We talked to: Matt Dibrindisi Entertainment

We recently had a great conversation with Matt Dibrindisi! Check out what he had to say about his company and what's coming up for events!

Hi, Matt! Could you tell us a bit about your business and the history of your character, Pepperoni?

We're a themed entertainment company that believes in the importance of joy, well-being, and accessibility to escapism for all. We're striving to create Orlando-style events affordable for low-income families and accessible to people with disabilities of all ages. The impetus for the company came in 2018, on a trip to The Mouse, if you catch my drift. It was my fourth trip and it hit me how much of a privilege it is to even visit once, so I asked myself what if you could take that style of experience and euphoria and bring it north to people who could never afford the multiple mortgage payments to go, even for a week? For all the price increases they enact in both Orlando and Anaheim, the one or two publicized free trips to families in the Rust Belt isn't enough.

I created Pepperoni 11 years ago as a character for a puppet show at a barbecue event. All of the other characters were store-bought, but I wanted a wizard character in the vein of the kids' wizard hats and robes with metallic shapes all over him; those ended up being gold pinballs and flippers, making him a pinball wizard. NOT because of The Who's Tommy, but because of my own love of 1980s and 1990s pinball machines. The name Pepperoni came from pixel art I dabbled in as a kid of a Chuck E. Cheese's knock-off with a dark-haired, top-hatted magician, so if you're asking yourself if he's named after the pizza topping, yes. (I made him vegan many years later.)  The character remained dormant for about five years until we brought him back for the second Dark of Fright when it was still a home Halloween party in my backyard. That's ultimately what cemented him as a mascot for the company.

What events do you have coming up this fall/winter that you’d like to highlight?

First and foremost, Dark of Fright Halloween Party, which will take place this Saturday at Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley. This is an all-ages, scare-free celebration of the season with trick0or-treating for candy, toys, and stickers, a DJ dance party, incredible performances, and a character meet & greet with Pepperoni the Great. After that, we will be in the Florence Holiday Parade on Saturday, November 30th.

And finally... What’s your favorite fall food and/or beverage?

I'm not into fall seasonal things, but the best thing I could recommend are the banana muffins at River Valley Co-Op in Easthampton if they're out. Those are always great for breakfast!