Martha Stewart to speak at Sydney’s Vivid festival

Lifestyle entrepreneur Martha Stewart will appear at Vivid Sydney for an exclusive, “in conversation” event next month, the festival has announced.

Stewart, 83, is expected to reflect on her four-decade career, the evolution of her personal brand and the changing face of food, design and home life.

Martha Stewart in a scene from Martha, a Netflix documentary about her life.Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

“I have made some wonderful memories travelling to Australia over the years, so I am thrilled to return for Vivid Sydney,” Stewart said in a release provided by Vivid. “The conversation will be fun and honest, covering many aspects of my life and career. I’m always looking for inspiration when I travel so I’m excited to see what Sydney has to offer.”

Stewart became the first self-made female billionaire in 1999. In 2004, she was found guilty of lying about why she had sold her shares in a biotech company.

She spent five months in prison and the stock price of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia plummeted. More recently, she has paired with rapper Snoop Dogg to host a cooking show and published a cookbook.

Her first title, Entertaining, landed in 1982. To date, it has sold over a million copies. Since then, Stewart has become a household name, with fans often referring to her as the “queen of home decor”. Last year, she released Martha: The Cookbook, her 100th published title.

Stewart has also dominated the screen, creating popular lifestyle shows like Martha Stewart Living – which won six Daytime Emmys – and Martha Bakes. Her pop-cultural relevance became so significant that she even appeared in blockbuster shows and films like Bad Moms, Orange is the New Black and Men in Black II.

Last year, Netflix released the Martha documentary, which tracked both her meteoric rise and her time spent in West Virginia’s Alderson Federal Prison Camp.

Stewart is widely regarded as the “original lifestyle influencer”. Though she began her career in books and on television, she has successfully transitioned to social media, especially TikTok. She currently has over 1.9 million followers on the platform, and often features famous faces in her videos, such as Charli XCX and Pamela Anderson. Her ability to adapt to the evolving media landscape has earned her a loyal younger following.

Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini said: “It’s incredibly exciting to welcome one of the most revered and fascinating minds to Sydney. We could not think of a better figure that encapsulates this year’s theme of Dream more than Martha Stewart.”

NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper said Stewart was a powerhouse of innovation and entrepreneurship, and her inclusion in this year’s festival proved its ability to bring the world’s boldest characters to the Harbour City.

Previous Vivid speakers include pop culture sensations Jennifer Coolidge and Mike White, comedian Amy Poehler, pop sensation Troye Sivan, and Hollywood trailblazers Baz Luhrmann and Spike Lee.

In Conversation with Martha Stewart will take place on Wednesday, May 28.

Vivid Sydney runs from May 23 - June 14.

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