Matt Barrelle

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Matt Barrelle (born 1971 in Sydney, Australia) is a businessman and film producer.

Barrelle gained the following qualifications in Australia prior to moving to the USA: an Honours Degree in Land Economics, Masters of Business Degree (MBA), ASX Graduate Diploma (Finance & Investment) and awarded Justice of the Peace (JP) accreditation from the Australian Government.

In 1996 Barrelle rapidly expanded then prepared for sale: Australian corporate telecommunications carrier - Magna Data (Davnet). Prior to the acquisition by the Global Telecommunications Company NTT, Davnet had over 1000 employees in five countries and a market cap of over US$2Billion.

Barrelle then founded the Total Sports and Entertainment Group, where he was noted as Australia’s youngest CEO of a listed Public Company, before selling the business via ‘management buy-out’ in 2002.

After being inspired as a spectator at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Football in Japan, Barrelle then moved into the colorful world of Feature Film producing, beginning with the highly acclaimed Football Trilogy Goal!. The football film Franchise is widely reported to have cost around US$100 million, and is produced through Barrelle’s production company Milkshake Films, which was set up with his business partner Mike Jefferies in 2001.

The first film in the series, Goal! the Dream Begins, tells the story of young illegal immigrant, rising from poverty in Mexico/USA to become one of the World's greatest Football players.

Goal! was released by Buena Vista (a member of the Walt Disney Corporation) in September 2005 across 40 countries, and filmed on location with bodies such as FIFA, The UEFA Champions League, The Premier League and teams such as Real Madrid, Newcastle United and the England National Football Team and Mexico National Football Team.

The Goal! Franchise stars actors Kuno Becker, Alessandro Nivola and Anna Friel with well known celebrity players David Beckham, Zinadine Zidane, Alan Shearer and Raúl González Blanco.

Goal! 2: Living the Dream was also released internationally by Buena Vista in February 2009, and Goal! 3 was partially shot at the FIFA World Cup in Germany, 2006, and is expected to be released internationally in 2008.

Barrelle was also an Executive Producer on the Official Film of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, directed by Michael Apted and narrated by Pierce Brosnan. This documentary starred some of the world's greatest football players and entertainers including David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo and Latin popstar Shakira.

Barrelle’s next film project is titled Jesse, a feature film biopic about the legendary Olympic athlete Jesse Owens starring Anthony Mackie co-produced again with Mike Jefferies.

Amongst Barrelle’s other business interests is the recently formed Pioneer Land Group Limited, a Holding Company set up to acquire beach front land and develop Ocean Club resorts in the emerging coastal markets of Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Caribbean and the South Pacific.

In 2006 Barrelle moved from Los Angeles to Monte Carlo, Monaco where he now resides. Barrelle is known as a sports enthusiast and has been rumoured to have built the majority of his business interests around this passion for sport. Barrelle has been linked romantically with Brazilian model Ana Cunya.