_SGP_201108.shtml Travel the world with the currency of the world] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201100402/http://www.visa-asia.com/ap/sea/mediacenter/pressrelease/NR_SGP_201108.shtml |date=2009-02-01 }}'', 20 November 2008. Press release by Visa. "Visa's new travel-focused commercial recreates the dance made famous by internet celebrity Matt Harding in his self-made quirky video travel diaries."</ref>
}}</ref> and was hired by [[Visa Inc.|Visa]] to star in their ''Travel Happy'' campaign in 2008.<ref>''[http://www.visa-asia.com/ap/sea/mediacenter/pressrelease/NR_SGP_201108.shtml Travel the world with the currency of the world] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201100402/http://www.visa-asia.com/ap/sea/mediacenter/pressrelease/NR_SGP_201108.shtml |date=2009-02-01 }}'', 20 November 2008. Press release by Visa. "Visa's new travel-focused commercial recreates the dance made famous by internet celebrity Matt Harding in his self-made quirky video travel diaries."</ref>
Line 86: Line 78:
|title=A Private Dance? Four Million Web Fans Say No
|title=A Private Dance? Four Million Web Fans Say No
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/arts/television/08dancer.html?ref=technology
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/arts/television/08dancer.html?ref=technology
|publisher=New York Times
|work=New York Times
|date=2008-07-08
|date=2008-07-08
|accessdate=2008-07-08
|access-date=2008-07-08
|quote = Mr. Harding, who grew up in [[Westport, Conn.]], skipped college at the suggestion of his father,
|quote = Mr. Harding, who grew up in [[Westport, Conn.]], skipped college at the suggestion of his father,
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20161117221507/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/arts/television/08dancer.html?ref=technology
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161117221507/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/arts/television/08dancer.html?ref=technology
|url-status= live
|url-status= live
|archivedate = 2016-11-17
|archive-date = 2016-11-17
}}</ref>
}}</ref>


==Videogame developer==
==Video-Game developer==
He began his game industry career working for a video game specialty store called Cutting Edge Entertainment. Harding later worked as an editor for ''[[GameWeek Magazine]]'' in [[Wilton, Connecticut]], and then as a software developer for [[Activision]] in [[Santa Monica, California]] and then [[Brisbane, Queensland]].
He began his game industry career working for a video game specialty store called Cutting Edge Entertainment. Harding later worked as an editor for ''[[GameWeek Magazine]]'' in [[Wilton, Connecticut]], and then as a software developer for [[Activision]] in [[Santa Monica, California]] and then [[Brisbane, Queensland]].


Harding claims that a sarcastic joke about the popularity of [[shoot 'em up]] games led [[Pandemic Studios]] to develop the game ''[[Destroy All Humans!]]'', on which he received a conceptual credit. Saying he "didn't want to spend two years of my life writing a game about killing everyone", he quit his job and began traveling, leading to the production of his first video which was uploaded to YouTube in July 2006.<ref>{{cite news
Harding claims that a sarcastic joke about the popularity of [[shoot 'em up]] games led [[Pandemic Studios]] to develop the game ''[[Destroy All Humans!]]'', on which he received a conceptual credit. He said, "...didn't want to spend two years of my life writing a game about killing everyone...". He quit his job and began traveling, leading to the production of his first video, which was uploaded to YouTube in July 2006.<ref>{{cite news
|url = http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A286843
|url = http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A286843
|title = Dancing Matt coming to town
|title = Dancing Matt coming to town
Line 104: Line 96:
|date = August 26, 2005
|date = August 26, 2005
|publisher = [[Austin Chronicle]]
|publisher = [[Austin Chronicle]]
|accessdate = 2006-12-16
|access-date = 2006-12-16
|quote = Harding didn't. "I … didn't want to spend two years of my life writing a game about killing everyone," he said
|quote = Harding didn't. "I … didn't want to spend two years of my life writing a game about killing everyone," he said
|archiveurl = https://www.webcitation.org/5ZDPxw6P5?url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:286843
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930190553/http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:286843
|archivedate = 2008-07-10
|archive-date = 2007-09-30
|url-status = dead
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>
}}</ref>
Line 114: Line 106:
{{Main|Where the Hell is Matt?}}
{{Main|Where the Hell is Matt?}}


''Where the Hell is Matt?'' is an [[Internet phenomenon]] that features a video of Matt, aka ''Dancing Matt'', doing a dance "jig" in many different places around the world in 2005-2006. The background music in the video is the song "Sweet Lullaby Dancing Remix" by [[Deep Forest]]. The video garnered popularity on the video sharing site [[YouTube]]. There are now five major videos plus [[outtake]]s and background videos on YouTube.
''Where the Hell is Matt?'' is an [[Internet phenomenon]] that features a video of Matt, aka ''Dancing Matt'', doing a dance "jig" in many different places around the world in 2005–2006. The background music in the video is the song "Sweet Lullaby Dancing Remix" by [[Deep Forest]]. The video garnered popularity on the video sharing site [[YouTube]]. There are now five major videos plus [[outtake]]s and background videos on YouTube.


The titles in the five major videos are all titled ''Dancing'' without the year in the videos; Harding labels them as ''Where the Hell is Matt? (year)'' on YouTube. The 2012 YouTube titles have also been titled ''Happy People Dancing on Planet Earth'' as well as ''Happy New Year! Peace on Earth in 2013.''
The titles in the five major videos are all titled ''Dancing'' without the year in the videos; Harding labels them as ''Where the Hell is Matt? (year)'' on YouTube. The 2012 YouTube titles have also been titled ''Happy People Dancing on Planet Earth'' as well as ''Happy New Year! Peace on Earth in 2013.''


*''Dancing 2005'': filmed from 2003-2004 (15 countries and 4 states)
*''Dancing 2005'': filmed from 2003 to 2004 (15 countries and 4 US states)
*''Dancing 2006'': filmed from 2005-2006 (28 countries, [[Antarctica]], 6 states, and 1 US territory [[Guam]])
*''Dancing 2006'': filmed from 2005 to 2006 (28 countries, [[Antarctica]], 6 US states, and 1 US territory [[Guam]])
*''Dancing 2008'': filmed from 2007-2008 (42 countries, 8 states and DC, and 3 Canadian provinces)
*''Dancing 2008'': filmed from 2007 to 2008 (42 countries, 8 US states and the District of Columbia, and 3 Canadian provinces)
*''Dancing 2010'': filmed in 2010 (note this was filmed exclusively in [[South Africa]] to promote the [[2010 World Cup]])
*''Dancing 2010'': filmed in 2010 (note this was filmed exclusively in [[South Africa]] to promote the [[2010 World Cup]])
*''Dancing 2012'': filmed from 2011-2012 (40 countries, 13 states and [[Puerto Rico]], and 1 Canadian province)
*''Dancing 2012'': filmed from 2011 to 2012 (40 countries, 13 US states and [[Puerto Rico]], and 1 Canadian province)
*''Dancing 2016'': (15 countries, 12 US states and the District of Columbia, and 2 Canadian provinces)


However, some of these locations are repeated in different videos, such as [[San Francisco]], [[New York City]], or [[Papua New Guinea]]. Therefore, as of the filming of ''Dancing 2012'', Matt had visited approximately 94 countries, 20 states, [[Washington, DC]], [[Guam]], [[Puerto Rico]], 4 Canadian provinces, and [[Antarctica]].
However, some of these locations are repeated in different videos, such as [[San Francisco]], [[New York City]], or [[Papua New Guinea]]. Therefore, as of the filming of ''Dancing 2016'', Matt had visited approximately 99 countries, 21 states, [[Washington, DC]], [[Guam]], [[Puerto Rico]], 4 Canadian provinces, and [[Antarctica]].


⚫
In 2007, [[Jawed Karim]], one of the founders of YouTube, stated that Harding's video was his favorite on YouTube at that time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/news/articles.php?id=2007May15-266 |title=YouTube co-founder tells grads to be persistent, take risks |access-date=2008-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313060505/http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/news/articles.php?id=2007May15-266 |archive-date=March 13, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The website has since replaced the word 'hell' with 'heck'.


⚫
In November 2008, Matt and the vocalist [[Palbasha Siddique|Palbasha]] were interviewed by KFAI radio in Minnesota.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEPlVmn5YLY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/ZEPlVmn5YLY |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Rajib interviews Matt Harding & Palbasha Siddique – KFAI – Pt. 1 |website=[[YouTube]] | access-date=November 21, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The interview focused on how the "Dance 2008" project came to include Palbasha.
⚫
In 2007, [[Jawed Karim]], one of the founders of YouTube, stated that Harding's video was his favorite on YouTube at that time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/news/articles.php?id=2007May15-266 |title=YouTube co-founder tells grads to be persistent, take risks |accessdate=2008-10-14 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313060505/http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/news/articles.php?id=2007May15-266 |archivedate=March 13, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


⚫
==Video game development credits==
⚫
On November 2008, Matt and the vocalist Palbasha were interviewed by KFAI radio in Minnesota.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEPlVmn5YLY |title=Rajib interviews Matt Harding & Palbasha Siddique - KFAI - Pt. 1 | accessdate=November 21, 2012}}</ref> The interview focused on how the "Dance 2008" project came to include Palbasha.
⚫
Harding's development credits include:<ref name="DevelopmentCredits">{{cite web

⚫
==Videogame development credits==
⚫
Harding's development credits include:<ref name="DevelopmentCredits">{{cite web
|url=http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,20581/
|url=http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,20581/
|title=Matthew Harding
|title=Matthew Harding
|publisher=[[MobyGames]]
|publisher=[[MobyGames]]
|accessdate=2008-07-10
|access-date=2008-07-10
|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5ZDVnibB0?url=http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId%2C20581/
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628001927/http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,20581/
|archivedate=2008-07-10
|archive-date=2008-06-28
|quote=Games Credited Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow (2006), Bethesda Softworks LLC [...] Destroy All Humans! (2005), THQ Inc. [...] Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Activision Publishing, Inc. [...] Army Men RTS (2002), 3DO Company, The [...] Dark Reign 2 (2000), Activision Publishing, Inc. [...] Battlezone II: Combat Commander (1999), Activision Publishing, Inc. [...] Battlezone (1998), Activision, Inc. [...] Zork: Grand Inquisitor (1997), Activision, Inc.
|quote=Games Credited Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow (2006), Bethesda Softworks LLC [...] Destroy All Humans! (2005), THQ Inc. [...] Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Activision Publishing, Inc. [...] Army Men RTS (2002), 3DO Company, The [...] Dark Reign 2 (2000), Activision Publishing, Inc. [...] Battlezone II: Combat Commander (1999), Activision Publishing, Inc. [...] Battlezone (1998), Activision, Inc. [...] Zork: Grand Inquisitor (1997), Activision, Inc.
|url-status=dead
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>
}}</ref>
* ''[[Destroy All Humans!]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Zork: Grand Inquisitor]]'' (1997)
⚫
* ''[[Battlezone (1998 video game)|Battlezone]]'' (1998)
⚫
* ''[[Battlezone II: Combat Commander]]'' (1999)
⚫
* ''[[Dark Reign 2]]'' (2000)
⚫
* ''[[Army Men: RTS]] '' (2002)
* ''[[Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (video game)|Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (video game)|Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Destroy All Humans! (2005 video game)|Destroy All Humans!]]'' (2005)
⚫
* ''[[Army Men: RTS]] '' (2002)
* ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow]]'' (2006)
⚫
* ''[[Dark Reign 2]]''
⚫
* ''[[Battlezone II: Combat Commander]]''
⚫
* ''[[Battlezone (1998 video game)|Battlezone]]''
* ''[[Zork: Grand Inquisitor]]''


==References==
==References==
Line 157: Line 149:
{{Commons category}}
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/ Official homepage and blog]
* [http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/ Official homepage and blog]
* [http://ycorpblog.com/2008/08/04/and-now-we-dance/ Matt Visits Yahoo! Headquarters]
* [https://archive.is/20130628084459/http://www.deepforest.co/news_where-is-matt.htm Deep in the Jungle]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
Line 167: Line 157:
[[Category:American video game designers]]
[[Category:American video game designers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Brisbane]]
[[Category:YouTubers from Brisbane]]
[[Category:People from Westport, Connecticut]]
[[Category:People from Westport, Connecticut]]
[[Category:People from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:YouTubers from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:People from Seattle]]
[[Category:YouTubers from Seattle]]
[[Category:Viral videos]]
[[Category:Viral videos]]
[[Category:American YouTubers]]

Latest revision as of 17:51, 9 May 2024

For the British musician, see Matt Harding (musician). For the viral video, see Where the Hell is Matt?
Matt Harding
Harding in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, Japan in 2007
Born
Matthew Harding

(1976-09-27) September 27, 1976 (age 48)
Norwalk, Connecticut
Websitewww.wherethehellismatt.com

Matthew Harding (born September 27, 1976) is an American traveler, video game designer, and Internet celebrity who is known as Dancing Matt, for his viral videos that show him dancing in front of landmarks and street scenes in various international locations. Harding has since received widespread coverage of his travel exploits in major print and broadcast media outlets,[1][2][3][4][5] and was hired by Visa to star in their Travel Happy campaign in 2008.[6]

He is originally from Westport, Connecticut.[7]

Video-Game developer

[edit]

He began his game industry career working for a video game specialty store called Cutting Edge Entertainment. Harding later worked as an editor for GameWeek Magazine in Wilton, Connecticut, and then as a software developer for Activision in Santa Monica, California and then Brisbane, Queensland.

Harding claims that a sarcastic joke about the popularity of shoot 'em up games led Pandemic Studios to develop the game Destroy All Humans!, on which he received a conceptual credit. He said, "...didn't want to spend two years of my life writing a game about killing everyone...". He quit his job and began traveling, leading to the production of his first video, which was uploaded to YouTube in July 2006.[8]

Where the Hell is Matt? videos

[edit]
Main article: Where the Hell is Matt?

Where the Hell is Matt? is an Internet phenomenon that features a video of Matt, aka Dancing Matt, doing a dance "jig" in many different places around the world in 2005–2006. The background music in the video is the song "Sweet Lullaby Dancing Remix" by Deep Forest. The video garnered popularity on the video sharing site YouTube. There are now five major videos plus outtakes and background videos on YouTube.

The titles in the five major videos are all titled Dancing without the year in the videos; Harding labels them as Where the Hell is Matt? (year) on YouTube. The 2012 YouTube titles have also been titled Happy People Dancing on Planet Earth as well as Happy New Year! Peace on Earth in 2013.

  • Dancing 2005: filmed from 2003 to 2004 (15 countries and 4 US states)
  • Dancing 2006: filmed from 2005 to 2006 (28 countries, Antarctica, 6 US states, and 1 US territory Guam)
  • Dancing 2008: filmed from 2007 to 2008 (42 countries, 8 US states and the District of Columbia, and 3 Canadian provinces)
  • Dancing 2010: filmed in 2010 (note this was filmed exclusively in South Africa to promote the 2010 World Cup)
  • Dancing 2012: filmed from 2011 to 2012 (40 countries, 13 US states and Puerto Rico, and 1 Canadian province)
  • Dancing 2016: (15 countries, 12 US states and the District of Columbia, and 2 Canadian provinces)

However, some of these locations are repeated in different videos, such as San Francisco, New York City, or Papua New Guinea. Therefore, as of the filming of Dancing 2016, Matt had visited approximately 99 countries, 21 states, Washington, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, 4 Canadian provinces, and Antarctica.

In 2007, Jawed Karim, one of the founders of YouTube, stated that Harding's video was his favorite on YouTube at that time.[9]

In November 2008, Matt and the vocalist Palbasha were interviewed by KFAI radio in Minnesota.[10] The interview focused on how the "Dance 2008" project came to include Palbasha.

Video game development credits

[edit]

Harding's development credits include:[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Benji Lanyado (December 23, 2006). "Dance, dance, wherever you may be". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved 2006-12-28. In the year we became obsessed with YouTube and MySpace, perhaps it's no surprise that a blog of a bloke doing a silly dance around the world got five million hits [...] Tis the season to give out awards. So, here's another one. My award for Alternative Travel Hero for 2006 goes to (cue drum roll, split screen of smiling nominees) ... Matt Harding.
  2. ^ Andrea Sachs (October 22, 2006). "The Guy Who Danced Around the Globe". Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved 2006-12-28. So, where the hell is Matt? We found him in Seattle, but before that, Matt Harding, 30, was everywhere. In 2003, the video-game maker performed a silly free-form dance in more than a dozen countries, which he filmed and then posted on his Web site at http://www.wherethehellismatt.com.
  3. ^ Gilden, James (September 17, 2006). "The Internet Traveler". Kansas City Star. Retrieved July 11, 2012. The man in the video is doing some sort of quirky dance in a foreign land, arms flailing and flopping, feet moving as if walking over hot coals. There is nothing graceful or beautiful about the dance. Nonetheless it communicates an infectious joy that defies easy characterization. In short, it is fun to watch. [...] "It's just something I've always done," said Matt Harding, who created and stars in the video. "It's that dance that kids do when they're 2 or 3 years old.
  4. ^ Jackson, Kristin (October 5, 2006). "Dancing around the world (and Web)". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. Retrieved 2006-12-28. It's a 20-something's fantasy: Travel around the world, dance a lot and get paid to do it. [...] Matt Harding of Seattle made that dream come true. And he's turning into an Internet star, thanks to a short video he made of his recent trip that's become wildly popular on the Web.
  5. ^ Mike Musgrove (July 13, 2008). "Product Placement Creeps Into Amateurs' YouTube Offerings". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-07-14. Matt Harding has this silly dance he does, this running-in-place thing where he waves his arms around spastically. If it had a name, you might call it the Excited Toddler.
  6. ^ Travel the world with the currency of the world Archived 2009-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, 20 November 2008. Press release by Visa. "Visa's new travel-focused commercial recreates the dance made famous by internet celebrity Matt Harding in his self-made quirky video travel diaries."
  7. ^ McGrath, Charles (2008-07-08). "A Private Dance? Four Million Web Fans Say No". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2008-07-08. Mr. Harding, who grew up in Westport, Conn., skipped college at the suggestion of his father,
  8. ^ Jordan Smith (August 26, 2005). "Dancing Matt coming to town". Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2006-12-16. Harding didn't. "I … didn't want to spend two years of my life writing a game about killing everyone," he said
  9. ^ "YouTube co-founder tells grads to be persistent, take risks". Archived from the original on March 13, 2009. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  10. ^ "Rajib interviews Matt Harding & Palbasha Siddique – KFAI – Pt. 1". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  11. ^ "Matthew Harding". MobyGames. Archived from the original on 2008-06-28. Retrieved 2008-07-10. Games Credited Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow (2006), Bethesda Softworks LLC [...] Destroy All Humans! (2005), THQ Inc. [...] Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Activision Publishing, Inc. [...] Army Men RTS (2002), 3DO Company, The [...] Dark Reign 2 (2000), Activision Publishing, Inc. [...] Battlezone II: Combat Commander (1999), Activision Publishing, Inc. [...] Battlezone (1998), Activision, Inc. [...] Zork: Grand Inquisitor (1997), Activision, Inc.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matt Harding.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Matt_Harding&oldid=1223069035"